How to Bookmark on an iPad

Learn the two ways to bookmark in Safari

What to Know

  • Fasted method: Go to website > tap Bookmark icon (open book) > select Add Bookmark.
  • Use Share icon: Go to website > tap Share icon > Add Bookmark > tap circled X to edit bookmark’s name.

Apple iPads ship with the Safari browser in all versions of the iOS so you can surf the net and visit websites just like you do on your desktop or laptop computer. Bookmarking a web page on the iPad is a little different from the way you do it on a computer, though.

Adding a New Bookmark in Safari

Anyone who assumes you use the Safari Bookmark icon, which looks like an open book, to bookmark a web page is only half right. That's because there are two ways to add a bookmark in Safari. The fastest way is to press and hold the Bookmark icon at the top of the screen and select Add Bookmark from the pop-up menu.

A screenshot of Safari for iPad with the Bookmarks menu and Add Bookmark command highlighted

Adding a New Bookmark Using the Share Icon

However, you have more options when you use the Share icon to add a bookmark. Here's how:

  1. Open the Safari browser by tapping on the Safari icon.

  2. When the browser window opens, tap in the bar at the top of the screen and enter the URL or follow a link to the web page that you want to bookmark.

    If a URL is already entered into the field, tap the URL field once and then tap the circled X in the field to clear it. Then enter your URL.

  3. After the page opens, select Safari's Share icon, which looks like a square containing an up arrow. It is located in the browser's main toolbar, to the right of the field containing the URL.

    A screenshot of Safari for iPad with the Share button highlighted
  4. Select Add Bookmark from the pop-up screen that opens.

    A screenshot of Safari's Share menu on an iPad with the Add Bookmark button highlighted
  5. View the title and full URL of the current page that you are bookmarking along with its favicon. The title text is editable. Tap the circled X in the title field to delete it and type in a replacement title. The location where your new bookmark will be stored is also editable. The Favorites folder is the default, but you can choose another folder by tapping on Favorites and selecting a different folder.

    A screenshot of the Share menu in Safari on an iPad with the Bookmark name field and Favorites button highlighted
  6. When you are satisfied with the settings, tap the Save button, which saves the new bookmark and takes you back to the main Safari window.

    A screenshot of the Add Bookmark window in Safari on iPad with the Save button highlighted

 If you choose to Add to the Home Screen in the Share screen instead of Add Bookmark, Safari places an icon on the home page of the iPad to use as a shortcut to that web page instead of bookmarking it.

Selecting a Bookmarked Website in Safari

  1. To access a stored bookmark, select the Bookmark icon — the one that looks like an open book — located at the top of every Safari screen.

    A screenshot of Safari for iPad with the Bookmarks button highlighterd
  2. A new panel appears where you can tap on Favorites — or any other folder — to view the bookmarked sites in the folder. To see all the folders, tap All at the top of the panel.

    Safari screen showing open bookmarks panel
  3. Tap on any bookmark to open the web page in Safari.

    Selecting the AP bookmark to open its web page

More About Bookmarks in Safari

At the bottom of the bookmark panel is an Edit option you can tap to add new folders or to delete bookmarked sites from the list. You can also rearrange the order of the bookmarks in a folder by pressing and holding as you drag a bookmark up or down in the list. When you are finished making changes, tap Done.

If you have more than one Apple computer or mobile device and have set Safari to sync between them using iCloud, any change you make to your bookmarks on Safari on your iPad is duplicated in Safari on the other synced devices. 

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