Safari bookmarks on all my devices revert back to an older version, MacOS, iOS and iPadOS

Hello wh1tby,

We understand you have issues with Safari's bookmarks syncing with iCloud. We'll do our best to help out with this.

If you haven't yet, we'd recommend these related steps: If your iCloud or Safari bookmarks aren’t syncing - Apple Support

If your iCloud or Safari bookmarks aren’t syncing

Learn what to do if you have issues using iCloud Bookmarks or Reading List. For example, if you need to access a bookmark that you accidentally deleted or make changes in your web browser that don’t update on your other devices, we can help.

Before you get started

- Check the System Status page to see if there are known issues affecting iCloud Bookmarks, since your device might not be the cause of your issue.

- Make sure your date and time settings on your iOS device or Mac are correct. You can easily fix issues caused by incorrect date and time settings by entering the right information.

- To help make sure that you don't lose important information, make copies of your Bookmarks. 

- If your bookmarks don't display in the same order across all of your devices, check how many bookmarks are in the folder. If the folder contains more than 500 bookmarks, the order of bookmarks might not be the same on all devices.

If you need to access a bookmark that you deleted within the last 30 days, you can recover it from iCloud.com. Click Settings, and under Advanced, click Restore Bookmarks.

Learn more if you need help using iCloud Tabs.

Follow the steps for your device:

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch

Mac

Microsoft Windows

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch

After each step, check to see if the issue still exists.

Turn on Bookmarks and update your device

- Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud and make sure that Safari is turned on.

- Install the latest software updates for your device, then make sure that it meets the iCloud system requirements.

Check your Internet connection

1. Open Safari and go to www.apple.com. If you can't connect to the Internet, your iCloud Bookmarks and Reading List* won't update in the Safari app. Get help with your Internet connection.

2. Open a secure website from your iOS device to see if you can access ports 80 and 443. Safari requires access to port 443 to push updates between iCloud and your devices.

* Reading List is only supported on iOS and macOS devices.

Check your account details

Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple ID that you're using on your other supported devices. Tap Settings > [your name].

Restart Safari

Close and restart the Safari app on your iOS device. If you're not sure know how to close Safari, follow these steps.

Turn off iCloud Bookmarks and turn it back on

1. Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud.

2. Turn off Safari. 

3. You can choose Delete from My [device] if your data exists on one or more of your computers. Otherwise, choose Keep on My [device].

4. Wait a few minutes, then turn on Safari again.

Restart your device

Restart your device. If you're not sure how to do this, follow these steps.

iPhone 

iPad 

iPod touch

Mac

After each step, check to see if the issue still exists.

Turn on iCloud Bookmarks and upgrade your software

- Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences. If you're using macOS Catalina, click Apple ID. Click iCloud, then select Safari.

- Install the latest software updates for your device, then make sure that it meets the iCloud system requirements.

Check your Internet connection

1. Quit Safari, then re-open Safari.

2. Try to go to www.apple.com in Safari. If you can't connect to the Internet, your iCloud Bookmarks and Reading List won't update in the Safari app. Get help with your Internet connection.

3. Open a secure website from your Mac to see if you can access ports 80 and 443. Safari requires access to port 443 to push updates between iCloud and your devices.

Check your account details 

Choose Apple menu , and click iCloud. Make sure that you're signed in with the same Apple ID that you're using on your other supported devices.

Turn off iCloud Bookmarks and turn it back on

1. Quit Safari.

2. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences. If you're using macOS Catalina, click Apple ID. Click iCloud.

3. Deselect Safari.

4. Close System Preferences and wait about a minute.

5. Open System Preferences and click iCloud.

6. Select Safari.

7. Open Safari.

Restart your computer

Restart your computer and see if the issue still exists.

Note: If you delete bookmarks on one device, it would remove them from all devices.

Should the issue persist, does this occur when you are connected to a known good working Wi-Fi network, Hotspot, or over a cellular network? Which macOS version are you using on your Macs? Do you use any Safari extensions?

Hoping to hear how it goes, cheers.

This appears to identify the problem- the behavior appears to be sorting newly synced bookmarks by creation/edit date rather than by the user-imposed sort hierarchy:

Bookmarks spontaneously change order (by … - Apple Community