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What's included
Features
About this tool
A Private Bookmark Manager That Needs No Account and Stores Nothing on Our Servers
Most people eventually hit the same wall with browser bookmarks: they get messy, you can't add notes or tags, searching only matches titles, and they don't sync the way you want across browsers. The obvious alternatives — Pocket, Raindrop, Instapaper, Pinboard — all require creating an account and handing your links to someone else's servers. For a developer or freelancer who saves hundreds of links per month, that's a meaningful privacy trade-off and an ongoing dependency on a third-party service that could change its pricing or shut down.
Bookmark Keeper takes a different approach. Your bookmarks are stored in your browser's IndexedDB — a browser-native database that persists across sessions and page reloads. Nothing is uploaded to FWD Tools. Nothing goes to any external server unless you explicitly enable the optional GitHub Gist sync, which sends data directly from your browser to your own private GitHub account. No FWD Tools account. No email address. No password. Open the tool and start saving immediately.
Import Your Existing Browser Bookmarks
The first thing most people want to do is bring in their existing bookmarks. Click the globe icon in the toolbar, select your browser's exported HTML file, and Bookmark Keeper parses it instantly — no upload, no server, pure local processing.
How to export from each browser: - Chrome: Bookmarks Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O) → three-dot menu → Export bookmarks - Firefox: Bookmarks → Show All Bookmarks → Import and Backup → Export Bookmarks to HTML - Safari: File menu → Export Bookmarks - Edge: Favourites → three-dot menu → Export favourites
Bookmark Keeper reads the NETSCAPE Bookmark File format that all major browsers use. Your folder structure is automatically converted to tags — a bookmark in a "Design/Typography" folder arrives with tags "design" and "typography". A preview modal shows every found bookmark with a checkbox. Select all, deselect the ones you don't need, and import. Duplicates (by URL) are skipped automatically.
Save Any Page in One Click with the Bookmarklet
The bookmarklet eliminates the friction of switching to Bookmark Keeper to save a link. Drag the 📌 Bookmark It button to your browser's bookmarks bar. From that point on, any page you want to save: click the bookmarklet, see the URL and title pre-filled, optionally add tags, click save. Done in under 5 seconds. No browser extension, no admin rights, no install — it works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and any browser that supports bookmarklets.
When the bookmarklet opens Bookmark Keeper, a loading indicator shows immediately while your existing bookmarks are being loaded. The pre-filled form appears as soon as the tool is ready so there's no blank state confusion.
Tags, Notes, and Search
Every bookmark can have comma-separated tags and freeform notes. Tags are the primary way to organise: a "#react" tag, a "#to-read" tag, a "#client-acme" tag. The left sidebar shows all your tags sorted by how many bookmarks use each one. Click any tag to filter, click a second tag to narrow further — all selected tags must match. Clear the filter with one click.
As you type a tag while adding or editing a bookmark, autocomplete suggestions appear showing tags you've used before. No more inconsistent tags from memory lapses — "#react" and "#reactjs" stay consistent with a single keystroke.
The search box filters across title, URL, notes, and tags simultaneously. Searching "acme" finds bookmarks with "acme" in the URL, a note mentioning "Acme Corp", and any tag containing "acme". Combine search with tag filters for surgical precision.
GitHub Gist Sync — Cross-Device Without an FWD Tools Account
IndexedDB is local to one browser on one device. To access your bookmarks on a second machine, use GitHub Gist sync. Create a GitHub Personal Access Token with the "gist" scope only (no other permissions needed), paste it in the GitHub panel, and click Sync Now. The tool creates a private secret Gist — fwd-bookmarks.json — in your own GitHub account.
From that point, Bookmark Keeper auto-syncs 10 seconds after any change: add a bookmark, delete one, edit a title. The Gist updates automatically. On a second device, enter the same token and the tool finds your Gist by scanning your account. Your bookmarks appear instantly.
Deletions propagate. If you delete a bookmark on Browser A and sync, it disappears from Browser B after the next sync. The sync uses a deleted-IDs map so removed bookmarks stay removed and don't ghost back from other devices.
A Real Alternative to Pocket, Raindrop, and Pinboard
Pocket was acquired by Mozilla and then shut its API to third-party apps. It requires a Firefox account and stores your links on their servers. Raindrop offers a free tier but limits to 100 collections without paying, and your data lives on their servers. Pinboard charges $11/year and while beloved by developers, still requires an account and server-side storage. Instapaper was owned by Pinterest and has had repeated uncertainty about its future.
Bookmark Keeper has no server-side storage at all. The only place your bookmarks exist is your browser's IndexedDB and optionally your own GitHub Gist. No subscription, no tier limits, no data portability concerns — because your data was never on someone else's server to begin with.
If you are a freelancer, pair Bookmark Keeper with the Freelance Dashboard to track time and client tasks alongside your saved resources. If you collect JSON data from API responses you bookmark, paste them into the JSON Formatter to inspect structure without any install.
Step by step
How to Use
- 1Import existing browser bookmarks (optional)Click the globe icon in the toolbar. Export bookmarks from Chrome (Bookmarks Manager → Export), Firefox (Bookmarks → Show All → Export to HTML), Safari (File → Export Bookmarks), or Edge. Select the HTML file. A preview shows all bookmarks with folder names as tags. Select which to import and click Import — duplicates are skipped.
- 2Add your first bookmark manuallyClick "+ Add bookmark". Paste a URL — the only required field. Add an optional title (defaults to the domain), comma-separated tags, and notes. Press Enter or click Save. The bookmark appears instantly in the list, stored in IndexedDB with no server involved.
- 3Set up the bookmarkletClick the 📌 Bookmarklet button in the toolbar. Drag the "📌 Bookmark It" button to your browser's bookmarks bar. Now on any webpage, click the bookmarklet — Bookmark Keeper opens with URL and title pre-filled. Add tags if needed and save in under 5 seconds. Works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge with no extension.
- 4Organise with tags and searchUse the tag sidebar to filter by topic — click any tag, combine multiple tags to narrow results. Type in the search box to filter across title, URL, notes, and tags at once. When adding tags, autocomplete suggests previously used tags as you type to keep naming consistent.
- 5Set up GitHub Gist sync (optional)Click the GitHub icon. Create a Personal Access Token at github.com/settings/tokens with gist scope only. Paste it in, click Save settings, then Sync Now. Bookmark Keeper creates a private Gist in your GitHub account. From then on it auto-syncs 10 seconds after any change. On another device, enter the same token to access all your bookmarks.
- 6Keep your Gist private — never share the URLGitHub private Gists are not truly encrypted — they are unlisted links. Anyone who has your Gist URL or Gist ID can read every bookmark you have saved without logging in. Never share your Gist URL, Gist ID, or Personal Access Token with anyone. For maximum privacy with no data leaving your device, skip Gist sync and use the Export JSON and Import buttons to transfer bookmarks manually instead.
- 7Export a backupClick the download arrow (↓) to export all bookmarks as a dated JSON file. Keep it as an offline backup in case you clear browser data. Import it back at any time with the upload arrow (↑) — the merge is safe and skips duplicates by URL.
Real-world uses
Common Use Cases
Got questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — completely free, no account, no login, no email address. Bookmarks are stored directly in your browser's IndexedDB. Nothing is uploaded to FWD Tools servers at any point. You can start saving links immediately without signing up for anything. The optional GitHub Gist sync also requires no FWD Tools account — just a GitHub Personal Access Token you create yourself.
Export your bookmarks from your browser as an HTML file (Chrome: Bookmarks Manager → ⋮ → Export bookmarks; Firefox: Bookmarks → Show All Bookmarks → Import and Backup → Export Bookmarks to HTML; Safari: File → Export Bookmarks). Then click the globe icon in the Bookmark Keeper toolbar and select the HTML file. A preview shows all found bookmarks with their folder names converted to tags. Select which ones to import and click Import — duplicates are skipped automatically.
Pocket and Raindrop store your bookmarks on their own servers and require you to create an account. Bookmark Keeper stores everything in your browser's IndexedDB — your links never leave your device unless you explicitly sync to your own private GitHub Gist. There is no FWD Tools account, no email verification, no subscription, and no usage limits. Your data is yours and only yours.
The bookmarklet is a small JavaScript snippet stored as a bookmark in your browser. Drag the "📌 Bookmark It" button to your bookmarks bar. When you want to save any webpage, click it — Bookmark Keeper opens in a new tab with the URL and page title pre-filled. Confirm and it saves to IndexedDB instantly. No extension, no plugin, no admin rights needed. Works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
Yes, via GitHub Gist. Create a Personal Access Token at github.com/settings/tokens with the gist scope only. Enter it in Bookmark Keeper and click Sync Now — the tool creates a private secret Gist in your account. On another device, enter the same token. Your bookmarks sync automatically 10 seconds after any change. Deletions propagate — if you delete a bookmark on one device, it disappears everywhere after the next sync.
Yes — clearing site data for fwdtools.com deletes IndexedDB. To protect against loss, use the Export JSON button regularly, or set up GitHub Gist sync for automatic cloud backup. To restore, use Load from Gist, or import the JSON file. Gist sync is the most reliable protection — your bookmarks are automatically backed up after every change.
The Gist contains one file — fwd-bookmarks.json — a plain JSON array of all your bookmarks. Each entry has URL, title, tags, notes, and timestamps. No images, favicons, or binary data. The Gist is created as private. You can read, edit, or download it directly from GitHub. To inspect the JSON, paste it into the JSON Formatter at fwdtools.com/json-formatter/ to pretty-print and browse the structure.
Click any tag in the left sidebar to filter by it. Click additional tags to add them — all selected tags must match for a bookmark to appear. The sidebar highlights active tags in colour. Click "Clear filter" to reset. You can also click any tag on a bookmark card to jump straight to that filter. Tags support autocomplete when adding or editing — type the first letters and previously used tags appear as suggestions.
Yes. Import your existing browser bookmarks using the HTML import feature (globe icon in the toolbar). Folder names from your browser become tags in Bookmark Keeper, so your existing organisation carries over. Going forward, use the bookmarklet to save new pages in one click. You can continue using your browser bookmarks bar for the bookmarklet itself while Bookmark Keeper handles all your saved links.
No hard limit. IndexedDB storage in modern browsers is typically 1 GB or more. Bookmark Keeper stores only text — URLs, titles, tags, and notes — so even thousands of bookmarks use negligible storage. GitHub Gist similarly has no practical limit for text files of this size. Performance stays fast even with large collections because filtering and search run entirely in the browser.
Go to github.com/settings/tokens → Tokens (classic) → Generate new token. Set any description, select only the "gist" scope — no other permissions needed — and generate. Copy the token (it starts with ghp_). Paste it in Bookmark Keeper's GitHub sync panel, click Save settings, then Sync Now. The token is stored only in your browser's localStorage. You can revoke it from GitHub at any time.
Yes — treat your Gist URL as a secret. GitHub "private" Gists are not encrypted — they are unlisted links. Anyone who has your Gist URL or Gist ID can read every bookmark you have saved without needing a GitHub login. Never share your Gist URL, Gist ID, or Personal Access Token with anyone. For maximum privacy with no data leaving your device, skip Gist sync and use the Export JSON and Import buttons to transfer bookmarks manually via USB or your own encrypted storage.