How Bookmarks and Favorites Work Across Safari Profiles

In Apple's Safari web browser, your main library of Bookmarks is shared globally across all of your profiles, meaning you cannot have completely separate bookmark databases. However, Safari allows each individual profile to designate its own specific bookmark folder to act as its "Favorites." This article explains how Safari manages your shared bookmarks and walks you through how to assign a unique Favorites folder for each of your browsing profiles on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Bookmarks Are Shared Globally

When you create a new profile in Safari—such as for Work, School, or Personal use—Safari isolates your browsing history, cookies, website data, and extensions. Bookmarks are the exception to this rule.

All profiles pull from the exact same master list of bookmarks. If you save a new bookmark or delete an existing one while using your "Work" profile, that change will automatically appear in your "Personal" profile. This ensures you always have access to your saved links without needing to switch profiles to find them.

Favorites Are Customizable Per Profile

While the overarching bookmark library is shared, the Favorites bar and the Favorites section on your Start Page do not have to be identical across profiles. Safari lets you choose any folder within your shared bookmarks to serve as the designated Favorites for a specific profile.

By creating dedicated folders in your bookmarks library (for example, a folder named "Work Favorites" and another named "School Favorites"), you can assign each profile its own tailored set of quick-access links.

How to Assign a Favorites Folder on Mac

To give a Safari profile its own Favorites on macOS, you first need to create the folder you want to use, and then assign it in Safari's settings.

  1. Open Safari and click Bookmarks in the top menu bar, then select Edit Bookmarks.
  2. Click the New Folder button on the right side of the window and name it after your profile (e.g., "Work Favorites"). Add your desired links to this folder.
  3. In the top menu bar, click Safari and select Settings (or press Command + ,).
  4. Click the Profiles tab at the top of the settings window.
  5. Select the profile you want to customize from the list on the left.
  6. Find the Favorites dropdown menu on the right. By default, it is set to the standard "Favorites" folder. Click it and select the new folder you created in step 2.

Your Favorites bar and Start Page for that specific profile will now only display the bookmarks located inside that designated folder.

How to Assign a Favorites Folder on iPhone and iPad

The process on iOS and iPadOS works the same way, though the profile settings are located within the main device Settings app rather than inside Safari itself.

  1. Open the Safari app and tap the Bookmarks icon at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Ensure you are in the main Bookmarks tab, then tap Edit in the bottom corner and select New Folder to create a dedicated folder for your profile. Tap Done when finished.
  3. Close Safari and open the main Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  4. Scroll down and tap Safari (in iOS 18 and later, go to Settings > Apps > Safari).
  5. Scroll down to the Profiles section and tap the profile you wish to edit.
  6. Tap Favorites and select the specific bookmark folder you want this profile to use.

Once selected, switching to this profile in mobile Safari will instantly update your Start Page Favorites to reflect the links inside your chosen folder. If you use iCloud to sync Safari, these profile-specific Favorites assignments will automatically sync across all your Apple devices.