Where in the smartphone Xiaomi store browser bookmarks: a complete guide to search and management

You're looking for where Xiaomi stores browser bookmarks, but you can't find them in standard folders? This problem is familiar to many MIUI users - the proprietary shell hides some data in an unobvious way. Depending on the model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11) and the firmware version (MIUI 12-14), the bookmarks may differ. Moreover, bookmarks can be duplicated in different browsers: standard Mi Browser, Google Chrome or Firefox.

In this article, we’ll look at all possible bookmarks in Xiaomi smartphones, including hidden system folders, cloud services, and backup methods. You’ll learn how to find saved pages even after resetting, how to transfer them to a new phone, and why some bookmarks can “disappear” after a MIUI update. Particular attention will be paid to synchronizing with Google Account and Xiaomi Cloud – these tools are often ignored, although they solve 90% of the problems with lost bookmarks.

1. Standard bookmark location in Mi Browser

Most Xiaomi users use the Mi Browser (formerly Mi Browser Pro) browser preinstalled, and the bookmarks are stored in two places:

• 📱 Locally on the device – in the system database of the browser (unavailable without root rights).
• ☁️ In the cloud Xiaomi – if sync with Xiaomi Account is enabled.

To open the bookmarks in Mi Browser:

1. Launch your browser (Blue Globe icon).
2. Slip on three dots in the lower right corner (menu).
3. Select Bookmarks (or Bookmarks in English).
4. Here you will see all saved pages distributed by folder (for example, Favorites, Recent).

Important: If you don't see some bookmarks, check the filter at the top of the screen - only the Favorites folder can be selected by default, and also make sure that incognito mode is not activated (it does not save bookmarks).

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If the bookmarks in Mi Browser disappeared after the MIUI update, try clearing the browser cache in Settings → Applications → Application Management → Mi Browser → Clear the cache. This often restores access to local data.

2 Where Google Chrome bookmarks are stored on Xiaomi

If you use Google Chrome, bookmarks sync with Google Account by default. However, Xiaomi has nuances:

• 🔍 Local bookmarks (without synchronization) are stored in a folder /data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Default/Bookmarks — access only with root rights.
• 🔄 Synchronized bookmarks can be seen at bookmarks.google.com (authentication required).
• 📁 Backup of bookmarks is created automatically when synchronization is enabled (check in Chrome Settings). → Your profile. → Synchronization).

To open bookmarks in Chrome on Xiaomi:

1. Open your browser and tap three dots in the upper right corner.
2. Select Bookmarks (Bookmarks).
3. If there are no bookmarks, check if sync is enabled in your Google account settings.

Problem: on some firmware, MIUI Chrome may conflict with Mi Browser, causing bookmarks to duplicate or disappear, so the solution is to disable autosynchronization in one of the browsers.

3. Hidden folders with bookmarks: how to access without root

The bookmarks in MIUI are stored in secure system folders, but there are legal ways to export them without obtaining root rights:

For users without root rights, the only safe way is to export through the browser settings:

• 📤 At Mi Browser: Menu → Bookmarks → More. Three dots) → Export (file saved in Downloads).
• 📤 In Chrome: Use Google Takeout to upload all your account data.

Critical information: if you reset your phone to factory settings without backup, it is impossible to restore local Mi Browser bookmarks without root. The only chance is to check the Xiaomi cloud (if sync was enabled).

Is bookmark synchronization enabled in Mi Browser?|Are Chrome bookmarks exported to Google Account?|Is the bookmark backup file saved in the cloud?|Are hidden folders checked through the file manager?-->

4. Synchronize bookmarks with Xiaomi Cloud and Google

To avoid bookmark loss, set up automatic synchronization. In MIUI, it's done like this:

For Mi Browser:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Xiaomi Account.
2. Make sure that the browser sync slider is active.
3. Bookmarks will be available on all devices with your Xiaomi Account.

For Google Chrome:

1. Launch Chrome, tap on the profile avatar on the top right.
2. Select Managing Google Account → Synchronization.
3. Activate the bookmarks and other necessary data.

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Note: if you use both browsers at the same time, disable bookmark sync in one of them, otherwise conflicts may occur when the same page is saved twice with different names.

5. Restoration of bookmarks after resetting or updating MIUI

If you lost bookmarks after a hard reset or MIUI update, follow the following algorithm:

1. Check out Xiaomi Cloud: Sign in to i.mi.com. Go to Cloud → Browser → Bookmarks. If you have bookmarks, they will automatically download when you sign in to Mi Browser the next time you sign in.
2. Restore from Google Account: Open Chrome and log in to your profile. If sync has been enabled, bookmarks will appear in 5-10 minutes.

Use a backup copy of MIUI:

• If a backup was created before reset via Settings → Additional → Backup, restore it.
• Mi Browser bookmarks are included in the default backup.

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Warning: If you reset your phone and don't remember if sync was enabled, try to remember if you were logged in to Xiaomi Account or Google Account before the reset.

Alternative method: If you had access to the phone before the reset, try connecting it to your PC and using ADB to upload the browser2.db file.

adb pull /data/data/com.android.browser/databases/browser2.db C:\Xiaomi_Backup\

This method requires USB debugging enabled and only works until factory reset.

6.Moving bookmarks to the new smartphone Xiaomi

When switching to a new model (Redmi Note 13, POCO F5, etc.), you can transfer bookmarks in several ways:

• 🔄 Account Sync: For Mi Browser, sign in to Xiaomi Account on your new phone. For Chrome, log in to Google Account.
• 📱 Local Transfer: Export bookmarks to the file HTML transfer the file to a new phone (e.g., via Xiaomi Share or the cloud). Import the file to the new device's browser.
• 🖥️ Through PC: Copy the file browser2.db (for Mi Browser or Default folder (for Chrome) from one phone to another via ADB root-guide.

Tip: If you're switching from an iPhone to Xiaomi, use Google Chrome for sync — it supports cross-platform bookmarking. For the Mi Browser, you'll have to export bookmarks from Safari to HTML and import them manually.

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The most reliable way to transfer bookmarks is sync through Google Account, which works on all devices (including iOS and Android) and is independent of the Xiaomi model.

7.Why bookmarks are missing and how to fix it

Common reasons for the disappearance of bookmarks on Xiaomi:

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Note: If you use custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), Mi Browser bookmarks may not recover even after syncing, in which case you switch to Google Chrome or Firefox, which works better with unofficial builds.

8. Alternative ways to manage bookmarks

If standard methods don’t work, consider these options:

• 🌐 Cross-platform bookmark managers: Raindrop.io – saves bookmarks in the cloud with tags and folders. Pocket – allows you to save pages for reading later (integrated with Chrome).
• 📌 Bookmark Widgets: Install Bookmark Widget from Google Play for quick access to frequently used sites.
• 🔧 Automation: Use Tasker or MacroDroid to automatically export bookmarks on schedule.

For users who often work with bookmarks, we recommend setting up automatic backups through Google Drive or Xiaomi Cloud.

1. Open Settings → Google Sync and Services → Backup.
2. Enable Chrome Data Backup.
3. Specify the frequency (weekly or when connecting to Wi-Fi).

Bonus: If you lose bookmarks often, try Firefox – it offers more flexible sync and backup settings than standard MIUI browsers.

FAQ: Frequent questions about bookmarks in Xiaomi