How to Make the Most of IOS 26’s Safari Redesign
iOS 26 brings a few changes to the browser that comes with your iPhone, Safari. There’s a bold new design called Compact , which shrinks the address bar to the size of a small pill as you scroll. Plus, you can now use a few new keyboard shortcuts and gestures to browse the web. Here’s how to make the most of the new Safari layout in iOS 26 , or revert to the old layout if you just don’t like the new design.
The fastest way to bookmark a web page
In Safari’s new compact layout, when you open a website, you’ll see a button with three dots in the lower-right corner of the screen. Double-tap this icon to quickly bookmark the page. This won’t work with other layouts.
Quickly copy URLs
Safari now lets you quickly copy webpage URLs. Just long-press the address bar and swipe up to the Copy button. This will copy the link to the page you’re on. Alternatively, you can long-press the address bar and tap the Copy button in the pop-up menu that appears.
Hidden functions of the address bar
Holding down the address bar now reveals a few useful new options. The most notable are Close tab , which will close the active tab, and Close other tabs , which will close all tabs except the active one. My favorite feature here is the Paste and go button, which only appears when you’ve copied text to the clipboard. The button appears as Paste and go when you’ve copied a URL, but it changes to Paste and search when you’ve only copied plain text.
Disable website tinting
Website Highlighting is another radical change Apple has made in iOS 26. It changes the color of the address bar based on the website you’re viewing. Some people may like the new look, but others may have trouble finding the address bar when it’s active. Luckily, website highlighting can be easily turned off. After updating your iPhone to iOS 26, go to Settings > Apps > Safari , go to Tabs , and turn off Allow Website Highlighting .
Find the forward button
In Safari’s new compact layout, the forward button is hidden by default. Find it by holding down the back button in the lower-left corner. You’ll see the forward button in a pop-up menu. This menu also shows your browsing history.
Return to old layout
If you’d prefer to go back to a less radical design, iOS 26 gives you a few options. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Safari , scroll down to the Tabs section, and choose either Bottom or Top . The Bottom option takes you to a design that resembles the old one, only with controls in a floating bubble. The Top option moves the address bar to the top of the screen and leaves the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen for a bit of a hybrid approach. Note that by disabling the compact layout, you’ll lose access to the new bookmarks shortcut, although the forward button will immediately become available again.