How to Add Safari Bookmarks on an iPhone or iPod Touch

Create shortcuts to your favorite websites on your iOS home screen

What to Know

  • Go to the URL in Safari. Tap Share > Add Bookmark or Add to Favorites. Accept the name, and select Save.
  • Edit and rearrange bookmarks by tapping the Bookmarks icon at the bottom of Safari and selecting Edit beneath the list.

This article explains how to add bookmarks on an iPhone or iPod Touch using the Safari browser app. We also discuss the difference between bookmarks and favorites. Instructions apply to devices with iOS 10 and later.

How to Add Bookmarks in Safari for iPhone

To add a bookmark to Safari on your iPhone or iPod Touch:

  1. Open Safari and go to the URL you want to bookmark.

  2. Tap the Share icon at the bottom of the page. It looks like a box with an arrow pointing up.

  3. In the Share menu, tap Add Bookmark. Enter a new name, if you like, or tap Save to save the bookmark under its original name.

    Tap Share to add a Safari bookmark on an iphone
  4. Alternatively, press and hold the Bookmark icon (it looks like an open book) beside the Share icon and select Add Bookmark. Select Save to save the bookmark.

    ress and hold the Bookmark icon (it looks like an open book) beside the Share icon and select Add Bookmark.

How to Add Favorites to Safari on an iPhone

The process for adding favorites is similar:

  1. Open Safari and go to the URL you want to add to your Favorites list.

  2. Tap the Share icon at the bottom of the page. It looks like a box with an arrow pointing up.

  3. In the Share menu, tap Add to Favorites. Enter a new name, if you like, or tap Save to save the URL under its original name.

    In the Share menu, tap Add to Favorites

Safari Bookmarks vs. Favorites


People often use the words bookmarks and favorites interchangeably. However, there is a distinction between the two folders in the Safari app on the iPhone and iPod.

In iOS, a favorite is one type of bookmark. Bookmarks on an iPhone or iPod Touch appear in a default primary folder in Safari, where all bookmarked pages are stored. Anything added to this folder is accessible through the Bookmarks icon in Safari so that you can access those saved links at any time.

Favorites is a folder stored within the Bookmarks folder. It's the first folder you see when you access Bookmarks. You don't get quicker access to favorites than to bookmarks on an iPhone or iPod Touch. However, on an iPad, the favorites appear as tabs at the top of every Safari page you open, so you're one tap away from any of them. You can add additional custom folders to either folder to organize your bookmarks on any iOS device.

It's also possible to add bookmark shortcuts to the iPhone or iPod Touch home screen so that you can instantly access websites without first opening Safari.

How to Edit and Arrange Bookmarks

You can edit and arrange your bookmarks in a few ways:

  • To view and organize folders and bookmarks, tap the Bookmark icon at the bottom of any Safari screen to display a list of folders, and then tap the Bookmark tab.
  • To edit folders, tap a folder to open it and display the individual URLs saved in the folder, then tap Edit.
  • To delete a folder or bookmark, tap the red minus next to the name.
  • To rearrange folders or bookmarks, drag the three-horizontal-line icon next to each entry up or down.
  • To add a folder, tap New Folder at the bottom of the editing screen.
Safari on iOS with the Bookmarks and Edit buttons highlighted
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