The fastest way to save what you use most
On iPad, "favorites" means different things depending on what you're saving. For websites, you add them to Safari's favorites list so they appear in a dedicated folder when you open a new tab. For apps, you can organize your home screen or use folders to keep the ones you use most within reach. Both take less than a minute to set up, and you can change your mind anytime.
The method depends on whether you're saving a website or an app, so this guide covers both. Most people use website favorites far more often — they're the bookmarks that load instantly when you need them.
Key Takeaways
- Website favorites in Safari appear automatically on your new tab screen, making them the fastest way to reach sites you visit regularly.
- To add a website favorite, tap the share button in Safari, then tap "Add Bookmark" and choose "Favorites" as the location.
- You can organize app favorites by moving them to your home screen's first page or grouping them into folders for quick access.
- Removing a favorite takes the same steps as adding it — tap the share button for websites or long-press an app icon to delete it.
- Your Safari favorites sync across all your Apple devices if you use iCloud, so changes on your iPad appear on your iPhone and Mac automatically.
Adding a website to your Safari favorites
Open Safari and navigate to the website you want to save. Once the page loads completely, look for the share button — it's the square with an arrow pointing upward, located at the bottom right of your screen (or top right on older iPad models).
Tap the share button. A menu will slide up from the bottom showing several options. Look for "Add Bookmark" and tap it. A small window will appear asking where you want to save this bookmark. At the top, you'll see a dropdown menu that currently says something like "Bookmarks" or "Reading List." Tap that dropdown and select "Favorites" from the list.
The bookmark name will appear in a text field — you can leave it as is or shorten it if the title is long. Tap "Save" at the bottom right. That's it. The next time you open a new tab in Safari, your new favorite will appear as a tile on the screen.
Finding your favorites when you need them
Every time you open a new tab in Safari, your favorites display automatically as large tiles across the screen. They're organized in the order you added them, left to right. Tap any tile to jump straight to that website.
If you want to see all your favorites in a list instead of tiles, tap the Bookmarks button — it looks like an open book, located at the bottom of the Safari screen. A sidebar will open on the left. At the top, tap "Favorites" to see your full list. From here you can also delete or reorganize them by tapping "Edit" in the top right corner.
Organizing and removing website favorites
To delete a favorite, open a new tab in Safari so you see all your favorite tiles. Long-press (press and hold) on the tile you want to remove. A menu will pop up with the option to "Remove". Tap it, and the favorite disappears immediately.
You can also rearrange your favorites by long-pressing a tile and dragging it to a new position. This is useful if you want your most-used sites at the top left where they're easiest to reach. Release your finger when the tile is where you want it.
If you want to edit the name of a favorite — for example, shortening "The New York Times Homepage" to just "NYT" — open the Bookmarks sidebar, find the favorite in your Favorites folder, long-press it, and tap "Edit". Change the name in the text field and tap "Done".
Organizing apps on your home screen
App favorites work differently than website favorites. Instead of a dedicated favorites folder, you organize apps by moving them to your home screen's first page or by grouping them into folders. Apps on the first page are the easiest to reach — you don't have to swipe to find them.
To move an app to your first home screen page, long-press the app icon wherever it currently is. A menu will appear. Tap "Move App". Your home screen pages will appear in a grid. Tap the first page (the one on the far left) to move the app there. You can also drag the app directly to a new position on the same page while the menu is open.
If your first page is getting crowded, create a folder instead. Long-press an app, tap "Move App", then drag it on top of another app you want to group with it. iPad will automatically create a folder. You can rename the folder by tapping it to open it, then tapping the name at the top and typing a new one.
Syncing favorites across your devices
If you use iCloud on your iPad, your Safari favorites sync automatically to your iPhone and Mac. This means when you add a favorite on your iPad, it appears on your other devices within seconds. You don't have to do anything — it happens in the background.
To check that iCloud syncing is turned on, go to Settings on your iPad, tap your name at the top, then tap "iCloud". Scroll down and make sure the toggle next to "Safari" is turned on (it will be green). If it's off, tap it to turn it on.
If you don't use iCloud or you want to keep favorites separate on different devices, you can turn off Safari syncing. Just follow the same steps and toggle Safari off. Your existing favorites will stay on your iPad, but new ones won't sync to your other devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add a favorite from a link someone sent me?
Yes. Long-press the link in your email, text, or web page. A menu will appear with several options. Tap "Add to Reading List" or "Open" to go to the page, then use the share button to add it as a bookmark in your Favorites folder. You can also copy the link, open Safari, and paste it into the address bar before bookmarking.
What's the difference between favorites and bookmarks?
Favorites are a specific type of bookmark that appear as tiles on your new tab screen. All favorites are bookmarks, but not all bookmarks are favorites. You can have bookmarks in other folders that don't show up on your new tab screen. Favorites are just the ones you want to see first.
Why don't my favorites appear on my new tab screen?
Make sure you saved them to the "Favorites" folder, not to "Bookmarks" or another folder. Open the Bookmarks sidebar, find the bookmark, long-press it, tap "Edit", and check which folder it's in. If it's in the wrong folder, tap the folder name and change it to "Favorites."
Can I delete a favorite from the Bookmarks menu without opening a new tab?
Yes. Tap the Bookmarks button (the open book icon), tap "Favorites," then long-press the favorite you want to remove. Tap "Delete" from the menu that appears. The favorite is removed immediately.
Do I need to manually back up my favorites?
No. If iCloud syncing is on, your favorites are backed up automatically. If you turn off iCloud syncing, your favorites stay on your iPad but won't sync to other devices or be backed up to iCloud. You can always turn syncing back on later to restore them across your devices.