The fastest way to save a website in Safari

To save a website as a favorite in Safari, tap or click the share button (the square with an arrow pointing up) while you're on the page you want to save. A menu will appear. Select Add Bookmark, choose which folder you want it to go in, and tap or click Save. The website is now saved and you can reach it from your bookmarks menu anytime.

On iPhone and iPad, the share button is at the bottom right of the screen. On Mac, it's in the top right corner of the Safari window. The bookmark appears instantly — you don't need to wait or refresh anything.

If you want to save a website even faster, you can use the keyboard shortcut. On Mac, press Command + D. On iPhone and iPad, there's no keyboard shortcut, but the share button method takes only a few taps.

Key Takeaways

  • The share button (square with arrow) opens a menu where you can select Add Bookmark to save any webpage.
  • You can choose which folder your bookmark goes into — Favorites, a custom folder, or any folder you've already created.
  • On Mac, Command + D is the fastest way to save a bookmark without opening the menu.
  • Bookmarks sync across your Apple devices if you have iCloud enabled in Safari settings.

Where your bookmarks actually go

When you save a bookmark, Safari asks you to pick a folder. The Favorites folder is the default — these bookmarks appear in a row at the top of a new tab, so you see them without opening a menu. If you have more than six or seven favorites, Safari will show them in a scrollable row instead of all at once.

You can also create your own folders to organize bookmarks by topic. On Mac, go to Bookmarks menu and select Edit Bookmarks, then click the plus sign to add a new folder. On iPhone and iPad, open the Bookmarks menu (the open book icon), tap Edit in the bottom right, and tap the plus sign.

The Reading List is different from bookmarks — it's a separate folder for articles you want to read later. You can add to it using the same share menu, but it's meant for temporary storage, not permanent organization.

Syncing bookmarks across your devices

If you use iCloud and have Safari enabled in your iCloud settings, bookmarks save automatically to all your Apple devices. This means a bookmark you create on your iPhone appears on your Mac and iPad without any extra steps.

To check if syncing is on, go to Settings on iPhone or iPad and tap your name at the top, then iCloud, then make sure Safari is toggled on. On Mac, open System Settings, click your name, select iCloud, and check that Safari is enabled.

If you turn off iCloud syncing, your bookmarks stay on each device but stop updating across them. Turning it back on won't delete anything — it will sync again from that point forward.

Editing and removing bookmarks

To change a bookmark's name or folder, open the Bookmarks menu and select Edit Bookmarks on Mac. On iPhone and iPad, open Bookmarks, tap Edit, then tap the bookmark you want to change. You can update the name, the web address, or move it to a different folder.

To delete a bookmark, find it in the Bookmarks menu, tap or click Edit, and then tap or click the minus sign or delete button next to the bookmark's name. The bookmark is removed immediately and cannot be recovered, so make sure you don't need it before deleting.

You can also delete a bookmark while you're on that webpage. Open the share menu, select Edit Bookmark, and then choose Remove or Delete.

Using bookmarks on a new tab

When you open a new tab in Safari, your Favorites appear in a row at the top. You can click or tap any of them to go straight to that website. If you have more favorites than fit on the screen, swipe or scroll to see the rest.

You can rearrange the order of your Favorites by dragging them. On Mac, open Bookmarks menu, select Edit Bookmarks, then drag each favorite to a new position. On iPhone and iPad, open Bookmarks, tap Edit, then drag the three horizontal lines next to each favorite to reorder them.

If you don't want a bookmark to show on the new tab screen, move it to a different folder instead of keeping it in Favorites. Only bookmarks in the Favorites folder appear on the new tab page.

Importing bookmarks from other browsers

If you're switching to Safari from Chrome, Firefox, or another browser, you can bring your bookmarks with you. On Mac, open Safari, go to the File menu, and select Import From, then choose the browser you're importing from. Safari will read that browser's bookmarks and add them to your Safari bookmarks.

On iPhone and iPad, you cannot import bookmarks directly from the app. Instead, export your bookmarks from the other browser as an HTML file, email it to yourself, and open it on your iPhone or iPad. Safari will offer to import them.

Imported bookmarks go into a new folder with the browser's name, so they don't mix with your existing bookmarks. You can move them to other folders afterward if you want to organize them differently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see all my bookmarks in one place?

Yes. On Mac, open the Bookmarks menu and select Show All Bookmarks, or press Option + Command + B. On iPhone and iPad, tap the Bookmarks icon (open book) at the bottom of the screen. You'll see every folder and bookmark organized by category.

What's the difference between a bookmark and a favorite?

A favorite is a bookmark that you've saved in the Favorites folder. Favorites show up on your new tab page for quick access. Any other bookmark is stored in a different folder and doesn't appear on the new tab screen unless you move it to Favorites.

Do bookmarks take up storage space on my device?

No. Bookmarks are just links to websites, not copies of the websites themselves. They use almost no storage space, so you can save as many as you want without worrying about running out of room on your device.

Can I password-protect my bookmarks?

Safari doesn't have a built-in way to password-protect individual bookmarks. If you want to hide sensitive bookmarks, you can create a separate browser profile or use a private browsing window, but the bookmarks themselves aren't encrypted.

What happens to my bookmarks if I reset Safari?

If you clear your browsing history and website data, your bookmarks stay intact — they're stored separately. However, if you sign out of iCloud or turn off Safari syncing, bookmarks won't update across your devices anymore. Your existing bookmarks remain on each device.