How to Export Pocket Bookmarks in 2026 (Step-by-Step)

The fastest path

1. Go to getpocket.com/export while logged into the Pocket account you want to export.
2. Click Download HTML. The file is called ril_export.html.
3. Optional but recommended: also download the CSV. It contains the same links plus a clean comma-separated format, easier to parse with scripts.
4. Save both files somewhere you'll find them again — a Dropbox folder, an iCloud Drive folder, or a USB stick. These files are your single source of truth now.

What's actually in the file

ril_export.html is a Netscape Bookmark File — the same format Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all use for bookmark imports. Inside, each saved article is a single <A> tag with:

• The article URL
• The page title (as you saved it)
• Original save date (Unix timestamp in TIME_ADDED)
• Comma-separated tags in a TAGS attribute
• The folder Pocket assigned (Archive vs Inbox vs custom)

Pocket's HTML export does notinclude your highlights or annotations. Those features didn't survive Pocket's last few years and Mozilla never added them to the export schema. The CSV export sometimes contains extra metadata, so download both formats if you used highlights heavily.

How big is your archive?

Most heavy Pocket users land in the 500–5,000 savesrange. If you've been saving since 2014, expect closer to the top end. The file itself stays small — 5,000 saves is roughly 2-3 MB of HTML.

The free LinkBrain Pocket Inspector shows your archive's real numbers in 5 seconds: total saves, top domains, year-by-year breakdown, top tags. No upload, no signup — the file is parsed in your browser.

What to do with the file

Three real options, ranked by how much work they take.

1. Import into Chrome (or any browser)

Chrome accepts the file natively. In Chrome: open chrome://bookmarks → click the three-dot menu → Import bookmarks → pick your ril_export.html. Your saves land in a new top-level folder called “Bookmarks bar / Imported.”

The downside: thousands of links in one flat folder is unusable. You won't find anything. This is where the AI categorization in /migrate helps — it groups your saves into named folders (Engineering, Recipes, News, etc.) before you import.

2. Move into a Pocket alternative

The honest comparison of the main alternatives lives in our Pocket Alternatives 2026 roundup. Short version:

• Raindrop.io: closest to Pocket's “save and visit later” experience, generous free tier, keyword search only.
• Instapaper: best for read-later workflows with highlights.
• LinkBrain: AI semantic search — find articles by describing what you remember, not the exact title.

3. Keep it as cold storage

If you barely used Pocket and just want a record, drop the file into your password manager's secure notes or a Dropbox folder. The file is plain HTML — viewable in any browser. You can always import it later.

Mistakes to avoid

• Don't rely on Pocket's built-in “move to other app” flow if there is one — it's less reliable than a manual HTML export.
• If your export is suspiciously small (under 100 links when you remember thousands), you may be logged into the wrong account. Pocket allowed multiple accounts per email under some Firefox sync configurations.
• Don't upload your export to a tool that requires an account before showing you what's inside. You don't need to. Browser-based inspectors exist.

The 60-second version

1. Go to getpocket.com/export
2. Click Download HTML
3. Drop the file at linkbrain.co/migrate
4. Pick where you want it next