Setting Up Sync duplicated bookmark folders on both my desktop and laptop computers

Browser Support Sync
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Description of the issue:
I have a desktop computer and a laptop computer. The laptop is newer, and some time ago I manually exported bookmarks from my desktop computer and imported the resulting bookmark file to my laptop. So initially the bookmarks folders on both computers had identical structure in terms of folder names and the URLs in them. However, over some months, they diverged as I bookmarked new sites on one computer or the other.

So yesterday I read up on the Sync feature and decided to try using it to synchronize my bookmarks between the two computers. At first it seemed to work, but then I noticed that on both computers my bookmarks bar showed two copies of every folder. The first copy of each folder has the original bookmarks stored on that computer and the second copy is a duplicate of the same folder from the other computer.

This isn’t at all the behavior that I expected. Did I approach this wrong? What is the recommended procedure for keeping identical bookmark folders and content on multiple computers using Sync?

Steps to Reproduce (add as many as necessary): 1. 2. 3.

  1. Set up Sync on the first computer. Note the passphrase.
  2. Set up Sync on the second computer using the passphrase from Step 1.
  3. The folders duplicate on both computers.

Reproduces how often:
Every time.

Brave Version(See the About Brave page in the main menu):
Version 1.64.116 Chromium: 123.0.6312.105 (Official Build) (64-bit) on both computers.

Type of devices currently running on the Sync chain in question:
Desktop: Intel NUC6CAYH J26843-411; OS is Ubuntu MATE 22.04.4 LTS x86_64; 8 GB of RAM.

Laptop: Lenovo 82G4 IdeaPad Flex 3 11ADA05; OS is Ubuntu MATE 22.04.4 LTS x86_64; 4 GB of RAM.

Additional Information:

1 Like
2

@DaveHighland typically when you sync the browsers, it will add anything that is missing to any device. In others words, it just makes sure they all have the same data. Generally nothing ever duplicates and it doesn’t remove anything either. Then once there is full parity between the two, any change to one of the browsers will be replicated on the other.

So if you’re saying it duplicated them, something weird definitely happened.

3

Dave, Im right with you on this at the moment.

After dealing with a horrible situation of this exact thing where hundreds of bookmarks work doubled to a fresh install on my phone and laptop, I ended up removing the browser from both a third set eventually appeared. Recently after using Brave on my desktop for the past year for specific work I decided to put it on a laptop I just installed a fresh OS on. Same thing happened again. Thankfully far far fewer bookmarks but Im still having the same issue - more duplicates

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