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What Is Safari?

What you need to know about Apple's web browser

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Safari web browser is the default for the iPhone , iPad, and macOS , first released by Apple in 2003 and briefly offered on Windows from 2007 to 2012. The popularity of the Safari browser exploded with the iPhone and the iPad, and currently has about a  54% market share of mobile browser usage  in the United States.

In most ways, Safari is like any other popular browser. Users can browse websites, bookmark favorites, and open multiple sites in tabs. Built using the WebKit engine, Safari was one of the first web browsers to support the new  HTML 5  standard. It was also one of the first browsers to have support for Adobe Flash turned off by default, with the mobile versions of Safari having never supported Flash .

Safari on Mac OS is currently on version 11.1, which includes an upgrade to Intelligent Tracking Prevention. This feature helps prevent a specific website from tracking pages browsed on other websites, a process called 'cross-site tracking. Safari on iOS shares its version with the iOS version, which is currently on 12.1.

What Makes Safari Stand out From Other Web Browsers?

While you might have trouble spotting the differences between Google Chrome, Apple's Safari, or Microsoft Edge at first glance, the Safari browser has some key features that help separate it from the pack, including the ability to format articles for easier reading.

• iCloud Tab Browsing . This feature automatically syncs open tabs across devices with the same  iCloud  account. You can view a list of all tabs open on your MacBook while using Safari on the iPhone or iPad. It's similar to Chrome's bookmark sharing but doesn't require logging in. 
• Sharing . The Safari app has a built-in share button that enables users to quickly share a website through messaging, email, or social media. The coolest feature is the ability to share a site directly with another nearby iPhone, iPad, or Mac using AirDrop. 
• Reader View . Safari can detect articles and present them in a format that strips out navigation and advertisement in favor of a more readable view. This view is especially great for websites that load new windows as you scroll or become unreadable on an iPhone or iPad because of navigation.
• Energy Efficient . While iMacs are great desktop computers, Apple is primarily a laptop and mobile device provider. Safari proves this by being extremely energy efficient, buying you precious minutes, and sometimes even hours of extra use compared to Chrome, Firefox, and other popular browsers.

What Are Safari's Deficits?

The Safari web browser has a lot going for it, especially for those who are rooted in the Apple ecosystem and own a Mac along with an iPhone or iPad. However, it's not all roses and butterflies:

• Limited Plugin Support.  Safari supports Extension, but the plugins available for Safari lag behind those available for Chrome.
• Exclusive to Apple . While it's possible to run Safari on Linux and it was briefly supported on Windows, Safari is primarily a web browser made to run on Apple hardware. You can't run it on Android smartphones or tablets, and you should avoid the Windows version because Apple no longer supports it with critical security updates.
• No Tab Icons . Favicons are essentially icons for websites. And while browsers like Google Chrome use these icons in tabs to help differentiate browser tabs and help the user pick out the one they want, Safari doesn't include them on tabs.

While Safari is the default browser for iOS and Mac, users can download a wide range of browsers on either platform. The Mac supports Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, and many other web browsers, while iPhone and iPad users can download Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and even Microsoft Edge.

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Apple Safari Browser is a fast, secure, and privacy-focused web browser that is available on all Apple devices, including Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Safari implements high security using Intelligent Tracking Prevention and has a Private Browsing mode. It offers a variety of features and functions that make it a great choice for users of all levels. Here is all you need to know about Safari.

Getting started with Apple Safari Browser

Presented below are the important topics that come under the Apple Safari Browser. After navigating all the important topics, you’ll have a basic understanding about using the Apple Safari Browser.

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Articles on Apple Safari Browser

Apple safari for developers, features of apple safari browser, functions of apple safari browser, history of apple safari browser, components of apple safari browser, working of apple safari browser, apple safari developer tools, faq’s.

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Recent article on Apple Safari Browser

• Speed: WebKit rendering engine makes Safari one of the fastest web browsers available. It also features a number of optimizations that help to improve page loading times.
• Security: Safari includes Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which blocks third-party cookies from tracking users across web, and cross-site scripting protection.
• Privacy: Safari provides Private Browsing mode, which prevents it from saving browsing history, cookies, and site data.
• Integration with Apple Services: Safari is integrated with other Apple services which makes it easily accessible and convenient to share content and make payments online.
• Content Blocker Support: Safari supports content blockers to block ads, trackers, and other unwanted content from web pages.
• Picture-in-picture mode: This mode allows you to watch videos in a floating window while you continue to browse the web.
• Tab browsing: Safari allows you to open multiple tabs and switch between them easily, making it easy to multitask and track different websites.
• Bookmarking: You can bookmark your favourite websites so that you can easily return to them later.
• Reading List: Safari’s Reading List feature allows you to save articles and web pages to read later, even when you’re offline.
• Extensions: Extensions are used to add new features and functions to the browser.
• Translation: Safari can automatically translate web pages to 70 different languages.
• Screen time management: This feature allows you to limit your time spent on certain websites and applications.
• Inception in 2003: Safari was released as the default browser for Mac OS X Panther, offering a fast, secure, and user-friendly browsing experience in 2003.
• iPhone’s Default Browser: The browser became a revolution in mobile browsing with its intuitive touch-based interface and becoming the default browser for iPhone in 2007.
• iPad’s Default Browser: In 2010 Safari became the default browser for iPad, providing a seamless browsing experience across all Apple devices.
• Transition to Chromium: In 2020 Safari shifted to Chromium rendering engine to align with modern standards and ensure compatibility with all websites.
• Being ahead: Safari remains one of the most popular web browsers in the world, with over 1 billion active users because of it’s speed, security and privacy.
• WebKit rendering Engine: The WebKit rendering engine is responsible for displaying web pages in Safari. It is a fast and efficient engine that is also used in other popular web browsers, such as Google Chrome.
• Nitro JavaScript Engine: The Nitro JavaScript engine is responsible for executing JavaScript code in Safari. It is a fast and efficient engine that helps to improve the performance of web applications.
• Multi-process Architecture: Safari uses a multi-process architecture where each tab and each browser extension runs in its own separate process. This design boosts security and stability because if one tab or extension crashes, it doesn’t affect the entire browser.
• Private Browsing mode: In this mode, Safari does not retain browsing history, cookies, or site data after the user closes the private browsing session. To use a private tab click “Shift + Command + N”.
• The toolbar contains buttons for accessing common features, such as the back button, the forward button, and the reload button.
• Omnibox is a combination address bar and search bar. You can enter a web address or a search term in the Omnibox to navigate to a website or perform a web search.
• Tabs allow you to open multiple websites at the same time. You can switch between tabs by clicking on them.
• The sidebar contains a variety of tools, such as Bookmarks, History, and Reading List. You can access the sidebar by clicking on the sidebar icon in the toolbar.

Safari includes a comprehensive set of developer tools that can be used to debug and develop websites. These tools include:

• Elements: Inspect and manipulate the HTML and CSS of web pages, making it easier to understand and modify page structure and styling.
• Console: View and interact with JavaScript logs, errors, and run code snippets directly within the browser, facilitating debugging and development.
• Sources: Debug JavaScript code, set breakpoints, and step through code execution to identify and resolve issues in your scripts.
• Network: Monitor network activity, including requests, responses, and loading times, helping you optimize page performance and diagnose connectivity problems.
• Performance: Analyse page load performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize website speed by recording and visualizing resource usage.
• Application: Inspect and manipulate web application data, including local storage, cookies, and service workers, to troubleshoot application-specific issues and cache management.

Q1. Is Safari only for Apple? Ans: Yes, Safari works on Apple devices only. Q2. What is Safari? Ans: Safari is a fast, secure, and privacy-focused web browser that is available on all Apple devices, including Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Q3. What are the benefits of using Safari? Ans: Safari offers a variety of benefits, including speed, security, privacy, and integration with other Apple services. Q4. How can I make Safari faster? Ans: There are a few things you can do to make Safari faster, such as enabling Nitro JavaScript, clearing your cache and cookies, and using a content blocker. Q5. How can I protect my privacy while using Safari? Ans: Safari offers a number of privacy features, such as Intelligent Tracking Prevention and Private Browsing mode. You can also manage your privacy settings in the Safari preferences menu.

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Happy birthday Safari! Thanks for changing everything

Still, for many Web users Safari is an also-ran. It was never more than a distant third to to Internet Explorer and Firefox, and then a distant fourth with the ascendence of Google Chrome.

Safari’s biggest impact over the last ten years isn’t reflected in usage statistics; rather, it’s in WebKit. WebKit is software that displays Web content. Apple created WebKit for Safari, but now it’s everywhere, including Google Chrome, Android devices, and almost everything Apple. Through WebKit, Safari has played an enormous role moving mobile devices away from the lame Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-driven “mobile Web” to making smartphones and tablets full-fledged – and soon to be dominant – players on the “real” Web. As weird as it sounds, if you’ve used the Internet from a smartphone or tablet, you probably have Safari to thank.

How did that happen?

The Olde IE Days

Safari got its start back in 2001. Apple was shipping Internet Explorer as the default Web browser in Mac OS (Yes young one, there was once a Mac version of IE) but when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he worked out a complex patent-sharing and settlement agreement with Microsoft. One part made Internet Explorer the Mac’s default browser for five years.

The so-called browser wars between Netscape and Internet Explorer were in full swing. Microsoft’s deal with Apple was a victory for Redmond, but was also a long-term problem for Apple. The Internet was becoming a big reason people used computers, and Apple believed the Web was only going to become more important. The five-year agreement meant Apple was ceding a central aspect of the Mac experience to Microsoft. Microsoft didn’t own the Internet, but was infamous for its “embrace, extend, and extinguish” strategy to competitors. (That strategy had helped kill Cyberdog, an earlier Apple browser.)

Then, as now, Apple preferred to control its own destiny, designing the Mac experience from the hardware on up. Switching to someone else’s browser in five years could just be an exercise in choosing a lesser evil, so Apple began work on its own Web browser long before the Microsoft agreement ended.

“I don’t remember a deadline at first,” wrote a former Safari engineer who didn’t want to be identified, “but [Safari] was moving fast and by summer [of 2002] the team was aware of that date.”

As soon as the agreement expired, Apple unveiled Safari and had a free beta ready to download. By June 2003, Safari hit version 1.0 and Internet Explorer for Mac was history; by October, Safari was the Mac’s default browser.

The Fork In The Road

The core of a Web browser is a layout engine, software that interprets the content of a Web site and works out how to display it on screen. For Safari, Apple could have made its own layout engine with whiz-bang Mac-only features, but according to managers at Apple at the time, Apple wanted its Web browser to make Macs the best way to access the Web, and that meant not by creating cool Mac-only capabilities they hoped Web sites would adopt. A standards-based, open-source layout engine was the way to go.

The obvious candidate was Gecko, originally developed for Netscape Navigator. Gecko had improved performance and standards support for Netscape, and Apple could have used it: Gecko was released as open source in 1998, so it was powering not just Netscape, but also browsers like Galeon, Chimera, the nascent Firefox (then called Phoenix) and the Mac-only browser Camino.

However, when Apple unveiled Safari it also revealed Safari was built around the lesser-known KHTML layout engine from Konqueror , developed by the KDE community. Apple spun off its own version of KHTML to make its own layout engine, which it called WebKit (known in development circles as “forking”). Don Melton, the original engineering lead on Safari, noted Apple chose KTHML over alternatives like Gecko due to its standards support, clean design, and small size. Still, the choice caught the Internet community off guard.

“KHTML may have been a bigger surprise than Apple doing a browser at all,” Melton wrote in his blog recalling Jobs’ public announcement of Safari. “And that moment was glorious. We had punk’d the entire crowd.”

Not everybody was pleased. Apple had been making changes to KHTML (and the KJS Javascript engine) in secret for a year or more. Apple honored open source commitments and began releasing its work back to KDE — that’s a crucial point, because it meant Apple didn’t own WebKit and anybody could build on Apple’s contributions. However, the sheer volume of material (and choice of tracking systems) made integrating Apple’s work daunting, and some questioned whether it should be done at all.

“KHTML devs were excited and wary,” wrote one KDE developer who now works on WebKit-based software but didn’t want to be named. “Apple’s move validated KHTML and their resources could seriously advance [KHTML and KJS]. But nobody wanted Apple stepping in and taking over KHTML as its own.”

It took more than two years for things to settle, with Apple only open-sourcing its entire KHTML fork in mid-2005. The rift echoes today: despite efforts to merge, KHTML is still separate, and still the default layout engine in Konqueror.

Nevertheless: WebKit was out of the gate and available as open source … and the Internet hasn’t been the same.

Going Mobile

Apple uses WebKit in Safari and its own apps like Mail, but other desktop software uses WebKit too, including Adobe’s AIR and Creative Suite, plus Google Chrome — and Chrome is far more popular than Safari. In a bit of a role reversal, Microsoft uses WebKit in Outlook for Mac, and in Entourage before that.

That’s significant support, but WebKit’s real impact has been on mobile platforms. Believe it or not, Nokia was the first phone maker to jump on WebKit, building a WebKit-based browser for its S60 phones. It was arguably the first “real” browser for a mobile device: most phones slogged through the WAP-enabled “mobile Web,” while S60 phones were successfully accessing the same content as desktop browsers. The S60 browser lifted the veil, proving that putting a real Web browser in a phone was not only possible, it was vastly better than stripped down mobile-only sites – or sites that didn’t work at all on phones.

WebKit truly came into the mobile spotlight in 2007 with the iPhone. Not only did the iPhone access the same Web as desktop computers, Mobile Safari was originally the only way to make iPhone software. Apple quickly reversed course and moved toward native iPhone apps, but in 2009 Palm’s webOS made a daring move and bet everything on WebKit: webOS’s whole interface is driven by WebKit.

“When webOS came out, I was excited because its native apps are written in Web technologies: HTML, JavaScript, and CSS,” said former Palm human interface developer Tomomi Imura, via email. “Mobile Web apps were finally being treated as a first class citizen, and WebKit made it happen.”

WebKit Everywhere

Palm’s webOS was a commercial failure, and Palm’s former software director Paul Mercer blamed WebKit for not performing like native apps. But webOS’s unfortunate trajectory didn’t harm WebKit.

Right now, WebKit dominates mobile Internet. Figures from NetMarketShare have WebKit-based browsers accounting for over 85 percent of the mobile market. On the desktop, WebKit is mostly represented by Safari and Chrome; according to StatCounter, that’s almost 45 percent of the desktop browser market, although NetMarketShare tallies up a more conservative 23 percent .

Who are all these WebKit users? To start with, they’re the hundreds of millions of people using iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads. Need hundreds of millions more? WebKit is also at the heart of Android. Since the first devices went on sale in 2008, the Android browser has been based on WebKit. As of BlackBerry 6, the Playbook and BlackBerry smartphones use WebKit; so does Samsung’s bada mobile operating system, Amazon’s cloud-assisted Silk browser for Kindle Fire tablets, and even the experimental browser Amazon puts in recent Kindle ereaders. Browse the Web on a Nintendo 3DS? It uses WebKit. The upcoming Tizen mobile OS is making a bet like webOS: Tizen is Linux under the hood, but the interface is powered by WebKit.

Out in the real world, WebKit has helped make the Web experience consistent. Up until a few years ago, it wasn’t unusual to find major sites that only worked in Internet Explorer, didn’t work in Safari, or were totally inaccessible on a phone. Now, Internet users expect most Web sites will work regardless of the browser or device they’re using. WebKit is not solely responsible, but it’s been a huge factor – and it’s reaping the rewards.

“WebKit is the face of the mobile Web today,” wrote the former Safari engineer. “I don’t think anyone imagined that when Safari shipped.”

History, Doomed to Repeat Itself?

WebKit has a down side. WebKit’s success on mobile devices means apps and sites sometimes rely on features that aren’t part of HTML5 technology – not yet, anyway. Examples include ways to support high-resolution “Retina” images, along with gradients, transitions, shadows, transformations, and font effects. Some of the niftiest Web sites and Web apps for mobile look (and work) best only in WebKit browsers.

“So many mobile Web sites are only optimized for WebKit,” noted Tomomi Imura. “Microsoft’s, Opera’s, and Mozilla’s developer evangelists are working hard to advocate their platform and educate developers, but this is a side effect of WebKit being the defacto standard.”

Many Web technologies (from simple ones like Do Not Track to complicated ones like HTML) are defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Interested people (but mostly companies) join working groups and try to hammer out a free standard everyone can use. The process is usually slow, so once a proposal begins to solidify both commercial and open source projects often jump on early versions as an experiment … or to get an edge on competitors. W3C standards may not be formally completed for years after a technology becomes commonplace.

WebKit’s dominance means other layout engines face a difficult choice: wait for tomorrow’s standards, or support WebKit’s stuff today? Opera has already moved to emulate WebKit; FireFox is strongly considering it , and Microsoft aped WebKit briefly in Windows Phone 7 then reversed itself . For years, desktop browsers had little choice but to be compatible with Internet Explorer, because its dominance meant most websites were designed with IE in mind. Now, mobile browsers face similar choices about WebKit. It’s an eerie echo of the battles between Internet Explorer and Netscape.

Patents also complicate W3C standards. Apple’s iOS handles touch events – taps, pinches, swipes, and gestures – in its own code, but Apple’s model was implemented separately by others and came into WebKit from Android in 2009. The W3C standards process got started, and (of course) WebKit browsers started using touch events right away. But in 2011 Apple disclosed patents covering touch events (including U.S. patent 7,812,828 , part of Apple’s fight with Samsung and Motorola). Those patents may not stand up, but the W3C’s process to standardize touch events stopped dead. Microsoft has submitted its own (quite different) Pointer Events as a possible replacement, but the dust hasn’t settled

What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been…

Ten years after Apple introduced Safari, it still hasn’t taken over the desktop browser market, or even made a major dent. It probably never will. Nonetheless, by forking KHTML and birthing WebKit, Safari’s influence has been at least as important to the modern Web as Internet Explorer and Netscape’s most-famous progeny, Gecko and Firefox. It’s a testament to the broad reach of open source technology… and and something to think about when you fire up your mobile browser.

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Safari: Everything you need to know!

Safari is Apple's browser for all of its devices. It's optimized for Apple devices and is only for Apple devices, making a great browsing experience rather exclusive to the platform.

What is Safari?

At its simplest, it's a web browser, like Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Firefox. You can use it on your Apple devices to access the internet, i.e. visit website, check email, access iCloud, etc.

It comes in app form for iPhone and iPad and in desktop form for Mac. It's also the default browser for these three platforms, and you can't change that on iPhone or iPad, so if you try to open a link from an email or text message, it'll automatically open in Safari.

How is Safari different from other web browsers?

To be honest, it's not. Not in the grand scheme of things anyway. What separates Safari from browsers like Chrome or Firefox is its exclusivity to Apple devices. It's also considered the fastest browser around, outdoing all of the others in just about every benchmark there is.

What are some of Safari's best features?

For one, Safari's Reading Lists allow you to save websites for later, so that you can collect your reading material without having to go back and look for it again.

In app form, Safari also gives you Reader View , which lets you unclutter each web page so that you can read in peace without being distracted by adds and other superfluous stuff.

Another excellent feature coming with macOS High Sierra is Safari's ability to prevent web tracking , so that your online activities aren't being monitored by advertisers and those who might wish you digital harm.

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What's new in Safari?

Safari 11 is coming with macOS High Sierra, and Macworld recently did some benchmark testing , confirming that Safari is indeed the fastest desktop browser.

Safari in macOS High Sierra will also employ intelligent tracking prevention, make autoplay a thing of the past, allow you to better customize your experience, and use automatic Reader View.

What's new with Safari in macOS High Sierra

Need some help with Safari?

Check out our guide:

Safari: The Ultimate Guide

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Safari: A Beginner’s Guide for iPhone or iPad Users

Safari can be intimidating to learn when you first start using it, but this guide will help you get used to it.

On Apple devices, the default web browser is called Safari. It shares a lot of similar features to other common browsers, like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. But if you’re new to using Safari, you may feel a little lost because the interface is slightly different to the others.

So, here’s a beginner’s guide on how to use the Safari app to browse the web on your iPhone or iPad.

How to Search for Content in the Safari App

As with all web browsers, you’ll need to first enable your iPhone’s mobile data or connect to a Wi-Fi network to access the internet.

Then, to search in Safari, simply type a term, phrase, or URL into the Smart Search bar at the bottom of the screen and tap Go on your keyboard. The Smart Search bar is a combination of the address bar and search bar. As you type, you’ll see search suggestions based on your keyword as well as results from your bookmarks and browsing history.

How to Navigate a Webpage in Safari

Once you obtain your search results, you tap on a link you’re interested in. Now let’s look at how you can navigate the webpage once it’s loaded.

How to Jump Back to the Top of Webpage

After swiping to scroll down a long article, you may want to go back up to access the website’s menu. To instantly jump back to the top of the webpage, just tap the topmost edge of your screen.

How to Go Backward (or Forward) a Webpage

After tapping on a link, perhaps the webpage isn’t quite something you’re looking for. To go back to your search results, swipe from left to right from the edge of your screen.

To go forward on a webpage, swipe from right to left instead.

Related: Essential Safari iOS Tips & Tricks for iPhone Users

How to Reveal the Safari Address Bar

Your Safari address bar is automatically hidden away when you’re scrolling down a webpage. To bring it back, tap the bottom edge of the screen that shows the website’s main URL.

How to Work With Multiple Tabs in the Safari App

Having multiple tabs opened in Safari can help you to compare information between webpages and search for new content without having to close your current webpage. Here’s how to work with multiple tabs in Safari on your iPhone or iPad.

How to Open a New Tab

To open a new tab, select the Tabs icon in the bottom-right corner, which looks like two overlapping squares. Then tap the Plus (+) to open a new tab.

How to Switch Between Tabs

Again, hit the Tabs icon. You’ll see a gallery of all your opened tabs in Safari. Select a tab to visit the webpage you want.

Since the release of iOS 15, Apple introduced a new feature in Safari: tab groups. Many of us are probably guilty of having way too many opened tabs. Therefore, organizing tabs into groups makes them more manageable. Learn more about how to use tab groups in Safari on your iPhone .

How to Open a Link in a New Background Tab

When you read long articles, you’ll likely come across a link or two within the content that sparks your interest. To avoid disrupting your reading process, you can make Safari open the link in the background, in a new tab. To do so:

• Go to the Settings app.
• Select Safari .
• Scroll down and tap Open Links .
• Choose In Background .

Next time you want to open a link, long-press it. Then, select Open in Background . When you want to visit that link, select Tabs to view all your opened tabs and choose the loaded webpage.

Saving and Sharing Webpages in Safari

The internet gives you access to a whole new world of information. Save a webpage to refer to it later, or share it with your family and friends.

How to Bookmark a Safari Webpage

To bookmark a webpage to read later, tap the Share icon in the middle of the bottom of the screen (it looks like an arrow coming out of a square) and select Add Bookmark . Type in a bookmark name.

To access your bookmarked webpage later, tap the Bookmark icon (an opened book) and browse through your bookmarks, reading list, and history to find what you’re looking for.

Besides the bookmark option, you’ll also notice that you can add a webpage to your favorites or reading list. Marking a webpage as a favorite will make it show up on your Safari home page. It’s useful if you visit the website often.

To learn more about reading lists, you can visit our guide on the differences between a bookmark and a reading list .

How to Share a Link From the Safari App

Stumble upon an interesting DIY project? A promising recipe you’d like to share with your family? You don’t have to bookmark and remind yourself to show the webpage to them later. You can share the link directly from the Safari app.

Tap the Share icon. You can then select the receiver’s name from the horizontal list of recent contacts, or choose your preferred communication app to send the Safari link to them.

Erasing Your Digital Footprint in Safari

If you’re an aspiring crime writer, having a friend notice your crime-filled search history when they peer over your shoulder is inevitably awkward. Hence, there are some things we’d prefer to keep private and erase all traces of once we exit a web browser.

Safari has a few features to help you with this.

How to Close a Tab

If you don’t close your tabs, old webpages will just auto-load again the moment you head into Safari. Having too many opened tabs affects your browsing speed as well.

Closing a tab is simple. You just need to tap the Tabs icon and then tap the Close (x) button in the corner of the tab.

How to Browse Privately in Safari

Similar to Google Chrome’s Incognito Mode, Safari has a feature called Private Browsing Mode. Your autofill information and browser history won’t be saved when you use this function. Here’s how to use it:

• First, tap the Tabs icon.
• Select the center Tabs button with an arrow next to it.
• Choose Private .
• To open a new private tab, tap the Plus (+) button.

Whenever you’re in doubt about whether you’re in Private Browsing Mode, just check the Smart Search Bar. It will be dark grey instead of white when you’re browsing privately.

How to Clear Your Safari Browsing History

If you forgot to use Private Browsing while searching for confidential information, don’t worry. You can still clear your history in Safari. Just follow these steps:

• Tap the Bookmarks icon.
• Select History (the clock icon).
• Tap Clear .
• Choose the time length from which you want Safari to clear your history.

Use the Safari App to Surf the Internet on Your iPhone

The Safari app has all the features you need for a seamless browsing experience. Once you’re familiar with these basic functions, you can check out and download Safari extensions from the App Store to enjoy more helpful features while surfing the internet on your iPhone or iPad.

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Apple Safari

Safari is a Web browser developed by Apple and bundled with macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. It's based on the open-source WebKit engine.

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• 4.2 • 56K Ratings

Screenshots

Description.

Explore the web with lightning-fast speed, powerful privacy protections and robust customization options. With Safari you can browse sites, translate web pages, and access your tabs across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Features • Passwords, bookmarks, history, tabs and more seamlessly sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac • Private Browsing mode doesn’t save your history and keeps your browsing your business • Intelligent Tracking Prevention prevents trackers from following you across websites you visit • Tab Groups let you save and organize your tabs and access them across iOS, iPadOS and macOS • Profiles help keep your browsing history, website data, and more separate between topics like work and personal • Shared Tab Groups help you share tabs and collaborate with family and friends • Extensions allow you to personalize Safari and add even more functionality to the browser • Reader formats articles for easy reading without ads, navigation, or other distracting items • Privacy Report shows known trackers that have been blocked from tracking you • Reading List easily saves articles for you to read later • Voice Search lets you search the web using just your voice • Web page translation converts entire webpages into other languages right in the browser • Handoff effortlessly passes what you’re doing in Safari from one device to another • Add to Home Screen allows you to quickly launch a website or web app from your Home Screen

Ratings and Reviews

56K Ratings

To much scams…please READ!

So whenever I use this app/ Safari it get these trackers and scammers to get my location and this is making me nervous. I installed ad blocker I think it’s called and I blocked some trackers which made me feel better. Every time you search something you usually get a scam or tracker. I do not like when people track me down. I rarely use this app because of the scams and risks. I think it is an OK app in general because it’s the people making these small BAD websites. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because it could use work but it is pretty much like google. I use google way more because I feel like it is much safer than safari. I could be wrong… Safari could use some work with all these BAD websites. Can you block these bad websites? I would love to block these websites cause they are scary. Also watch out for nine anime/ 9anime websites… I searched up 9anime on safari and clicked a link. It looked safe but then these inappropriate pop ups kept coming. I immediately got off. I checked my ‘ How much trackers we have prevented’ or whatever it’s called it said that it had prevented 14 trackers from getting my IP address. This was good and bad news. I’m glad that safari and google can prevent these trackers but it is bad because this is dangerous. BE CAREFUL ON SAFARI!!!

Your Underrated Prince, Safari

In my humble opinion, Safari is the underrated king among multiple web browsers on the market. I was a PC devotee from ‘95 to ‘16, since then, it’s been all Tim Cook 🍎 all the time. My only regret is not purchasing a smartphone back in ‘07 from Steve Jobs. Presently, I own an iPhone 6s Plus in rose gold (2016), iPad Mini (2016), iPad Pro (2019) & MacBook (2018) in rose gold with matching Beats By Dre headphones. All four are set up with Safari, not Chrome, TOR, Brave, Edge, or DDGo. I love the ability to quickly save favorites, add to reading list & share content to other platforms. My favorites are alphabetized for quick reference & the reading list keeps all articles & pages in chronological order for quick recall. Also, I learned Safari quickly because it’s extremely user friendly. The browser helped my navigation of Apple when switching from PC. I’ll admit, learning MacBook isn’t easy, but, Safari keeps things familiar for me on the desktop. When lost, just go back to Safari & start over. It’s surprising no one in tech media mentions Safari more often as a go to source for navigating the internet. Chrome is the reigning king of, Land Of Browsers, without an heir apparent. I nominate Safari as the prince with future king potential. Citizens of Land Of Browsers don’t like their chrome-plated dirty laundry aired, sold or tracked.

I have been using this for years and had no problems with it. I ran over my phone with my lawn mower and was without my phone for over a year due to having to fight with the insurance company. However when I finally got a lawyer involved the insurance company finally replaced it for me. I DID not lose anything and I mean anything. I like the cards better because they are easier to clear out. You have to back everything up to your cloud every day or every other day so that you don’t have to worry about losing anything. As I always make sure that I back everything up just in case. It is not apples fault if you lose your any of your information it is yours for not backing up your phone to your cloud. So most of the people who write bad reviews either don’t back up or they just don’t or they just don’t care. Apple doesn’t charge a lot to add more space to your cloud so there is no reason why you can’t back you things. This is better than anything that google has. By far. If you want your information used by third parties then use google’s and quit complaining. You can change your browser in safari so that you don’t have to use them get with it you bad reviews and learn how to use safari.

App Privacy

The developer, Apple , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• User Content
• Identifiers

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

• Browsing History
• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

English, Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

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Organize with Tab Groups

Organize websites into Tab Groups to move them out of your tab bar and easily switch between related websites.

How to group tabs in Safari

Sync the settings for a website between devices

Use the settings you’ve chosen for a website on all Apple devices where you’re signed in with the same Apple ID.

How to share settings in Safari

Autofill credit cards with their security code

Complete online orders with previously saved credit card information, including the security code.

How to autofill credit card info in Safari

To explore the Safari User Guide, click Table of Contents at the top of the page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field.

If you need more help, visit the Safari Support website .

• Change your homepage
• Import bookmarks, history, and passwords
• Make Safari your default web browser
• Go to websites
• Find what you’re looking for
• Bookmark webpages that you want to revisit
• See your favorite websites
• Use tabs for webpages
• Pin frequently visited websites
• Play web videos
• Mute audio in tabs
• Pay with Apple Pay
• Autofill credit card info
• Autofill contact info
• Keep a Reading List
• Hide ads when reading articles
• Translate a webpage
• Download items from the web
• Share or post webpages
• Add passes to Wallet
• Save part or all of a webpage
• Print or create a PDF of a webpage
• Customize a start page
• Customize the Safari window
• Customize settings per website
• Zoom in on webpages
• Get extensions
• Manage cookies and website data
• Block pop-ups
• Clear your browsing history
• Browse privately
• Autofill user name and password info
• Prevent cross-site tracking
• View a Privacy Report
• Change Safari preferences
• Keyboard and other shortcuts
• Troubleshooting

Blazing fast. Incredibly private.

Safari is the best way to experience the internet on all your Apple devices. It brings robust customization options, powerful privacy protections and industry-leading battery life — so you can browse how you like, when you like. And when it comes to speed, it’s the world’s fastest browser. 1

Performance

More with the battery. less with the loading..

With a blazing-fast JavaScript engine, Safari is the world’s fastest browser. 1 It’s developed to run specifically on Apple devices, so it’s geared to make the most out of your battery life and deliver long-lasting power.

Increased performance

We’re always working to make the fastest desktop browser on the planet even faster.

Improved power efficiency

Safari lets you do more online on a single charge.

Up to 4 hours more streaming videos compared with Chrome 3

Up to 17 hours of video streaming 3

Best-in-class browsing

Safari outperforms both Mac and PC browsers in benchmark after benchmark on the same Mac. 4

• JetStream /
• MotionMark /
• Speedometer /

JavaScript performance on advanced web applications. 4

Safari vs. other Mac browsers

Safari on macOS

Chrome on macOS

Edge on macOS

Firefox on macOS

Safari vs. Windows 11 browsers

Chrome on Windows 11

Edge on Windows 11

Firefox on Windows 11

Rendering performance of animated content. 4

Web application responsiveness. 4

4K video streaming

See your favourite movies and shows in their best light. Safari now supports in-browser 4K HDR video playback for YouTube, Netflix and Apple TV+. 5 And it runs efficiently for longer-lasting battery life.

Privacy is built in.

Online privacy isn’t just something you should hope for — it’s something you should expect. That’s why Safari comes with industry-leading privacy protection technology built in, including Intelligent Tracking Prevention that identifies trackers and helps prevent them from profiling or following you across the web. Upgrading to iCloud+ gives you even more privacy protections, including the ability to sign up for websites and services without having to share your personal email address.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention

Safari stops trackers in their tracks.

What you browse is no one’s business but your own. Safari has built‑in protections to help stop websites and data-collection companies from watching and profiling you based on your browsing activity. Intelligent Tracking Prevention uses on‑device intelligence to help prevent cross‑site tracking and stops known trackers from using your IP address — making it incredibly difficult to learn who you are and what you’re interested in.

Privacy Report

Safari makes it simple to see how your privacy is protected on all the websites you visit. Click Privacy Report in the Safari menu for a snapshot of cross-site trackers currently prevented from profiling you on the website you’re visiting. Or view a weekly Privacy Report to see how Safari protects you as you browse over time.

Customization

Putting the you in url..

Safari is more customizable than ever. Organize your tabs into Tab Groups so it’s easy to go from one interest to the next. Set a custom background image and fine-tune your browser window with your favourite features — like Reading List, Favorites, iCloud Tabs and Siri Suggestions. And third-party extensions for iPhone, iPad and Mac let you do even more with Safari, so you can browse the way you want across all your devices.

Safari Profiles allow you to separate your history, extensions, Tab Groups, favourites, cookies and more. Quickly switch between profiles for topics you create, like Personal and Work.

Web apps let you save your favourite websites to the Dock on Mac and to the Home Screen on iPhone and iPad. A simplified toolbar and separate settings give you an app-like experience.

Safari Extensions add functionality to your browser to help you explore the web the way you want. Find and add your favorite extensions in the dedicated Safari category on the App Store.

Save and organize your tabs in the way that works best for you. Name your Tab Groups, edit them, and switch among them across devices. You can also share Tab Groups — making planning your next family trip or group project easier and more collaborative.

Smart Tools

Designed to help your work flow..

Built-in tools create a browsing experience that’s far more immersive, intuitive and immediate. Get detailed information about a subject in a photo with just a click, select text within any image, instantly translate an entire web page and quickly take notes wherever you are on a site — without having to switch apps.

Notes is your go-to app to capture any thought. And with the Quick Note feature, you can instantly jot down ideas as you browse websites without having to leave Safari.

Translation

Translate entire web pages with a single click. You can also get translations for text in images and paused video without leaving Safari.

Interact with text in any image on the web using functions like lookup, translate, and copy and paste. 6

Visual Look Up

Quickly learn more about landmarks, works of art, breeds of dogs and more with only a photo or an image you find online. 7 And easily lift the subject of an image from Safari, remove its background and paste it into Messages, Notes or other apps.

Surf safe and sound.

Strong security protections in Safari help keep you safe. Passkeys introduce a safer way to sign in. iCloud Keychain securely stores and autofills passkeys and passwords across all your devices. Safari also notifies you when it encounters suspicious websites and prevents them from loading. Because it loads each web page in a separate process, any harmful code is always confined to a single browser tab so it won’t crash the entire application or access your data. And Safari automatically upgrades sites from HTTP to the more secure HTTPS when available.

Passkeys introduce a more secure and easier way to sign in. No passwords required.

Passkeys are end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks, and they are stronger than all common two-factor authentication types. Thanks to iCloud Keychain, they work across all your Apple devices, and they even work on non-Apple devices.

Learn more about passkeys

Apple Pay and Wallet make checkout as easy as lifting a finger.

Apple Pay is the easiest and most secure way to shop on Safari — allowing you to complete transactions with Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone or iPad, with Touch ID on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, or by double-clicking the side button on your Apple Watch.

Learn more about Apple Pay

With AutoFill, you can easily fill in your previously saved credit card information from the Wallet app during checkout. Your credit card details are never shared, and your transactions are protected with industry-leading security.

Same Safari. Different device.

Safari works seamlessly and syncs your passwords, bookmarks, history, tabs and more across Mac, iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch. And when your Mac, iOS or iPadOS devices are near each other, they can automatically pass what you’re doing in Safari from one device to another using Handoff. You can even copy images, video or text from Safari on your iPhone or iPad, then paste into another app on your nearby Mac — or vice versa.

When you use Safari on multiple devices, your tabs carry over from one Apple device to another. So you can search, shop, work, or browse on your iPhone, then switch to your iPad or Mac and pick up right where you left off.

Save web pages you want to read later by adding them to your Reading List. Then view them on any of your iCloud-connected devices — even if you’re not connected to the internet.

iCloud Keychain securely stores your user names, passkeys, passwords and credit card numbers, and keeps them up to date on your trusted devices. So you can easily sign in to your favourite websites — as well as apps on iOS and iPadOS — and quickly make online purchases.

Designed for developers.

Deep WebKit integration between Mac hardware and macOS allows Safari to deliver the fastest performance and the longest battery life of any browser on the platform, while supporting modern web standards for rich experiences in the browser. WebKit in macOS Sonoma includes optimizations that enable even richer browsing experiences, and give developers more control over styling and layout — allowing for more engaging content.

Make Safari your default browser

Customize your start page, view your browsing privacy report, monitor your saved passwords, use apple pay in safari, view your tabs across all your devices, read the safari user guide, get safari support.

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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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Watch the latest videos about Safari

Safari for developers

Safari is the best way to experience the internet on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Thanks to blazing-fast performance and industry-leading energy efficiency, millions of users enjoy exploring the web with Safari. Take advantage of powerful new features, advanced developer tools, and cutting-edge technologies in Safari to deliver best-in-class websites and apps.

Now people can add your website to their Dock on Mac or to their Home Screen in iOS and iPadOS for easy access. On Mac, any website added to the Dock becomes a web app, with an app-like appearance and system integration similar to other apps. Create a web app manifest to communicate your website’s intended behavior for web app-related features in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Watch the latest video

Safari web extensions

Safari web extensions use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to offer powerful browser customizations — and now you can create them for every device that supports Safari. Learn how to build a Safari web extension that works for all devices, and how to convert an existing extension to Safari through Xcode and the Safari Web Extension Converter.

Learn about Safari web extensions

SharePlay in Safari

Create SharePlay experiences that people can enjoy on the web and in your app. Learn how to use the Group Activities framework in combination with your website to bring SharePlay to Safari, connecting people through shared interactions — even if they haven’t yet downloaded your app from the App Store.

Learn about Group Activities in Safari

Compact tab bar

In the compact tab bar view, the browser interface yields to the content. Safari blends the tab bar into each website by matching its background color. As a web designer or developer, you can choose the color and code it into your HTML. The entire interface is on one line, and elements naturally appear when needed, making your content feel more expansive as each web page or web app extends to all four edges of the window.

Learn about design in Safari

Verification codes

Easily create more secure logins for users in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, or later using the new iCloud Keychain verification codes. Take advantage of verification codes, AutoFill, iCloud Keychain sync, and two-tap setup to simplify the multistep sign-in process.

Passkeys with WebAuthn

With the Passkeys Technology Preview, you can try a new type of credential that’s intended to replace passwords. A passkey is a phishing-resistant WebAuthn credential that’s backed up and synced across devices with iCloud Keychain. Enable the technology preview using Enable Syncing Platform Authenticator in the Develop menu.

Split View in Safari on iPad

People can view two websites at once on their iPad using split view. Responsive Design Mode makes it easy to see how your websites will render in this view — just tap the iPad preview until it turns into a split view.

Apple Pay on the Web

Provide an easy and secure way to make purchases in Safari 10 or later. Apple Pay lets people quickly pay without entering payment, shipping, or contact information on supported websites from their Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Because card numbers aren’t used and each transaction is confirmed with a fingerprint or passcode, Apple Pay is more secure than accepting credit and debit cards.

Web Push in Safari

Send notifications to people who use your website or web app in Safari 16 on macOS 13 — even when Safari isn’t running. Fully interoperable, Web Push’s standards-based implementation relies on the Push API, Notification API, and Service Workers. If you’ve already coded Web Push using industry best practices, it will automatically work on Safari. And you don’t need to be an Apple Developer Program member to implement this feature.

Safari Technology Preview

Download Safari Technology Preview to get a sneak peek at upcoming web technologies in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, and experiment with them in your websites and extensions.

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Apple told EU regulators it has three browsers, all called Safari

The ploy did not work, it has been rejected by the European Union, and it was never likely to succeed. Not since the entire Digital Markets Act was really created specifically to target Big Tech firms such as Apple.

These firms are described as "gatekeepers" under the EU law, which came into force on November 1, 2022, and became applicable on May 2, 2023. Amongst other considerations, a company is labelled a gatekeeper if it has over 45 million active users in Europe monthly, and at least a 75 billion euro ($80 billion) market capitalization.

As first spotted by The Register , Apple was declared a gatekeeper in its core platform services (CPS). Those are Apple's operating systems, its App Store , and the Safari web browser.

Over a series of exchanges with the EU, Apple tried objecting to the claim that it meets gatekeeper status on web browsers. According to the EU's newly-published ruling , "Apple disagrees with the preliminary view set out in the Commission's letter of 25 July 2023 that the Safari web browsers should be considered as one single web browser CPS."

"In its reply to that letter, Apple reiterated its position that each of its Safari web browsers constitutes a distinct CPS," continues the report. "Moreover, Apple considers that it meets the thresholds laid down in Article 3(2) of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 only in relation to Safari on iOS ."

The European Commission's report about its deliberations on the issue then take up three pages, but in the more than a thousand words of argument, really just four are key. In denying Apple's argument, the EU quotes the company's own advertising, which says — "Same Safari. Different device."

Five different OSes

Apple tried the same argument over its different operating systems, but there it was on more solid ground. According to the EU's report, Apple said "that it offers five distinct operating systems," and that "only iOS meets the [DMA] thresholds."

Those operating systems are of course iOS for the iPhone , iPadOS, macOS, watchOS , and tvOS . Apple argues that each OS is built "to exclusively operate the respective device."

"Apple submits that the extent to which its operating systems are tailored to a specific device and to Apple's hardware, differentiates Apple from other providers, such as Google," it continues, "whose operating system Android is designed to support both smartphones and tablets and to work on devices of many original equipment manufacturers."

The iPhone and iPad used to run the same operating system, but the EU report says that "since 2019, [Apple] has been offering distinct operating systems for each device." Apple itself pointed out that the iPad can run iPhone apps, but "it follows from Apple's submissions that 'Compatibility Mode' provides a significantly inferior experience."

Consequently, the EU accepted Apple's argument about five separate operating systems. It therefore accepted the company's position that only iOS qualifies as a gatekeeper.

This same EU report also puts to rest a back-and-forth between Apple and regulators over Messages, and not in Apple's favor.

After originally confirming that Messages qualifies under the DMA thresholds, Apple then later reversed its position and argued that it does not. In September 2023, it was reported that both Apple's Messages and Microsoft's Bing had been removed from the law, while under further consideration .

"According to Apple, iMessage is not a fee-based service and Apple does not monetise it via the sale of hardware devices nor via the processing of personal data," says the report. "In particular, Apple argues that there is no direct link between the setting of the price and the purchase of hardware devices, and the use of iMessage."

Apple's central argument is that it does not make money from Messages and that this fact alone means it does not meet the DMA's definition for gatekeeper status.

However, the EU notes that the definition actually "refers to services that 'normally provided for renumeration'."

Apple must have been fully aware of that definition because in its case it also notes a little sniffily that "the fact that other messaging services are offered for remuneration is irrelevant for the qualification of iMessage."

Unfortunately for Apple, the DMA definition is based on one set by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which "has interpreted the concept of renumeration broadly, as including not only direct payment for the service itself, but also other forms of indirect renumeration, such as through the sale of associated devices."

So if a user wants to use iMessage, they have to buy an iPhone.

"Therefore, Apple receives a remuneration through the sale of Apple devices not only for the hardware, but also for Apple's software applications that go with it, including the iMessage service," says the report. "In this respect, and even if it is not decisive for the notion of remuneration whether a service plays a minor or major role in the marketing of hardware devices, iMessage is an important element of the expansion of Apple's ecosystem which, by the same token, includes hardware."

The EU concludes that Apple's Messages service qualifies as a gatekeeper.

What happens next

It's not clear whether Apple has any further opportunity for appeal, which would delay its having to comply with the Digital Markets Act still further.

Assuming that Apple eventually has to comply, the most visible impact will be that the EU will require Messages — and the App Store — to be opened up to third party alternatives.

Gatekeeper firms who fail to comply with the DMA requirements within six months will face investigation. They could then potentially see "behavioral or structural remedies" enforced on them.

Ultimately, that enforcement could see Apple, or other non-complying firms, being fined up to 10% of their worldwide turnover. At times, it has seemed as if Apple and other Big Tech firms have just found it more cost-effective to simply pay fines , but repeat DMA offenders can be fined up to 20% of turnover.

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