How to Customise the Safari Start Page and Background Image on Mac

The Safari Start Page on macOS is the central launchpad for your everyday browsing, greeting you whenever you launch the browser or open a new tab. While Safari displays a clean default layout featuring your bookmarks and frequently visited sites, macOS allows full customisation of this page. You can add high-resolution background wallpapers, toggle specific content widgets on or off, and synchronize your preferences seamlessly across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

What Content Widgets Can You Display on the Safari Start Page?

Safari allows you to toggle and reorder seven distinct modular widgets according to your browsing habits:

• Favorites: Grid icons for your pinned websites and top bookmark folders.
• Frequently Visited: Dynamic shortcuts automatically populated based on websites you visit regularly.
• Shared with You: Articles, web links, and media sent to you by friends and colleagues through the Messages app.
• Privacy Report: A live counter indicating how many cross-site trackers Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention has actively blocked over the past 30 days.
• Siri Suggestions: Predictive links derived from upcoming calendar events, flight itineraries in Mail, and links open on other devices.
• Reading List: Saved offline articles queued for later reading.
• iCloud Tabs: Real-time lists of web pages currently open on your paired iPhone, iPad, or secondary Mac machines.

How to Access the Safari Start Page Customisation Menu

Customising your layout does not require navigating complex system preferences; the controls are embedded directly on the Start Page itself:

1. Open Safari on your Mac.
2. Press Command + T (or click the + button in the tab bar) to open a fresh Start Page.
3. Look at the very bottom right corner of the Safari window. You will see an Options icon (resembling three slider switches: 🎚️).
4. Click the Options icon to open the customisation popover panel.
5. Review the list of available checkboxes. Tick the box next to any widget you want visible, or untick widgets you wish to hide for a minimalist, uncluttered view.
6. To rearrange sections, click and drag any module on the Start Page directly into your preferred vertical order.

How to Change the Start Page Background Image

Adding a visual wallpaper transforms Safari’s aesthetic and personalises your workspace:

Selecting a Pre-Installed Apple Wallpaper

1. Open the Start Page customisation panel by clicking the Sliders icon in the bottom right corner.
2. Ensure the checkbox labelled Background Image is ticked.
3. A horizontal carousel of pre-installed Apple wallpapers will appear beneath the checkbox.
4. Scroll horizontally through the thumbnail gallery and click on any design (abstract geometries, scenic gradients, or natural landscapes) to preview it immediately behind your tabs.

Setting Your Own Custom Photo as Background

1. In the Background Image carousel, locate the first square tile marked with a large plus sign (+).
2. Click the + button to launch the Finder file picker.
3. Navigate to your Pictures folder, desktop, or cloud storage, and select any high-resolution image file (supported formats include .jpg, .png, .heic, and .webp).
4. Click Choose. Safari will instantly stretch and centre the photo across the entire browser backdrop.
5. Shortcut: You can also simply drag and drop any image file directly from a Finder window or your desktop straight onto an open Safari Start Page to apply it as wallpaper instantly.

How to Remove a Custom Background Image

If you prefer returning to Safari’s neutral dark or light solid theme:

1. Open the customisation menu via the Sliders icon.
2. In the wallpaper preview carousel, hover your cursor over the currently selected image thumbnail.
3. Click the small X button that appears in the upper corner of the thumbnail, or untick the Background Image checkbox entirely.

Synchronising Your Start Page Across iPhone, iPad, and Mac

If you want your chosen wallpaper and active widget sections to match across all your Apple hardware automatically:

1. In the Safari Start Page customisation panel, tick the checkbox labelled Use Start Page on All Devices.
2. Ensure that Safari sync is enabled in System Settings > [Your Apple Account] > iCloud > Saved to iCloud.
3. Your configured layout and custom background will now synchronize across every iPhone, iPad, and Mac signed in under the same credentials.

Tailoring the Safari Start Page ensures you can launch essential workflows with a single click, monitor privacy defenses at a glance, and maintain a visually inspiring browsing environment throughout your workday.