Do you find yourself repeatedly visiting the same websites each day? Wish you could access important pages instantly instead of typing out long URLs or navigating through menus? Then it‘s time to start using Favorites on your Mac!
I‘m going to walk you through exactly how the Favorites feature works, major benefits you‘ll gain, and every tip & trick to save you time. You‘ll learn:
- How to easily add any site to Favorites with just a few clicks
- Quick access points to launch Favorited sites instantly
- The best organization methods to find sites faster
- Fixes when Favorites aren‘t syncing properly on devices
- Alternative bookmarking options for different workflows
- And much more!
Soon you‘ll be an expert on getting the most value from the underused Favorites tool. Let‘s dive in and transform the way you access bookmarked websites daily!
What Exactly Are Favorites?
Favorites provide one-click access to your most valued websites. Think of it like a speed dial for launching essential pages.
Rather than typing out webaddresses.com/long/complex/path each visit, quickly click a favorite instead. This saves a precious seconds every time.
Benefits Include:
✅ Accessing sites instantly from any tab
✅ Avoiding typos in URLs
✅ Skipping navigation menus
✅ Syncing bookmarks across Apple devices like iPads and iPhones
Favorites essentially bookmark sites, but also display them prominently in dedicated locations:
🔖 The Favorites Sidebar
🔖 Top Sites section on new tabs
🔖 Favorites folder in the Bookmarks menu
Anything added to Favorites shows up across all these access points.
The feature originated with early browsers like Internet Explorer to promote the most valued bookmark folder to prime real estate for efficiency.
Now let‘s get right into actually using this great tool effectively!
Step-By-Step Guide to Favoriting Sites
I‘ll demonstrate how ridiculously simple it is to add any website to your Favorites:
Step 1) Navigate to the page you want to favorite.
This can be any website, but ideally something you access multiple times daily.
For example, perhaps your email homepage:
Step 2) Locate & click the Share icon toward the top right corner.
This square icon with an upward arrow will open a menu.
Step 3) Choose "Add Bookmark”
This saves the current page to your bookmarks list.
Step 4) Set the location to “Favorites” + any other details.
A popup appears for naming & placing the bookmark. Importantly set location = Favorites.
Step 5) Confirm by clicking Add button
That‘s it! The website is now successfully favorited for easy access.
Repeat for any sites you need one-tap access to. Just make sure not to overload your Favorites, as too many defeats the purpose…
Accessing Your Favorited Websites
Now let‘s cover all the ways to open your favorited pages after bookmarking:
Method #1: Favorites Sidebar
The Favorites sidebar is always visible on the left side of Safari by default. Click the star icon here to view sites.
Method #2: Top Sites on New Tabs
Any new tab displays a Frequently Visited section up top. Favorites show up here ready to launch.
Method #3: Bookmarks Menu
Under Bookmarks menu, open dedicated Favorites folder.
So many access points means lightning quick visits every time!
Now let‘s talk organizing…
Keeping Your Favorites Tidy
With regular use, saved sites pile up fast. Here are my top tips for maintaining order:
Organize by Custom Order
Use Bookmarks Manager to rearrange in any order desired:
Assign Descriptive Names
Right click on sites to rename into something recognizable at a glance.
Only Save Top Tier Sites
Don‘t overload Favorites! Use Bookmarks instead for less vital pages. See the next section for differences in purpose.
Delete Unused Favorites
Get in habit of regularly removing stale sites taking up prime real estate.
Follow these best practices to keep things neat and usable!
Favorites vs. Bookmarks – What‘s the Difference?
Favorites represent your top bookmarked websites promoted to key spots for frequent use.
But the lists mirror each other automatically, so how are they different?
| Favorites | Bookmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Top-tier sites needing instant daily access like email | Less vital pages you still want saved like old orders |
| List Size | Strictly limited to essential few | Unlimited bookmarks allowed |
| Location | Multiple quick access points like sidebar | Only accessible in Bookmarks menu |
So favoriting a site adds a bookmark, but not all bookmarks show up as favorites.
I like to compare it virtual real estate…
Favorites = "penthouse suite" only given to VIP sites
Other Bookmarks = standard rooms for less important sites
Now let‘s tackle a common issues power users may encounter…
Troubleshooting Missing Favorites
Don‘t panic if favorites suddenly disappear or don‘t match across devices properly. A few easy checks can solve out of sync issues:
-
Confirm Safari sync enabled on all signed-in devices:
-
Check for net connectivity issues preventing sync
-
Ensure bookmarks actually saved to correct Favorites folder
-
Sign out/in iCloud on affected devices
-
Worst case: Reset Safari (backup bookmarks first!)
Resetting Safari restores it to default blank state, removing all saved data. Only do this if other troubleshooting fails.
With that major pitfalls covered, let‘s talk alternatives…
Other Bookmarking Options
Favorites shine for rapid Mac-iOS bookmark access. But for advanced workflows, 3rd party options have unique advantages:
So power users with cross-platform access needs not met by Apple ecosystem have options too!
Now in closing let‘s recap key lessons…
In Summary, Favorites Supercharge Site Access
The native Safari Favorites feature reshapes bookmark utility into a powerhouse tool.
Implement favoriting for frequently accessed pages demanding convenient quick clicks. Homepages, web apps, documentation wikis etc all see dramatically improved speed thanks to circumventing menus and URLs.
Just be selective — only promote true five-star VIP sites to prevent dilution.
For additional help wrangling your growing list of bookmarked websites, subscribe to my Apple Tips newsletter here.
Happy favoriting!
