frequently visited safari iphone

Embarrassing browser history? How to get rid of Frequently Visited on iOS Safari

Stop anyone seeing your most frequently visited websites on iOS Safari

For improved browsing privacy on your iPhone, you’ll want to get rid of “Frequently Visited” in Safari.  

The iPhone's Safari web browser makes internet browsing convenient with a highly customizable Start Page that gives you a Privacy Report and shows Siri Suggestions, recently closed tabs, favorite web pages, and frequently visited websites. But if you share your device with others and don’t want them to see your regular internet haunts, it’ll help to do away with the Frequently Visited segment. You’ll also enjoy a more minimalist and clutter-free look on your Safari without this segment.  

In this guide, we’ll show you how to do so in a few simple steps. And after you’ve eliminated the Frequently Visited section from Safari, explore these 9 hidden iPhone features for travellers .  

Steps to get rid of “Frequently Visited” on Safari iPhone

Note : The steps given below were performed on an iPhone running iOS 17 . 

1. Open the start page in Safari

Open Safari on your iPhone. If you’re not already on the start page, tap the Tabs button in the bottom right, then tap the New Tab button (plus icon) in the bottom left.

2. Tap Edit

Scroll down the start page and tap Edit .

3. Disable Frequently Visited

Toggle off Frequently Visited . If you only want to delete some of the frequently visited tabs instead of disabling the feature, then tap and hold the website you want to remove (on the start page) and select Delete . 

With a few taps and swipes, you've bid farewell to the “Frequently Visited” segment on Safari. Rest easy knowing others can’t see where you hang on the internet, and enjoy the uncluttered browsing space.  

For more quick tips and tweaks for your Apple devices, explore our guides on how to enable and disable Crash Detection on iPhone , how to use the iPhone guided access mode , how to hide your number on iPhone , and how to enable Enhanced Stabilization on iPhone .  

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Nikshep Myle is a freelance writer covering tech, health, and wellbeing. He has written for popular tech blogs like TechRadar, GadgetReview, SlashGear, and Creative Bloq, and has extensively reviewed consumer gadgets. When he’s not writing, you’ll find him meditating, gaming, discovering new music, and indulging in adventurous and creative pursuits.

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How To : Get Rid of Frequently Visited Websites in Safari on Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

Safari has a helpful feature that shows your most frequently visited webpages whenever you open a new tab or window, but it's not for everyone. If you never use it, would rather have a minimalist start page, or want to prevent other people with access to Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac from seeing the websites you frequent the most, you can get rid of it.

Removing the list of your most frequently visited websites in Safari is simple, and you can make your choice apply across all of your iCloud-connected devices.

If you don't use the frequently visited section or want to slim down your start page, hiding it is the best option since you can unhide it and see those sites again. However, if you share an iPad or Mac at home with family and don't want them to see what sites you're visiting the most from your iPhone, erasing your frequently visited sites is best for privacy.

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Method 1: Hide 'Frequently Visited' from Safari's Start Page

Open the start page in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, which should show up immediately if you don't have any open tabs. With tabs already open, long-press the tabs button in the toolbar and select "New Tab" from the menu that appears to open a fresh one. You can also tap the tabs button and hit the plus (+) button.

Scroll down the start page, tap the "Edit" button, and then toggle off the "Frequently Visited" switch. Once you close the start page customization options, the Frequently Visited section should be gone.

If you reopen the start page editor and toggle "Frequently Visited" back on, the webpages you frequently visit should appear again when you exit the editor.

On macOS, click the plus (+) sign at the top of Safari's window, press Command-T , or go to File –> New Tab in the menu bar to open a new tab for the start page. You can also press Command-N or go to File –> New Window in the menu bar to open a new window to the start page.

You may have Safari set up to open new tabs or windows to a specific website or blank page if you don't see the start page appear. Press Command-, or go to Safari –> Preferences in the menu bar, then set new tabs and/or windows to "Start Page."

If you don't want to set the start page to open with new tabs and/or windows, you can also go to Bookmarks –> Show Start Page in the menu bar to replace your current tab with the start page.

Instead of an "Edit" button on the start page, click the preferences icon and uncheck "Show Frequently Visited."

Alternatively, right-click anywhere in the blank area of the start page to uncheck it.

Turning on the " Use Start Page on All Devices " switch in the start page customization options will sync your start page settings across all your iCloud-connected Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac computers). For your start page preferences to sync, you must be signed in with the same Apple ID, be running the latest software, have "Safari" enabled in your iCloud preferences, and have 2FA enabled. ( Find out more. )

Method 2: Clear 'Frequently Visited' from Safari's History

The problem with Method 1 is that it only hides your list of frequently visited websites — it doesn't get rid of it. So if your goal is to stop other people with access to your Safari browser from seeing these sites, you'll want to eliminate your browsing history instead.

Open Safari on your iPhone, tap the book icon, then the clock, and hit "Clear." On iPad, tap the sidebar icon, then "History," and hit "Clear." A quick actions menu will appear with a message warning you that clearing your history on your iPhone or iPad will also erase it across all your iCloud-connected devices. Clearing it will also remove cookies and other browsing data on your current device only.

Tap "All time" to delete all browsing data and remove the "Frequently Visited" section from your Safari start page.

You can also go to Settings –> Safari –> Clear History and Website Data to achieve the same effect. After you go back to your Safari start page, you'll notice the "Frequently Visited" section is no longer there.

On macOS, go to History –> Clear History or Safari –> Clear History in the menu bar, choose "all history" from the drop-down menu, and hit "Clear History" to wipe the slate clean, effectively removing the Frequently Visited section from your Safari start page. If you still see the Frequently Visited area, close and reopen Safari.

Alternatively, you can go to History –> Show All History in the menu bar, click "Clear History" on the page, choose "all history" from the drop-down menu, and hit "Clear History."

Those options for macOS will also remove cookies and other browsing data on your current computer as it does on iOS and iPadOS. If you want to clear your history across all your iCloud-connected devices but keep your cookies and other browsing data on your Mac, hold down the Option key to turn "Clear History" in the menu bar to "Clear History and Keep Website Data," and click on that.

If you want Safari to stop showing your frequently visited websites altogether in the future, it's a good idea to combine the two methods above — hide the section from your start page and clear your browsing history.

Just updated your iPhone? You'll find new emoji, enhanced security, podcast transcripts, Apple Cash virtual numbers, and other useful features. There are even new additions hidden within Safari. Find out what's new and changed on your iPhone with the iOS 17.4 update.

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How to Delete Frequently Visited Websites on Your iPhone

Clear the list in Safari or Chrome

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What to Know

• On Safari on iPhone, under the Favorites heading you can tap and hold individual sites to delete them.
• To disable frequently visited sites in Safari on iPhone, go to Settings > Safari and toggle Frequently Visited Sites off.
• On Chrome on iPhone, open a new tab, and tap and hold the icon of the site you want to remove. Tap Remove .

When you browse the web on your iPhone, the Safari and Chrome mobile browsers keep records of websites you visit. When you visit a website regularly, the browsers recognize it as a frequently visited or favorite site. This makes the site's icon readily available to you when you open a new tab.

If your preferences change, you have privacy concerns, or you want to remove your list of frequently visited sites and start fresh, it's easy to delete your most visited sites in Safari and Chrome.

Sites you visit while browsing in Private or Incognito mode aren't saved in the Safari Frequently Visited section or the Chrome most-visited list.

Delete Frequently Visited Sites in Safari on an iPhone

In Safari, icons for sites you visit often appear under the Frequently Visited heading when you open a new tab. It's easy to delete these sites one at a time.

Frequently visited sites are different from Favorites. Sites that appear under the Favorites heading are sites you marked as a favorite. Frequently visited sites are automatically added unless you disable this function.

Open Safari on your iPhone and open a new tab. You'll see a Favorites heading and a Frequently Visited heading.

To remove a site from your Frequently Visited list, tap and hold the site's icon.

Tap Delete on the pop-up menu.

The site is removed from your Frequently Visited list.

How to Disable Frequently Visited Sites in Safari

Stop any new sites from appearing in your Frequently Visited list of the Safari browser by disabling the feature.

Go to Settings > Safari .

Tap the Frequently Visited Sites toggle so that it turns from green (enabled) to white (disabled).

Repeat these steps to re-enable this functionality at any time.

Delete Frequently Visited Sites in Chrome on an iPhone

On an iPhone, Chrome displays your most-visited sites below the search bar on a new tab.

Open Chrome on your iPhone and open a new tab.

Tap and hold the icon of the site you want to remove.

Select Remove .

The site's icon is removed from your most-visited sites.

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How to Delete Frequently Visited Sites on Safari (iOS 17)

Frequently Visited sites are the websites you visit most often in the Safari browser; they appear when you open a new tab in Safari on your iPhone or iPad. Here's how to remove Frequently Visited on iPhone in the Safari app.

Why You'll Love This Tip:

• Remove Frequently Visited sites on Safari so others won't be able to easily see which sites you visit most.
• Restore Frequently Visited if your Safari Frequently Visited sites disappear and you want them back.

How to Remove Frequently Visited Sites on iPhone

System requirements:.

This tip works on iPhones running iOS 17 or later. Find out how to  update to iOS 17 .

You may want to learn how to get rid of Frequently Visited on Safari to keep your browsing habits private. Keep in mind that Frequently Visited sites in the Safari browser are not the same thing as Safari bookmarks , so any site you’ve saved as a bookmark will remain if you disable the Frequently Visited sites on your iPhone. If you want to learn how to hide Frequently Visited on Safari due to privacy concerns, download our In-Depth Privacy Guide for a more complete overview of secure browsing. Be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter for more iPhone privacy tips.

When you turn off Frequently Visited in Safari on an iPhone, the section disappears from Safari completely. Ostensibly, if you turn the feature back on, the sites should reappear, but some of us have noticed that once we turn Safari Frequently Visited tracking off, we can't turn it back on. This seems like a bug that Apple may work out later, but for right now, it makes toggling Frequently Visited sites off pretty final. So before you complete these steps, make sure you really want to delete Frequently Visited sites on your iPhone! Has the Safari app completely disappeared from your iPhone's Home Screen? Learn how to get Safari back on iPhone or iPad .

If you enjoyed this tutorial, check out some of our other top tips, including How to Share iCloud Photos with Android Phones , and  How to Screen Record with Sound on Your iPhone .

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Abbey Dufoe is a freelance writer and a web producer at a nonprofit based in Princeton, NJ. She's always itching for the newest iOS gadget (current favorite - the Apple Watch). She tweets and blogs about the earth and the Internet on Twitter at @abbeydufoe and at abbeydufoe.com .

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How to Remove "Frequently Visited" on Safari (iPhone and Mac)

Safari's "Frequently Visited" section brings convenience at the cost of your privacy. So, here's how to remove it and keep your top sites private.

Key Takeaways

• iPhone, iPad, and Mac users have a total of three ways to get rid of Safari's "Frequently Visited" section.
• Choose between hiding the entire section or deleting specific sites if you wish to keep using the feature but want to clear certain websites.
• Deleting your Safari history is a better option to ensure complete privacy and prevent others from seeing your web history and top-searched sites.

The "Frequently Visited" section on Safari's start page makes it easy to access top-searched websites quickly. However, someone who borrows your device for a moment can easily see what these sites are. So, here's how to remove "Frequently Visited" from Safari.

How to Remove Safari's Frequently Visited Section on an iPhone

First, let's look at removing the Frequently Visited section from the Safari start page. Follow the steps below to learn what you need to do:

• Launch Safari. If there's already a webpage loaded, tap the Tabs icon (two squares, overlapped) in the toolbar.
• Then, tap the Add (+) icon in the bottom-left corner to open a new tab and access the start page.
• On the start page, scroll down to the bottom and tap Edit .
• Now, toggle off Frequently Visited .

That's it. After toggling off Frequently Visited , you can also opt to toggle on Use Start Page on All Devices as an additional setting to improve your Safari experience . This will remove the Frequently Visited section from Safari across your other Apple devices, as long as you're signed in to them with the same Apple ID.

How to Get Rid of Frequently Visited Sites in Safari on an iPhone

If you want to continue using the Frequently Visited section but wish to clear one or more of the existing sites listed there, you have two options: delete a specific site or delete your Safari history.

To remove a specific site, long-press on the website icon under the Frequently Visited section and tap Delete from the context.

Deleting your Safari history is the better option if you want to ensure that people won't find out which websites you've visited. That's because removing the Frequently Visited section and deleting specific sites only hides them from view. Those sites still remain in your Safari history.

So, if someone types certain letters or keywords into the search field, the website link will naturally appear as part of your web history.

To delete your Safari history and get rid of all frequently visited sites at once, tap the Bookmark icon in the toolbar, head to the History tab (clock icon), and tap Clear > All History > Clear History .

How to Remove Safari's Frequently Visited Section on a Mac

Let's move on to the instructions for Mac. First, open Safari to view the start page. If you're already on a webpage in Safari, you can access the start page by clicking Bookmarks > Show Start Page from the menu bar.

To customize the Safari start page on your Mac , click Options (icon shows three sliders) at the bottom and uncheck Frequently Visited . This section will now disappear from the start page in Safari.

How to Get Rid of Frequently Visited Sites in Safari on a Mac

Like on an iPhone, you can choose to keep the Frequently Visited section but delete a specific site from the list. In Safari, Control -click on the website under Frequently Visited and choose Delete .

To get rid of frequently visited websites from your web history and prevent them from showing up at the top of your search suggestions, you'll need to delete your Safari history on macOS.

With the browser open, click Safari in the menu bar and choose Clear History . Click the dropdown arrow in the pop-up menu and select All History . Then, click Clear History to confirm your action.

Safari's Frequently Visited Section Doesn't Have to Compromise Your Privacy

As you can see, iPhone, iPad, and Mac users have three options if they wish to remove frequently visited sites from Safari.

If your aim is to simply remove the whole list of sites from plain view, you can hide the entire Frequently Visited section. However, if you want to continue using the feature for convenience, you can either delete specific sites or clear your Safari history completely.

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Safari has a category named Frequently Visited on its main screen just below Favorites. This has the icons for web pages you visit most frequently. It is handy as it lets you access these websites with a single tap.

However, if you want, you have the option to delete frequently visited sites from Safari on your iPhone. Additionally, you can even remove the frequently visited section from the Safari home page altogether. Let me walk you through both methods.

How to delete websites from Frequently Visited section in Safari on iPhone

If you find the Frequently Visited section helpful and just want to delete one or two sites from the list, that is possible. Here’s how:

• Tap and hold a website thumbnail you want to delete.
• Move the contextual menu up to see all the options.

This site will be immediately removed from the Frequently Visited section.

Further, if you want a more personalized Safari start page, I’d recommend our complete guide on how to customize your Start Page in Safari .

When planning a clandestine escape with your loved one or meticulously selecting the perfect gift for them, the last thing you want is for your iPhone or iPad to inadvertently divulge your plans by displaying the websites you’ve been visiting frequently. Such a slip-up could completely spoil the surprise you’ve been carefully planning. 

An easy solution to prevent this is to get rid of frequently visited sites on Safari.

How to remove Frequently Visited section in Safari on iPhone

• Launch  Safari .
• Open a new tab in Safari by tapping the  Tabs icon  at the bottom right of the screen.

• Scroll down and tap  Edit → Toggle off Frequently Visited

Now, open Safari, you won’t find the section named Frequently Visited.

Even if you delete frequently visited sites from Safari, the browser still remembers your history of visiting it. To delete this too, you can clear Safari history and website data.

Clear Safari history to get rid of frequently visited sites

• Launch  Safari  and tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen.
• Select the clock tab at the top right.

Wrapping up…

While Safari’s Frequently Visited section provides convenient access to the sites you’ve recently browsed, its prominent display may not be ideal if you’re trying to keep your online activities private, especially when others might have access to your device.

Its visibility can inadvertently reveal your browsing habits, which is not always desirable, especially when planning surprises or conducting sensitive searches.

Which option did you prefer? Did you turn the feature off, or did you decide to delete your entire Safari history? Share it below!

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How to delete frequently visited websites on your iPhone in Safari, or turn off the feature entirely

• You can delete frequently visited web pages on your iPhone in the Safari browser. 
• When you open a new tab in Safari, your frequently visited sites will appear under your favorites. 
• It's easy to delete individual sites from your frequently visited tab, or hide this section entirely. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Many of our preferences are fleeting and change from week-to-week based on what's new.

Last week, you may have been checking an eBay bid over and over again.

The week before, you might have been pulling up a weather site to monitor the chance of snow.

And next week, you could be fixated on kicking your addiction to Reddit .

Safari, however, keeps your preferences rather static. Fortunately, there is a way to wipe away frequently visited web pages that no longer serve your current interests on an iPhone .

Here's how to do it.

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Iphone 11 (from $699.99 at best buy), how to delete frequently visited web pages on an iphone.

1. Open the Safari application.

2. Tap the bottom right corner of an existing Safari page — the icon is two squares overlapping one another — and tap the "+" sign in the middle to create a new, blank Safari window.

3. Tap and hold the page you'd like to delete under "Frequently Visited."

4. On iOS 13, a preview of the page will pop up, with a window of options in the bottom left. On iOS 12 or earlier, you'll only see a black-and-white "Delete" option above the icon in Safari. Either way, tap "Delete."

You can also disable frequently visited web pages entirely by going into the Safari section of Settings and toggling off "Frequently Visited Sites." 

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• Annotate books
• Access books on other Apple devices
• Listen to audiobooks
• Set reading goals
• Organize books
• Create and edit events in Calendar
• Send invitations
• Reply to invitations
• Change how you view events
• Search for events
• Change calendar and event settings
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• Use multiple calendars
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• Camera basics
• Set up your shot
• Apply Photographic Styles
• Take Live Photos
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• Adjust the shutter volume
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• Record videos
• Record spatial videos for Apple Vision Pro
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• Change video recording settings
• Save camera settings
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• View, share, and print photos
• Use Live Text
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• See the world clock
• Set an alarm
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• Use the stopwatch
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• Add and use contact information
• Edit contacts
• Add your contact info
• Use NameDrop on iPhone to share your contact info
• Use other contact accounts
• Use Contacts from the Phone app
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• Get started with FaceTime
• Make FaceTime calls
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• Create a FaceTime link
• Take a Live Photo
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• Use other apps during a call
• Make a Group FaceTime call
• View participants in a grid
• Use SharePlay to watch, listen, and play together
• Share your screen in a FaceTime call
• Collaborate on a document in FaceTime
• Use video conferencing features
• Hand off a FaceTime call to another Apple device
• Change the FaceTime video settings
• Change the FaceTime audio settings
• Change your appearance
• Leave a call or switch to Messages
• Block unwanted callers
• Report a call as spam
• Connect external devices or servers
• Modify files, folders, and downloads
• Search for files and folders
• Organize files and folders
• Set up iCloud Drive
• Share files and folders in iCloud Drive
• Share your location
• Meet up with a friend
• Send your location via satellite
• Add or remove a friend
• Locate a friend
• Get notified when friends change their location
• Notify a friend when your location changes
• Add your iPhone
• Add your iPhone Wallet with MagSafe
• Get notified if you leave a device behind
• Locate a device
• Mark a device as lost
• Erase a device
• Remove a device
• Add an AirTag
• Share an AirTag or other item in Find My on iPhone
• Add a third-party item
• Get notified if you leave an item behind
• Locate an item
• Mark an item as lost
• Remove an item
• Adjust map settings
• Get started with Fitness
• Track daily activity and change your move goal
• See your activity summary
• Sync a third-party workout app
• Change fitness notifications
• Share your activity
• Subscribe to Apple Fitness+
• Find Apple Fitness+ workouts and meditations
• Start an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Create a Custom Plan in Apple Fitness+
• Work out together using SharePlay
• Change what’s on the screen during an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Download an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Get started with Freeform
• Create a Freeform board
• Draw or handwrite
• Apply consistent styles
• Position items on a board
• Search Freeform boards
• Share and collaborate
• Delete and recover boards
• Get started with Health
• Fill out your Health Details
• Intro to Health data
• View your health data
• Share your health data
• View health data shared by others
• Download health records
• View health records
• Monitor your walking steadiness
• Log menstrual cycle information
• View menstrual cycle predictions and history
• Track your medications
• Learn more about your medications
• Log your state of mind
• Take a mental health assessment
• Set up a schedule for a Sleep Focus
• Turn off alarms and delete sleep schedules
• Add or change sleep schedules
• Turn Sleep Focus on or off
• Change your wind down period, sleep goal, and more
• View your sleep history
• Check your headphone levels
• Use audiogram data
• Register as an organ donor
• Back up your Health data
• Intro to Home
• Upgrade to the new Home architecture
• Set up accessories
• Control accessories
• Control your home using Siri
• Use Grid Forecast to plan your energy usage
• Set up HomePod
• Control your home remotely
• Create and use scenes
• Use automations
• Set up security cameras
• Use Face Recognition
• Unlock your door with a home key
• Configure a router
• Invite others to control accessories
• Add more homes
• Get music, movies, and TV shows
• Get ringtones
• Manage purchases and settings
• Get started with Journal
• Write in your journal
• Review your past journal entries
• Change Journal settings
• Magnify nearby objects
• Change settings
• Detect people around you
• Detect doors around you
• Receive image descriptions of your surroundings
• Read aloud text and labels around you
• Set up shortcuts for Detection Mode
• Add and remove email accounts
• Set up a custom email domain
• Check your email
• Unsend email with Undo Send
• Reply to and forward emails
• Save an email draft
• Add email attachments
• Download email attachments
• Annotate email attachments
• Set email notifications
• Search for email
• Organize email in mailboxes
• Flag or block emails
• Filter emails
• Use Hide My Email
• Use Mail Privacy Protection
• Change email settings
• Delete and recover emails
• Add a Mail widget to your Home Screen
• Print emails
• Get travel directions
• Select other route options
• Find stops along your route
• View a route overview or a list of turns
• Change settings for spoken directions
• Get driving directions
• Get directions to your parked car
• Set up electric vehicle routing
• Report traffic incidents
• Get cycling directions
• Get walking directions
• Get transit directions
• Delete recent directions
• Get traffic and weather info
• Estimate travel time and ETA
• Download offline maps
• Search for places
• Find nearby attractions, restaurants, and services
• Get information about places
• Mark places
• Share places
• Rate places
• Save favorite places
• Explore new places with Guides
• Organize places in My Guides
• Delete significant locations
• Look around places
• Take Flyover tours
• Find your Maps settings
• Measure dimensions
• View and save measurements
• Measure a person’s height
• Use the level
• Set up Messages
• About iMessage
• Send and reply to messages
• Unsend and edit messages
• Keep track of messages
• Forward and share messages
• Group conversations
• Watch, listen, or play together using SharePlay
• Collaborate on projects
• Use iMessage apps
• Take and edit photos or videos
• Share photos, links, and more
• Send stickers
• Request, send, and receive payments
• Send and receive audio messages
• Animate messages
• Change notifications
• Block, filter, and report messages
• Delete messages and attachments
• Recover deleted messages
• View albums, playlists, and more
• Show song credits and lyrics
• Queue up your music
• Listen to broadcast radio
• Subscribe to Apple Music
• Play music together in the car with iPhone
• Listen to lossless music
• Listen to Dolby Atmos music
• Apple Music Sing
• Find new music
• Add music and listen offline
• Get personalized recommendations
• Listen to radio
• Search for music
• Create playlists
• See what your friends are listening to
• Use Siri to play music
• Change the way music sounds
• Get started with News
• Use News widgets
• See news stories chosen just for you
• Read stories
• Follow your favorite teams with My Sports
• Listen to Apple News Today
• Subscribe to Apple News+
• Browse and read Apple News+ stories and issues
• Download Apple News+ issues
• Listen to audio stories
• Solve crossword puzzles
• Search for news stories
• Save stories in News for later
• Subscribe to individual news channels
• Get started with Notes
• Add or remove accounts
• Create and format notes
• Draw or write
• Add photos, videos, and more
• Scan text and documents
• Work with PDFs
• Create Quick Notes
• Search notes
• Organize in folders
• Organize with tags
• Use Smart Folders
• Export or print notes
• Change Notes settings
• Make a call
• Answer or decline incoming calls
• While on a call
• Set up voicemail
• Check voicemail
• Change voicemail greeting and settings
• Select ringtones and vibrations
• Make calls using Wi-Fi
• Set up call forwarding and call waiting
• Avoid unwanted calls
• View photos and videos
• Play videos and slideshows
• Delete or hide photos and videos
• Edit photos and videos
• Trim video length and adjust slow motion
• Edit Cinematic mode videos
• Edit Live Photos
• Edit portraits
• Use photo albums
• Edit, share, and organize albums
• Filter and sort photos and videos in albums
• Make stickers from your photos
• Duplicate and copy photos and videos
• Merge duplicate photos and videos
• Search for photos
• Identify people and pets
• Browse photos by location
• Share photos and videos
• Share long videos
• View photos and videos shared with you
• Watch memories
• Personalize your memories
• Manage memories and featured photos
• Use iCloud Photos
• Create shared albums
• Add and remove people in a shared album
• Add and delete photos and videos in a shared album
• Set up or join an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Add content to an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Use iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Import and export photos and videos
• Print photos
• Find podcasts
• Listen to podcasts
• Follow your favorite podcasts
• Use the Podcasts widget
• Organize your podcast library
• Download, save, or share podcasts
• Subscribe to podcasts
• Listen to subscriber-only content
• Change download settings
• Make a grocery list
• Add items to a list
• Edit and manage a list
• Search and organize lists
• Work with templates
• Use Smart Lists
• Print reminders
• Use the Reminders widget
• Change Reminders settings
• Browse the web
• Search for websites
• Customize your Safari settings
• Change the layout
• Use Safari profiles
• Open and close tabs
• Organize your tabs
• View your Safari tabs from another Apple device
• Share Tab Groups
• Use Siri to listen to a webpage
• Bookmark favorite webpages
• Save pages to a Reading List
• Find links shared with you
• Annotate and save a webpage as a PDF
• Automatically fill in forms
• Get extensions
• Hide ads and distractions
• Clear your cache
• Browse the web privately
• Use passkeys in Safari
• Check stocks
• Manage multiple watchlists
• Read business news
• Add earnings reports to your calendar
• Use a Stocks widget
• Translate text, voice, and conversations
• Translate text in apps
• Translate with the camera view
• Subscribe to Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, or an Apple TV channel
• Add your TV provider
• Get shows, movies, and more
• Watch sports
• Watch Major League Soccer with MLS Season Pass
• Control playback
• Manage your library
• Change the settings
• Make a recording
• Play it back
• Edit or delete a recording
• Keep recordings up to date
• Organize recordings
• Search for or rename a recording
• Share a recording
• Duplicate a recording
• Keep cards and passes in Wallet
• Set up Apple Pay
• Use Apple Pay for contactless payments
• Use Apple Pay in apps and on the web
• Track your orders
• Use Apple Cash
• Use Apple Card
• Use Savings
• Pay for transit
• Access your home, hotel room, and vehicle
• Add identity cards
• Use COVID-19 vaccination cards
• Check your Apple Account balance
• Use Express Mode
• Organize your Wallet
• Remove cards or passes
• Check the weather
• Check the weather in other locations
• View weather maps
• Manage weather notifications
• Use Weather widgets
• Learn the weather icons
• Find out what Siri can do
• Tell Siri about yourself
• Have Siri announce calls and notifications
• Add Siri Shortcuts
• About Siri Suggestions
• Use Siri in your car
• Change Siri settings
• Contact emergency services
• Use Emergency SOS via satellite
• Request Roadside Assistance via satellite
• Set up and view your Medical ID
• Use Check In
• Manage Crash Detection
• Reset privacy and security settings in an emergency
• Set up Family Sharing
• Add Family Sharing members
• Remove Family Sharing members
• Share subscriptions
• Share purchases
• Share locations with family and locate lost devices
• Set up Apple Cash Family and Apple Card Family
• Set up parental controls
• Set up a child’s device
• Get started with Screen Time
• Protect your vision health with Screen Distance
• Set up Screen Time
• Set communication and safety limits and block inappropriate content
• Charging cable
• Power adapters
• MagSafe chargers and battery packs
• MagSafe cases and sleeves
• Qi-certified wireless chargers
• Use AirPods
• Use EarPods
• Apple Watch
• Wirelessly stream videos and photos to Apple TV or a smart TV
• Connect to a display with a cable
• HomePod and other wireless speakers
• Pair Magic Keyboard
• Enter characters with diacritical marks
• Switch between keyboards
• Use shortcuts
• Choose an alternative keyboard layout
• Change typing assistance options
• External storage devices
• Bluetooth accessories
• Share your internet connection
• Allow phone calls on your iPad and Mac
• Use iPhone as a webcam
• Hand off tasks between devices
• Cut, copy, and paste between iPhone and other devices
• Stream video or mirror the screen of your iPhone
• Start SharePlay instantly
• Use AirDrop to send items
• Connect iPhone and your computer with a cable
• Transfer files between devices
• Transfer files with email, messages, or AirDrop
• Transfer files or sync content with the Finder or iTunes
• Automatically keep files up to date with iCloud
• Use an external storage device, a file server, or a cloud storage service
• Intro to CarPlay
• Connect to CarPlay
• Use your vehicle’s built-in controls
• Get turn-by-turn directions
• Change the map view
• Make phone calls
• View your calendar
• Send and receive text messages
• Announce incoming text messages
• Play podcasts
• Play audiobooks
• Listen to news stories
• Control your home
• Use other apps with CarPlay
• Rearrange icons on CarPlay Home
• Change settings in CarPlay
• Get started with accessibility features
• Turn on accessibility features for setup
• Change Siri accessibility settings
• Open features with Accessibility Shortcut
• Change color and brightness
• Make text easier to read
• Reduce onscreen motion
• Customize per-app visual settings
• Hear what’s on the screen or typed
• Hear audio descriptions
• Turn on and practice VoiceOver
• Change your VoiceOver settings
• Use VoiceOver gestures
• Operate iPhone when VoiceOver is on
• Control VoiceOver using the rotor
• Use the onscreen keyboard
• Write with your finger
• Use VoiceOver with an Apple external keyboard
• Use a braille display
• Type braille on the screen
• Customize gestures and keyboard shortcuts
• Use VoiceOver with a pointer device
• Use VoiceOver for images and videos
• Use VoiceOver in apps
• Use AssistiveTouch
• Adjust how iPhone responds to your touch
• Use Reachability
• Auto-answer calls
• Turn off vibration
• Change Face ID and attention settings
• Use Voice Control
• Adjust the side or Home button
• Use Apple TV Remote buttons
• Adjust pointer settings
• Adjust keyboard settings
• Adjust AirPods settings
• Turn on Apple Watch Mirroring
• Control a nearby Apple device
• Intro to Switch Control
• Set up and turn on Switch Control
• Select items, perform actions, and more
• Control several devices with one switch
• Use hearing devices
• Use Live Listen
• Use sound recognition
• Set up and use RTT and TTY
• Flash the LED for alerts
• Adjust audio settings
• Play background sounds
• Display subtitles and captions
• Show transcriptions for Intercom messages
• Get Live Captions (beta)
• Type to speak
• Record a Personal Voice
• Use Guided Access
• Use built-in privacy and security protections
• Set a passcode
• Set up Face ID
• Set up Touch ID
• Control access to information on the Lock Screen
• Keep your Apple ID secure
• Use passkeys to sign in to apps and websites
• Sign in with Apple
• Share passwords
• Automatically fill in strong passwords
• Change weak or compromised passwords
• View your passwords and related information
• Share passkeys and passwords securely with AirDrop
• Make your passkeys and passwords available on all your devices
• Automatically fill in verification codes
• Automatically fill in SMS passcodes
• Sign in with fewer CAPTCHA challenges
• Use two-factor authentication
• Use security keys
• Manage information sharing with Safety Check
• Control app tracking permissions
• Control the location information you share
• Control access to information in apps
• Control how Apple delivers advertising to you
• Control access to hardware features
• Create and manage Hide My Email addresses
• Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay
• Use a private network address
• Use Advanced Data Protection
• Use Lockdown Mode
• Use Stolen Device Protection
• Receive warnings about sensitive content
• Use Contact Key Verification
• Turn iPhone on or off
• Force restart iPhone
• Back up iPhone
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• Restore all content from a backup
• Restore purchased and deleted items
• Sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone
• Erase iPhone
• Install or remove configuration profiles
• Important safety information
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• Find more resources for software and service
• FCC compliance statement
• ISED Canada compliance statement
• Ultra Wideband information
• Class 1 Laser information
• Apple and the environment
• Disposal and recycling information
• Unauthorized modification of iOS

Customize your Safari settings on iPhone

Customize your start page

When you open a new tab, you begin on your start page. You can customize your start page with new background images and options.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, then tap Edit.

Choose the options you want to appear on your start page:

Favorites: Display shortcuts to your favorite bookmarked websites. See Bookmark a favorite website .

Frequently Visited: Go straight to the websites you visit most.

Shared with You: See links shared with you in Messages, Mail, and more. See Find links shared with you .

Privacy Report: Stay updated on how many trackers and websites Safari blocked from tracking you. See View the Privacy Report .

Siri Suggestions: As you search, allow websites shared in Calendar and other apps to appear.

Reading List: Show webpages currently in your Reading List. See Add the current webpage to your Reading List .

Recently Closed Tabs: Go back to tabs you previously closed.

iCloud Tabs: Show open tabs from other Apple devices where you’re signed in with the same Apple ID and Safari is turned on in iCloud settings or preferences. See Organize your tabs with Tab Groups .

Note: Your custom start page settings are updated on all your Apple devices where you have Use Start Page on All Devices turned on, and you’re signed in with the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication .

Change the text size for a website on Safari

Use the Page Settings button to increase or decrease the text size.

Tap the large A to increase the font size or the small A to decrease it.

Change the display controls for a website on Safari

You can hide the search field, switch to Reader, and more.

Hide the search field: Tap Hide Toolbar (tap the bottom of the screen to get it back).

See a streamlined view of the webpage: Tap Show Reader (if available).

To return to the normal view, tap Hide Reader.

See what the webpage looks like on a desktop computer: Tap Request Desktop Website (if available).

You can also adjust Safari settings in Accessibility settings. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Per-App Settings. Tap Add App, choose Safari, then tap Safari to adjust the settings.

Choose where to save downloads

When you download a file in Safari, you can choose whether to save it to iCloud or on your iPhone.

iCloud Drive: Select this option to save downloads to the Downloads folder in iCloud Drive. This allows you to access the downloaded file on any iPhone, iPad, or Mac where you’re signed in with the same Apple ID .

On My iPhone: Select this option to save downloads to the Downloads folder on your iPhone.

Share website passwords with a group

You can create a group of trusted contacts and share a set of passwords. Passwords stay up to date for everyone in the group, and you can remove someone at any time.

See Create shared password groups .

Adjust privacy settings for Safari

You can choose what privacy settings you want across Safari, and create individual exceptions for websites. See Browse privately .

Can I Get Rid of Frequently Visited in Safari on iPhone?

Removing the frequently visited sites in Safari on your iPhone is pretty straightforward. In a few taps, you can clear those sites and have a fresh slate for your browsing session. Just head into Safari’s settings and you can say goodbye to that list in no time.

After completing this action, the frequently visited sites section will no longer appear when you open a new tab in Safari. This can help keep your browsing more private and prevent others from seeing which sites you visit often.

You can also check out this video about how to remove frequently visited from Safari on iPhone for more information.

Introduction

In the age where our digital footprint is as significant as our physical one, maintaining privacy online is crucial. For iPhone users, Safari is the window to the web, and by default, it keeps track of the websites you visit most often. You’ve seen them, those little icons that pop up every time you tap the address bar, showing you your most frequented sites. Handy, right? But what if you don’t want Safari keeping tabs on your tabs?

Let’s face it, sometimes we visit websites that we don’t want others to know about – gift shopping, planning a surprise party, or maybe those late-night rabbit hole research sessions. The ‘Frequently Visited’ section in Safari can quickly become a tell-tale heart, thumping loudly with the secrets of your browsing history. Plus, let’s not overlook the curious little ones or friends who might grab your phone only to find out about your secret addiction to that one guilty pleasure site.

The significance of knowing how to clear this section goes beyond simple privacy concerns; it also touches on the essence of controlling your digital experience. This information is particularly relevant to anyone who uses Safari on their iPhone and values their privacy or simply likes to keep their digital spaces tidy.

Related: How to Bookmark on iPhone 14

Step by Step Tutorial

This tutorial will guide you through the process of removing the frequently visited sites in Safari on your iPhone, which will help in keeping your browsing habits private.

Step 1: Open Safari, then create a new tab

Launch the browser, and then touch the Tabs button, followed by the + sign.

You will find a handful of Safari settings on this page,, including the one that is the focus of this article. It’s where you can tailor Safari to your privacy preferences and browsing needs.

Step 2: Scroll to the Edit option

Scroll to the bottom of this menu and tap the Edit button.

This option controls whether Safari displays your most visited sites when you open a new tab or tap the address bar.

Step 3: Disable ‘Frequently Visited Sites’

Switch off the ‘Frequently Visited Sites’ toggle to disable the feature.

By turning off this option, Safari will no longer track or display the sites you visit most often. It’s an instant privacy boost with just one tap.

There are several benefits to managing the frequently visited sites feature in Safari on your iPhone.

Privacy Enhancement

By disabling the frequently visited sites, you maintain better privacy over your browsing habits.

When you disable this feature, you take a step towards protecting your privacy. It ensures that anyone who may use your iPhone won’t be able to see your browsing habits at a glance.

Clean Browsing Experience

A clutter-free Safari start page awaits you without the frequently visited sites.

With the frequently visited sites gone, your Safari start page looks cleaner and more organized. It’s like having a clean desk – less visual clutter leads to a clearer mind.

Customization of Browsing Space

You gain control over your browsing space and how Safari operates.

Customization is all about making your browser work for you. If you prefer not to have Safari suggesting sites to visit, disabling this feature gives you a more neutral browsing environment.

There are also some drawbacks to consider when you disable the frequently visited sites in Safari.

Loss of Quick Access

You lose the convenience of having your go-to sites just one tap away.

For many, the frequently visited sites feature is a shortcut to their favorite corners of the web. Disabling it means you’ll have to manually type in these addresses or find them in your bookmarks.

Reduced Personalization

Your browsing experience becomes less personalized.

Safari’s frequently visited sites are a part of its effort to create a tailored browsing experience for you. When you disable this feature, you opt out of this personalization.

Forgetting Sites

You might forget about interesting sites you don’t visit regularly.

The frequently visited section can serve as a reminder for sites you don’t visit often but still enjoy. Without it, you might find it harder to remember these occasional haunts.

Video About Frequently Visited

Additional Information

When you tweak your browser settings, it’s like setting up your own digital room. You want it to be just right: comfortable, personal, and private. Managing the frequently visited sites in Safari is just one of the many ways to ensure that your digital room feels secure and tailored to your preferences.

Remember, though, that disabling the frequently visited sites doesn’t clear your browsing history. If complete privacy is your goal, you might want to delve a bit deeper into Safari’s settings. You can clear your history and website data, use private browsing mode, or explore content blockers. Each option serves a different privacy function, and together, they provide a comprehensive approach to keeping your online activities to yourself.

Also, consider this: your browsing habits shape the internet’s understanding of you. Websites and advertisers love to track what you do online to tailor ads and content to your tastes. By managing your frequently visited sites and other privacy settings, you’re also managing the data trail you leave behind. It’s like telling the internet, “Hey, my eyes are up here,” maintaining focus on what you choose to share, not what algorithms infer about you.

• Open Safari Settings
• Scroll to ‘Frequently Visited Sites’ option
• Disable ‘Frequently Visited Sites’

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling the ‘frequently visited sites’ feature delete my browsing history.

No, it does not delete your browsing history. To do that, you need to clear your history and website data in Safari settings.

Will turning off ‘Frequently Visited Sites’ impact my bookmarks?

No, your bookmarks will remain untouched. This action only affects the frequently visited sites functionality.

Can I enable the ‘Frequently Visited Sites’ feature again after disabling it?

Absolutely, you can re-enable the feature at any time by returning to the Safari settings and toggling it back on.

Is there a way to remove individual sites from the ‘Frequently Visited’ section without turning off the entire feature?

Yes, you can remove individual sites by pressing and holding the icon on the new tab page and then tapping the delete option.

Does using private browsing mode prevent sites from appearing in the ‘Frequently Visited’ section?

Yes, any browsing done in private mode will not be included in the frequently visited sites.

Managing the ‘Frequently Visited’ sites on your iPhone’s Safari browser is more than just a housekeeping task; it’s a step towards a more private and controlled digital experience. Whether you’re looking to hide your browsing habits from prying eyes or you simply prefer a minimalist start page, understanding how to disable this feature is essential. However, it’s important to remember that this is just one facet of digital privacy. To fully protect your online presence, consider diving deeper into Safari’s privacy features and combine them with general safe browsing practices. Happy browsing, and may your digital journey be both fulfilling and private!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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How-To Geek

How to hide frequently visited sites and top sites in safari.

The Safari web browser likes showing the websites you frequently visit when you open it.

Quick Links

Disable frequently visited sites on an iphone or ipad, disable top sites on a mac.

The Safari web browser likes showing the websites you frequently visit when you open it. On an iPhone or iPad, it shows "frequently visited sites." On a Mac, it shows your "top sites." You can disable this to prevent your browser from advertising the websites you frequently visit.

This feature is customizable. You're free to remove any websites you don't want appearing here and continue using it. On iOS, you can disable it entirely. On a Mac, you can tweak it to prevent your personal information from appearing.

As of iOS 9, it's now possible to disable the "Frequently Visited Sites" feature, preventing any frequently visited sites from appearing on the new tab page in Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Only icons for your favorites will appear on Safari's new tab page.

To do this, open the Settings app, select the "Safari" category, and disable the "Frequently Visited Sites" option under the General options.

To instead just remove one or more frequently visited websites while leaving the feature enabled, open Safari's new tab page and look at the icons for your frequently visited sites. Long-press an icon and tap Delete to remove it. Safari won't show it on this page anymore, no matter how much you visit it.

The Safari web browser on Mac OS X has a similar feature. It will open to a "Top Sites" view with thumbnail previews of the websites you frequently visit when you launch Safari or open a new tab.

There's no actual way to completely hide the top sites from the interface on a Mac as there is on iOS. However, you can prevent them from appearing unless someone seeks them out, or tweak your top sites so that a specific list of websites always appears there.

The simplest option is simply clicking the star icon at the top-right of the favorites page screen. Safari will always open showing your favorite websites, and won't show top sites unless someone clicks that option. The favorites page will always contain an icon that takes you to the top sites. If you're just worried about someone seeing your top sites from over your shoulder, this will work fine.

You could also click the Safari menu and select Preferences. For "New windows open with" and "New tabs open with", select an option other than favorites -- for example, your home page or a blank page. Someone will have to click History > Show top sites to access the favorites page, and then click the top sites icon on the favorites page to access them.

Safari's top sites page is always a 4x3 grid of 12 thumbnails. You can add websites to it, remove websites from it, and lock websites in place. Lock twelve thumbnails in place and no other websites will automatically appear here.

To manually add a website to your top sites list, visit it, click the share button on Safari's toolbar, select "Add bookmarks," and tell Safari to add the page to "Top sites."

You can then visit the top sites view. Hover your mouse cursor over a top site and click the pin icon to lock the top site in place. If a website you don't want to see appears there, click the x button instead to remove it from the page.

By removing top sites you don't want to see, adding ones you do want to see, and then locking every single one in place, you can customize your list of top sites and prevent other websites from appearing here. Someone would have to start removing top sites to see other ones -- and, if that's a problem you're worried about, you should just be clearing your Safari browser history.

Many web browsers have features like this one. Ultimately, if you're worried about people seeing the websites you're visiting, you should be clearing your web browser's history and private data regularly. But you may just want to hide those sites a little bit, preventing people from seeing the websites you visit every time you open a new tab in your browser or just getting those frequently visited sites out of your way so you can focus on your favorite websites -- the websites you actually want to see every time you open your browser's new tab page.

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How to Delete Frequently Visited Sites From Safari's Start Page in iOS

Your Frequently Visited sites appear immediately below your Favorite sites. If there's a site showing up in Frequently Visited that you'd like to delete, no problem. Simply touch and hold the site in question to reveal the start page's preview mode and contextual menu.

If you don't want any Frequently Visited sites to appear on Safari's start page at all, you can turn them off completely. Here's how.

• Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
• Scroll down and tap Safari .
• Under the General section, tap the switch next to Frequently Visited Sites to turn it off.

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How to remove and delete frequently visited on Safari iPhone

Published on December 14, 2023

Safari is a popular web browser for iPhone users with many useful features (including a dark mode), and like most browsers, it keeps track of your frequently visited sites. This can be useful if you want to quickly access your favorite pages, but it can also be annoying if you want to keep your browsing history private.

In this article, we will show you how to delete frequently visited sites on the Safari browser in a few simple steps. You will also learn how to remove this section altogether if you prefer.

QUICK ANSWER

You can remove the Frequently Visited section entirely from your Safari homepage by tapping Edit and turning the Frequently Visited toggle off. Alternatively, you can also remove individual sites from the section by tapping and holding them, then tapping Delete . You can also delete all sites from the section by clearing your browsing history.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

How to remove the frequently visited section from the iPhone Safari start page

How to delete frequently visited sites from the iphone safari app.

The Safari web browser has many features to help make your browsing experience more comfortable. One of them is the Frequently Visited section on the default homepage. But you may not like having your frequent websites displayed like that because of privacy concerns. Follow the steps below to remove the Frequently Deleted section from the Safari home page:

• Open the Safari app on your iPhone.
• Tap Edit , and turn the Frequently Visited toggle off.

This will ensure the next time you open Safari, your frequently visited websites will not be displayed on the homepage. This is a great option for people who don’t like their most visited websites displayed on the homepage, where it is exposed for everyone to see.

There are different ways to delete frequently visited sites from the iPhone Safari app, depending on whether you want to remove individual sites or clear your browsing history altogether. Follow the steps below to remove individual sites from the homepage:

• Under the Frequently Visited section, tap and hold the thumbnail of the website you want to delete.
• Tap Delete . Repeat the steps for each website you want to remove.

Another way you can get rid of all frequently deleted sites in one go is by clearing your browsing history. Follow the steps below to learn how to do so:

• Tap the Bookmarks icon (it is an open book) on the bar at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap the History icon (it is a clock), then tap Clear .
• Now, you can choose the timeframe for which you want to clear your browsing history. Options include Last hour, Today, Today and yesterday, and All history .
• After selecting the timeframe, tap Clear History .

The browsing history for the selected timeframe will be cleared. To completely erase all data for frequently visited sites, we recommend selecting All history as the timeframe.

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How to Turn on Frequently Visited Sites on an iPhone

Last Updated: May 15, 2018

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 23,168 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to make websites you visit often appear under Safari's search bar while typing.

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How to Delete a Frequently Visited Site on iPhone 15: Easy Steps

Deleting a frequently visited site on an iPhone 15 is a simple process that requires just a few taps. Go to Safari, tap the bookmarks icon, tap on the ‘Frequently Visited’ section, press and hold the site you want to delete, and tap ‘Delete.’ And voila, the site is gone from your frequently visited list!

Step by Step Tutorial: How to Delete a Frequently Visited Site on an iPhone 15

Before we dive into the step-by-step guide, it’s important to understand that the following steps will help you remove a website that appears in the ‘Frequently Visited’ section when you open a new tab in Safari. This will not delete any history or data from the website itself, it just removes it from the quick access view.

Step 1: Open Safari

Open the Safari app on your iPhone 15. Safari is the default web browser on iPhones, and it’s where your frequently visited sites are stored. Ensure you’re on the start page, which shows up when you open a new tab.

Step 2: Access Bookmarks

Tap the bookmarks icon at the bottom of the screen. The bookmarks icon looks like an open book. Tapping it will bring you to your Safari bookmarks, history, and frequently visited sites.

Step 3: Go to the ‘Frequently Visited’ section

Find the ‘Frequently Visited’ section within your bookmarks. This section is usually found right under your bookmarks or history. It contains thumbnails of websites you visit often.

Step 4: Choose the site to be deleted

Press and hold the site’s icon you wish to delete. Pressing and holding will bring up a menu with a few options. Make sure to press on the icon gently – if you press too hard, you might activate the 3D Touch feature instead.

Step 5: Delete the site

Tap ‘Delete’ to remove the site from your ‘Frequently Visited’ list. Once you tap ‘Delete’, the site will immediately be removed from the list, and you won’t see it in the ‘Frequently Visited’ section anymore.

After completing these steps, the site you selected should no longer appear in your ‘Frequently Visited’ section. If you change your mind or delete a site by accident, you’ll need to visit that site multiple times again for it to reappear in the list.

Tips: How to Manage Frequently Visited Sites on an iPhone 15

• Keep in mind that frequently visited sites are populated based on your browsing habits, so the more you visit a site, the more likely it is to show up.
• If you want to keep a clean and curated list of frequently visited sites, consider bookmarking your favorite pages and organizing them in folders instead.
• Deleting a site from your ‘Frequently Visited’ doesn’t clear your browsing history. You’ll need to do that separately if you want to remove all traces of your visit.
• If you’re concerned about privacy, consider using Private Browsing mode in Safari which doesn’t track your browsing history.
• To prevent sites from appearing in ‘Frequently Visited’ at all, you can disable the feature in Safari settings under the ‘General’ section.

Frequently Asked Questions: Deleting Frequently Visited Sites

What happens if i delete a site from my frequently visited list.

Once you delete a site from your frequently visited list, it will no longer appear as a shortcut when you open a new tab or window in Safari.

Can I undo the deletion of a frequently visited site?

There’s no direct way to undo the deletion, but the site may reappear if you continue visiting it frequently.

Will deleting a frequently visited site also clear my browsing history?

No, deleting a frequently visited site will not clear your browsing history. You’ll need to do that separately.

Can I prevent sites from appearing in my frequently visited list?

Yes, you can disable the ‘Frequently Visited’ feature in Safari’s settings under the ‘General’ section.

Is there a limit to the number of sites that can appear in the ‘Frequently Visited’ section?

Yes, there is a limit, and it varies based on the device and screen size. Once the limit is reached, older sites will be replaced by new ones based on your browsing habits.

• Open Safari.
• Tap the bookmarks icon.
• Navigate to the ‘Frequently Visited’ section.
• Press and hold the site’s icon you want to delete.
• Tap ‘Delete’ to remove the site.

In conclusion, managing your frequently visited sites on an iPhone 15 is quick and straightforward. Whether you want to declutter your Safari start page or keep certain sites private, following the steps above will help you achieve that. Remember, this won’t clear your browsing history, so take additional steps if you need more privacy. As our browsing habits evolve, so do the features on our devices, making it ever more important to stay informed about how to manage our digital footprint. So, go ahead and tidy up your Safari browser—it might just lead to a more efficient and focused browsing experience. Keep exploring, keep learning, and make your iPhone 15 work for you in the best way possible.

Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.

His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.

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Safari frequently visited sites missing and open tabs not syncing

I have a Mac, iPad, and iPhone and I have two issues with Safari 15 across my devices

On my iPad, the frequently visited sites disappeared sometime after the iOS 15 upgrade. Settings show they are supposed to be visible and toggling Frequently Visited off and back on makes no difference. My iPhone doesn't have this issue.

Also on my iPad and iPhone, they show tabs supposedly open on my Mac that haven't been open in months. If I close the tabs from the iPad or iPhone, they just re-appear the next time I use it so I have no way to get rid of them. This issue is obviously on the Mac end, it's not syncing to iCloud correctly. I have tried turning Safari syncing to iCloud off and back on but there's no change.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.6

Posted on Oct 5, 2021 6:51 AM

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• Safari tabs not working I am using a MacBook Pro (running Monterey 12.4), an iPhone 13 running iOS 15.5 and an iPad Pro running iOS 15.5. All are logged into the same iCloud account, all have Safari checked in the iCloud settings and all are on the same Wi-Fi network but I cannot see any Safari tabs other than the ones on each individual device. I’ve had this problem for a couple of years and Apple Support don’t seem to have an answer. Most of the responses here just direct me to articles explaining the benefits of Safari tabs or telling me I need to switch Safari on, make sure I’m in the same iCloud account etc but I have tried all that. I did find one article that suggested I get the Debug menu in Safari and click ‘Sync iCloud history’ but this didn’t help either. is there anything else that anyone has tried that might fix this? Thx thx 6050 4
• Missing open Safari MacBook Pro tabs on iPhone & iPad (iCloud w/ Safari enabled) I have a MacBook Pro, iPhone, and iPad. All are running the latest non-beta OS software. I have iCloud enabled on all devices with Safari sync enabled under iCloud. For whatever reason I can see all open Safari tabs on all my devices from my MacBook Pro, but my iPhone and iPad refuse to display my open MacBook Pro Safari tabs. Both my iPhone and iPad can see each other's open Safari tabs. What's odd is that if I add/delete a bookmark from any of the three devices that bookmark is successfully synced across all three devices! Any idea what might be culprit? I've tried disabling/reenabling Safari sync in iCloud on all devices. 340 9
• Mac Safari Tabs That Can't Be Deleted From iPhone Safari Hello there, Safari tabs that were once open on a Macbook still appear on iPhone Safari even after months. It reappears even though I delete these tabs. I signed out of iCloud on the phone but it didn't work. I turned Safari off and on via iCloud but it didn't work. I didn't clear all the cache in Settings > Safari but it didn't work. I cannot delete these old Mac tabs from iPhone Safari no matter what I did. Please suggest a definitive and permanent solution. I hate this situation because I don't want to see dozens of old and closed Safari tabs when I open Safari on iPhone. 4605 7

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Apr 9, 2022 4:09 AM in response to rkristof

Apples software is getting really flaky the last few years, and the latest round of yearly modifications without reason or real need is plain inacceptable.

I’ve decided to buy an Android tablet with USB-C (3.x) to replace my iPad Pro within the next few months. iPad mini 2021 looked good, but… then came iOS15. On top of that, the USB support is lacking. Why pay for parking in problem space?

The newest iPad models are all too restricted on the USB front compared to Android (now on 12), and since I have given up using most - ahem - “pro-apps” on ipadOS, I only need mail (apple’s mail, calendar and contacts are becoming more and more problematic, if you do not use iCloud), a browser that doesn’t need emergency updates that not really solve the actual use problems (Firefox is looking really good now, and it doesn’t get Apples silly “marketing-modifications” each year) and fast read/write speeds to external SSD’s (even my several year old Samsung Galaxy Note10+ is faster than nearly any Apple tablet on read (pro - ahem - or not ;-), and in all cases on write to SSD).

Microsoft office apps work well, so why get locked into Apple only Apps (like Pages) for day to day use. Microsoft works on all my platforms. Apple does not. And the next iOS/ipadOS update may introduce yet another set of problems in daily use.

I no longer want to pay for the yearly hazzle on Apple gear.

Currently the upgrade from my iPhone 12 Pro will probably not be an iPhone 14, but a good, flexible Android (12 or 13) based smartphone. My near monthly security upgrades on Android from 10 onward have been hazzle free, compared to Apples yearly horrors.

Choosing is surprisingly easy, this time around.

Oct 26, 2021 2:20 AM in response to Michael Loader

This issue has been reported from so many users. (6 posts only in a few days)

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253222110

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253292709

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253289835

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253283431

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253285661

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253282235

I also reported to Apple support twice, but they always say "We recognize this issue, but no progress in investigation"...

Oct 18, 2021 7:59 PM in response to heshie1

I found another iCloud sync issue and I hoped that fixing it would fix this issue, too, but no such luck. I discovered that my Mac wasn't syncing some files to iCloud - the downloads directory was out of sync. I had to turn iCloud sync off on my Mac and then back on (and I backed everything up first to be safe). It appears to have fixed that problem but it had no impact on the Safari setting sync issues. However, based on the dates of the files that hadn't synced I believe both problems started at the same time.

Oct 19, 2021 10:52 AM in response to sunnysunw

My iCloud Drive sync issue is resolved but it doesn't appear related to the Safari iCloud tabs and frequently visited sites issues.

I contacted Apple for support on both issues. The iCloud Drive issue appeared to be caused by a 2.5GB file that hadn't synced properly. I deleted the file, restarted in safe mode, turned iCloud Drive off again and this time deleted all local files from my Mac, turned it back on, and allowed the files to resync. But this had no impact on the other issue.

I spoke with second-level support and he reviewed my devices and confirmed the issue. He gathered up all the log files and took screenshots for the engineers to review. I added that others had reported the problem online, too.

Oct 26, 2021 7:57 AM in response to segawm

A couple of those threads may be different issues, but Apple is actively working on this issue. They phoned me again yesterday and we spent another hour debugging to capture more log files for the engineers.

Oct 26, 2021 9:45 AM in response to Michael Loader

Same here, since iOS 15 my 4 gen iPad doesn’t show those sites on start page. However my older iPad Air 2 works. Another annoying “improvement” in Safari, side bar with bookmarks, reading list, history, one extra tap now added why!!!!

And I could go with iPhone “features”……..

As an old saying goes, ain’t broken don’t fix it stupid.

Nov 2, 2021 2:03 PM in response to Reason2Smile

No. The engineers thought they had it fixed but it's still broken. I got a new Mac yesterday and we wanted to wait and see what happened and it has the same problem as the old Mac, so either corrupted data was transferred or it's corrupted in iCloud. The ticket is still open.

Nov 14, 2021 3:40 AM in response to Michael Loader

Add me in on this issue. Have been using my new iPhone 13 Pro Max for almost two months now and Frequently Visited section in Safari should've been populated by now, especially since I regularly visit webpages that aren't listed in my Bookmarks. Safari on Mac however shows the Frequently Visited section just fine.

Nov 28, 2021 7:50 AM in response to zsolt147

Well, they keep adding “features” to justify selling more new hardware (at least they offer trade-in, otherwise old not working anymore junk gets dumped). However not much really worth having it terms of those “features”. Usually more annoying than helpful. For instance “tab groups” showing up when you access Safari app. They are fine if you need many tabs accessible, but you should be able to hide this feature. If you have few tabs open it shows current group page and new group “start page”, which isn’t really needed, because you could simply start new group if you wanted.

My peeve is my alarm system app that with latest iOS 15.1 has trouble to arm my home alarm. It churns away and eventually times out. I can check the status of it, but can’t operate it anymore with the app. In hour house we got two different iPhones SE and 13 pro, apps on both have the same problem. So, I have to do things manually. My alarm company is looking into it.

Dec 20, 2021 1:06 PM in response to srzuch

Well, they went through couple of iOS updates and except useless and annoying icons at the bottom at Safari page nothing made it better.

Made in China hardware, perhaps made in China software updates?

Jan 7, 2022 8:22 PM in response to Michael Loader

Absolutely same crap here. Happened on all my devices. Fixed on Macs (don’t know how) but nothing helps iPhone. Reset cache and turned this feature on/off many times. I see tabs from other devices but not frequently visited sites

Feb 2, 2022 5:02 PM in response to Scotts_Tots

Bug's still there.

No frequently visited sites.

Old "zombie" tab from Mac iCloud Tabs keeps showing on iPhone. Clearing data, deleting Safari folder, logging out, closing this tab multiple times doesn't help. Renaming devices doesn't help. Safe mode didn't help.

Mac's "iCloud tabs" also is out of sync. Checkmark on toolbar "show iCloud tabs" often disappears and reappears only after rebooting.

The problems only started with iOS 15.

Mar 3, 2022 6:53 AM in response to Michael Loader

Same issue. As a workaround, I added my most used sites to my Reading List, and moved the Reading List to the top of the new tab page. That way when I click in the address bar I can at least access those sites quickly.

Mar 6, 2022 5:54 AM in response to Michael Loader

I’ve been struggling with this issue for months and around the same time I started receiving “content not authorized” for about 70% of the songs in my Music library that I try to play on my phone.

Could it be a similar cloud issue or something tied to the permissions of my account? I feel I’m desperately trying to tie together all of my current Apple flaws in hopes of finding a common denominator since Apple Support is simply not equipped to help.

I’ve called a few times over the past few months but can no longer suffer through the shockingly inexperienced first-tier support and the aggressively condescending upper-tier support.

Mar 20, 2022 8:02 AM in response to Reymark

Same here, but I’m staying on 15.3.1 for the time being in case something more nasty turns up in 15.4 (there’s nearly always some new fail introduced at each Apple OS Update, the last few years).

i found my solution. I now use Firefox on all my gear, and now my Frequently visited Pages work. Firefox has always worked - for years and years - and it also syncs with my PC/Windows machines and my Android 12 smartphone too. What’s there not to like?

If Apple cannot even get their own hardware and their own soft/firmware to play nice, one has to wonder, if things will become worse and worse and… worse in the future; just as in recent Apple history through the last few years.

And as one migrates from not-really-working-that-well Apple app’s, the Apple locking factor becomes less and less important. I’m not even using iCloud anymore (I have a far better and far more reliably working “iClout” setup working now; far less hazzle since just before Covid turned up. Apples antics are becoming somewhat problematic ;-)

6 Tips to Improve Your Safari Experience on iPhone

A ccessing the internet on an iPhone is made simple by Safari, Apple's native web browser; it does a great job of getting you started, but there are several other features that you can leverage to enhance your user experience.

Below, we'll list some valuable tips you can use to get the most out of Safari on your iPhone. So, let's get started.

1. Modify the Start Page

The start page is the first element you usually run into when launching Safari—it's the default screen if you've not used the browser before or didn't leave any tabs open after your last session. And the first step you can take in improving your Safari experience is to customize it.

Customizing the start page involves changing the background image and choosing the sections (listed below) you want the app to show. We've added descriptions to help you understand a little more about each section.

• Favorites : This section will show all your favorite websites and bookmarks which have been added to the Favorites section on your iPhone.
• Frequently Visited : This is a collection of searches and websites you've frequented in recent months. The information is said to be a mix from all your Apple devices if you've enabled iCloud.
• Shared with You : It works by finding links, images, music, and more, sent within the Messages app, and brings them up in relevant applications. For example, if someone texted you a link via iMessage, you'll find it in this section of the start page.
• Privacy Report : This section surfaces information on the trackers used by websites you've visited in the last 30 days and showcases when your iPhone—and other Apple devices—prevented them from profiling you.
• Siri Suggestions : You can find website suggestions based on your recent browsing history, bookmarks, and open tabs within this section if you choose to use them.
• Reading List : You can find the three latest additions to your Reading List in this section, with a Show All button available in case you want to view the other articles you've added to your read later list.
• iCloud Tabs : This feature showcases up to four most recent tabs open on each Apple device you own with iCloud enabled for Safari.

To begin customizing your Safari's start page, follow the steps listed below:

• Scroll down to the bottom of the Safari start page and tap Edit.
• Now, enable the desired sections using the toggles or reorder them by pressing (and dragging) the three horizontal lines.

If you want to experience Apple's Continuity feature , toggle on Use Start Page on All Devices at the top of the edit menu. This will ensure your start page is in sync across all devices connected to your iCloud account.

2. Create Tab Groups in Safari

The next step in improving Safari on iPhone is to create and use Tab Groups . The feature lets you bring order and control to tabs by allowing you to group similar ones—or those you often use together—into folders. Ideally, you can use the feature to separate search results and websites related to work from those you open during casual browsing.

To create a Tab Group, follow the steps listed below:

• View all your tabs by tapping the Tab button in the bottom-right corner.
• Now, tap the text box at the bottom of the screen—it mentions the number of tabs open.
• In the menu that appears, tap New Empty Tab Group or the second option, New Tab Group with X Tabs .
• Name the Tab Group according to your liking and hit Save .

The X in the second option will vary based on the number of tabs open when creating a Tab Group.

3. Use Safari Extensions

Like Chrome, you can install Safari extensions to improve your browsing experience. For those unaware, these are applications built for web browsers that bring additional functionality and make your life easier.

For example, you can install applications that scour the web for coupon codes and bring them up when you're making a purchase or add ones that help edit written content to ensure you aren't making silly errors.

Adding extensions to Safari on an iPhone is a bit different compared to installing and removing extensions in Safari on a Mac . To do this, follow the steps listed below:

• Go to Settings > Safari on your iOS device.
• On the next screen, find Extensions under the General subsection and tap on it.
• You'll now see a list of extensions available. In case you see no options, tap More Extensions to visit the Safari Extensions store.

You may sometimes see options without having installed an extension before; these are present due to an application—that offers Safari extensions—installed on your iPhone from before.

Once you've installed an extension, activate it in Settings using the same steps above and then do the following:

• Open Safari and tap the AA button in the address bar.
• Now, tap Manage Extensions and select the extension you want to activate.

4. Choose Websites to Automatically Use Reader

Reader in Safari is a nifty add-on that lets you read content from a website with minimal distractions and no ads. It makes the experience quite simple and offers options like changing the page color, font, and font size.

Activating Reader is quite simple; tap the AA button in the address bar when you're on a supported webpage and choose Show Reader . However, if you frequently visit a specific website, you can configure Safari to load all its webpages in Reader. Here's what you need to do:

• Open the desired website and tap the AA button.
• In the context menu that appears, tap Website Settings .
• Now, toggle on Use Reader Automatically . Each supported webpage will now open in Reader, making it easier to read the content.

5. Set Tabs to Open in Background

Despite it being easy to access AI tools like ChatGPT on mobile for learning about things, if you prefer getting deep into the weeds when doing research, you may want to view many of the following webpages in new tabs.

By default, opening a new tab via a hyperlink will leave the old tab behind and move you to the new tab. While this behavior is fine, it can feel like a chore if you'd like to open multiple results from a search page.

Fortunately, you can change this behavior. Here's what you need to do:

• Open the Settings app, and scroll down to the Safari option.
• On this page, under the Tabs subsection, tap on Open Links .
• Now, choose In Background .

6. Configure Safari to Automatically Close Tabs

Lastly, while the ability to open many tabs in Safari is a boon, knowing ways to organize your browser and keeping it clutter-free can help you focus better and increase productivity. And keeping only a few tabs open can be a part of this regime.

Safari on iPhone also helps with this, with the ability to automatically close tabs after a set period of time; we've detailed the steps to activate the feature below:

• On this page, under the Tabs subsection, tap on Close Tabs .
• Now, choose from the available options: After One Day , After One Week , or After One Month .

Become a Safari Power User With These Changes

Each customization method listed above will help improve your Safari experience, be it with a new background image that makes the app feel more personal or a setting that keeps it clutter-free.

Overall, Safari is an excellent browser that can be made even better for power users with a few changes. And some of Apple's exclusive features make a strong case for the app, especially if you're a Mac user.