How to Add a Bookmark in Safari

Saving Your Favourite Websites on a Mac

As you browse the internet on your Mac, you will inevitably find websites that you want to return to frequently. Rather than relying on your memory or typing the exact URL into the address bar every single time, you can save the website directly into Safari’s built-in memory using a Bookmark.

A bookmark is essentially a digital shortcut. By saving a webpage as a bookmark, Safari creates a clickable button that instantly transports you back to that specific article, login page, or recipe with a single click. Understanding how to properly create, organise, and manage these shortcuts is fundamental to maintaining a productive and efficient workflow on your Apple computer.

Because Safari synchronises perfectly with iCloud, any bookmark you create on your Mac will instantly appear on your iPhone and iPad as well.

Method 1: Using the Share Menu (The Easiest Way)

The most visual and straightforward way to save a website is by using Safari’s built-in Share menu, located right next to the address bar.

1. Open Safari and navigate to the exact webpage you want to save.
2. Look at the top right corner of the Safari window for the Share icon (it looks like a small square with an arrow pointing straight up).
3. Click the Share icon to open the drop-down menu.
4. Click on Add Bookmark.
5. A small pop-up window will appear. Here you can edit the name of the bookmark (Safari often pulls in long, messy website titles, so it is highly recommended to delete the default text and type a short, clear name like “Work Email” or “Spaghetti Recipe”).
6. Use the “Add to:” dropdown menu to select where you want the bookmark to live (either the main Favourites bar or a specific folder).
7. Click the Add button.

Method 2: Using the Keyboard Shortcut (The Fastest Way)

If you are a power user who frequently saves dozens of pages for research projects, constantly clicking through menus can become tedious. You can instantly trigger the bookmark saving process using a keyboard shortcut.

1. Navigate to the webpage you wish to save.
2. Hold down the Command (⌘) key and press the letter D on your keyboard.
3. The exact same bookmark saving window will instantly pop up on your screen.
4. Rename the website if necessary, select your destination folder, and hit the Return key to save it.

How to Use the Favourites Bar

When saving a bookmark, you are given a choice of where to put it. The most useful location is the Favourites folder.

The Favourites bar is a thin, horizontal strip that sits permanently at the very top of your Safari window, directly beneath the address bar. Any bookmark saved to the Favourites folder will appear here as a highly visible, instantly clickable button.

If you cannot see the Favourites bar on your screen, it is likely hidden. To reveal it:

1. Look at the very top menu bar of your Mac screen.
2. Click on View.
3. Select Show Favourites Bar from the drop-down menu (or press Shift + Command + B).

How to Organise Your Bookmarks into Folders

If you simply save every single website to your Favourites bar, it will quickly become cluttered and useless. To keep your research organised, you should group related websites into specific folders (e.g., “Holiday Planning,” “Work Resources,” “Recipes”).

1. Open Safari and click on Bookmarks in the very top menu bar.
2. Select Edit Bookmarks (or press Option + Command + B).
3. This will open a full-page view of your entire bookmark library.
4. To create a new folder, click the New Folder button in the top right corner.
5. Give your folder a clear name.
6. You can now click and drag your existing bookmarks into this new folder to organise them logically.

Folders placed into your Favourites bar will appear as drop-down menus, allowing you to access dozens of grouped websites without cluttering your screen.