How to Alphabetize Your Safari Bookmarks in Appleʼs Safari

Open SafariTo be safe, from the Safari File Menu select Export Bookmarks and save them to the desktop. This will preserve your bookmarks as they exist before you Alphabetize them. Then, if you make a mis-step you can import the copy to restore the old bookmarks.

Next click on the Bookmark Icon as shown below in Figure 1

Figure 1

Or, you may Select “Show All Bookmarks from the Bookmarks Menu (Figure 2)

Figure 2

The Bookmark Manager opens displaying all of your Safari Bookmarks.The Collections and Bookmarks Categories are displayed in the left sidebar, as shown in (Figure 3).

Figure 3

The Bookmark Categories, and the individual bookmarks are listed in the sequence in which they were created. Thus, the most recently saved items are always located at the bottom in each category or group.

Even if you have dozens of of Bookmark Folders, and hundreds of individual bookmarks, it is really quite simple to quickly sort all of them into alphabetical order.

First, create and name a new folder on the desktop in the Finder. Use a name such as “Safari Bookmarks - Temp.”Next, Click the + at the left bottom corner of the sidebar. A new folder appears at the bottom of the Bookmarks Section of the Sidebar. (See Figure 4).

Figure 4Name this new folder - Alpha Sort. Be certain that the new folder is selected. There is now a blank listing in the Bookmark and address section of the Bookmark Manager. (See Figure 5)

Figure 5

Next, One at a time, drag each “folder” containing a collection of bookmarks from the left Sidebar to the Bookmark List column of the Bookmark Manager (Figure 6).

(Figure 6)Continue until all of the folders except the Alpha Sort Folder have been moved to the Bookmark List column. (Figure 7)

Figure 7

Now, drag the folder Alpha Sort, from the left sidebar, all the way to the Safari Bookmark - Temp folder, located on the Desktop. (Figure 8)

Figure 8

Now, Open the Safari Bookmarks - Temp folder and you will see that ALL of the Bookmark Collections are already listed in Alphabetical order, and all bookmarks within each collection are also listed alphabetically (Figure 9).

Figure 9We are almost finished.Change the name of this file to “Sorted.” Then drag the Sorted Folder into the Bookmarks Column of the Bookmarks Manager, just below the last item. Then select all of the folders, except the sorted folder (Figure 10),

Figure 10Next press the delete key. Poof! All of the prior collections have been deleted, leaving only the sorted folder (Figure 11).

Figure 11)

Next, Open the “Sorted Folder” by clicking on the disclosure triangle that is next to the “Sorted” folder.

Select all of the folders as shown in Figure 12.

Note: Do not select the Sorted Folderʼs icon.

Figure 12

Next, drag all of the folders together at once into the Left Sidebar, just below the Alpha Sort Folder, (Figure 13).

Now, Select the Alpha Sort Folder Icon (Figure 13) and press the delete key.

Figure 13

This deletes it, and the Sorted Folder in Bookmarks Column.

All of your Bookmark Collections, are listed alphabetically, and the bookmarks contained in each collection are also in alphabetical order (Figure 14).

Figure 14

All that is left to do is Trash the Safari Bookmarks - Temp folder on the desktop.

Rayʼs Corner, MacsWest © Ray Hicks, December 13, 2009