The fastest way to bookmark a page in Safari

To add a website to your favorites in Safari, tap or click the share button (the square with an arrow pointing out of it), then select Add Bookmark. On iPhone and iPad, the share button is at the bottom of the screen. On Mac, it's in the top-right corner of the browser window. Choose where you want to save it — the Favorites folder appears at the top of your bookmarks by default — and tap or click Save.

That's the complete process. The page is now saved and will appear in your bookmarks menu the next time you need it.

Key Takeaways

  • The share button (square with arrow) opens the bookmark menu on all Safari devices.
  • Bookmarks saved to the Favorites folder show up as icons in a row below the address bar on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
  • You can rename a bookmark or move it to a different folder after saving it.
  • Safari syncs bookmarks across your Apple devices if you have iCloud enabled in Settings.

Where your bookmarks appear after you save them

When you save a bookmark to the Favorites folder, it shows up as an icon in the row just below the address bar. On iPhone and iPad, swipe left and right through the row to see all your favorites. On Mac, the entire row is visible at once unless you have many bookmarks — then you'll see a right arrow at the end to scroll through them.

If you save a bookmark to a different folder instead of Favorites, it won't appear in that row. You'll find it in the Bookmarks menu instead. To access the Bookmarks menu on iPhone or iPad, tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen. On Mac, click Bookmarks in the menu bar at the top.

How to organize bookmarks into folders

When you first save a bookmark, Safari asks you to choose a location. If you want to create a new folder for related bookmarks, tap or click New Folder at the bottom of that menu. Name the folder, then tap or click Save. Your bookmark will be placed in that new folder.

To move an existing bookmark to a different folder, open the Bookmarks menu, find the bookmark you want to move, and tap or click and hold it (or right-click on Mac). Select Move and choose the destination folder. You can also rename a bookmark this way by selecting Edit instead.

Syncing bookmarks across your devices

If you use iCloud, Safari automatically syncs your bookmarks across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other Apple devices. This means a bookmark you save on your phone will appear on your Mac within seconds, and vice versa. To check that iCloud is turned on, go to Settings (iPhone and iPad) or System Settings (Mac), tap or click your name at the top, then select iCloud. Make sure Safari is toggled on.

If you don't use iCloud or want to keep bookmarks on just one device, they won't sync. Bookmarks stay only on the device where you saved them.

Editing or removing a bookmark

To change a bookmark's name or location after you've saved it, open the Bookmarks menu, find the bookmark, and tap or click and hold it (or right-click on Mac). Select Edit, change the name or folder, then save. To delete a bookmark, use the same menu and select Remove instead.

On iPhone and iPad, you can also swipe left on a bookmark in the Bookmarks menu to reveal a delete button. This is faster if you're removing several bookmarks at once.

Using reading list as an alternative to bookmarks

Safari also has a Reading List, which works differently from bookmarks. The Reading List is meant for pages you want to read later, not pages you want to return to often. To add a page to your Reading List, tap or click the share button and select Add to Reading List instead of Add Bookmark.

You can access your Reading List from the Bookmarks menu — it appears as a pair of glasses icon. Reading List items sync across devices if iCloud is on, just like bookmarks do. The main difference is that Reading List is designed for temporary storage, while bookmarks are for permanent organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a bookmark without using the share button?

On Mac, you can press Command+D to bookmark the current page instantly. On iPhone and iPad, there's no keyboard shortcut, so the share button is the standard method. You can also bookmark a page by right-clicking a link and selecting Add Link to Bookmarks on Mac.

Why don't my bookmarks appear on my other Apple devices?

Check that iCloud is turned on for Safari in your Settings. Go to Settings or System Settings, tap or click your name, select iCloud, and make sure Safari is toggled on. If it's already on, try signing out of iCloud and signing back in to force a sync.

Can I export my Safari bookmarks to use in another browser?

On Mac, open Safari, click File in the menu bar, then select Export Bookmarks. This creates an HTML file you can import into Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. On iPhone and iPad, you'll need to use a Mac or PC to export bookmarks — there's no built-in export feature on mobile.

What's the difference between the Favorites folder and other bookmark folders?

The Favorites folder is special because bookmarks saved there appear as icons in the row below the address bar. Other folders only show up in the Bookmarks menu. You can have as many other folders as you want, but only one Favorites row is visible at the top of Safari.