Arc Browser Bookmarks Exporter

A Python script that exports bookmarks from Arc Browser to HTML format that is compatible with all other major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.

Features

• ✅ Multi-Profile Support: Exports bookmarks from all Arc profiles/containers
• ✅ Complete Space Coverage: Handles both pinned and unpinned spaces
• ✅ Standard Format: Generates Netscape bookmark format compatible with all major browsers
• ✅ Hierarchical Structure: Preserves folder organization from Arc spaces
• ✅ Cross-Platform: Works on macOS and Windows
• ✅ Verbose Logging: Detailed output for troubleshooting
• ✅ Flexible Options: Choose what to export with command-line flags

Quick Start

# Export everything (recommended)
python3 main.py --all -v

# Export with custom filename
python3 main.py --all -o my_bookmarks.html

# Export only pinned spaces (default)
python3 main.py -v

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Arc Browser with some bookmarks

Setup

1. Clone or download this repository
2. No additional dependencies required (uses Python standard library only)

Usage

Command Line Options

python3 main.py [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
--all	Export from all containers and include unpinned spaces
--include-unpinned	Include unpinned spaces in export
-o, --output FILE	Specify output file path
-v, --verbose	Enable detailed logging
-s, --silent	Silence all output
--version	Show version information

Examples

# Export everything with verbose output
python3 main.py --all -v

# Export only pinned spaces to specific file
python3 main.py -o bookmarks_pinned.html -v

# Silent export of everything
python3 main.py --all -s

# Include unpinned spaces only
python3 main.py --include-unpinned

How It Works

Arc Data Structure

Arc Browser stores bookmarks in StorableSidebar.json with the following structure:

StorableSidebar.json
├── sidebar
│   └── containers (multiple profiles)
│       ├── Container 0: (may be empty)
│       └── Container 1: (actual bookmark data)
│           ├── spaces: [mixed list of strings and dicts]
│           └── items: [bookmark items]
└── version: 1

Export Process

1. Locate Arc Data: Finds StorableSidebar.json in Arc's data directory
2. Parse Containers: Processes all containers with bookmark data
3. Extract Spaces: Handles both pinned and unpinned space containers
4. Build Hierarchy: Creates folder structure from Arc spaces
5. Generate HTML: Converts to standard Netscape bookmark format

Output Structure

Bookmarks
├── Home Space
│   ├── Pinned Bookmarks (24 items)
│   └── Unpinned Bookmarks (4 items)
├── Work Space
├── Research Space
└── Other Spaces...

File Locations

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Arc/StorableSidebar.json

Windows

~\AppData\Local\Packages\TheBrowserCompany.Arc*\LocalCache\Local\Arc\StorableSidebar.json

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"File not found" Error

• Cause: Arc Browser not installed or non-standard installation
• Solution: Ensure Arc is installed and has been run at least once

"No bookmark data found"

• Cause: Arc data file exists but contains no bookmarks
• Solution: Add some bookmarks in Arc Browser first

"Unexpected error: 'spaces'"

• Cause: Script looking in wrong container
• Solution: Use --all flag to process all containers

Missing Bookmarks

• Cause: Only pinned spaces being exported
• Solution: Use --all or --include-unpinned flags

Debug Mode

For detailed troubleshooting, run with verbose output:

python3 main.py --all -v

Expected Verbose Output

12:19 INFO Reading Arc browser data...
12:19 DEBG Found StorableSidebar.json in Arc's data directory
12:19 INFO Parsing Arc browser data...
12:19 INFO Processing container 1...
12:19 INFO Parsing spaces...
12:19 DEBG Found 10 valid spaces
12:19 INFO Converting spaces to bookmark folders...
12:19 DEBG Space 'Work': 25 bookmarks
12:19 DEBG Space 'Personal': 15 bookmarks
12:19 DEBG Total bookmarks in this container: 40
12:19 INFO Converting bookmarks to HTML...
12:19 INFO Export completed successfully!

Importing to Other Browsers

Chrome/Chromium

1. Open Chrome
2. Go to chrome://bookmarks/
3. Click ⋮ → "Import bookmarks"
4. Select the exported HTML file

Firefox

1. Open Firefox
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+B (Bookmarks Manager)
3. Click "Import and Backup" → "Import Bookmarks from HTML"
4. Select the exported HTML file

Safari

1. Open Safari
2. Go to File → "Import From" → "Bookmarks HTML File"
3. Select the exported HTML file

Edge

1. Open Edge
2. Click ⋯ → "Favorites" → "Manage favorites"
3. Click ⋯ → "Import favorites"
4. Choose "Bookmarks HTML file"

Technical Details

Architecture

• ArcDataReader: Handles file location and JSON reading
• ArcDataParser: Parses Arc's JSON structure into bookmark objects
• HTMLExporter: Converts bookmarks to HTML format
• BookmarkFolder/Bookmark: Data classes for bookmark structure

Data Classes

@dataclass
class Bookmark:
    title: str
    url: str

@dataclass  
class BookmarkFolder:
    title: str
    children: List[Union[Bookmark, BookmarkFolder]]

@dataclass
class Space:
    name: str
    container_id: str
    is_pinned: bool

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

If you encounter issues:

1. Run with verbose output: python3 main.py --all -v
2. Check the troubleshooting section above
3. Ensure Arc Browser is properly installed
4. Verify you have bookmarks in Arc Browser

For additional help, please create an issue with:

• Your operating system
• Python version
• Complete error message
• Verbose output (if possible)

Development Setup

git clone <repository-url>
cd arc-bookmarks
python3 main.py --version  # Verify setup

Changelog

Version 1.0

• ✅ Fixed space parsing to handle all pinned/unpinned containers
• ✅ Added null safety for bookmark titles and URLs
• ✅ Improved error handling and logging
• ✅ Added support for multiple containers/profiles

Support

Thank you for using this project! If you find it helpful and would like to support my work, kindly consider buying me a coffee. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And do not forget to give the project a star if you like it! ⭐

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.