What "favourite" means and why you would use it
A favourite (or bookmark in some browsers) is a saved shortcut to a website or page you visit often. Instead of typing the web address each time or searching for it, you click the favourite and go straight there. On phones and tablets, you can also save apps to your home screen so they appear as icons you tap directly.
The main reason to use this feature is speed. If you check your email, banking site, or news outlet regularly, saving it as a favourite cuts out the middle steps. On a computer, your favourites live in a menu or toolbar. On a phone, they sit on your home screen alongside your other apps.
Favourites are stored locally on your device, which means they stay private and work even if you are offline. Some browsers also sync your favourites across devices if you sign in with an account, so a favourite you save on your laptop can appear on your phone too.
Key Takeaways
- A favourite is a saved shortcut to a website you visit often, stored on your device and accessed from a menu or toolbar.
- On a computer browser, you save a favourite by clicking a star or heart icon, or by right-clicking the page and selecting the bookmark option.
- On a phone or tablet, you can save a website shortcut to your home screen, or save an app from your device's app store.
- Most browsers let you organize favourites into folders so you can group related sites together and find them faster.
- If you sign into your browser account, favourites often sync across your devices automatically.
How to save a favourite in a web browser on a computer
Open the website you want to save. Look at the top right of your browser window (or sometimes the top left, depending on which browser you use). You will see a star or heart icon — this is the favourite button. Click it once. The icon will fill in or change colour to show the site is now saved.
Most browsers also let you right-click anywhere on the page and select "Bookmark this page" or "Add to favourites" from the menu that appears. Both methods do the same thing. The first time you save a favourite, your browser may ask you to name it or choose a folder — you can usually just click "Save" or "Done" to accept the default name.
To view your saved favourites, look for a menu icon (three horizontal lines) or a star icon in your browser toolbar. Click it and you will see a list of all your saved sites. Click any one to go straight to it.
How to save a favourite on a phone or tablet
If you are using a phone or tablet browser (Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android, or another browser), open the website you want to save. Tap the star or heart icon at the bottom or top of the screen — the exact location depends on your browser and device. A menu will appear asking where you want to save it. You can usually just tap "Save" or "Add" to confirm.
To create a shortcut on your home screen instead, open the website, then tap the share button (usually three dots or an arrow pointing out of a box). Look for an option that says "Add to Home Screen" or "Add Shortcut". Tap it, and the site will appear as an icon on your home screen just like an app. You can then tap it anytime to open that website directly.
If you want to save an app itself rather than a website, open your device's app store (Google Play on Android, App Store on iPhone). Search for the app, tap "Install" or the read button, and wait for it to finish. The app icon will then appear on your home screen or in your app drawer.
How to organize your favourites into folders
As you save more favourites, your list can become long and hard to scan. Most browsers let you create folders to group related sites. On a computer, right-click in your favourites menu and select "New Folder" or "Create Folder". Name it something clear like "Banking" or "News". Then drag your saved sites into the folder you want.
On a phone or tablet, the process varies by browser. In Safari on iPhone, tap the star icon, then tap "Edit" at the bottom. You can then move favourites between folders or create new ones. In Chrome on Android, tap the star icon on a saved site, then tap the folder name to move it to a different folder.
Organizing your favourites takes a few minutes but saves time later. A reader who has folders for "Work", "Shopping", and "Entertainment" can find what they need much faster than scrolling through a long flat list.
What happens when you sync favourites across devices
If you sign into your browser with an account (Google for Chrome, Apple for Safari, Microsoft for Edge), your favourites can automatically copy to any other device where you sign in with the same account. This means a favourite you save on your laptop appears on your phone without you doing anything extra.
Syncing is turned on by default in most browsers, but you can turn it off in your browser settings if you prefer to keep favourites separate on each device. Check your browser's settings menu — usually under "Sync" or "Privacy" — to see what is currently syncing and change it if needed.
Syncing is useful if you switch between devices often. It is less useful if you share a device with someone else, because their favourites will sync to your account too. In that case, you may want to turn syncing off or create separate browser profiles.
Removing and updating favourites
To remove a favourite you no longer need, right-click it in your favourites menu (on a computer) and select "Delete" or "Remove". On a phone, tap and hold the favourite, then tap the delete or trash icon. The shortcut will disappear when ready, but the website itself stays on the internet — you are only removing your saved link to it.
If a website changes its address or you want to rename a favourite to something clearer, right-click it and select "Edit" or "Properties". You can then change the name or the web address. This is useful if you save a long or confusing web address and want to rename it to something you will recognize at a glance.
Most browsers also let you see when you last visited a favourite. This can help you clean up old shortcuts you no longer use. If you have not visited a favourite in months, it is usually safe to delete it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see my favourites on a different computer?
Only if you sign into the same browser account on that computer. If you use Chrome on your work laptop and sign in with your personal Google account, your Chrome favourites will appear on any other computer where you sign in with that same account. If you use a different browser or do not sign in, the favourites will not transfer.
What is the difference between a favourite and a history?
A favourite is a site you manually saved and want to return to often. History is an automatic record of every site you have visited, kept by your browser. History disappears after a set time (usually a few weeks), but favourites stay until you delete them. You control what becomes a favourite; you do not control what goes into history.
If I delete a favourite, does it delete the website?
No. Deleting a favourite only removes your saved shortcut to the site. The website itself stays on the internet and is unaffected. You can always search for it again and save it again if you change your mind.
Why is my favourite showing an old version of a website?
Your browser may be showing a cached (saved) version of the page instead of loading the current one. Try clearing your browser cache in your settings, or hold down the refresh button and select "Hard Refresh" to force your browser to load the newest version of the site.
Can I export my favourites to use in a different browser?
Most browsers allow you to export favourites as a file and import them into another browser. In your browser settings, look for "Export Bookmarks" or "Backup Bookmarks". This creates a file you can then import into Firefox, Safari, Edge, or another browser using their import option. The exact steps vary by browser, so check your browser's help section for specific instructions.