safari start screen

How to customize your start page in Safari on iPhone and iPad

• Choose sections for your start page
• Set a background image for your start page

Safari is probably one of your most used apps on your current iPhone. After all, Safari is your gateway to the wonderful world of the internet on the go. But have you ever wished you could make your mobile Safari experience a little more personal?

Since macOS Big Sur, Apple gave users the ability to customize the start page in Safari on the Mac . But this same feature did not make its way to the iPhone and iPad until iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, respectively. When you customize the start page in mobile Safari, you can pick your own cool background image and choose what sections you want to display when you first open a new tab. Sections can include your Favorites, Siri Suggestions, Reading List, and more. It's a simple little setting, but customizing your start page makes Safari feel more like your own.

Here's how to customize your start page in Safari on iPhone and iPad.

How to choose sections for your start page in Safari on iOS

• Launch Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
• If you are on an existing webpage, tap the Tabs button and launch a new tab .

• Scroll down to the bottom of the start page and tap Edit .
• If you prefer to use the same start page customization across all of your iPhones, iPads, and Macs, make sure the toggle for Use Start Page on All Devices is set to ON (green). This ensures that your start page appearance and settings are synced through iCloud.
• You'll see sections for Favorites , Frequently Visited , Shared With You , Privacy Report , Siri Suggestions , Reading List , and iCloud Tabs . Tap the toggles for the sections that you want to display to ON (green).
• If you want to rearrange the order that these sections appear in, just drag-and-drop with the handle into the order that you prefer.

In iOS 16 , a new section for Recently Closed Tabs will be added to the available options listed above. This section will show tabs that you've recently closed, in case you want to pull them up again.

How to set a background image for your start page in Safari on iOS

Adding a background image is a good way to spice up your Safari browsing experience while you're on the start page. Apple gives you the option to choose a preset image, or you can even pick out your own. Here's how.

• Make sure you're in a new tab so you can be on the start page .
• Scroll down to the bottom and tap Edit .
• Tap the toggle for Background Image to ON (green).
• Select one of the preset images by tapping on it.
• If you prefer to use your own, tap the large plus (+) button.
• Choose an image from your Photo Library .

If you've already set an image from your Photo Library but want to change it, just tap on the square with your custom image to browse your Photo Library again for a different image.

A personalized Safari

As you can see, it's easy to customize your start page in Safari on your favorite iPhone and iPad in iOS 15 . Doing so will give you a better experience whenever you open up a new tab in Safari, and it is a great way to add your own touch to the browser.

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Updated June 2022: Updated with information from iOS 16 developer beta .

Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed. When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.

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How to Customize Safari Start Page

You can now customize your Safari start page (also called a Safari home page) to show the content you're most interested in. That way when you open Safari, you can access bookmarked pages and shared files with a single tap on your screen. We'll show you how!

Related:  How to Hide Apps on the iPhone & Find Them Later

Why You’ll Love This Tip

• Easily view the bookmarks, shared files, and privacy reports you're most interested in.
• Organize your Safari home page content to best suit your browsing preferences. 

How to Customize Safari Home Page

Use the steps below to learn how to customize your Safari background image and the content displayed on your customized Safari home page. To see more iOS tips and tricks, check out our free Tip of the Day newsletter!

The great news is that your customized home page settings can also be shared across Apple devices, as long as those devices are signed into the same Apple ID and have iCloud enabled for Safari. 

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Tips & Tricks

Troubleshooting, how to customize safari start page on mac.

Do you use Safari as the default web browser on your Mac? If so, you might be happy to know that Safari’s start page is now customizable, as long as you’re running a new version of Safari on the Mac.

With Safari 14 and later, start page customization allows users to set a background image, choose the sections that are displayed like Favorites or Frequently Visited, and more. These modern Safari version are available on macOS Big Sur, macOS Catalina, and macOS Mojave, so as long as you’re on a modern macOS release you can get started.

Let’s review how you can customize the start page in Safari for Mac.

How to Customize Safari Start Page in MacOS

Customizing your start page is actually a pretty simple and straightforward procedure, here’s what you’ll want to do:

And there you have it, you’ve customized the Safari start page to your liking.

Whether you’re using Safari 14+ that’s pre-installed on macOS Big Sur or you’re running a standalone version of Safari 14 on an older version of macOS like Catalina or Mojave, the above steps are going to be identical. As long as you have a modern Safari version you’ll have these options available.

Aside from the new customization options, newer versions of Safari also let you check the Privacy Report for websites to see how many trackers have been contacted by a specific website. These trackers are automatically blocked and prevented from tracking you across the web. Safari also has native translation with support for seven different languages, with more languages likely to be on the way.

Safari 14 also brings some performance improvements. According to Apple’s claims, Safari is now capable of loading frequently visited websites 50 percent faster on average than Google Chrome. Power efficiency has also been improved as Safari can now stream video for up to three hours longer and browse the web for an hour longer compared to third-party browsers like Chrome or Firefox.

Did you overhaul the look of your start page in Safari for Mac? What do you like about a customized Safari start page? Share with us your thoughts and relevant experiences in the comments.

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14 Comments

» Comments RSS Feed

On my start page I see everything you mention. But I still have a problem.

At the bottom I see the web pages open on my iPad but I don’t see the web pages open on my iPhone.

How do I add my iPhone pages to the Start Page?

I very much prefer opening Safari with my home page of choice and do not like using this extra step.

“…click on the customize button located at the bottom-right corner of the Safari window.”

No such button appears on my SAFARI page.

As the article says, if you do not see the option it likely means you’re on an older Safari version.

Or maybe you’re not on a blank new Safari start page, as it does not appear on websites.

If it doesn’t appear on website pages, what good is it? 99.9 percent of users have a homepage set as safari default open page… a whole lotta nothing here…

To see the Start page (as opposed to the start page you’ve selected in preferences) you need to click Bookmarks in the drop down menu first then select “Show Start Page” The options box will then appear in the lower right corner. But so what? Nothing you cant do elsewhere… extra steps to get to the same thing… nothing burger…

Perhaps it’s just me, but when I open a new tab, or start Safari clean, I get the homepage I have set. I do not see the options button on any page I open.

For some reason, any background image I try to use is severely pixellated and unrecognisable in Safari on my 2012 15″ MacBook Pro. I even did a clean install of Catalina and the problem is still there. The problem isn’t there in Safari Technology Preview on the same Mac and Safari is fine on a 13″ MacBook Pro of the same vintage. Hopefully Catalina will receive the next version of Safari in the autumn and the problem might be cured. Until then, I’m stuck with a boring grey background to my Safari start page!

” if you want to remove any of the Frequently Visited websites from showing up on the home screen, right-click on it and choose “Delete”.”

Yes, OK. But having done that by mistake how do you re-instate that website so it shows on the Home Screen again?

“Whether you’re using Safari 14+ that’s pre-installed on macOS Big Sur or you’re running a standalone version of Safari 14 on an older version of macOS like Catalina or Mojave, the above steps are going to be identical. As long as you have a modern Safari version you’ll have these options available.”

I’m on OS10.14, safari Version 14.0.3 (14610.4.3.1.7)

this “click on the customize button…etc” doesn’t exist.

Try opening a new blank webpage in Safari, you’ll find the options button available in the bottom right corner, it looks like a series of dials and sliders.

Nope. Still nothing. Safari 14.0.3. Running in 10.15.7. Not the first time things on this site aren’t what they say…

Doesn’t work for me either.

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How to Customize the Start Page in Safari on macOS

Make Safari your own by customizing the start page with your Favorites, synced tabs, reading list, and more.

Safari's start page is the first thing you see when you open a new window. But many users don't realize how customizable it is. For starters, you can get rid of its bland look by adding sections and changing its background.

We'll show you how to spruce up Safari's start page on your Mac to get it just how you want it.

How to Change the Background for Safari's Start Page

By default, the start page's gray background is the first thing that'll grab your attention when you launch Safari. You can jazz it up with a couple of stock images that Apple bundles with Safari. Or you can upload a custom image to use as the start page background instead.

For that, click on the menu icon in the bottom-right corner of Safari's start page and enable the Background Image option. Next, you can pick one of the stock images from the Background Image label by scrolling from left to right.

Click the plus (+) icon to navigate to an image you want to upload for the start page's background in Safari. There are also plenty of other Safari tips and tricks for customizing your start screen.

How to Add Favorites to the Start Page in Safari

Safari manages Bookmarks and Favorites differently than the other browsers. While Bookmarks appear in the sidebar, you can pin a handful of your frequently visited websites as Favorites on the start page in Safari.

That'll save you from the chore of opening Bookmarks or keeping the Bookmarks sidebar active. Open Safari, click on the menu in the bottom-right corner, and select the checkbox to enable Favorites .

All the links you've added to your Favorites list will appear on Safari's start page.

How to Put Your Reading List on Safari's Start Page

If you like an article on a site, you can hit Shift + Cmd + D to add it to your Reading List. It's a good idea to add all the articles you want to read on the start page itself by enabling your Reading List.

Open the menu in the bottom-right corner of the Safari start page, then enable the checkbox for Reading List .

This way, you get quick access to the articles you want to read, instead of throwing them deep in the Bookmarks or cluttering your Favorites.

How to Sync Safari Tabs Across Devices Using iCloud

With Safari on your Mac, you can access open tabs on your other Apple devices. This lets you pick up reading a website exactly where you left off. Apple syncs your Safari tabs between devices using iCloud.

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app. Then tap on [Your Name] > iCloud and enable the toggle for Safari from the list of Apps Using iCloud .

Now open Safari on your Mac, click on the menu in the bottom-right corner and select the checkbox for the iCloud Tabs .

You can start syncing tabs between Mac and other Apple devices, as long as the iCloud service is active on all of them.

How to Display a Privacy Report on Safari's Start Page

Safari's privacy features block third-party tracker cookies and generates a privacy report for you to view on the start page. The privacy report shows the numbers of trackers blocked along with the list of websites that tried tracking you.

Again, you'll have to enable the checkbox for Privacy Report from the menu on Safari's start page to see this.

Over time, you can figure out which websites use the most trackers so you can be careful which ones you visit.

Spice Up Safari's Start Page to Improve Your Browser Experience

Safari's start page is customizable to your needs, allowing Favorites, synced tabs, privacy reports, a personalized background, and more. Thankfully, there are no news feeds to clog it or cause it to consume data unnecessarily.

After dressing up the start page, you can still tweak other Safari settings for browsing the web more efficiently.

How-To Geek

How to change the safari home page on a mac.

Tired of opening Safari and seeing Favorites? Here's how to set your homepage to your favorite website in Safari on Mac.

Traditionally, a homepage is the first website your browser loads when you start it. But by default, Safari on Mac opens up a window of Favorites instead. If you'd like Safari to start with a website of your choice, follow these simple steps.

First, open the Safari web browser by clicking its icon in the dock, by using Spotlight Search , or by selecting it from the macOS Applications folder . From there, navigate to the page you'd like to use as your home page. It can be any website you want.

In the menu bar at the top of the screen, select Safari > Preferences.

In Preferences > General, click the "Set to Current Page" button. This changes your home page to the current website Safari has open.

After clicking the button, the address in the "Homepage" field will change to the address of the current page.

Next, we'll make it so you see your home page when you open Safari. In Preferences > General, click the drop-down menu beside the "New Windows Open With" listing.

In the drop-down menu, select the "Homepage" option.

If desired, you can repeat the same step with the "New Tabs Open With" option. In that case, every time you open a new tab, you'll see your home page.

Related: How to Reopen Closed Tabs and Windows in Safari on a Mac

How to personalize your Safari start page on macOS Big Sur

Take control

In macOS Big Sur , Apple has added new features for the ' Safari ' app start page. Most of the new tools are designed to make it quicker to find your favorite web content. Apple also added a background feature.

First introduced with Mac OS X Panther way back in 2003, Apple's native web browser on macOS continues to receive software updates each year. In macOS Big Sur, the list of new features was much longer than other recent updates, however. 

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Safari page settings

In recent macOS releases, the 'Safari' start page seemed more like an afterthought than actually helping you be productive. Things have changed in macOS Big Sur. You can now customize the 'Safari' start page by adding a unique background image and adjusting which sections are shown. You can also rearrange the sections to suit your tastes better. 

Your 'Safari' homepage isn't the same as the start page. The former is an external webpage you select like 'techradar.com'. The latter is the one Apple created that includes links to your most visited and favorite websites, and more, which you can adjust. 

You can set the homepage and start page by going into the 'Safari' app, then click 'Safari' on the menu bar. Choose 'Preferences' in the pull-down menu.  By default, your start page is the page that's selected every time you open a new window or tab. If you rather not use the start page, you can adjust both settings to use another page or no page. Add your homepage at the same location.

Safari adjust start page

Go into the 'Safari' start page to make changes. Click on the slider at the bottom right of the page. From here, check the items you wish to show on the start page. Options include 'Favorites', 'Frequently Visited', 'Privacy Report', 'Siri Suggestions', 'Reading List', ' iCloud Tabs', and 'Background Image'.

When 'Background Image' is checked, you can use one of the template backgrounds or select your own. Drag sections in the slider to change their locations on the start page. 

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Other new Safari features

A revised start page isn't the only thing new about the 'Safari' app in macOS Big Sur. The update also includes improved battery life and efficiency when web surfing, Favicons in tabs, website previews, language translations, and more. 

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Bryan M. Wolfe is a staff writer at TechRadar, iMore, and wherever Future can use him. Though his passion is Apple-based products, he doesn't have a problem using Windows and Android. Bryan's a single father of a 15-year-old daughter and a puppy, Isabelle. Thanks for reading!

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Rolled out in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Apple allows you to edit the Safari welcome page to your heart’s content. Like  Safari on Mac , you can set a background image and also add or remove display sections like website icons, reports, and more. Besides, different Tab Groups can have different start page settings. Let me show you how to customize the start page in Safari on iPhone and iPad.

How to edit Safari start page on iPhone

• How to add a background image to Safari start page

The start page is the first screen you see when you launch Safari or open a new empty tab. Here, you’ll see bookmarked sites, frequently visited websites, privacy reports, items in the reading list, Siri-suggested sites, open tabs on your other Apple devices, etc.

You may want to organize things better or include more useful options and sections here. For example, I do not like privacy reports and reading lists on my Safari start page, so I don’t keep them. Your preferences may be different.

Here’s how to enable or disable sections from Safari’s start page:

• Open  Safari  and stay on the start page. If an existing web page opens, hit the tabs icon and launch a  new tab .
• Scroll down and tap  Edit .
• Toggle off the options you do not want on the Customize Start Page .
• You may also rearrange the order by touching the  three lines icon  and dragging it up or down.

Anytime you change your mind, follow the same steps to remove or add more sections.

Note: If you toggle on Use Start Page on All Devices , your customized start page settings will be applied across all your Apple devices. However, you must sign in with the same Apple ID while two-factor authentication is enabled.

How to add a background image to Safari start page on iPhone

Traditionally, browsers have been plain white backgrounds. But with this edit option, Apple has tried adding a pinch of glamor to it. What’s more, seeing elements you like keeps you fresh, motivated, and focused on the task.

You can use one of Apple’s wallpapers or choose a custom image from your Photos app. Here’s how.

• Open  Safari .
• Toggle on  Background Image .
• Tap a wallpaper or the  plus icon  to choose an image from the iPhone Camera Roll.
• Tap  X  to close this screen. You will see the selected image as the background for Safari’s start page.

How to change background for Safari Tab Group in iOS 16

From iOS 16, the start page customization option will not be applied to all the Tab Groups . So, if you have multiple Tab Groups in action, you’ll have to change them individually.

• Go to the desired Tab Group start page . 
• Tap the edit button.  
• Customize the page with the steps mentioned above. 

And that’s it.

This is how you can customize the start page in Safari on your iPhone. I hope this brief guide was helpful. If you have any further related queries, drop them in the comments section below.

You may also like:

• Safari tips and tricks for iPhone
• How to prevent websites from tracking you in Safari on iPhone
• How to use Safari Tab Groups on Mac
• Customize and share website settings in Safari on iPhone

I have been an Apple user for over seven years now. At iGeeksBlog, I love creating how-tos and troubleshooting guides that help people do more with their iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, and Apple Watch. In my free time, I like to watch stand up comedy videos, tech documentaries, news debates, and political speeches.

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Screen Rant

How to customize safari's start page across apple devices.

Starting with macOS Big Sur, Mac users can customize their Safari start page to have custom backgrounds, access to frequently-visited sites and more.

Safari is the default web browser for macOS users, and although it faces fierce competition from Google Chrome, it has a lot of unique features tailored to Mac users — like a customizable start page designed to improve efficiency. Though Safari seemed like an afterthought in some macOS updates and remained the same for years, it gained a multitude of improvements following the debut of Apple Silicon. The introduction of Apple-designed processors made it easier for the company to integrate hardware and software, which had ripple effects throughout the operating system. Safari is one of the apps that gained functionality following the shift, and the browser's start page is one of the ways users can customize the app to their liking.

Improvements were made on multiple fronts, including tab management, privacy transparency, and sharing. For example, Safari has added features that let users see where they are being tracked on the internet and view the links shared with them through iMessage. It also created new ways to add, organize and share tabs across devices and other people. However, features are less influential if they are hard to use or enable daily. That's why Apple allows users to customize their start page on Safari, so their most-used features are accessible right when the app is launched.

Related: The Easiest Way To Switch Tabs In Safari For iPhone

The start page is the browser window that opens when Safari is first launched or when a new tab is created. In older versions of macOS, it might have been best to set another website as the start page — like a search engine. To ensure the start page is visible on Safari, navigate to the menu bar while the app is open and click on the 'Bookmarks' tab. Then, select 'show start page' to reveal the default Safari start page. In the bottom right corner of the default start page, there will be an 'Options' button with an icon that looks like setting sliders. After clicking the 'Options' button, a new window shows the list of available start page options. Check the boxes to show the options a user wants to see on their start page and drag them around to create the desired order in which they appear. Options include favorites, frequently visited, privacy reports, a reading list, iCloud tabs, and background tabs. There is also an option to share these preferences across devices, so the start page is available on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

All The Start Page Customization Options, Explained

There are a few options that stand out from the rest. The background image option allows users to upload a custom image as their start page background, similar to desktop wallpaper. The favorites option shows the websites added to the start page via the 'Bookmarks' tab. Shared with users, Siri suggestions and iCloud tabs show links sent from others, suggested, or open on other devices. Finally, the privacy report serves as an information source, displaying the number of trackers on each website a user has visited.

With these customization options on the Safari start page, Apple users can customize the browser to fit their needs and preferences. In addition, users can access much more information as soon as the app is launched or a new tab is created.

Next: Safari Not Working On iPhone? Try These Tips To Fix It

Source: Apple Support

How to Customize Safari Start Page on iPhone in iOS 17

While there is no dearth of browsers, Safari stands out from the rest. Aside from being exceptionally efficient, the Apple browser is also very secure thanks to a wide range of features that shield your personal information and privacy.

Not to mention, it has also vastly improved in terms of customization. So, whether you would like to change the background or disable a certain feature that doesn’t interest you, the stock browser has got you covered.

Customize Safari Start Page on iPhone

So, what sort of customization Safari offers? Aside from letting you hide or show several features on the Start page, Safari also lets you change the background. The browser comes with a handful of pre-defined wallpapers.

If you don’t find the available wallpapers appealing, you can choose the desired image as the background for the Safari start page.

1. To get started, open Safari on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Now, tap on the tabs icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.

3. Next, tap on “+” at the bottom left corner of the screen.

4. Next up, tap on Edit . (You may need to scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen to find the edit button.) To make your task a bit easier, we have divided the whole customization process into two different sections. So, follow the steps from here as per your needs.

Hide/Show Unwanted Safari Features from Safari Start Page

Under the “Customize Start Page” section, you should see a list of features such as:

• Favorites: All your favorite sites
• Frequently Visited: Sites that you frequently visit.
• Shared with you: Shows all the shared links
• Privacy Report: It’s a detailed privacy report that lets you know the number of trackers Safari has blocked from profiling you. Besides, it also shows a long list of trackers and the websites that were contacted by trackers.
• Siri Suggestions: Siri keeps a track of your browsing and offers fully personalized suggestions.
• Reading List: It contains a list of all the web pages that you want to catch up with later.
• iCloud Tabs: In order to offer a seamless web browsing experience, iOS allows you to sync tabs between iDevices that are linked with the same iCloud account.

Change Safari Background for a More Personalized Look

Should you wish to take the customization even further, select a preferred background image from the available options. However, if you would like to choose an image from your photo library, tap on the “+” button and then select an image. In the end, tap on the “X” button at the top right corner of the screen to finish.

Later, if you ever want to make any changes, return to this very screen and do the needful. To completely disable the background image, turn off its toggle.

Signing Off…

And that’s about it! So, that’s how you can fine-tune Safari to suit your needs better. Apple Safari and Google Chrome are the two leading browsers in the world. While Safari dominates the Apple ecosystem, Chrome is the most preferred browser across platforms. Let me know your favorite or for that matter go-to browser and the sort of things you like most in it.

Ratnesh Kumar

Ratnesh Kumar is an experienced tech writer with over six years of experience. All this years he has written at TechYorker, BrowserToUse, Fossbytes, MakeTechEasier, SysProbs and several other publications. When not writing, he likes to listen Punjabi music or watch Cricket match.

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How to delete starting pages from Safari?

I have a row of start pages at the bottom of Safari when I open it. I do not want them there, they are highly irritating. Only occurred since latest update. Does anyone know how to permanently delete them please?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPad Air 2, iPadOS 15

Posted on Nov 18, 2021 8:36 AM

Posted on Dec 17, 2021 8:44 PM

GET RID OF THE MULTI “START UP PAGES” that keep showing up every time I open Safari. It’s awful and a pain in the A**

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Dec 17, 2021 8:44 PM in response to ProustGiulio

Jul 3, 2022 6:11 AM in response to Dobberbobber

Dobberbobber can’t find your question but to delete start pages from Safari.

Do NOT hold the page just quickly flick the page upwards and it will disappear. It works for me.

Good Luck the pages are so annoying.

Sep 9, 2022 11:20 AM in response to Itsmekatsuko

Flicking them up worked for me, but there were dozens and it took ages to get rid of them all. I don't understand how they got there in the first place. Apple needs to get rid of this "feature"--it seems more like a bug, to me.

Mar 21, 2022 8:02 AM in response to 46WildBill8

This technique works on my iPad 6th generation running iOS 15.3.1.

When you open Safari you'll see an ellipsis at the top center of the full screen start page. Touching the ellipsis will cause three more icons to appear. You can use them to alter the dimensions and behavior of the full screen start page.

Each of the miniature start pages across the bottom of the screen also has an ellipsis. I was able to duplicate the miniature start screen behavior you described by touching a miniature screen at its top edge then dragging it upward. The miniature screen elongated then morphed into a 1/2 page. This behavior did not occur whenever I began the attempt by touching the miniature start page at its center.

I've read that those miniature start pages across there bottom of the screen are called the "shelf". I wish Apple had left the shelf on the shelf.

Nov 18, 2021 9:05 AM in response to Attheendofmytether

See this user guide:--> iPad User Guide – Apple Support (UK) , click on Table of Contents>Apps>Safari.

If you don't fins what you're looking for, please submit your request/suggestion to Apple directly, using the following link:--> Apple – Product Feedback

Sep 24, 2022 3:07 AM in response to snowy50

Only 8 - you were lucky - my wife must have had about 50 but I persevered and they are now all gone!!

Many thanks for the help, and black mark to Apple for not creating a one touch solution or a patch to prevent this irritation.

Jan 25, 2022 5:15 PM in response to Attheendofmytether

Touch one of the start pages you wish to delete. Drag it upward until it disappears.

Mar 20, 2022 2:50 PM in response to ProustGiulio

I’ve got several start windows at the bottom of my iPad 6. Each time I try to drag them upwards to delete them, the window grows long and becomes a 1/2 window. Now, I’ve got mega start & 1/2 windows!! Your directions DID NOT WORK!

Nov 18, 2021 4:32 PM in response to Attheendofmytether

I suspect that you make reference to the “Shelf” - this being a new feature of the now revised iPadOS multitasking environment.

iPadOS permits you to have multiple “instances” of the same App - each instance being self contained. The shelf , when triggered, shows a thumbnail of each running instance of an App.

For example, if you have three running instances of Safari, each with its own set of open tabs, you will see three thumbnails corresponding to each running instance of Safari - plus a button to open a new instance of Safari. Simply tapping a thumbnail will switch directly to that running instance of Safari. Each App has its own corresponding shelf .

This article from Appleinsider has a useful explanation of this new feature along with many of the updates to multitasking:

https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/08/12/how-to-master-multitasking-on-ipad-and-ipad-pro-in-ipados-15

The iPad User Guide is also a rich source of frequently overlooked information. The Guide is available both online using a web browser (such as Safari), or as an Apple Books download:

iPad User Guide - Apple Support

https://books.apple.com/book/id1567104892

You should note that the shelf is an integral component of the multitasking User Interface. It cannot be disabled.

Mar 21, 2022 1:49 AM in response to 46WildBill8

I had the same problem and I was complaining here as well. It works just need to learn how to do it. Keep hold the page until the very top of your screen then it will disappear.

you need to pass the stage off 2x1/2 page stage keep dragging upwards.

Sep 9, 2022 11:01 AM in response to Attheendofmytether

I have a row of start pages at the bottom of Safari when I ope it. I don’t want them there, they are highly irritating. Only occurred since latest update. Does anyone know how to permanently delete them?

Feb 27, 2022 3:59 AM in response to Xpositive

how to get rid o≠ start pages on the bottom oi the screen? Thanks

Mar 31, 2022 7:29 AM in response to Xpositive

I also had problems with many safari start sheets that I could not remove. The trick is not to drag them to the top of the page but to flick quickly upwards and they do disappear.

Apr 5, 2022 11:08 AM in response to Xpositive

FINALLY FOUND THE SOLUTION! Thank you! You made my day👍

Mar 20, 2022 2:51 PM in response to Xpositive

This DOES NOT WORK!

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Simple Ways to Open Safari in Full-Screen Every Time on Mac

Last Updated: September 5, 2023 Fact Checked

Making Safari Full-Screen

Changing settings.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 14,942 times. Learn more...

Do you want Safari to fill the screen instead of looking like a window every time you open it? Fortunately, you're just a few menu clicks away from that! By default, Safari will open as a window, but this wikiHow article teaches how to have Safari on your Mac open in full-screen all the time!

Things You Should Know

• Maximize Safari by clicking the green icon and selecting "Enter Full Screen."
• Alternatively, use keyboard shortcuts like "Cmd + Ctrl + F" to make Safari full-screen.
• Once Safari is in full-screen mode, go to "System Settings > General" and uncheck the box next to "Close windows…"

• Alternatively, press a keyboard shortcut to enter Full Screen without using your mouse. For macOS Big Sur and earlier, press Cmd + Ctrl + F . For macOS Monterey and later, press Fn + F . [2] X Research source Press those shortcut buttons again or Esc to close full-screen.
• Move your mouse over areas to reveal hidden objects when Safari is full screen. For example, the Dock is hidden when you use Safari in full screen. Simply make it appear again by moving your mouse to wherever your Dock is.

• If you're using an older version of macOS, "System Settings" will instead be "System Preferences."

• If you're using an older macOS version, this is a checkbox in "General" instead. Make sure it's unchecked so your Safari windows will not be closed when you quit the application.
• Press Cmd + Q to quit Safari without closing any windows. If you go to your open windows and close them with "Cmd + W," then you won't be able to restore that window by opening Safari again. Instead, press Cmd + Q to be able to re-open that window in full-screen mode whenever you open Safari.

Expert Q&A

• If you're using an iPad and split-screen is causing your Safari to take up only half the screen, disable it by dragging the grey line. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you're using an iPhone, use desktop mode for Safari to access options you don't have using mobile-mode. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-apps-in-full-screen-mchl9c21d2be/mac
• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236

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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 193 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview , the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma , the latest version of macOS that Apple released in September 2023.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser . Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website .

Apple's aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

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Top Rated Comments

I'm always curious about these Safari Tech Preview posts. Are they just a quick way to add another headline? I suspect so, as I don't see many people trusting these builds as their daily driver. I've tried that in the past, but it never stuck.

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