Remove Favorites Bar Mac: Easy Steps

This article explains how to remove the Favorites bar in Safari on a Mac, covering the quickest keyboard shortcut, the menu method, and how to hide it permanently if it keeps coming back. You will learn exactly which menu items to click and what to do when the usual method does not work.

What the Favorites Bar Is

The Favorites bar is the row of bookmarks that sits directly under the address bar in Safari on macOS. It shows the sites you have added to your Favorites collection, giving you one-click access to them. While useful for some, many users find it takes up vertical space or simply prefer a cleaner browsing window. The bar appears on every new tab and window by default, which is why removing it feels like a persistent chore.

How to Remove the Favorites Bar

There are two standard ways to hide the Favorites bar in Safari on a Mac. Both achieve the same result, so pick whichever is faster for you.

1. Keyboard shortcut: Press Command + Shift + B (⌘⇧B). This toggles the Favorites bar on and off. Press it once to hide the bar; press it again to bring it back.
2. Menu method: Click View in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then select Hide Favorites Bar. When the bar is visible, this menu item reads Show Favorites Bar instead.

Both methods work in every recent version of macOS, including Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, and earlier releases. The change applies to all open Safari windows immediately, and it stays hidden until you toggle it back on.

Why the Favorites Bar Keeps Coming Back

A common frustration is that the Favorites bar reappears after you restart Safari or your Mac. This usually happens because the setting is tied to the current Safari window, not to Safari itself. If you have multiple windows open, hiding the bar in one window does not hide it in another. To make the change stick across all windows and future launches:

• Close all other Safari windows except the one where you hid the bar.
• Quit Safari completely (press Command + Q) and reopen it.
• If the bar returns, repeat the hide step and then quit Safari again without opening new windows.

In most cases, this resolves the issue. If it still reappears, check whether you have a third-party extension or a profile that resets Safari’s interface settings.

Removing the Bar in Safari Settings

There is no dedicated checkbox in Safari’s Settings to disable the Favorites bar permanently. The only controls are the View menu and the keyboard shortcut. However, you can prevent the bar from showing on new tabs by changing what appears on a new tab page:

1. Open Safari and go to Safari > Settings (or Preferences in older macOS versions).
2. Click the General tab.
3. Next to New tabs open with, choose Start Page or Empty Page instead of Favorites.
4. Close the Settings window.

This does not hide the bar itself, but it stops the bar from being populated with your favorite sites on new tabs, which many users find reduces the need for it.

What If the Keyboard Shortcut Does Not Work

If pressing Command + Shift + B does nothing, the shortcut may have been reassigned or blocked. Check the following:

• Ensure you are in Safari and not in another app.
• Check if a third-party keyboard remapper (like Karabiner or BetterTouchTool) is intercepting the keys.
• Reset Safari’s menu shortcuts by going to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > App Shortcuts and removing any entry that conflicts with Safari.

If the shortcut is genuinely broken, the View menu method always works as a fallback.

Comparison: Hiding vs. Deleting Favorites

Hiding the Favorites bar does not delete your saved Favorites. They remain in your bookmarks and can be accessed via the sidebar (click the sidebar icon in the toolbar or press Command + Shift + L). If you want to remove individual sites from the bar without hiding it, right-click the site and choose Delete. To remove all Favorites at once, you would have to delete each one manually or clear your bookmarks, which is not recommended if you use them elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does hiding the Favorites bar affect my bookmarks?

No. Hiding the bar only hides the visual row. Your Favorites and bookmarks are still stored in Safari and accessible from the sidebar, the bookmarks menu, or the address bar autocomplete.

Why does the Favorites bar show on new tabs even after I hide it?

This usually happens because you have multiple Safari windows open. The hide action applies only to the active window. Close all other windows, hide the bar in the remaining one, then quit and reopen Safari.

Can I remove the Favorites bar in Safari on iPhone or iPad?

No. The Favorites bar is a macOS feature. On iOS and iPadOS, the Favorites appear as a row of icons on the start page, which you can hide by tapping the Edit button (the three dots) on the start page and turning off Favorites.

Is there a way to make the Favorites bar thinner or auto-hide?

No. Safari does not offer an auto-hide option for the Favorites bar. The only choices are fully visible or fully hidden via the View menu or keyboard shortcut.

Will the Favorites bar come back after a macOS update?

Usually not. macOS updates do not reset Safari’s interface preferences. If it does reappear, it is likely due to a new window being opened with a different setting, not the update itself.

Can I use a different browser to avoid the Favorites bar entirely?

Yes. Chrome, Firefox, and Edge all have their own bookmark bars that can be hidden independently. If the Favorites bar in Safari is a persistent annoyance, switching browsers is a viable option, though you would lose Safari-specific features like iCloud Keychain integration.

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