Abba Blog

How to Hide Bookmarks in Your Browser

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

How to Hide Bookmarks in Your Browser#

I spent over 8 years in an office using one Google account for everything: work, YouTube, and personal websites.

At some point I realized that everything I saved was completely visible to anyone who opened my laptop.

Why This Becomes a Problem#

Most of us use one browser for everything.

Work and personal life sit side by side, synced through a single account.

It is convenient until you realize that anyone who opens your browser sees all of it.

Two things bothered me.

First, there was no privacy.

If I forgot to lock my laptop, a colleague or family member could glance at my tabs, browsing history, or bookmarks.

I have nothing to hide, but the idea that someone could casually browse my personal links never felt right.

Second, there was no protection.

At home we share one PC without separate user accounts.

I use it most of the time, but anyone can sit down and instantly access my browser.

If you are reading this article, chances are you have the same concern.

Why Browsers Don’t Solve This Out of the Box#

Chrome, Firefox, and Edge do not offer built in bookmark locking.

This is not a bug.

Browsers treat bookmarks as part of your profile, and once your profile is open, everything is available.

Incognito mode does not help either.

It hides browsing history and cookies, but your regular bookmarks remain fully visible.

Try it yourself by opening an Incognito window and pressing Ctrl + Shift + O.

Can You Actually Hide Bookmarks?#

The short answer is no, at least not with Chrome’s built in features.

There is no “Hide Bookmarks” button and no password protection.

However, there are several practical ways to improve your privacy.

Ways to Hide or Protect Your Bookmarks#

Option 1. Store Links Outside the Browser#

Instead of using browser bookmarks, save links in a notes app, Notion, Google Docs, or even a text file.

Pros

Full control over your data.
Not tied to a specific browser.

Cons

Slower than using browser bookmarks.
Interrupts your normal workflow.
Cross device synchronization is less convenient.

Option 2. Create a Separate Browser Profile#

Create one browser profile for work and another for personal use.

Pros

Separates work and personal browsing.
Built into Chrome. No extensions required.

Cons

Anyone can still open the second profile.
No password protection or encryption.
Constantly switching profiles becomes inconvenient.

Option 3. Use a Password Protected Bookmark Extension#

If you want to keep the convenience of browser bookmarks while adding real privacy, a dedicated extension is the most practical option.

Locker stores bookmarks separately from Chrome’s built in bookmark manager.

Bookmarks are password protected, encrypted during synchronization, and can even be opened directly in Incognito mode.

Pros

Works inside your browser.
Password protected access.
Encrypted synchronization across devices.
Supports multiple sessions and Incognito mode.

Cons

Requires installing an extension.
Relies on third party software.

Step by Step: Hide Bookmarks with Locker#

Install the Locker extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Create your master password during the initial setup.
Save personal bookmarks inside Locker instead of Chrome’s bookmark manager.
Open Locker whenever you want to access your private bookmarks.
Your bookmarks are automatically encrypted and synchronized across your devices.
Organize bookmarks into sessions for even better separation.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Q: Can I password protect bookmarks in Chrome without an extension?#

A: No. Chrome does not include built in password protection for bookmarks. If you want password protected bookmarks, you need to use a third party solution.

Q: Does Incognito mode hide my bookmarks?#

A: No. Incognito hides your browsing history and cookies, but your regular bookmarks remain fully visible.

Q: Will locking my computer protect my bookmarks?#

A: Locking your computer protects your browser while you are away. However, anyone using your account after you unlock it can immediately access all of your bookmarks.

Q: Is using a separate browser profile enough?#

A: A separate profile helps organize work and personal browsing, but it does not provide real privacy because profiles are not password protected.

Q: What is the best way to hide bookmarks?#

A: The most practical solution is using a password protected bookmark manager. It keeps your existing browsing workflow while adding real access control to your private bookmarks.

Wrapping Up#

There is no built in way to hide bookmarks in Chrome.

Fortunately, the problem can still be solved.

You can use a separate browser profile, store links outside the browser, or use a password protected bookmark manager.

If you want to keep the convenience of browser bookmarks while adding real privacy, Locker is designed to do exactly that.

No workflow changes.

No new habits.

Just private bookmarks where you already browse.

Protect your bookmarks

Get Locker

Answers to frequently asked questions from the r/chrome_extensions community

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions from the r/chrome_extensions Community#

After my last posts about earning my first money with a Chrome extension, quite a few people started messaging me with similar questions.

So I decided to answer the most common ones in one place. Maybe it will help someone who is just starting.

Q: Did you do market research before building your extension?#

A: No. My original goal was simply to solve my own problem. I constantly lost my browser tabs and needed a way to save them in one click as sessions and store them safely so they would not disappear. That is how Locker was born.

Q: How do you accept payments from different countries? Do you need to open a company?#

A: No. You do not necessarily need to open a company in the beginning. You can use services like Lemon Squeezy that handle payments, taxes, and payouts for you.

Q: I’m just learning programming. What tech stack should I use?#

A: My stack is pretty simple.

Frontend

TypeScript
React
TailwindCSS
Astro

Backend

Deno Edge Functions
Supabase for authentication, storage, and database
Lemon Squeezy for payments

There are many ways to build Chrome extensions. This is simply the stack that works well for me.

Q: What motivates you to keep building extensions?#

A: Honestly, I just enjoy building products. Time is the hardest part. I work full time helping international companies enter the Central Asian market. It is consulting work, and it is exhausting. Even so, I try to spend about 90 minutes every day working on my own products. I do not wait for the perfect moment. I just do what I can.

Q: How do you promote a Chrome extension?#

A: If there is a formula, it probably looks like this.

Experiments + Time = Results

Keep trying different things, see what works, and double down on it.

Q: How do you find ideas for extensions?#

A: My personal rule is simple. Solve one of your own browser problems. It might sound naive, but there are more than 8 billion people on this planet. If something annoys you, there is a good chance thousands or even millions of other people experience the same problem.

How to Password Protect Your Browser (Or Why It's a Bad Idea)

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

How to Password Protect Your Browser (Or Why It’s a Bad Idea)#

If you’re searching for how to password protect your browser, you’re probably trying to keep your personal data private.

I had exactly the same problem.

After trying browser locks, password protected launchers, and different Chrome extensions, I realized they were solving the wrong problem.

Here is what actually worked for me.

Mistake #1: The “Streisand Effect” or Why Browser Passwords Fail#

When I first started looking for ways to protect my privacy, I did exactly what you’re probably doing now. I searched Google for “how to password protect Chrome.”

I downloaded questionable programs, tried extensions that locked the browser on startup, and experimented with different approaches.

Do you know what happened?

Questions.

When my girlfriend borrowed my laptop to buy tickets and immediately saw a password prompt, she did not think, “He really cares about security.”

She thought, “What is he hiding?”

Locking your entire browser attracts attention.

It is also inconvenient because you end up entering your password dozens of times every day.

Eventually I realized I did not need to lock the entire apartment.

I only needed a secure safe for my personal things.

That idea eventually became Locker.

The Real Problem#

The biggest privacy problem was never Chrome itself.

It was my bookmarks.

Everything I saved was automatically synced across my devices and visible to anyone using my browser profile.

Standard browser bookmarks have no password protection, no encryption, and no private mode.

Once someone opens your Bookmark Manager, everything is there.

The Solution: Isolated Bookmark Storage#

Locker works differently.

Instead of using Chrome’s built in bookmark system, it stores bookmarks inside the extension itself.

That means your bookmarks stay completely separate from your browser’s normal bookmark manager.

If someone opens Chrome’s bookmarks, they simply will not find them.

Your personal links exist only inside Locker.

Automatic Incognito#

Saving bookmarks privately is only half of the problem.

Opening them safely matters just as much.

Normally, opening a bookmark creates browsing history, cookies, and other traces.

Locker solves this by automatically opening selected bookmarks in Incognito mode.

You do not have to remember to manually open a private window every time.

When you finish browsing and close the Incognito window, your browsing session disappears as expected.

Why I Don’t Use Auto Lock Timers#

People often ask why Locker does not include an automatic lock timer.

The answer is simple.

Timers fail because people get distracted.

You leave your computer “for one minute,” but the timer is set for five.

That is plenty of time for someone to open everything.

Instead, Locker stays unlocked only while your browser session is active.

When you close the browser, Locker locks automatically.

The next time you open it, your master password is required again.

Your Password Stays Yours#

Your master password is your only key.

Locker does not store it on a server.

If you forget it, locally stored bookmarks cannot be recovered unless you previously enabled synchronization.

This is a tradeoff that prioritizes privacy over convenience.

Common Security Questions#

Q: Why isn’t Incognito enough?#

A: Incognito mode does not save your browsing history, cookies, or cache, but it has one major limitation. It remembers nothing. If you find something worth keeping, you either lose it when you close the window or save it to your regular bookmarks, where it becomes visible to anyone using your browser. Locker lets you keep bookmarks intended for Incognito without exposing them in your standard bookmark manager.

Q: Can Google or my network administrator see my bookmarks?#

A: Your bookmarks are stored inside Locker rather than Chrome’s built in bookmark manager. However, a corporate network administrator may still see which domains you visit through network traffic. What they cannot see is the list of bookmarks stored inside Locker.

Q: Why should I trust Locker with my bookmarks?#

A: Locker uses a zero knowledge architecture. Your data is encrypted locally before it is synchronized, meaning the server never receives your bookmarks in plain text. The project is also open source, so anyone can inspect how it works.

Q: What happens if I uninstall the extension?#

A: Since bookmarks are stored locally inside the extension, uninstalling Locker removes them from your device. If you want to keep a backup, enable cloud synchronization before uninstalling the extension.

Final Thoughts#

Trying to password protect your entire browser sounds like the obvious solution.

I thought the same thing.

But after living with it, I realized it creates unnecessary friction, attracts attention, and protects much more than most people actually need.

In many cases, protecting only your private bookmarks is a much more practical solution.

That is exactly why I built Locker.

Protect your bookmarks

Get Locker

Locker: Quick Start & Transparency

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Locker: Quick Start & Transparency#

Set up Locker in less than 2 minutes and learn exactly why the extension requests certain permissions. No marketing language, just an honest explanation from the developer.

Step 1. Pin the Extension#

Click the Puzzle icon 🧩 in Chrome, find Locker, and click the Pin 📌 icon so it is always easy to access.

Step 2. Enable Incognito Mode#

Open the extension details page and enable Allow in Incognito.

This allows Locker to work with private browsing sessions while keeping your data encrypted.

Step 3. Create Your Master Password#

Your Master Password is stored only on your device.

I cannot see it, recover it, or send it anywhere because it never leaves your computer.

If you forget your Master Password, your encrypted data may become inaccessible unless Cloud Sync was enabled beforehand.

Step 4. Configure Hotkeys#

Chrome requires keyboard shortcuts to be configured manually.

Open chrome://extensions/shortcuts and assign the shortcuts you want.

Transparency#

People often ask why Locker requests several permissions. That’s a fair question.

Here is exactly what each permission is used for.

Debugger & Scripting

These permissions are used exclusively for the Web to PDF feature. When you click Save as PDF, Locker temporarily captures the page exactly as it appears in your browser so it can generate a clean, high quality PDF. The debugger is not used to monitor your browsing activity and only runs while creating the PDF.

Access to all hosts

Locker can save bookmarks or generate PDFs from virtually any website, including YouTube, Medium, GitHub, localhost, and other pages you visit.

Chrome requires host permissions before an extension can access the current page.

Without this permission, Locker would only work on a small number of websites.

Tabs & Tab Groups

These permissions power the Tab Manager feature.

Locker can save your currently opened tabs as organized groups, close them to free memory, and restore everything later.

Everything is stored locally unless you explicitly enable Cloud Sync.

Identity

This permission is used only for secure authentication with Google OAuth.

It allows you to sign in and synchronize your encrypted data across your own devices if you choose to enable Cloud Sync.

Downloads

This permission lets Locker save generated PDFs directly to your computer.

It is also required when exporting your bookmarks as HTML or JSON so you always have full control over your own data.