Safari Bookmark Sync Shutdown: Old Devices

Apple’s iCloud bookmark sync is being discontinued for older devices running iOS 11 or earlier and macOS High Sierra 10.13 or earlier. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac that cannot update past these versions, your Safari bookmarks will stop syncing to and from iCloud, though they will remain on the device itself. This change, announced by Apple in mid-2025, affects devices that cannot upgrade to newer operating systems, and there is no official workaround to restore sync on those older systems.

Background: Why Apple Is Ending Support

Apple periodically drops support for older operating systems to reduce the complexity of maintaining iCloud services. The company has a history of this: in 2018, iCloud Mail stopped supporting iOS 8 and earlier, and in 2023, iCloud Backup required iOS 9 or later. The bookmark sync shutdown follows the same pattern, targeting OS versions that are more than a decade old. Apple’s reasoning, stated in its support document, is that these older systems lack the security and reliability updates needed to safely connect to iCloud. While the bookmarks themselves are not deleted from your device, they become static—no new bookmarks added on your phone will appear on your Mac, and vice versa.

Which Devices Are Affected

The cutoff is tied to the operating system, not the hardware model. Here is a breakdown of what is affected:

• iPhone and iPad: Devices running iOS 11 or earlier. This includes iPhone 5s, iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPad Air (1st gen), iPad mini 2/3, and iPod touch (6th gen) if they have not been updated to iOS 12 or later.
• Mac: Computers running macOS High Sierra 10.13 or earlier. This includes Macs from around 2010–2013 that cannot install Mojave or later, such as the 2010 Mac Pro or 2011 iMac.
• Windows: The iCloud for Windows app versions 7.x and earlier are also affected; only iCloud for Windows 10 or later (which requires Windows 10 or 11) will continue to sync bookmarks.

If your device can update to a newer OS, you can simply update to restore sync. The problem is only for devices that are stuck on these old versions because Apple no longer provides updates for them.

How to Check Your Device’s OS Version

To find out if your device is affected, check your operating system version:

1. iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > About. Look at the “Software Version� line. If it is 11.x or lower, you are affected.
2. Mac: Click the Apple menu (top-left) > About This Mac. The version line will show something like “macOS High Sierra 10.13.6.� If it is 10.13 or lower, you are affected.
3. Windows PC: Open the iCloud for Windows app and click the gear icon. The version number is shown in the “About� section. If it is 7.x or lower, you are affected.

What Happens to Your Bookmarks

Your existing bookmarks are not deleted. They remain on the device, and you can still use them locally—opening a bookmark, editing its name, or deleting it will work fine. The only change is that iCloud will no longer upload or download bookmark changes for that device. This means:

• Bookmarks added on your old iPhone will not appear on your Mac or other devices.
• Bookmarks added on your new Mac will not appear on your old iPhone.
• If you erase the device and restore from an iCloud backup, the bookmarks will not come back via iCloud (though a local backup on your computer might restore them).

This is a one-way street: the device becomes a silo for its own bookmarks.

What You Can Do: Practical Options

There is no official way to keep iCloud bookmark sync working on these old devices, but you have a few workarounds:

• Update if possible: If your device supports a newer OS, update it. For example, an iPhone 5s can update to iOS 12, which is still supported for bookmark sync. Check Settings > General > Software Update.
• Use a different browser: On your old device, you can use a third-party browser like Chrome or Firefox, which have their own sync systems that do not depend on iCloud. You can import your Safari bookmarks into these browsers and then sync them across your devices using the browser’s account.
• Manual export/import: On your Mac, you can export bookmarks as an HTML file (File > Export > Bookmarks) and then import that file on your new device. This is a one-time transfer, not a continuous sync.
• Use a bookmark manager: Services like Pocket or Raindrop.io let you save links and access them from any device via an app or website, bypassing iCloud entirely.

Common Misconceptions

A few things people often get wrong about this shutdown:

• “My bookmarks will be deleted.â€� No, they stay on the device. Only the sync stops.
• “I can just re-enable iCloud bookmarks in Settings.â€� Toggling the switch will not help because the server will reject the connection from the old OS.
• “This affects all Safari bookmarks.â€� Only iCloud sync is affected. Local bookmarks and bookmarks synced via a third-party browser are unaffected.
• “Apple will reverse this decision.â€� Unlikely, as this is part of a broader policy of dropping support for ancient OS versions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my bookmarks be deleted from my old iPhone?

No. Your bookmarks remain on the device and are fully usable. Only the iCloud sync functionality is disabled.

Can I still use Safari on my old Mac after this change?

Yes, Safari continues to work. You can browse, bookmark, and use the browser normally. The only thing that stops is the iCloud bookmark sync.

How do I move my bookmarks to a new phone if I can’t sync?

You can export your bookmarks as an HTML file from your old device (on a Mac, use File > Export > Bookmarks) and then import that file into Safari on your new device via File > Import > Bookmarks. On an old iPhone, you can use a third-party browser that allows exporting bookmarks.

Does this affect reading list or history?

Yes, the same shutdown applies to iCloud Reading List and iCloud History for these old OS versions. They will stop syncing as well.

Is there any way to hack iCloud to keep syncing?

No. Apple’s servers will reject connections from unsupported OS versions. Attempting to bypass this would violate Apple’s terms and is not recommended for security reasons.

What about iCloud Tabs?

iCloud Tabs (where you see open Safari tabs on other devices) also stops working on old devices. This is part of the same shutdown.

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