The bookmark toolbar sits just below your address bar and holds your most-visited sites one click away
Chrome's bookmark toolbar is hidden by default, but turning it on takes one keystroke. Press Ctrl+Shift+B on Windows or Cmd+Shift+B on Mac, and a new bar appears between your address bar and web pages. Any bookmark you drag there becomes a clickable button. It stays visible on every tab and window until you toggle it off the same way.
The toolbar is useful if you visit the same handful of sites repeatedly — your email, a project management tool, a news site, a banking portal. Instead of typing the address or hunting through your bookmarks menu, you click once. You can fit roughly 8 to 12 bookmarks depending on how long their names are, and you can rename them to save space.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+B (Mac) to show or hide the bookmark toolbar below your address bar.
- Drag any bookmark from your bookmarks menu onto the toolbar to add it, or right-click a page and choose "Add to bookmarks" then move it manually.
- Right-click any bookmark on the toolbar and select "Edit" to shorten its name and save space for more bookmarks.
- Create a folder on the toolbar to store related bookmarks in a dropdown menu, keeping your toolbar clean while keeping sites within reach.
Turning the toolbar on and off
The keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+B (Mac) is the fastest way. Press it once and the toolbar appears; press it again and it disappears. You can toggle it as often as you want — Chrome remembers your choice, so if you turn it on, it stays on across all your windows and tabs until you turn it off.
If you prefer using menus, click the three vertical dots in the top right corner of Chrome, hover over "Bookmarks," then click "Show bookmarks bar." The same menu option lets you hide it again.
Adding bookmarks to the toolbar
The easiest method is to drag and drop. Open your bookmarks menu (Ctrl+Shift+B toggles the toolbar, but you can also click the three dots, then "Bookmarks," then "Bookmark manager"). Find the bookmark you want on the toolbar, then drag it up to the toolbar itself. Release it where you want it to sit.
Another way is to bookmark a page while you are on it, then move it. Visit any website, press Ctrl+D (Windows) or Cmd+D (Mac) to open the bookmark dialog, choose where to save it, then click "Save." Later, open the bookmark manager, find that bookmark, drag it to the toolbar, and drop it there.
You can also right-click any link on a page and select "Add to bookmarks," then move it to the toolbar afterward using the bookmark manager.
Renaming bookmarks to save space
Long bookmark names take up toolbar space. Right-click any bookmark on the toolbar and select "Edit." A small dialog opens showing the name and the web address. Delete the current name and type something shorter — "Email" instead of "Gmail Account," "Banking" instead of "Chase Online Banking." Click "Save" and the toolbar updates immediately.
You can also edit bookmarks from the bookmark manager. Press Ctrl+Shift+O (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+O (Mac) to open it, find the bookmark, right-click it, and select "Edit." The same name-shortening process works here too.
Organizing bookmarks into toolbar folders
If you have many bookmarks, folders keep the toolbar from getting crowded. Right-click on an empty spot of the toolbar and select "Add folder." Name it something like "Work" or "News," then drag bookmarks into it. When you click the folder on the toolbar, a dropdown menu shows all the bookmarks inside.
You can also create a folder in the bookmark manager and then drag it to the toolbar. Press Ctrl+Shift+O to open the manager, right-click in the left sidebar, select "Add folder," name it, then drag it to the toolbar. Any bookmarks you add to that folder afterward appear in the dropdown.
Rearranging and removing bookmarks
Drag any bookmark left or right on the toolbar to reorder it. Drag a bookmark off the toolbar entirely to remove it from the toolbar (the bookmark itself stays in your bookmarks menu unless you delete it there too). Right-click any toolbar bookmark and select "Delete" to remove it from the toolbar only, or open the bookmark manager and delete it from there to remove it everywhere.
If you want to move a bookmark to a different folder instead of deleting it, right-click it, select "Edit," and change the folder in the dialog. This keeps the bookmark but moves it out of the toolbar.
Troubleshooting toolbar problems
If the toolbar does not appear after pressing Ctrl+Shift+B, make sure you are using the correct keys for your operating system. Windows uses Ctrl+Shift+B; Mac uses Cmd+Shift+B. If the shortcut still does not work, try the menu route: click the three dots, hover over "Bookmarks," and click "Show bookmarks bar."
If bookmarks are not dragging onto the toolbar, make sure the toolbar is actually visible first. You cannot drag bookmarks onto a hidden toolbar. Also, some bookmarks in the manager may already be on the toolbar — dragging them again will just move them to a new position rather than create a duplicate.
If the toolbar disappears after you close Chrome, you may have accidentally toggled it off. Press Ctrl+Shift+B (or Cmd+Shift+B on Mac) the next time you open Chrome to turn it back on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different bookmarks on the toolbar in different Chrome profiles?
Yes. Each Chrome profile has its own bookmarks and toolbar settings. If you use multiple profiles (for work, personal use, or different accounts), each one can have a completely different set of toolbar bookmarks. Switch profiles and the toolbar updates to show that profile's bookmarks.
What is the difference between the bookmark toolbar and the bookmark menu?
The toolbar is always visible below your address bar and shows bookmarks as clickable buttons. The bookmark menu is hidden until you click the three dots and select "Bookmarks," then shows all your bookmarks in a dropdown. The toolbar is for your most-used sites; the menu holds everything else.
Can I sync my toolbar bookmarks across devices?
Yes, if you sign into the same Google account on multiple devices and turn on sync. Go to Chrome settings, click "Sync and Google services," and make sure "Bookmarks" is toggled on. Your toolbar bookmarks will appear on all devices where you are signed in.
How many bookmarks can fit on the toolbar?
It depends on your screen width and how long the bookmark names are. Most people fit 8 to 12 bookmarks before the toolbar gets crowded. Shorter names mean more bookmarks fit. If you need more, use folders to create dropdown menus instead of filling the toolbar with individual buttons.
Do I lose my toolbar bookmarks if I uninstall Chrome?
If you are signed into a Google account, your bookmarks are saved to your account and will reappear when you reinstall Chrome and sign in again. If you are not signed in, uninstalling Chrome deletes all local bookmarks. Always sign into your Google account to keep bookmarks backed up.