Bookmarks are one of the most fundamental and time-saving features in any web browser. Instead of memorising URLs or using a search engine to navigate back to sites you visit regularly, a bookmark lets you return to any webpage with a single click. Apple’s Safari browser makes adding, organising, and syncing bookmarks straightforward across all your Apple devices.
How to Add a Bookmark in Safari on a Mac
There are three quick methods to save a webpage as a bookmark when using Safari on macOS:
- Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest): While viewing the website you want to save, press Command (⌘) + D. A small dropdown menu will appear, asking you to confirm the bookmark name and choose a destination folder. Click Add.
- The Menu Bar: Click Bookmarks in the very top menu bar of your Mac’s screen, then select Add Bookmark. The same naming and folder selection prompt will appear.
- Drag and Drop to the Favourites Bar: Click on the website’s URL in the address bar to highlight it, then click and drag the URL text or the page icon directly down onto your Favourites Bar (the row of shortcuts displayed just below the address bar). Release to drop it into place.
How to Add a Bookmark in Safari on an iPhone or iPad
- Open the Safari app and navigate to the webpage you want to save.
- Tap the Share icon at the bottom of the screen (on iPad it may be at the top). The Share icon looks like a square with an upward-pointing arrow coming out of it.
- A Share Sheet will slide up from the bottom of the screen. Scroll through the options and tap Add Bookmark.
- An “Add Bookmark” screen will appear. You can edit the name to something shorter and more descriptive, and tap the folder location to choose where to save it (the default is “Favourites”).
- Tap Save in the top right corner to confirm.
How to Organise Your Bookmarks into Folders
As your bookmark collection grows, organising them into labelled folders makes finding specific sites much faster.
On a Mac:
- Click Bookmarks in the menu bar and select Edit Bookmarks.
- Right-click anywhere in the blank space of the bookmarks editor and select New Folder.
- Give the folder a name (e.g., “Work,” “News,” “Recipes”).
- Drag existing bookmarks into the folder to organise them.
On iPhone or iPad:
- Tap the Book icon at the bottom of Safari to open your bookmarks list.
- Tap Edit in the bottom right corner.
- Tap New Folder at the bottom of the screen. Name the folder and tap Done.
- You can then move bookmarks into folders by tapping Edit and dragging them.
Syncing Bookmarks Across All Your Apple Devices
If you have iCloud Keychain and Safari sync enabled, any bookmark you create on your iPhone will automatically sync to your Mac, iPad, and any other Apple device signed into the same Apple ID — and vice versa. You never need to manually recreate bookmarks on each device.
To ensure bookmark syncing is enabled:
- On iPhone: Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and make sure the toggle next to Safari is turned On.
- On Mac: Go to System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and ensure Safari is ticked in the iCloud features list.