You save a website in Safari, but it doesn’t appear in Favorites. The bookmark’s destination matters: it needs to be in the folder Safari uses for Favorites. Here’s how to save it on iPhone, Mac, or iPad, reveal hidden favorites, and keep them across your Apple devices.
Add a favorite on your iPhone
Use the Page Menu to save the website you’re viewing.
- 1.Open the website in Safari.
- 2.Tap Page Menu, then Add Bookmark to.
- 3.Choose Favorites as the location.
- 4.Tap Save.
Save a website on your Mac
With the website open in Safari, choose Bookmarks > Add Bookmark. Select Favorites as the destination. Click Add.
For the keyboard route, press Command-D with the website open. Select Favorites in the bookmark dialog. Click Add to save it.
The toolbar offers another route: click Share > Add Bookmark to. In Add this page to, select Favorites and edit the name if you want a different one. Click Add.
Use the iPad’s Favorites action
On iPad, the share menu has a dedicated Add to Favorites action for the page you’re viewing. You can also choose the Favorites folder through the bookmark dialog.
Open the website in Safari. Tap Share to the right of the search field. Tap View More. Tap Add to Favorites.
For the bookmark-dialog route, open Page Menu > Add Bookmark to. Select Favorites as the location. Tap Save to finish that route.
Make saved favorites visible
These settings reveal favorites you’ve already saved.
On iPhone, open a start page through Tabs > Add. Scroll to the bottom of the start page. Tap Edit. Enable Favorites.
On iPad, tap New Tab at the top-right of Safari. Scroll to the bottom of the start page. Tap Edit. Enable Favorites.
To display the iPad Favorites bar, open Settings > Apps > Safari. Under General, enable Show Favorites Bar.
On Mac, choose View > Show Favorites Bar to display the bar. For the Mac start page, choose Bookmarks > Show Start Page. Click Edit. Enable Favorites.
Move an existing bookmark into Favorites
On iPhone, tap Show Bookmarks on Safari’s start page, or use the toolbar’s Show Bookmarks button with the Bottom or Top Tabs layout. Touch and hold the bookmark. Tap Edit.
Tap the folder below Location. Choose Favorites. Tap Save.
On Mac, open the sidebar. Click Bookmarks. Click More. Deselect Show Folders on Top.
Expand the relevant folders using their Show buttons. Drag the bookmark into Favorites, holding Option during the drag if you want to copy it instead of moving it.
On iPad, tap Show Sidebar. Tap Bookmarks below Saved. Open More > Select Bookmarks.
Drag the bookmark into Favorites by touching and holding its Reorder button. Tap Done. Use these same moves to organize bookmarks after importing them from another browser.
Keep your favorites across Apple devices
Enable Safari syncing in iCloud to access saved favorites on your other iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
- 1.Sign in to the same Apple Account on each device.
- 2.On iPhone or iPad, open Settings > [your name] > iCloud > See All, then turn on Safari.
- 3.On Mac, open Apple menu > System Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Click See All beside Saved to iCloud, then turn on Safari.
- 4.Add a website to Favorites on one device and access it in Safari on the others.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a bookmark and a favorite in Safari?
Favorites are bookmarks stored in the folder selected for a Favorites area or Safari profile. Saving a bookmark in another folder doesn’t automatically make it a favorite.
Can I use an existing bookmarks folder as my Mac’s Favorites?
Yes, for the start page display. Open Safari > Settings > General and use Start Page Favorites to choose the bookmarks folder whose sites appear on the start page and in the start page view below the Smart Search field. For a profile, open Safari > Settings > Profiles, select the profile, and choose its folder using Favorites.
How do I delete a favorite?
On iPhone, open Show Bookmarks and locate the favorite. Touch and hold it, then tap Delete. On iPad, open Show Sidebar > Bookmarks > Favorites. Touch and hold the site, then tap Delete. On Mac, Control-click the website in Favorites and choose Delete.
Does Shift-Command-D add a website to Favorites on Mac?
No. Shift-Command-D adds the page to Reading List. To add a favorite, press Command-D, select Favorites as the bookmark’s destination, and click Add.