{"id":194787,"date":"2025-08-21T11:01:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T15:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/?p=194787"},"modified":"2025-08-21T11:01:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T15:01:03","slug":"how-to-fix-safari-not-saving-new-bookmarks-on-mac-and-ios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/how-to-fix-safari-not-saving-new-bookmarks-on-mac-and-ios\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fix Safari not saving new bookmarks on Mac and iOS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Try these troubleshooting steps if Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac won\u2019t remember added bookmarks, so you can save and revisit your favorite websites.<br \/> <span id=\"more-1048819\"><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1048895\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1048895\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1048895\" src=\"https:\/\/media.idownloadblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safari-bookmarks-on-iPhone.jpg\" alt=\"Safari bookmarks on iPhone\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Sometimes, trying to bookmark a website will instantly freeze Safari, displaying a rainbow or beach ball. Other times, the usual \u201cAdd to Bookmarks\u201d and \u201cAdd Bookmark to\u201d options are nowhere to be seen in the share menu. Some people say they can update the URL for an existing bookmark, but not create new bookmarks.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re facing these and other problems when trying to save a website as a bookmark, our troubleshooting solutions right ahead may help you fix them.<\/p>\n<h2>Common solutions<\/h2>\n<p>Let&#8217;s start with the basic troubleshooting tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Quit Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and reopen it.<\/li>\n<li>Restart your device and try adding the bookmark again.<\/li>\n<li>Update to the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Uninstall or turn off extensions<\/h2>\n<p>If bookmarks started failing to save after you\u2019ve <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2020\/08\/13\/manage-safari-extensions-mac\/\">installed a new browser extension<\/a>, disable or delete it and restart the device.<\/p>\n<h3>iPhone and iPad:<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Navigate to <strong>Settings<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Apps<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Safari<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Extensions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Tap an extension under the &#8216;Allow these extensions&#8217; heading.<\/li>\n<li>Turn off the switch labeled &#8216;<strong>Allow Extension<\/strong>.&#8217; If you&#8217;ve <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2023\/06\/19\/how-to-use-profiles-in-safari\/\">multiple Safari profiles<\/a>, turn off the extension for each of them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1048910\" src=\"https:\/\/media.idownloadblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Disabling-Safari-extension-on-iPhone.png\" alt=\"Disabling Safari extension on iPhone\" width=\"2514\" height=\"1665\" \/> <\/p>\n<h3>Mac:<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <strong>Safari<\/strong> and click <strong>Safari<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Settings<\/strong> in the menu.<\/li>\n<li>Select the <strong>Extensions<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n<li>Untick the <strong>box<\/strong> before an extension to disable it or click the <strong>Uninstall<\/strong> button to delete it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"border aligncenter wp-image-1048901 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/media.idownloadblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Disable-or-uninstall-Safari-extension-on-Mac.png\" alt=\"Disable or uninstall Safari extension on Mac\" width=\"1672\" height=\"1200\" \/> <\/p>\n<h2>If Safari bookmarks don\u2019t sync across devices<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve saved a bookmark on your iPhone but it doesn\u2019t appear on your other devices, there may be a hiccup with iCloud sync. Follow these steps to turn on Safari sync on all your devices.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <strong>Settings<\/strong> (iPhone, iPad) or <strong>System Settings<\/strong> (Mac) and select your Apple account at the top.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>iCloud<\/strong>, then select <strong>See All<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Turn on the switch next to <strong>Safari<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Wait until Safari syncs bookmarks and other data with iCloud, which can take anywhere between a few seconds and a couple of minutes. If the sync fails, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2021\/12\/06\/how-to-sign-out-of-icloud-apple-id-sign-in-again\/\">sign out of your Apple account and sign back in<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1048903\" src=\"https:\/\/media.idownloadblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iCloud-sync-enabled-for-Safari-on-Mac.png\" alt=\"iCloud sync enabled for Safari on Mac\" width=\"1446\" height=\"1144\" \/> <\/p>\n<h2>Mac-specific solutions<\/h2>\n<p>If the bookmark syncing issue is isolated to Safari on your Mac, try the fixes below.<\/p>\n<h3>Give read and write permission to Safari&#8217;s system folder<\/h3>\n<p>If Safari isn\u2019t allowed to write data to its folder, bookmarks may fail to sync. Maybe you or someone with access to your computer unknowingly made the change, and here\u2019s how to revert it (for company-issued computers, contact your IT department):<\/p>\n<p><strong>1)<\/strong> Click an empty spot on the desktop to activate the Finder.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2)<\/strong> Click the <strong>Go<\/strong> menu while holding the <strong>Option key<\/strong> to show the hidden <strong>Library<\/strong> option, then select it.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1048902\" src=\"https:\/\/media.idownloadblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Going-to-Mac-Library-folder-from-Finder-menu-bar.jpg\" alt=\"Going to Mac Library folder from Finder menu bar\" width=\"1910\" height=\"1198\" \/> <\/p>\n<p><strong>3)<\/strong> <strong>Right-click<\/strong> the Safari folder in the Finder window and choose the <strong>Get Info<\/strong> option in the menu.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4)<\/strong> Click your macOS user account in the <strong>Sharing &amp; Permissions<\/strong> section at the bottom of the Get Info window and set access privileges to <strong>Read &amp; Write<\/strong> as shown in the screenshot below.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1048900\" src=\"https:\/\/media.idownloadblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Changing-Read-and-Write-Privilege-for-Safari-system-folder-on-Mac.jpg\" alt=\"Changing Read and Write Privilege for Safari system folder on Mac\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1410\" \/> <\/p>\n<p><strong>5)<\/strong> Quit Safari and restart your Mac.<\/p>\n<h3>Delete Safari Bookmarks.plist file<\/h3>\n<p>Removing the current Bookmarks.plist file can also resolve the bookmark syncing issue. Don\u2019t worry, Safari will automatically recreate this file on the next launch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1)<\/strong> Follow the previous steps to open the hidden Library folder.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2)<\/strong> Open the <strong>Safari<\/strong> folder and drag the <strong>Bookmarks.plist<\/strong> file from there to another folder, such as <em>Downloads<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1048899\" src=\"https:\/\/media.idownloadblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bookmarks-plist-file-in-Safari-Library-folder-on-Mac.jpg\" alt=\"Bookmarks plist file in Safari Library folder on Mac\" width=\"2030\" height=\"1216\" \/> <\/p>\n<p><strong>3)<\/strong> Open Safari. If you don\u2019t see your favorites and bookmarks, wait until Safari loads them back from iCloud. When done, Safari will create a new <em>Bookmarks.plist<\/em> file that will show up in the Library &gt; Safari folder.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4)<\/strong> Try bookmarking a new website to confirm that it now works.<\/p>\n<p>If Safari didn\u2019t sync your bookmarks from iCloud, simply delete the newly created <em>Bookmarks.plist<\/em> file and drag the original from the Downloads folder back to the Library &gt; Safari folder. Quit and reopen Safari for the changes to take effect.<\/p>\n<h2>If nothing helps<\/h2>\n<p>If none of the above solutions work, consider these thermonuclear options.<\/p>\n<h3>Reinstall macOS<\/h3>\n<p>Log in to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2023\/02\/10\/how-to-add-user-account-mac\/\">another user account on your Mac<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2015\/07\/29\/how-to-boot-mac-safe-mode\/\">boot into Safe Mode<\/a>. If saving Safari bookmarks works here, then you know that the issue isn\u2019t with Safari. Switch back to your standard account and try deleting any recently installed Mac apps. If that doesn&#8217;t help, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2021\/09\/02\/how-to-reinstall-macos-mac-without-losing-data\/\">reinstall macOS without losing your personal data<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Reset settings or erase your iPhone or iPad<\/h3>\n<p>If the problem only happens in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2022\/01\/06\/how-to-reset-settings-iphone-ipad\/\">resetting all settings<\/a>. If that doesn\u2019t solve the problem, consider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2021\/11\/29\/how-to-erase-iphone-ipad\/\">erasing your device and setting it up again<\/a> from a saved backup.<\/p>\n<p><em>Which of the aforementioned solutions worked for you? Share in the comments below.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Source link: https:\/\/www.idownloadblog.com\/2025\/08\/21\/fix-safari-not-saving-bookmarks\/<\/p>\n <!-- Easy AdSense Pro: WP is not in the loop.  -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Try these troubleshooting steps if Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac won\u2019t remember added bookmarks, so you can save and revisit your favorite websites. Sometimes, trying to bookmark a website will instantly freeze Safari, displaying a rainbow or beach ball. Other times, the usual \u201cAdd to Bookmarks\u201d and \u201cAdd Bookmark to\u201d options are nowhere [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":77917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-194787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allnews","category-appleindustrynews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194787"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194788,"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194787\/revisions\/194788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}