Google Has a Secret Bookmarks Feature That You Should Use
It’s not easy to keep up with everything Google does, from artificial intelligence to navigation services to foldable phones . One tool that may have escaped your notice is a bookmarks-style feature that’s popping up on the web and in a few other places (like the Google TV device interface).
The tool is called Google Saved (previously called Google Collections) and gives you a central repository for locations, web links, movies, shows, and more. You may find that you’ve already saved some items in your collection without even realizing it, and this is a useful way to mark things you want to return to later.
How to Save Items to Google “Saved”
Google Saved is available in several different places and syncs between them using your Google account. You can use it when doing a Google search on the web, for example: Click the three dots next to the search result, then select “Save” from the pop-up bar. It’s also available when you run a Google image search: With an image selected, click the three dots (top right) and then Save .
When you click Save , a pop-up window on the screen gives you the option to choose where to save the item. Your saved items are divided into groups called collections, and whenever you save something from the web, you can put it into an existing collection or create a new one. For example, you might have collections for different projects or topics.
You can save locations as well as web links and images through Google Maps. Click on any location or landmark and a Save button will appear in the pop-up panel. This is closely related to the Lists feature in Google Maps , which allows you to collect curated lists of places that can be kept private or made public, but all of those bookmarked places also show up in Google’s Saved.
You can also save movies and shows to your collections: When you run a Google search, you’ll see a “Want to Watch” button on the right that you can click. If you’re in the Google TV interface on a larger screen, select and hold any item in the main carousel, then select Add to Watchlist to save it.
Options for saving links, images, places, movies, and shows are available on both mobile devices and desktops, although the Save buttons are sometimes in different places. Just make sure you’re signed into your Google account every time you save anything, since that’s how all your items come together.
How to Find Items in Google “Saved”
The easiest way to find everything you’ve saved is to go straight to yourGoogle Saved page on the web (which Google sometimes calls your “interests page”). You may have already used this feature without even realizing it, for example if you saved movies to Google TV or created lists in Google Maps.
Tap any of the collections on the screen to take a closer look: Some are created by default to get you started, including the All Saved Items collection, which has everything. You can also use the search box at the top of the page to find what you need. Once inside a collection, simply click on something to see it.
You can use the Add button to add something new to a collection, or the three dots next to any item to remove something that was previously saved or send it to another collection. If you want to move or delete multiple items, first click the Select button at the top and then select the items you want to work with.
On the main page, you can click Create to create a new collection with your own name and description. There’s also a Share button inside Collections, allowing you to share them publicly with other people, and by clicking on the three dots on the right you can also rearrange the order of items. It’s not the most comprehensive bookmarking or notebook service you’ve ever seen, but it’s useful enough.
Another place where you can access everything you’ve saved is the Google app on your phone. Click the Saved tab and you’ll be able to see all your collections as they appear on the web—you get the same options for sharing, deleting, creating collections, and editing items within them, as you do on the web -browser.