Bookmark Sentry is a free extension for the Google Chrome web browser to verify bookmarks using automated link checking algorithms. The extension adds a function to the Google Chrome web browser that many Chrome users have requested for some time now: the ability to check bookmarks in the browser.
Google Chrome, like any other browser, comes with options to store and synchronize bookmarks. The browser does not support any native means to verify bookmarks though, let alone remove bookmarks that point to non-existing content on the Internet.
The Bookmark Sentry extension adds the option to scan the bookmarks in the Chrome web browser either automatically or manually. The default scan interval has been set to 30 days which means that the extension will automatically check the bookmarks stored in the Internet browser every 30 days.
Bookmark Sentry for Chrome
You may change the scan interval in the options the extension ships with. You may also run manual scans at any point in time.
The extension checks every bookmark that is saved in Chrome, and displays a progress bar highlighting the overall progress as well as the number of bookmarks with issues.
The scan time depends largely on the number of bookmarks stored in the Chrome browser. The Internet connection speed may also play a minor role.
A new screen with statistics is displayed once the scan of the bookmarks completes. It displays all bookmarks with errors, and separates them into not found and connection errors categories.
The bookmarks are listed with their title and url. A click on a bookmark opens that page in the web browser for a manual check. The X at the end of each row can be used to delete the bookmark from the bookmark database.
It is recommended to check each bookmark at least once, but preferably more than once before deleting it. The reason for this is that a site a bookmark points to may be down temporarily, or very slow to load. It may still be available however, and accessible again at a later point in time.
Verdict
Bookmark Sentry is a useful extension for the Google Chrome web browser to verify bookmarks manually or regularly in automatic scan runs.
Update: The developer has pulled the extension from the official Chrome Web Store. There is no extension alternative available. Chrome users looking for an alternative beyond, can download and run the AM-Deadlink software, a bookmarks checker for the Windows operating system that is supporting the browser.