How to Save a Link: Bookmarks, Google Collections, and More

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Learn how to save links so you can easily access them later
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Brand new to the Internet? Need to save a link to show someone something? In this article, we teach you how to save a link on your computer or your smartphone using your browser's bookmark feature, Google Collections, as a shortcut on your computer, and in a document.

Ways to Save a Link

  • Bookmark the link to your browser by clicking the bookmark button (usually a star or heart).
  • Use Google Collections to save links that you can access from any device.
  • Save the link as a shortcut you can click on your desktop.
  • Copy the link and paste it into a document to save it for later.
Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Bookmarking a Link

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  1. You can bookmark links on your computer or mobile browser.
    • When you bookmark a link, it will be saved to the bookmarks folder inside your browser. You can then access these links within your browser at a later time, but these links will only be available within the browser you bookmarked them in.
  2. The bookmark button varies depending on the browser that you're using. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + D on Windows. On Mac, you can drag the website's URL to the Favorites bar.
    • Chrome
      • Desktop: Click the star to the right of the address bar.
      • Mobile: Tap the share icon in the address bar (looks like an arrow coming out of a box) and click Add to Bookmarks.
    • Safari
      • Desktop: Click the share icon in the toolbar (looks like an arrow coming out of a box) and click Add Bookmark.
      • Mobile: Click the share icon in the bottom toolbar (looks like an arrow coming out of a box) and click Add Bookmark.
    • Edge: Click the star to the right of the address bar.
    • Firefox
      • Desktop: Click the star to the right of the address bar.
      • Mobile: Tap the menu button in the bottom right corner and tap the button that says Add with a star.
    • Opera: Click the heart to the right of the address bar.
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  3. The link will be saved to your bookmarks in your browser. The location of your bookmarks is different depending on what browser you're using:
    • Chrome: If you have the favorites bar turned on, you'll see your bookmarks in a ribbon underneath the address bar. Otherwise, you can find your bookmarks by clicking on the three-dot icon and going to Bookmarks and lists > Bookmark Manager or Show all bookmarks .
      • You can also access your bookmarks by typing @bookmarks in the address bar.
      • Mobile: Tap the three-dot icon and tap the Bookmarks button with a star icon.
    • Safari: Click the sidebar icon in the toolbar, then click Bookmarks . You can then type the bookmark's name in the search bar, or scroll to find it.
      • Mobile: Tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap the first tab with a book.
    • Edge: If you have the favorites bar turned on, you'll see your bookmarks in a ribbon underneath the address bar. Otherwise, you can find your bookmarks by clicking the three-dot icon and going to Favorites .
    • Firefox: If you have the bookmarks toolbar turned on, you'll see your bookmarks in a ribbon underneath the address bar. Otherwise, click the three-line icon and go to Bookmarks > Library > Show all bookmarks .
      • Mobile: Tap the three-line icon and tap the Bookmarks button with a star icon.
    • Opera: If you have the bookmarks bar turned on, you'll see your bookmarks in a ribbon underneath the address bar. Otherwise, click the Opera button in the upper-left corner and go to Bookmarks > Bookmarks .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Saving to Google Collections

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  1. Click into the address bar to highlight the webpage's URL, then either right-click and choose Copy or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd + C (Mac).
    • If you save a link to a Google Collection, you'll be able to access it again via the Google Collections website or the Google app on your phone.
  2. Go to https://www.google.com/interests/saved . If you're not already logged in to your Google account, you'll be prompted to log in before you can use Google Collections. [1]
    • One advantage to using Google Collections versus using your browser bookmarks is that you can access the links you save on any device by going to the Google Collections website or using the Google app.
  3. Give the collection a title and description, then click Done to create it.
    • If you already have a collection you want to save a link to, skip to the next step.
  4. If you already had this collection, there may already be items saved in the collection. If it's brand new, the collection will be empty.
  5. It's in the bottom part of the screen.
  6. It has an icon of some chain links.
  7. You can either right-click and choose Paste or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd + V (Mac).
    • Add a note and title if desired. You can leave these blank if you prefer.
  8. To open the link, simply click it in your Google Collection. It will open in a new tab in your browser.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Saving to the Google App

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  1. Navigate to the webpage in your browser, then press and hold on the address bar until a contextual menu pops up. Then, tap Copy .
    • If you save a link to a Google Collection, you'll be able to access it again via the Google Collections website or the Google app on your phone.
  2. If you don't have the Google App, you can download it from the Google Play Store or the App Store . If you're not signed in when you open the app, you'll be prompted to log in to your Google account. [2]
    • One advantage to using Google Collections versus using your browser bookmarks is that you can access the links you save on any device by going to the Google Collections website or using the Google app.
  3. This will open the app's menu.
  4. It has an icon of a ribbon, similar to a bookmark icon.
  5. Give the collection a title and description, then tap Done to create it.
    • If you already have a collection you want to save a link to, skip to the next step.
  6. If you already had this collection, there may already be items saved in the collection. If it's brand new, the collection will be empty.
  7. It's at the center of the screen.
  8. It has an icon of some chain links.
  9. To do this, long press in the field and choose Paste .
    • Add a note and title if desired. You can leave these blank if you prefer.
  10. To open the link, simply tap it in your Google Collection. It will open in a new tab in your browser.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Saving as a Shortcut (Windows)

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  1. You can save internet URLs as shortcuts on your desktop (or elsewhere on your computer). This will create a clickable shortcut (similar to the shortcuts you click to open programs or files on your computer) that will directly open that link in your default web browser.
  2. Click into the address bar to highlight the webpage's URL, then either right-click and choose Copy or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C .
  3. You can do this by either going right to your desktop or by opening File Explorer and navigating to the folder you want to save the shortcut.
  4. Here's how you do it:
    • Right-click to open the contextual menu.
    • Go to New > Shortcut .
    • Paste the link you copied, either by right-clicking and choosing Paste or by pressing Ctrl + V .
    • Click Next .
    • Give the shortcut a name, if desired, then click Finish .
  5. To open the link, simply double-click the shortcut. It will open in your default web browser.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Saving as a Shortcut (Mac)

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  1. You can save internet URLs as shortcuts on your desktop (or elsewhere on your computer). This will create a clickable shortcut (similar to the shortcuts you click to open programs or files on your computer) that will directly open that link in your default web browser.
  2. If you don't want to save the URL on your desktop, you can drag it into a different file folder in Finder, or place the shortcut on the desktop and use Finder to move the shortcut to a different location.
  3. To open the link, simply double-click the shortcut. It will open in your default web browser.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Saving to a Text File

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  1. It will be at the top of your browser window, in the URL field.
    • Saving the link in a Notepad or TextEdit document (or any other word processor or text editor) allows you to save a list of links.
    • However, Notepad and other text editors don't add hyperlinks, so you can't easily click the link to open it. You will need to copy and paste the link back into your browser to use it.
    • If you're saving the link to a word processor document like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, the links will automatically turn into hyperlinks, which means you can click them to open them.
  2. Click one end of the link and drag the cursor until the entire URL is highlighted. You can also double-click any part of the link.
    • On mobile, double-tap the link. Drag the end circles to highlight the entire URL, if needed.
  3. You can also right-click (or Command -click) and click Copy .
    • On mobile, tap the highlighted URL and tap Copy .
  4. You could save this to a Notepad document (as pictured in this method) or to any other word processor. On your phone, you can use the Notes app or a word processor app.
  6. To find your links, simply open this document again.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9217379?co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop&hl=en&oco=0
      2. ↑ https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9217379?co=GENIE.Platform=Android&hl=en&oco=0

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