Every time you open a new window or tab in Safari on your Mac, the browser displays its start page. While the default layout shows a simple grey background with a handful of Apple bookmarks, macOS allows you to transform this screen into a rich, personalized dashboard. You can display custom photographic wallpapers, showcase frequently visited websites, track active Reading List articles, inspect Privacy Reports, and synchronize the entire layout seamlessly across your iPad and iPhone.
What Modules Can You Add to the Safari Start Page?
Safari lets you toggle individual content sections on or off depending on your browsing habits:
- Favourites: Quick-launch tiles for your bookmarked websites and custom folder collections.
- Frequently Visited: Automatically populated icons based on sites you navigate to most often.
- Shared with You: Web links sent to you by friends and family via the Messages app.
- Privacy Report: An interactive summary showing how many cross-site trackers Safari has actively blocked.
- Reading List: Saved articles cached for distraction-free offline reading.
- iCloud Tabs: Open browser tabs from your other connected Apple devices.
How to Access the Safari Start Page Customisation Menu
Configuring your layout requires only two clicks:
- Launch Safari on your Mac and open a new tab by pressing Cmd + T.
- Look at the bottom-right corner of the window for the Customise icon (three horizontal slider switches).
- Click the icon to reveal the customisation flyout menu.
- Check or uncheck the boxes next to each module (Favourites, Reading List, Privacy Report, etc.) to show or hide them immediately.
- Tick the box for Use Start Page on All Devices if you want your layout and background settings to synchronise via iCloud to your iPhone and iPad.
How to Set a Custom Background Wallpaper
You can replace the plain backdrop with Apple’s curated artwork or any high-resolution photo from your personal library:
- Open the customisation menu in the bottom-right corner.
- Ensure the Background Image checkbox is ticked.
- Scroll horizontally through Apple’s gallery of abstract gradients, landscapes, and textures, and click any thumbnail to preview it instantly.
- To use your own wallpaper, click the large “+” (Plus) tile at the beginning of the gallery.
- Browse your Mac’s storage, select your high-res wallpaper image (JPEG, PNG, or HEIC), and click Choose.
- To clear a custom image and return to default, open the panel and click the small “X” icon on the active thumbnail.
How to Rearrange Sections on the Start Page
You can adjust the vertical order of sections to put what matters most at the top. Simply click and drag any section header (such as Favourites or Reading List) up or down the page until it sits in your preferred position.