How to Enable Safari Favicons on Mac and IOS
On September 17, Apple launched the latest version of its Safari web browser, Safari 12 , for macOS Sierra and High Sierra users, and it offers a range of new security features and handy little things, including icons.
Safari 12 now automatically blocks websites or embedded content from tracking browsing data for Safari users without their permission. blocks pop-ups on certain sites; helps to create stronger passwords and avoid reusing old ones; and blocks third-party browser extensions that have not been properly tested. The update also makes it harder for advertisers to recognize certain Macs and instead forces them to appear as generic “Mac machines.”
But one of the nicest additions to Safari 12 has nothing to do with security. Favicons first appear on tabs in the Safari browser. These little icons let you see at a glance which websites are open, which is useful when working with multiple tabs and trying to organize things. It may seem like a small change, but the lack of icons in Safari tabs has led some frustrated users to switch to Chrome or Firefox .
If the icons don’t appear in your default browser, here’s how to enable them in the macOS and iOS versions of Safari:
How to enable icons on tabs in macOS
You will need to run macOS Sierra or High Sierra, and download and install the Safari 12 update. Safari 12 will also be preinstalled with the macOS Mojave update coming out later in September, so if you’re from the future (or using the public beta) , you don’t need to worry about updating Safari.
After making sure everything is up to date, you can enable those tiny icons by opening Safari and then going to Safari > Preferences . Go to the Tabs section and check the box next to Show website icons in tabs.
That’s all! Close the settings menu and you should now see the icons displayed in separate tabs. If you don’t see them, close and restart Safari. If they still do not appear after restarting the browser, double check to see if the changes were saved in the settings menu and then try restarting again.
How to enable icons on tabs in iOS
Favicon tabs aren’t just for macOS users – both iPhones and iPads running iOS 12 – the latest version of the operating system – can also receive icons.
To enable icons, open the Settings window on your iOS device and then tap the Safari tab. On this screen, you will see the option “Show icons on tabs”. Make sure the option is checked, then close Preferences and open Safari.
You should now see the icons on the iOS safari tabs. You may need to close and restart the Safari app, but once you do, icons should appear when browsing with multiple tabs open.