How to Import Bookmarks and Other Data to the Opera Browser

Row of library books with bookmarks
Don't forget to backup your bookmarks. Simon Casson / Getty Images
By
Scott Orgera
Scott Orgera
Writer
Scott Orgera is a former writer who covering tech since 2007. He has 25+ years experience as a programmer and QA leader, and holds several Microsoft certifications.
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Scott Orgera
Updated December 19, 2019

If you have switched or are planning to switch from another internet browser to Opera, transferring your bookmarked sites from your old browser takes just a few easy steps. In addition to importing links to your favorite sites, Opera also allows you to transfer your browsing history, saved passwords, cookies, and other personal data directly from another browser.

This tutorial is intended for users running Opera on Linux, Mac OS X, macOS, and Windows operating systems.

  1. Open Opera's Settings interface by entering opera://settings/importData in the address/search bar. The Import bookmarks and settings pop-up should be in focus in the foreground.

    Opera's Import bookmarks and settings popup

  2. A drop-down menu will display all the supported browsers currently installed on your computer. Select the source browser containing the items that you wish to import to Opera.

  3. Directly under this drop-down is Select items to import. All items that are checked will be imported. To add or remove a checkmark from a particular item, simply click on it.

    The following items are typically available to import:

    • Browsing history — A record of websites that you have visited in the past, including page titles and URLs.
    • Favorites/Bookmarks — Links you've saved.
    • Cookies — Locally stored files used by websites to house user-specific data, preferences, and other browsing session details.

  4. Instead of importing bookmarks etc. directly from another browser, you may bring them in from a file exported from that browser. To do so, select Bookmarks HTML File from the drop-down menu.

    Opera: Import bookmarks/HTML file

  5. Click Import. If you are importing items directly from another browser, you will receive a confirmation message when the process has completed. If you are importing bookmarks from a file, you will be prompted to select the file, and then notified when the operation is finished.