Sync bookmarks by default to one bookmarks folder

[tom91]

Just have one bookmarks folder both for mobile and desktop browser, having an additional "desktop bookmarks" folder on your phone just makes the whole process of adding bookmarks that much longer, if you want them added to an overall bookmarks folder, which is the whole point of syncing devices is it not? (If anything, have a "mobile bookmarks" folder, for if you want to only add the bookmark to your mobile, and let the user choose under settings (on firefox on their mobile) where the bookmarks by default go to.

[stadros83]

I AGREE !

I've stopped using Firefox multiple times because of this feature (and also the fact that it keeps opening multiple tabs).

I manage all my bookmarks into "personal bar" so I want to use only this !
When I want to open a bookmark on my phone I need to click on :

Desktop bookmarks

Then personal bar

Before having my bookmarks, EACH time. This is annoying ...

[n0body_special]

There are actually zero reasons for having separate mobile and desktop bookmarks. Zero. It's not an outdated feature. It was already dump back in the day when it was implemented.

Please fix it. Millions of people waste thousands of workhours everyday trying to keep their bookmarks in order

[jawadwahmed]

It would also be ideal to have a temporary tool for merging the two sets of bookmarks.

[kinhswch]

Title:
Improve Bookmark Syncing to Allow Seamless Organisation Across Desktop and Mobile

Description:
Currently, Firefox Sync mirrors the folder structure of bookmarks from the desktop to the mobile app, which can lead to a messy and inconsistent experience. For example:

• Bookmarks saved to the Bookmarks Toolbar on desktop appear nested under Desktop Bookmarks > Bookmarks Toolbar on mobile.

• There is no straightforward way to ensure bookmarks added on either device appear in a consistent, user-friendly location without manual reorganization.

This creates unnecessary friction for users who want a clean and unified bookmark experience across devices.

---

Proposed Solution:

1. Separate Sync Behaviour for Bookmarks Toolbar:

   • Allow users to choose whether the Bookmarks Toolbar folder syncs to mobile as a top-level folder or remains nested.

   • Add an option in Sync settings to "Flatten Bookmarks Toolbar for Mobile" or similar.

2. Default Sync Location for New Bookmarks:

   • Introduce a setting to specify a default sync location for new bookmarks (e.g., a dedicated "Mobile Bookmarks" folder or the top-level Bookmarks folder).

   • This setting should be configurable on both desktop and mobile.

3. Improved Mobile Bookmark Management:

   • Enhance the mobile app’s bookmark management interface to allow easier moving, merging, and organising of bookmarks (e.g., multi-select, drag-and-drop, or bulk actions).

4. Auto-Flatten Nested Folders on Mobile:

   • Add an option to automatically "flatten" nested folders (like Desktop Bookmarks) when syncing to mobile, so bookmarks appear at the top level by default.

---

User Benefits:

• Consistency: Bookmarks added on desktop or mobile will appear in a predictable, user-friendly location.

• Ease of Use: No need for manual reorganization after syncing.

• Flexibility: Users can choose how bookmarks are organized across devices to suit their preferences.

---

Example Use Case:

• A user saves bookmarks to the Bookmarks Toolbar on their desktop for easy access with the auto-hide feature. They want these bookmarks to appear at the top level in the mobile app, not nested under Desktop Bookmarks > Bookmarks Toolbar.

• With the proposed changes, the user can configure Firefox to sync the Bookmarks Toolbar contents to the top level on mobile, ensuring a seamless experience.

---

Additional Notes:

• This feature request aligns with Firefox’s goal of providing a seamless, user-friendly experience across devices.

• Many users have expressed frustration with the current syncing behavior, as seen in community forums and support threads.

[Jon]

Thanks for submitting an idea to the Mozilla Connect community! Your idea is now open to votes (aka kudos) and comments.

[user_68]

Is there no way to delete the "Mobile Bookmarks" folder?

[Oscar_OSI]

I got rid of Firefox on all my devices because of this defect. There's no excuse for this implementation.

[glazdzero]

It's so inconvenient to have separate sets of bookmarks for mobile and desktop. While they both get synced on all the devices, being separate makes the whole point of syncing very confusing and not a seamless experience at all.

On mobile the experience is even worse if your primary well-organized bookmark set is your desktop one, since that forces you to access a deeply nested menu with 2 extra clicks.

The current approach seems safer from a developer perspective when syncing new accounts with already existing bookmarks on the different devices, you just put them in different app-reserved folders and prevent merge clutters, duplicates, messy sorting... Maybe there should be an opt-in setting under the account sync settings that enables you to just have 1 set of bookmarks for all the devices. You would then have to manually remove duplicates, reorganise items, etc. But the trade-off would be worth it.

BTW, I think Vivaldi's Android UX on this matter is really well executed, specially on the mobile end.

[jfg21]

Keeping desktop and mobile bookmarks in separate folders makes the sync feature really frustrating and hard to use. If I bookmark something on one device, I want it accessible in the main bookmarks list on all my devices without having to dig through a "Mobile Bookmarks" subfolder on my PC.

Please consider combining them or at least giving us a toggle to merge them into a single, unified view.

[JeePee]

Same request as this one with 58 kudo's

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/sync-bookmarks-by-default-to-one-bookmarks-folder/idi-p/10050

[JeePee]

That's basically the same request as this one with 58 kudo's

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/sync-bookmarks-by-default-to-one-bookmarks-folder/idi-p/10050

@JonR why don't Community Managers merge multiple entries of the same idea/request.

[JeePee]

Yes there are others, just search for 'bookmark tags' and you'll find the same request as this one with 58 kudo's (and several more from people who didn't search before posting.

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/sync-bookmarks-by-default-to-one-bookmarks-folder/idi-p/10050

No idea why Community Managers don't merge multiple entries of the same idea/request.

[JeePee]

Yes one set please. No idea why someone would want to keep desktop and mobile bookmarks separated.

[kelimuttu]

Similar idea has just been merged.