How to remove frequently visited sites in Safari

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Apple‘s Safari web browser has evolved with various features aimed at simplifying web navigation. One such feature is the “Frequently Visited” section on the default homepage, which conveniently displays thumbnails of your most-visited websites for quick access. However, there are reasons you might want to remove this feature, and we’ll guide you on how to do so on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Reasons to Remove Frequently Visited

Privacy is the primary motivation for removing the “Frequently Visited” feature in Safari. If multiple individuals use your Apple device, you may not want them to see the websites you frequent. For example, you might be researching a surprise gift or planning a secret holiday and don’t want others to discover your recent online activity. Even if you’re the sole user of your device, you might find this feature unnecessary and wish to disable it.

How to Remove Frequently Visited in Safari on Mac:

To Hide Frequently Visited on Safari:

1. Open a new tab in Safari.
2. You’ll see several categories listed, including “Frequently Visited.”
3. Click the customize icon at the bottom right of the window.
4. Deselect the “Frequently Visited” box.
5. Click the customize icon again to close it.

To Change Homepage to Hide Frequently Visited:

1. Click the Safari menu and choose Settings.
2. Go to the General tab at the top.
3. In the “New Windows Open With” menu, choose “Homepage.”
4. Do the same in the “New Tabs Open With” menu.
5. Type or paste the address of the homepage you want in the “Homepage” text box.
6. Quit Settings.

Now, when you open a new tab or window, you will see the homepage rather than the “Frequently Visited” section or any other part of the start page.

To Remove Individual Frequently Visited Websites:

1. Open a new tab to display the start page.
2. Right-click or Control-click on the thumbnail of the website you want to remove.
3. Choose “Delete.”
4. Repeat for other websites you want to remove.

How to Remove Frequently Visited in Safari on iPhone:

To Hide Frequently Visited on iPhone:

1. Tap Safari to open it and then tap the tabs icon at the bottom right.
2. Tap the ‘+‘ at the left of the toolbar to open a new tab.
3. Swipe up and tap “Edit.”
4. If you’ve turned off “Frequently Visited” on your Mac and your devices are signed into iCloud, turn on “Use Start Page on All Devices” to sync and hide it.
5. If not, toggle the “Frequently Visited” switch to off.

To Delete Individual Frequently Visited Websites on iPhone:

1. Open a new tab in Safari using the steps above.
2. Scroll through the “Frequently Visited” section.
3. Tap and hold on to the website you want to remove.
4. Choose “Delete.”
5. Repeat for other websites you want to remove.

How to Remove Frequently Visited in Safari on iPad:

To Hide Frequently Visited on iPad:

1. Open Safari on your iPad and tap the new tab icon (a ‘+‘ symbol) at the right of the address bar.
2. Swipe up to scroll to the bottom of the page, and tap “Edit.”
3. If you’ve turned off “Frequently Visited” on your Mac and iPhone, and your iPad is synced with the same iCloud account, then turn on “Use Start Page on All Devices” to sync your start page and hide “Frequently Visited.”
4. If not, use the switcher to turn off “Frequently Visited.”

To Delete Individual Frequently Visited Websites on iPad:

1. Open a new tab in Safari on your iPad using step 1 above.
2. Tap and hold on to a page thumbnail in the “Frequently Visited” section.
3. Choose “Delete.”

Clearing Your Browsing History in Safari:

In addition to removing websites from “Frequently Visited” or turning off this feature, it’s a good practice to clear your browsing history for added privacy.

For Mac:

• With Safari open, click the History menu and choose Clear History.

For iPhone:

• Tap the icon at the bottom of the screen resembling an open book. Choose “History” (the clock icon) and tap “Clear.”

For iPad:

• Tap the sidebar icon at the left of the toolbar to display the sidebar, then choose “History.” Tap “Clear” and choose a timeframe, then tap “Clear History.”

Frequently Visited Won’t Delete

Sometimes, users report that “Frequently Visited” won’t delete or reappear after deletion. In such cases, the most effective solution is to hide the category using the steps outlined above.

Adding Websites to Frequently Visited

You can’t directly add websites to “Frequently Visited” since it’s auto-generated based on your browsing habits. However, if you wish to revisit a website, you can add it to your Favorites, and it will appear on the start page under that category. Simply press Command+D or select “Add Bookmark” from the Bookmarks menu and choose “Favorites” from the dropdown menu.

The “Frequently Visited” section on the Safari start page can be handy for quick access to frequently visited sites, but if privacy is a concern, you can easily remove websites from this section or disable it altogether by following the steps provided.