How to export Opera bookmarks
Opera has made an impressive comeback with features such as a built-in VPN mode or the anti-Bitcoin mining tool introduced in version 50. One reason for the renewed interest in Opera is that the web browser is now based on Chromium, the same browser engine that powers the Google Chrome browser.
But one feature is still missing in many versions of the Opera browser: a built-in option for backing up or exporting bookmarks. This feature wasn’t added until a later version. You often need a special add-on if you want to export your Opera bookmarks to use them in another web browser. In this article, we’ll show you exactly how to install this extension and use it to export your favorites. Then we’ll explain how to export bookmarks using the new export function in current versions of the browser.
Quick guide: How to export Opera bookmarks
Whereas older versions of Opera had a built-in option for exporting bookmarks, you have to use third-party extensions to export bookmarks in many current versions of Opera. In this guide, we recommend using the “V7 Bookmarks” add-on or the “Bookmarks Import & Export” extension. Here’s a speedy summary of the export procedure:
- Open the V7 Bookmarks extension page and click Add to Opera to install the add-on.
- The add-on menu opens automatically when you do this, but you can also open it at any time by right-clicking the small star icon next to the address bar and then selecting Options.
- In the V7 Bookmarks menu, go to “Export Opera Bookmarks tree” and click Export to HTML button.
- Opera then creates an HTML file of your bookmarks and places it in your Downloads folder.
To import exported Opera bookmarks or favorites from other browsers into Opera, see our detailed article about importing bookmarks into Opera.
Export Opera bookmarks via add-on: A step-by-step guide
The fact that not all versions of Opera have a built-in feature for exporting bookmarks is not uncommon in the browser world: Microsoft Edge, which replaced Internet Explorer, initially lacked an export option, but the feature was added in a later version. The developers of Opera have also taken this route and included a built-in bookmark export function in more recent versions of the browser.
If you’re still using an older version of Opera or if your current version doesn’t have the export feature, you have to use third-party add-ons to export your Opera bookmarks. The useful quick guide above explains how to install these add-ons. The following tutorial summarizes the individual steps for installing and setting up the extension in more detail and explains the results of the export process.
First, load and install the desired bookmark extension via your browser’s extensions manager. To do this, open the extensions manager by typing about:extensions in the address bar and selecting Get more extensions:
Then type “V7 Bookmarks” in the search bar and choose Enter to confirm. In the list of results, click “V7 Bookmarks”. Finally, click the Add to Opera button. Opera will automatically download and install the add-on:
After a few seconds, the add-on is installed, and the V7 Bookmarks settings open automatically. You can make a range of settings here because the add-on is not designed exclusively for exporting Opera bookmarks. It also offers a variety of other features for managing bookmarks. If the window did not open, or if you want to open it later, you can choose the star icon that was added when the add-on was installed. This icon appears to the right of the address bar. Simply right-click the V7 bookmarks option and choose Options:
Now scroll down in the settings until you see the “Export Opera Bookmarks tree” option. Finally, click the Export to HTML button under this option:
Opera then exports your bookmarks to an HTML document and places this file in your personal Downloads folder.
If you want to include favicons (small shortcut icons) in the bookmarks export, select the “Export with Favicons” button instead.
How to export Opera bookmarks using the built-in function
Because add-ons like V7 Bookmarks offer so many useful features, you can also use these types of extensions if you’ve installed a new version of Opera that already has a built-in export function. You can easily check whether you have this feature:
First, open the Bookmarks Manager by choosing the small heart icon on the left sidebar:
If the feature is already available in your Opera browser, you’ll see the Import/Export button in the lower left corner. Click this button to display the Export bookmarks option for starting the Opera bookmarks export process:
For Opera to back up your bookmarks, all you need to do is select a location for the bookmark file and choose Save:
