How to check dead bookmark links without losing useful saves

What a link checker can and cannot prove

Repeated not-found or gone responses are strong evidence that a bookmark is broken. Timeouts, login walls, and bot protection are not.

Never bulk-delete every failed request. Open uncertain links manually and preserve the bookmark when the result is inconclusive.

Run an on-demand health check in LinkWise

The dashboard link-health check is a Pro feature. It runs on demand; this guide does not assume continuous background monitoring.

1. Open the dashboard and choose the link health check for your library, a folder, or the broken-links scope.
2. Wait for LinkWise to separate confirmed broken links from uncertain responses.
3. Review the dedicated broken-links view instead of treating every network error as dead.

Resolve each broken bookmark

If a page moved, find the canonical replacement and edit the saved URL. Preview it before saving. If the content is gone but still important, search the publisher or a web archive.

Delete only when the destination is truly unavailable and the bookmark no longer carries useful context. You can also keep a flagged result when you need to investigate later.

Make maintenance manageable

Check high-value research and project folders first, then work through older archives in batches. A quarterly review is more realistic than trying to keep every URL perfect.

Keep exports as a safety net and follow import and export guidance before a large cleanup.