Can Chrome browser history be exported to an HTML file?
In Google Chrome, is there a built-in method to make an HTML file I can save to my local machine, like the file for bookmarks? If not, is there an extension that does the same?
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asked May 31, 2013 at 17:39
MountainMan MountainMan
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Bear in mind that today (Feb 2018), and for quite a few months now, Chrome allows you to link a device’s data (history, bookmarks, etc), with an account. So, you can sync a google account with a device and then you can access all that information from any other device using that account. I know the question was about exporting it but there is REALLY no need to do that (I was obviously making myself the same question today, which got me here, but then I thought that there should be a better way, this is it).
Feb 28, 2018 at 11:20
@newbie, unless you want to save your history in a secure storage away from anyone accessing it online including google
Mar 16, 2020 at 0:32
Or unless you do not manage your account and your administrator has disabled this feature.
Jan 26, 2021 at 22:22
5 Answers 5
It’s even simpler than using an extension: the History page in Chrome is already an HTML page, as are all the other panes and pages in Chrome.
Simply right-click on an empty part of the page, select Save As. and save as full HTML. If you re-open in Chrome, it’d render the same, icons and all. If you try opening the resulting page in a different browser, you’d still get all the history data, just not the styles and icons.
Update May 2016
Since Google constantly changes the way internal pages (history, bookmarks, settings etc.) are rendered, the original answer is no longer accurate. I.e. in Chrome 52 (May 2016) the History URLs appear inside an iframe with a paging mechanism.
For posterity’s sake, the best method to get all the bookmarks data (url + date) as a CSV file is described in this article.
TL;DR:
- Make sure you have sqlite3 installed in your system. You can use compiled binaries for Windows systems.
- Locate the History file:
- on macOS: cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/Default/
- on Windows: cd «%LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default»
- on Linux: cd ~/.config/google-chrome/Default
- Copy the file History to another location (you can’t use the original while Chrome is open).
- From a command line:
C:\> sqlite3 History sqlite> .headers on sqlite> .mode csv sqlite> .output my-history.csv sqlite> SELECT datetime(last_visit_time/1000000-11644473600,'unixepoch','localtime'), title, url FROM urls ORDER BY last_visit_time DESC; sqlite> .quit You should now have a file called my-history.csv containing all page URLs, titles, and their last visit dates.
Script as a gist can be found here.
Hopefully, this works for you in 2016. Can’t promise it will in 2019 though 🙂
Update December 2019
Greetings from the future 🙂
I can confirm the Sqlite 3 solution is still working in 2019, and actually works with other Chromium-based browsers (recently tested successfully with Brave 1.1.20).
How to Export Google Chrome History in Easy Ways
When you browse using Google Chrome, it saves your search history to improve your experience in the future. However, browser history, cookies, and bookmarks take space on your PC and cause slow down. As an alternative, you can learn how to export Google Chrome history to resolve this issue.
When you export Chrome history, you create a backup for important browser history or cookies. You can preserve the data while maintaining the computer in a good performance. Scroll through the page and find out how you can export Chrome history and download it later.
Table of Contents
How to Export Chrome History
You can quickly export Chrome history without having to be a computer nerd. If you want to change a new laptop but don’t want to lose fancy history, it becomes essential to know how to export browser history. Or if the browsing speed starts to slow down, you should consider exporting history or cookies.
There are different ways to export Chrome history. You can either use third-party software or Chrome extensions to do it. Learn more about how to export Chrome history below.
1. Use Google Account
While going through history one by one can take a whole day, you may need to consider using Google Account to download Chrome browser history. Without having to download third-party programs or extensions, you will be able to download bookmarks, history, and other settings from Google Chrome.
Follow the instructions below to get this done:
- Run Google Chrome browser.
- Usually, it open new tab that contain Google homepage, if not, just type google.com and hit enter.
- You will find your image or first letter of your name at the upper right corner, click on it. Then click Manage your Google Account.
- Click Manage your data & personalization under Privacy and Personalization option.
- Scroll down until you find Download your data . Click this option.
- Next, select your Chrome data. Choose All Chrome data included .
- You will see a pop up window. Choose specific data you want to export. Click OK.
- Scroll down and click the Next step button on the bottom of the page.
- You will need to choose the delivery method, export frequency, and file type and file size. Choose based on your preferences then click Create export .
- Chrome will send you an email with a download link. Click the link to download your Chrome data.
How to export Google Chrome history with this method is simple but there is one issue-your data will be exported in different formats. Dictionary will be exported as .csv file, bookmarks as HTML, and others as .json files.
2. Use Chrome Extension
Another method to export Google Chrome history is using Chrome extension. This browser has a history export extension that enables you to export not only Chrome history but also cookies, bookmarks, and more. Your data will be exported to a .json file that can be converted to xls or csv.
- Go to the Chrome Web store and find the Chrome history extension . Select Export Chrome History . Add it to your browser.
See also How to Save Password in Chrome When Not Asked
- Once added to Chrome, click the extension. You can choose to download either as csv or json.
- Click the format as your liking.
- If you choose Download as CSV, you can open the data using Microsoft Excel for a further analysis.
Working with Chrome extension can save your time. Only with a single click, your Chrome history will be downloaded in a desired file type. However, this extension is limited by 3 month limit and it doesn’t include Google Account’s history.
3. Manually Export Chrome History
Manually backup Chrome history may sound traditional but it works well to export cookies or history of your browser. When you browse, cookies and history will be saved in local AppData so you trying this method will not fail you. Note: This method only can be done on Windows OS.
Follow easy instructions below:
- Click the Windows search box in your taskbar and type %AppData%. Press Enter .
- Select the AppData folder and open Local .
- Locate and open Google folder, select Chrome .
- Click User Data , then choose Default .
- Select History file.
Now you can copy and save this file for use somewhere else.
4. Use Third-Party Software
If you need to try something different, use third-party software to export Chrome history and cookies. There is various software available in the market, but you can opt for EaseUS Todo to make it happen. Claiming itself as powerful software, it enables you to backup data and personal files.
This software is free to download. As a bonus, how to export Google Chrome history is completely simple. If you are interested to give it a try, follow instructions below:
- Download EaseUS Todo Backup software.
- After completing the download, run it and choose File .
- Under the User Defined tab, choose the files you want to backup. Browse to find Google Chrome file.
- Choose a destination to save backup file. You may need to store the backup file in other drive or other storage media to ensure the safety of your files.
- Click Proceed to continue the operation.
This software enables you to restore history or cookie backups to the browser. Don’t worry, this process doesn’t involve complicated steps. Here is how to restore Chrome history or cookies:
- Run EaseUS Todo Backup. Select Browse to recover .
- Find Chrome history backup image then click OK .
- Hit Specify a recovery location and choose a location to restore Chrome history.
- Click Proceed .
If you wish to restore cookie backups to a new computer, follow these steps:
- Type %AppData% in the search box in the taskbar.
- Click the AppData folder and choose Local .
- Select Google and click Chrome .
- Go to Use Data folder and choose Default .
- Navigate to the History file and replace it with the backed up one.
The main benefit of using this software is that you can back up not only Chrome history but also other files in your computer. It is quite surprising to know that EaseUS Todo Backup also works well to back up Windows system.
To sum up, how to export Google Chrome history is a simple task. There are different ways to get this done, from using Google Takeout or Google Account to using third-party software. No matter your preferences, creating Chrome history backup helps improve your browsing experience.
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Emily Barrow
I am a female writer who is passionate about technology and the ways it can improve people’s daily lives. I specialize in writing about apps and providing reviews of the latest tech products. In my writing, I strive to make complex technical concepts accessible to a wider audience and to provide valuable insights that help people make informed decisions about which products and apps to use.
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У вас большие запросы!
Точнее, от вашего браузера их поступает слишком много, и сервер VK забил тревогу.
Эта страница была загружена по HTTP, вместо безопасного HTTPS, а значит телепортации обратно не будет.
Обратитесь в поддержку сервиса.
Вы отключили сохранение Cookies, а они нужны, чтобы решить проблему.
Почему-то страница не получила всех данных, а без них она не работает.
Обратитесь в поддержку сервиса.
Вы вернётесь на предыдущую страницу через 5 секунд.
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