Adding a favorite to Safari takes one click
To save a website you visit often, open it in Safari, then tap or click the share button — it looks like a box with an arrow pointing out of it. A menu appears. Select "Add Bookmark" (on iPhone or iPad) or "Add Bookmark…" (on Mac). A small window opens asking where to save it. Choose "Favorites" from the dropdown menu, then tap or click "Save". The website now appears in your Favorites bar, the row of icons that shows at the top of Safari when you open a new tab.
On Mac, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Command+D to open the bookmark window instantly. On iPhone and iPad, the share button is in the bottom toolbar when you are reading a page.
Key Takeaways
- Tap or click the share button (box with arrow), then select "Add Bookmark" and choose "Favorites" as the location.
- Your saved favorites appear as icons in the Favorites bar when you open a new tab in Safari.
- On Mac, press Command+D as a faster way to save a bookmark without using the menu.
- You can rearrange your favorites by dragging them left or right in the Favorites bar, or delete them by right-clicking and selecting "Delete".
Where your favorites actually live
When you save a bookmark to Favorites, Safari stores it in a special folder. Every time you open a new tab, Safari shows the icons from this folder across the top of the page. This is different from your regular bookmarks, which live in a menu you have to click to see.
The Favorites bar is the fastest way to reach sites you use every day — your email, banking, news site, or work portal. Because the icons are always visible, you do not have to remember where you saved them or dig through menus.
Organizing your favorites after you save them
Once you have saved a few favorites, you can change their order by dragging them left or right in the Favorites bar. On Mac, click and hold an icon, then drag it to a new spot. On iPhone or iPad, tap "Edit" in the bottom right corner of the Favorites bar, then drag the icons around.
If you want to remove a favorite you no longer use, right-click it on Mac and select "Delete", or tap "Edit" on iPhone and iPad, then tap the minus sign next to the icon. The bookmark itself is not deleted — it just moves out of your Favorites bar and back into your regular bookmarks folder if you ever want to find it again.
Changing the name or icon of a favorite
Safari usually shows a small icon (called a favicon) for each website in your Favorites bar. If you want to change what the bookmark is called, right-click it on Mac and select "Edit Bookmark". On iPhone or iPad, tap "Edit", then tap the bookmark itself. A window opens where you can type a new name.
You cannot change the icon itself — Safari pulls that from the website. But you can shorten the name to just one or two letters if you want to fit more favorites in the bar without scrolling. For example, you might rename "Gmail" to "G" or "The New York Times" to "NYT".
Using folders to organize bookmarks you do not need every day
The Favorites bar has limited space. If you have more than about eight or nine bookmarks, they start to scroll off the edge. For websites you visit less often, create a folder instead. On Mac, go to Bookmarks menu, select "Add Bookmark Folder", and give it a name like "News" or "Shopping". On iPhone and iPad, tap "Edit" in the Favorites bar, then tap "New Folder".
Once you have created a folder, you can drag bookmarks into it. The folder itself appears as a single icon in your Favorites bar. When you click or tap it, a dropdown menu shows all the bookmarks inside. This keeps your Favorites bar clean while still giving you quick access to related sites.
Syncing your favorites across your devices
If you use Safari on more than one device — a Mac, iPhone, and iPad, for example — you can sync your favorites between them using iCloud. On Mac, go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions), click "iCloud", and make sure "Safari" is turned on. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, tap your name at the top, select "iCloud", and turn on "Safari".
Once iCloud is turned on for Safari, any favorite you add on one device appears on all your other devices within a few minutes. If you delete a favorite on your Mac, it disappears from your iPhone too. This keeps your Favorites bar the same everywhere you browse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I save a bookmark to a folder other than Favorites?
Yes. When you tap or click "Add Bookmark", the dropdown menu shows all your bookmark folders, not just Favorites. You can choose any folder you have created, or create a new one right there. Bookmarks saved to other folders do not appear in the Favorites bar — you reach them through the Bookmarks menu instead.
What if I want to save a bookmark but do not see the share button?
On Mac, use the keyboard shortcut Command+D instead. On iPhone or iPad, make sure you are viewing the webpage itself, not a search result. The share button is in the bottom toolbar. If you are in a tab that has not fully loaded, wait a moment and try again.
Can I move a favorite from one folder to another?
On Mac, right-click the bookmark and select "Edit Bookmark", then change the folder in the dropdown menu. On iPhone and iPad, tap "Edit" in the Favorites bar, tap the bookmark, and change its location. You can also drag bookmarks between folders if you open the Bookmarks sidebar (Command+Option+B on Mac).
Do my favorites sync if I use Safari on Windows?
Safari is not available for Windows. If you use a Windows computer, you would need to use a different browser like Chrome or Edge. However, if you use Safari on Mac, iPhone, or iPad, those devices sync with each other through iCloud.