iCloud: Troubleshooting iCloud Bookmarks

• Make sure there are not any current issues listed in the System Status affecting iCloud Bookmarks. iCloud System Status is displayed at the iCloud Support webpage. 
• Make sure the issue you are seeing is not covered in iCloud Help already. To access iCloud Help, visit help.apple.com/icloud.
• Keep in mind the iCloud Bookmarks only supports the following web browser's bookmarks:
  • Safari for OS X.
  • Safari for iOS devices.
  • Safari for Windows.
  • Internet Explorer for Windows
• Check your settings and preferences as something may not be set up correctly. For example, having incorrect date and time settings can cause issues which are easily resolved by entering the appropriate settings.
  

Note: For instructions on setting up iCloud Bookmarks with Safari, see iCloud Setup.

If you are having trouble using iCloud Bookmarks with Safari on a Mac, try each of these steps, testing after each to see if the issue is resolved:

• Make sure you are running OS X Lion 10.7.2 or later. Click here for help verifying the version of OS X you are using.
• Make sure your computer is online. Attempt to view www.apple.com and icloud.com. If you can't connect to the Internet, your iCloud Bookmarks will not update in Safari. Click here for more information about troubleshooting your Internet connection.
• Open a secure website to test if you are online as is necessary for iCloud Bookmarks. This also tests if the ports 80 and 443 are accessible. Safari requires port 443 access to iCloud in order to push and pull updates to and from the iCloud Bookmarks servers.
• Verify that your iCloud membername is entered into the iCloud preferences pane in System Preferences. See iCloud Setup for more information about setting up iCloud on a Mac.
• If recent changes simply don't appear, try making Safari refresh by quitting and reopening Safari.
• Turn iCloud Bookmarks off and back on
  1. Quit Safari.
  2. Choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu and then choose iCloud.
  3. Remove the checkmark in the checkbox next to Bookmarks.
  4. Close System Preferences and wait about a minute.
  5. Open System Preferences and choose iCloud
  6. Replace the checkmark next to Bookmarks.
  7. Close System Preferences.
  8. Open Safari and test to see if the issue has been resolved.
• Restart your computer. This may sound simple, but it does reinitialize your network and application settings and can frequently resolve issues.

If you are having trouble with iCloud Bookmarks and Safari Bookmarks on an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch), try each of these steps, testing after each to see if the issue is resolved:

• Make sure you've updated to iOS 5 or later and that your iCloud account is configured correctly in Settings. For instructions on setting up the iOS for iCloud, see iCloud Setup.
• Make sure your iOS device is online. Attempt to view www.apple.com and icloud.com. If you can't connect to the Internet, your iCloud Bookmarks will not update in the Safari application. Click here for more information about troubleshooting your internet connection.
• Open a secure website from your iOS device to test if you are online as is necessary for iCloud Bookmarks. This also tests if ports 80 and 443 are accessible. Safari requires port 443 access to iCloud in order to push and pull updates to and from the iCloud Bookmarks servers.
• Quit and restart the Safari app on your iOS device:
  1. Press the Home button.
  2. Double-press the Home button to open the multitasking menu.
  3. Tap and hold the Safari icon until it jiggles.
  4. Tap the "X" to remove Safari from the list.
  5. Press the Home button to go back to your Home screen. Wait a minute before reopening the Safari app.
     

• Turn iCloud Bookmarks off and back on:
  1. Tap Settings > iCloud.
  2. Tap the Bookmarks slider off. Choose to delete data only if your data exists on one or more of your computers. Otherwise choose Keep Data. 
  3. Wait a few minutes before turning the Bookmarks slider back on.
     
• Restart your iOS device by holding down the Sleep/Wake button and then swiping the screen when prompted to power off. This may sound simple, but it does reinitialize your network and application settings and can frequently resolve issues.

If you are having trouble on a Windows PC with iCloud Bookmarks on Internet Explorer or Safari, try each of these steps, testing after each to see if the issue is resolved:

• If you are unable to use iCloud Bookmarks with Safari, you should test with Internet Explorer and vice-versa.
  • If the issue only affects one of your web browsers while the other updates Bookmarks without issue, you should confine your troubleshooting to the browser that does not work. If you are unable to resolve the issue specific to that browser, you may wish to use your other browser as a workaround.
  • If both web browsers are affected, you should troubleshoot your computer and/or network and continue isolating the cause of the issue with the steps below.
• It is very important that you back up your Bookmarks data prior to troubleshooting with multiple web browsers. Click here for more information about backing up your iCloud data.
• Verify that you are using a Windows configuration that is supported by iCloud. Click here for more information about the iCloud System Requirements.
• Make sure your computer is online. Attempt to view www.apple.com and icloud.com. If you can't connect to the Internet, your iCloud Bookmarks will not be able to send or receive updates. Click here for more information about troubleshooting your Internet connection.
• Open a secure website to test if you are online as is necessary for the iCloud Bookmarks. This also tests if ports 80 and 443 are accessible.  Safari and Internet Explorer require port 443 access to iCloud in order to push and pull updates to and from the iCloud Bookmarks servers.
• Verify that your iCloud membername is entered into the iCloud Control Panel. See iCloud Setup for more information about setting up iCloud in Windows.
• Completely close and reopen the iCloud Control Panel.
• If you recently made changes in your web browser and they are not moving to your other devices or vice-versa, wait 15 minutes for the changes to fully propagate. Alternatively you can quit and reopen your web browser to trigger a refresh of changes.
• Turn iCloud Bookmarks off and back on:
  
  1. Close Safari and/or Internet Explorer. (Any browser you are using with iCloud Bookmarks should not be running during these first three steps).
  2. Open Control Panel and choose iCloud.
  3. Remove the checkmark in the checkbox next to Bookmarks and click Apply. Wait about a minute and then replace the checkmark and click Apply.
  4. Open Safari or Internet Explorer and test to see if the issue has been resolved.
• Restart your computer. This may sound simple, but it does reinitialize your network and application settings and can frequently resolve issues.