Delete a favorite in three taps on iPhone or iPad

Open Safari and tap the Bookmarks icon at the bottom of the screen — it looks like an open book. Tap "Favorites" at the top. Find the favorite you want to remove, swipe left across it, and tap the red Delete button that appears.

If you have many favorites to remove, tap "Edit" in the top right corner instead. Then tap the minus sign next to each favorite you want to delete, and tap "Delete" to confirm. When you are finished, tap "Done" in the top right.

Deleted favorites disappear from the Favorites row that appears when you open a new tab, and they stop syncing to your other Apple devices if you use iCloud to keep Safari in sync.

Key Takeaways

  • On iPhone and iPad, open the Bookmarks menu, select Favorites, swipe left on the favorite you want to remove, and tap Delete.
  • On Mac, right-click the favorite in the Bookmarks menu or the Favorites bar and select Delete Bookmark.
  • Deleting a favorite from one device removes it from all your devices if you have iCloud syncing turned on.
  • You can edit multiple favorites at once on iPhone and iPad by tapping Edit, selecting each one with the minus button, and tapping Done.

Delete a favorite on Mac using the Bookmarks menu

Click the Bookmarks menu at the top of the Safari window. Find "Favorites" in the dropdown list. Right-click the favorite you want to delete and select "Delete Bookmark" from the menu that appears.

The favorite is removed when ready and no longer appears in your Bookmarks menu or the Bookmarks bar if you have that bar visible. On Mac, this is the most straightforward way to remove a single favorite without opening additional windows or menus.

Delete a favorite directly from the Bookmarks bar on Mac

If you have the Bookmarks bar visible at the top of Safari (below the address bar), you can delete favorites without opening the menu. Right-click any favorite on that bar and select "Delete Bookmark."

To show or hide the Bookmarks bar on Mac, click Safari in the top menu, select Preferences, click Bookmarks, and check or uncheck "Show favorites" depending on what you want. Hiding the bar does not delete your favorites — it just removes them from view. You can still reach them through the Bookmarks menu.

What happens when you delete a favorite across devices

If you signed into iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and turned on Safari syncing, deleting a favorite on one device removes it from all your devices within a few minutes. You do not need to do anything — the change happens automatically.

If you do not use iCloud syncing, deleting a favorite only affects the device you deleted it from. Your other devices keep their own separate copy of that favorite. To check whether syncing is on, go to Settings on iPhone or iPad, tap your name at the top, select iCloud, and look for Safari in the list. On Mac, click System Settings, click your name, select iCloud, and check whether Safari is enabled.

Recover a deleted favorite

Safari does not have an undo button for deleted favorites, but you can recreate one by visiting the website again and adding it back. Open the page, tap or click the Share button, and select "Add Bookmark" or "Add to Favorites" depending on your device.

If you deleted a favorite by accident and cannot remember the website address, try searching your browser history. On iPhone and iPad, tap the Bookmarks icon and then the History tab. On Mac, click History in the top menu and select "Show History." Your history typically goes back weeks or months depending on how often you clear it.

Organize favorites instead of deleting them

If you have too many favorites cluttering your new tab screen, you can organize them into folders instead of deleting them. On iPhone and iPad, tap Edit in the Favorites menu, then tap and hold a favorite to drag it into a folder or create a new one. On Mac, right-click a favorite in the Bookmarks menu and select "Edit Bookmark," then choose a folder from the dropdown.

Organizing keeps your favorites available without filling up your Favorites row. You can still reach them quickly by opening the Bookmarks menu or using Spotlight search on Mac. This approach is useful if you think you might want to revisit a site later but do not need it visible every time you open a new tab.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete multiple favorites at once on Mac?

Not in the same way as iPhone and iPad. On Mac, you must right-click each favorite individually and select Delete Bookmark. If you have many to remove, organizing them into a folder and then deleting the folder is faster than deleting one at a time.

Will deleting a favorite delete the website itself?

No. Deleting a favorite only removes the bookmark from Safari. The website itself stays on the internet and you can still visit it by typing the address in the search bar or finding it through a search engine.

What if I delete a favorite by mistake?

Safari does not have an undo feature for deleted favorites. Visit the website again and add it back as a favorite. If you cannot remember the address, check your browser history — Safari keeps a record of sites you have visited.

Do I need to delete favorites to free up space on my device?

No. Favorites take up almost no storage space on your phone, tablet, or computer. Deleting them will not noticeably improve performance or free up room for other files.