Delete a single favorite in Safari

Open Safari and tap or click the Favorites icon — the open book symbol at the bottom of your screen on iPhone and iPad, or in the top toolbar on Mac. Find the favorite you want to remove, press and hold it (or right-click on Mac), then tap or select Delete from the menu that appears. The favorite disappears immediately.

On Mac, you can also click the favorite once to select it, then press Delete on your keyboard. The favorite is gone and does not move to trash — it is removed directly from your Favorites list.

Key Takeaways

  • Press and hold a favorite in the Favorites menu, then tap Delete to remove it in one step on iPhone and iPad.
  • Right-click a favorite on Mac and select Delete, or select it and press the Delete key.
  • Favorites deleted from Safari do not sync to your other devices unless you use iCloud sync — if you do, the deletion syncs across all your devices.
  • You can also delete favorites from the Bookmarks menu by finding them in your Bookmarks list and using the same press-and-hold or right-click method.
  • Deleted favorites cannot be recovered, so double-check before you remove one you might need later.

Delete multiple favorites at once on Mac

On Mac, you can select and delete several favorites together. Open Safari, then click the Favorites icon in the toolbar. Hold down Command and click each favorite you want to remove — they will highlight as you select them. Once you have selected all the ones you want gone, right-click one of the highlighted favorites and select Delete.

This method works only on Mac. On iPhone and iPad, you must delete favorites one at a time using the press-and-hold method.

Remove favorites from the Bookmarks menu instead

If your favorites are organized in the Bookmarks menu rather than the Favorites bar, you can delete them from there too. On iPhone and iPad, tap the Bookmarks icon (the open book), then tap Bookmarks at the bottom of the screen. Find the favorite in the list, press and hold it, and tap Delete.

On Mac, click Bookmarks in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then find the favorite in the dropdown menu. Right-click it and select Delete. The favorite is removed from both the Bookmarks menu and the Favorites bar if it appears in both places.

Understand how iCloud sync affects deleted favorites

If you have turned on iCloud sync in Safari settings, deleting a favorite on one device will delete it from all your devices that use the same iCloud account. This happens automatically — you do not need to do anything else.

To check if iCloud sync is on, go to Settings on iPhone or iPad and tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud. Look for Safari in the list and make sure the toggle is turned on. On Mac, open System Settings, click your name at the top, then click iCloud, and check that Safari is enabled. If you turn off iCloud sync, your favorites will no longer sync between devices, and deletions will only affect the device you are using.

Delete favorites from a specific folder

Favorites are often organized into folders like "Reading List" or custom folders you create yourself. To delete a favorite from inside a folder, open the Favorites menu, tap or click the folder to open it, then press and hold (or right-click) the favorite you want to remove and select Delete.

Deleting a favorite from a folder removes it completely — it does not move it to a different folder. If you want to move a favorite instead of deleting it, press and hold it (or right-click on Mac), select Edit, and then drag it to a different folder before releasing.

Recover a deleted favorite

Safari does not keep a trash or recovery folder for deleted favorites. Once you delete a favorite, it is gone for good. If you deleted a favorite by mistake and remember the website address, you can add it back by visiting the site, tapping or clicking the share icon, and selecting Add to Favorites.

If you use iCloud sync and deleted a favorite on one device, you may be able to undo the deletion within a few seconds by pressing Command+Z on Mac or shaking your iPhone or iPad to bring up the undo menu. This works only immediately after the deletion — once you close Safari or perform another action, undo is no longer available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting a favorite also delete my browsing history?

No. Favorites and browsing history are separate. Deleting a favorite removes it from your Favorites list only. Your browsing history remains unchanged, and you can still search for the site in your history if you need to find it again.

Can I delete all my favorites at once?

On Mac, yes — hold Command and click each favorite to select them all, then right-click and delete. On iPhone and iPad, you must delete them one at a time. There is no "select all" option for favorites on mobile devices.

If I delete a favorite, does it delete the bookmark too?

Favorites and bookmarks are the same thing in Safari — they are just stored in different locations. Deleting a favorite removes it from your Bookmarks list as well. If the favorite appears in multiple folders, it is deleted from all of them.

What happens if I delete a favorite on my iPhone but use a different iCloud account on my Mac?

The deletion will not sync. iCloud sync only works between devices that use the same iCloud account. If your iPhone and Mac are signed into different Apple IDs, they maintain separate favorites lists, and changes on one device do not affect the other.