Customize Safari Start Page on Mac: Full Guide

To customize the Safari start page on a Mac, open Safari and click the toggle button in the bottom-right corner of the start page, then check or uncheck the sections you want to show or hide. You can also set a background image, reorder sections, and choose how many items appear in each one. This guide walks through every option, explains what each setting does, and answers common questions.

What Is the Safari Start Page?

The start page is the page you see when you open a new window or tab in Safari on macOS. Since macOS Big Sur (Safari 14), Apple redesigned it to be customizable, letting you add or remove sections such as Favorites, Frequently Visited, Privacy Report, Reading List, and iCloud Tabs. The start page syncs across your Apple devices if you have iCloud enabled for Safari, so changes you make on your Mac can appear on your iPhone or iPad.

Unlike the home page (which is the page that loads when you click the Home button or press Command+Shift+H), the start page is a special internal page. You can access it by opening a new window (Command+N) or a new tab (Command+T) if your new tab setting is set to show the start page.

How to Open the Start Page Settings

To customize the start page, follow these steps:

1. Open Safari on your Mac.
2. Open a new window or tab so the start page appears.
3. Look at the bottom-right corner of the start page. You’ll see a small toggle button that looks like a rectangle with lines (some describe it as a slider icon). Click it.
4. A dropdown menu appears with checkboxes for each section. Check or uncheck to show or hide sections.

If you don’t see the toggle button, make sure you’re viewing the start page itself, not a website. If you’re in a new tab and see your favorites, you’re likely already on the start page. If not, click the new tab button again or go to Safari > Settings > General and set “New windows open with” and “New tabs open with” to “Start Page.”

Available Sections and What They Do

Each checkbox in the start page settings controls a distinct section. Here’s what they mean:

• Favorites: Shows your bookmarked sites from the Favorites folder. You can rearrange them by dragging, and right-click to edit or delete.
• Frequently Visited: Displays a grid of sites you visit often. Safari updates this automatically based on your browsing history.
• Shared with You: Shows links that people sent you via Messages or other apps, if you use iCloud and have the feature enabled.
• Privacy Report: A summary of how many trackers Safari has blocked in the last seven days. Clicking it opens a detailed report.
• Reading List: Shows your saved reading list items. You can add pages by clicking the plus icon in the address bar or using the Share menu.
• iCloud Tabs: Shows tabs open on your other Apple devices, provided you’re signed into iCloud and have Safari sync enabled.
• Background Image: Not a section itself but the backdrop of the start page. You can choose from Apple’s built-in images or use your own photo.

You can also reorder sections by hovering over a section header and dragging it up or down. The order you set is saved and synced.

How to Set a Custom Background Image

If you want a personal photo as the background instead of the default gradient, here’s how:

1. Open the start page settings (click the toggle button).
2. Look for the “Background Image” section at the bottom of the dropdown menu.
3. Click the “+” button (or “Choose…” in some versions).
4. Select an image from your Photos library, Finder, or any folder.
5. The image immediately becomes the background. You can change it anytime by returning to the same menu.

If you want to remove a custom image and go back to the default, click the “X” next to the image thumbnail in the settings menu. Note that the background image only appears on the start page, not on every website.

Common Problems and Fixes

Sometimes the start page doesn’t behave as expected. Here are a few common issues and solutions:

• Start page not showing when opening a new tab: Go to Safari > Settings > General and set “New tabs open with” to “Start Page.” If you’re using a tab group, the start page might be replaced by the group’s start page.
• Can’t see the toggle button: The toggle appears only on the start page. If you’re on a website, press Command+T to open a new tab. If you still don’t see it, make sure you’re running a recent version of macOS (Big Sur or later).
• Custom background not syncing to iPhone: Make sure you’re signed into the same Apple ID on both devices and that Safari is enabled in iCloud settings. Also, the background image must be stored in iCloud Photos or accessible on the other device.
• Sections missing: Some sections, like “Shared with You,” require specific conditions (e.g., Messages and iCloud enabled). Others, like “Privacy Report,” only appear when Safari has blocked trackers; if none are blocked, the section may be hidden.

How to Reset the Start Page to Default

If you want to undo all customizations and return to the default start page, you can reset Safari’s settings. However, there’s no one-click “reset start page” button. Instead, you can manually uncheck all sections except the ones you want, and remove any custom background image. If you want to clear all website data and start fresh, go to Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, then click “Remove All.” This won’t affect your start page settings, but it will clear cookies and cache. To fully reset Safari, you can also go to Safari > Settings > General and change the home page and new window/tab settings back to the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a live photo or video as the start page background? No, Safari only supports static images. You can choose any JPG, PNG, or HEIC file, but it won’t animate.

Does the start page sync between my Mac and iPhone? Yes, if you have iCloud enabled for Safari. Your start page sections, order, and background image sync across devices. Note that some sections may not appear on smaller screens due to space.

Why is my start page blank? If you see a blank page, you might have accidentally hidden all sections. Open the settings and check at least one box, like Favorites. Also, ensure you’re not in a private browsing window, which has a different start page appearance.

Can I add my own links to the start page? Not directly as a custom section, but you can add sites to your Favorites folder, and they’ll appear in the Favorites section. You can also create folders inside Favorites to organize them.

How do I remove a site from Frequently Visited? Hover over the site’s thumbnail, right-click, and choose “Remove.” You can also clear your browsing history to reset the list.

Does the start page affect browser performance? No, the start page is lightweight and doesn’t slow down Safari. However, having many sections might make it look cluttered, but it won’t impact speed.

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