Safari offers a variety of features and settings to help you navigate and use the web. And you’ll find a couple more handy options in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
You might take Safari for granted as Apple’s default web browser on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, but have you delved into all of its features and settings? Standard options like Private browsing, Reader view, and downloading files are part of the package, but there are many more things you can do. Upgrading to iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 kicks in a few more features, including a new layout for the Tab bar and the ability to turn any web page into a full Web app. Now, here are 20 tricks that offer you a better experience when using Safari.1. Navigate the Tab Bar
Beyond entering a URL, you can use Safari’s address bar, also known as the Tab bar, to easily access all your tabbed web pages. This works whether the bar is at the top or bottom of the screen. To navigate your open tabs, simply swipe left and right on the Tab bar to cycle through them.2. Customize the Tab Bar
With iOS/iPadOS 26, you can pick three layouts for the Tab bar—Top, Bottom, and the new Compact design. To try each one, head to Settings > Apps > Safari and choose which one you prefer under the Tabs section.3. Sort Open Tabs
You can see and sort all your open tabs. To do this on an iPhone, tap the Tabs icon on the Tab bar, then the ellipsis icon in the upper left. Select Arrange Tabs By, then choose to sort them by title or website. iPad users can view open tabs from the Sidebar icon. Tap the Tabs icon, select the ellipsis icon in the upper left and select Arrange Tabs By, then choose to sort them by title or website.4. Organize Tabs Into Groups
Ever feel like you’re juggling too many tabs? One solution is to organize them into groups. On an iPhone, tap the Tabs icon on the Tab Bar, select the ellipsis icon, and then tap Manage Tab Group. From there, select New Empty Tab Group to create a new group and populate it with pages or New Tab Group with X Tabs to create a group out of all the existing tabs. Name the new group and tap Save. The group will now be selectable from the Tabs screen.
On an iPad, tap the Sidebar icon and then select the Tabs icon. Tap the icon at the top right of the sidebar (the one with two pages and a plus sign). Select New Empty Tab Group to create a new group or New Tab Group from X Tabs to create a group out of all existing tabs, then name it. You can also press down directly on a thumbnail and tap Move to Tab Group to create a new group for it or move it to an existing group. An even easier method is to long-press on the Tabs icon and tap Move to Tab Group to access the tab group options.5. Pin a Tab
Pinning a tab lets you save a page on the Tabs screen, making it easier to open again. To pin a tab, tap the Tabs icon. Press down on the page you want to pin and select Pin Tab from the menu. The next time you want to access that page, tap the Tabs icon and then tap the pinned tab to open it.6. Auto Close Open Tabs
The pages you open in Safari have a way of growing until the browser gets cluttered with dozens of open tabs. To prevent this, set a certain amount of time before tabs are automatically closed. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Close Tabs and set tabs to close manually, after one day, one week, or one month.7. Customize the Start Page
When Safari first opens, you’ll see the Start page, but did you know it can be customized by adding, removing, or moving certain sections and choosing a background image? Swipe to the bottom of the Start page and click the Edit button.
