Browse the web using Safari on iPad

With the Safari app , you can browse the web, add webpages to your reading list to read later, and add page icons to the Home screen for quick access. If you sign in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all your devices, you can see pages you have open on other devices, and keep your bookmarks, history, and reading list up to date on all your devices.

A webpage open in Safari, with these controls at the top, from left to right: Back, Forward, and Bookmarks buttons, the address field, the Share, New Tab, and Pages buttons.

View websites with Safari

You can easily navigate a webpage with a few taps.

Get back to the top: Double-tap the top edge of the screen to quickly return to the top of a long page.
See more of the page: Turn iPad to landscape orientation.
Refresh the page: Tap next to the address in the search field.
Share links: Tap

Change text size, display, and website settings

On iPad, Safari shows a website’s desktop version that’s automatically scaled for the iPad display and optimized for touch input.

Use the View menu to increase or decrease the text size, switch to Reader view, specify privacy restrictions, and more.

To open the View menu, tap on the left side of the search field, then do any of the following:

Change the font size: Tap the large A to increase the font size or tap the small A to decrease it.
View the webpage without ads or navigation menus: Tap Show Reader View (if available).
Hide the search field: Tap Hide Toolbar (tap the top of the screen to get it back).
View the mobile version of the webpage: Tap Request Mobile Website (if available).
Set display and privacy controls for each time you visit this website: Tap Website Settings.

View two pages side-by-side in Split View

Use Split View to open two Safari pages side-by side.

Open a blank page in Split View: Touch and hold , then tap Open New Window.
Open a link in Split View: Touch and hold the link, then tap Open in New Window.
Move a window to the other side of Split View: Touch and hold the top of the window, then drag left or right.
Close tabs in a Split View window: Touch and hold .
Leave Split View: Drag the divider over the window you want to close.

Preview website links

Touch and hold a link in Safari to see a preview of the link without opening the page. To open the link, tap the preview window, or choose another option.

To close the preview and stay on the current page, tap anywhere outside the preview window.

An overlay showing the destination address and a list of possible actions: Open, Open in New Tab, Open in Split View, Add to Reading List, Copy, or Share.

Manage downloads

Tap to check the status of a file you’re downloading, to access downloaded files quickly, or to drag a downloaded file onto another file or into an email you’re working on.

You can download files in the background while you continue to use Safari.

Use keyboard shortcuts

You can navigate in Safari using keyboard shortcuts on an external keyboard.

To view available keyboard shortcuts, press and hold the Command key.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide