Add Google as a Safari favorite in three steps
Open Safari and go to google.com. Once the page loads, look at the address bar at the top of your screen. On the left side of the address bar, you'll see a small icon that looks like an open book — that's your favorites button. Tap or click it, then select "Add Bookmark" from the menu that appears. A dialog box will open asking where you want to save it. Choose "Favorites" from the dropdown menu, then tap or click "Add." Google is now in your favorites.
On iPhone and iPad, the process is identical. On Mac, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Command+D to open the bookmark dialog when ready when you're on google.com. Either method takes about five seconds.
Key Takeaways
- The favorites button is the open-book icon in Safari's address bar, and clicking it lets you save any page you're viewing.
- When you add a bookmark, you must choose "Favorites" as the location — this is different from other bookmark folders and makes the page appear in your favorites menu.
- On Mac, pressing Command+D opens the bookmark dialog without clicking the icon.
- Once Google is in your favorites, it appears in the Favorites menu and in the dropdown that shows when you open a new tab.
Where your Safari favorites actually live
When you add something to Safari favorites, it goes into a specific folder that Safari treats differently from regular bookmarks. Your favorites appear in two places: in the Favorites menu at the top of the browser, and in the dropdown list that shows when you open a new tab or new window. This makes them faster to reach than bookmarks stored in other folders.
You can have up to a certain number of favorites before Safari starts hiding them behind a "See All" option — the exact limit depends on your screen size, but typically you can see 6 to 12 favorites at once in the new tab view. If you add many favorites, the oldest ones scroll out of view, though they're still there if you access them through the Favorites menu.
The difference between favorites and bookmarks in Safari
Favorites are bookmarks you've specifically marked as frequently used. Bookmarks are any saved pages, whether you use them often or not. Safari lets you organize regular bookmarks into folders — like "News," "Shopping," or "Work" — but favorites don't go into folders. They live in one flat list.
This matters because if you want to keep Google straightforward to find, favorites is the right choice. If you were saving something you might need someday but don't use often, you'd create a bookmark folder instead. For a search engine you use every day, favorites is the faster route.
How to remove Google from favorites if you change your mind
Open Safari and click the Favorites menu at the top (on Mac) or tap the book icon in the address bar (on iPhone or iPad). Find Google in the list. On Mac, right-click Google and select "Delete" from the menu. On iPhone or iPad, swipe left on Google and tap the trash icon.
You can also manage favorites through Safari's settings. On Mac, go to Safari menu > Preferences > Bookmarks, then uncheck "Favorites" if you want to hide the entire favorites bar. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Favorites and choose a different folder or turn off the favorites view entirely.
Organizing multiple favorites without folders
Since Safari favorites don't support folders, the order you add them matters. The first favorite you add appears first in the list, the second appears second, and so on. If you want Google to be first, add it before adding other favorites. If you later want to rearrange them, you'll need to delete and re-add them in the order you prefer — Safari doesn't have a drag-to-reorder feature for favorites the way some other browsers do.
If you find yourself with too many favorites to manage easily, consider using bookmarks folders instead for less-frequent sites, and keeping only your most-used pages in favorites. This keeps your favorites list short and your most-needed sites visible.
Syncing favorites across your Apple devices
If you use Safari on multiple Apple devices — an iPhone, iPad, and Mac — your favorites sync automatically through iCloud. When you add Google to favorites on your iPhone, it appears in favorites on your Mac and iPad within a few minutes, as long as all devices are signed into the same Apple ID and have iCloud Keychain enabled.
To check that syncing is turned on, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud on iPhone or iPad, or System Preferences > [Your Name] > iCloud on Mac. Look for Safari in the list and make sure it's toggled on. If it's already on and your favorites aren't syncing, try signing out of iCloud and back in on one device, which usually forces a sync.
Using Google as your Safari homepage instead of a favorite
If you want Google to open automatically every time you launch Safari, you can set it as your homepage instead of adding it to favorites. On Mac, go to Safari > Preferences > General and enter google.com in the "Homepage" field. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Homepage and choose "Custom" to enter google.com.
This is different from favorites — your homepage loads automatically, while favorites require you to click. Some people use both: they set Google as their homepage so it opens when they launch Safari, and also add it to favorites for quick access from new tabs. Others prefer just one or the other depending on how they use the browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add Google to favorites on Safari for Windows?
Safari is not available for Windows. If you're using Windows, you can use Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox instead. Each browser has its own method for saving favorites or bookmarks, but the process is similar — look for a star icon or bookmark button in the address bar.
Will adding Google to favorites slow down Safari?
No. Favorites are just shortcuts to web pages; they don't affect Safari's performance. You can add dozens of favorites without any noticeable change in how fast Safari runs or loads pages.
What if the favorites button doesn't appear in my address bar?
On Mac, the favorites button may be hidden if you've customized your toolbar. Go to Safari > Preferences > Toolbar and drag the bookmark icon back into the toolbar. On iPhone or iPad, make sure you're looking at the address bar at the top of the screen — the icon should be there by default.
Can I set Google as my default search engine and also add it to favorites?
Yes, these are separate settings. Your default search engine is what Safari uses when you type in the address bar, while favorites are shortcuts to pages you visit often. You can set Google as your default search engine and also add google.com to favorites — they don't conflict.