Safari Tab Groups: how to make, switch, share and sync them

Updated 18 October 2026

Safari Tab Groups are named sets of tabs you can switch between, and with Safari turned on in iCloud they stay the same on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. On a Mac, click the down arrow next to the Sidebar button and choose New Empty Tab Group or New Tab Group with N Tabs; on iPhone, touch and hold a tab on the Tabs screen, tap Move Tab, then New Tab Group.

On a Mac

1. Click the down arrow next to the Sidebar button (with the sidebar open, the Add Tab Group button).
2. Choose New Empty Tab Group, or New Tab Group with N Tabs to take every tab in the window.
3. Type a name and press Return.

Add tabs by dragging them onto the group, or Control-click a tab and choose Move to Tab Group. Switch groups from the down arrow menu or the sidebar.

• Rename or delete: Control-click the group in the sidebar.
• Preview: Control-click a group and choose Show Tab Overview.
• A look per group: each group can have its own start page background and favorites (Bookmarks > Show Start Page, then Edit).

On iPhone

1. Tap the Tabs button (in the Compact layout on iOS 26: the More button, then All Tabs).
2. Touch and hold a tab, tap Move Tab, then New Tab Group.
3. Enter a name and tap the Done button.

Groups sit at the bottom center of the Tabs screen; tap one to switch. The More button there has Rename Tab Group. Touch and hold a tab to Pin Tab (it stays at the top of the group) or Move Tab to another group.

On iPad

1. Tap the Show Sidebar button, then the New Tab Group button at the top right of the sidebar.
2. Tap New Empty Tab Group, enter a name and tap Save.

Touch and hold a tab in the tab bar and tap Move to Tab Group to add it. Touch and hold a group in the sidebar to rename it.

Share a Tab Group

On a Mac, hold the pointer over a group in the sidebar, click the More button and choose Share Tab Group, then Messages. On iPhone, tap the More button on the Tabs screen, then the Share button. Everyone in the group can add and remove tabs and sees changes in real time. Each person needs an Apple Account, Safari set up in iCloud and two-factor authentication, and up to 100 people can take part.

Tab Groups vs bookmarks

A Tab Group holds open tabs, and Apple’s way to delete a tab from a group is to close it.

Use both: keep a group while a project runs, then bookmark the pages worth keeping. On iPad, Add Bookmarks for N Tabs in the Tabs screen’s More menu does it in one step (more ways to save tabs).

Tab Groups vs profiles

Profiles split browsing into areas such as Personal, Work and School. Apple’s iPhone guide says each profile has separate favorites, history, tabs and Tab Groups; on a Mac, each also keeps its own extensions and website data. Tab Groups sort tabs inside a profile, so a Work profile can hold one group per project.

On a Mac, open another profile from File > New Window, which lists a window for each profile; on iPhone, tap the More button on the Tabs screen, then Profile. Deleting a profile erases its tabs and history, and Apple’s iPhone guide says its Tab Groups too, with no undo.

Tab Groups disappeared?

• Another profile: each profile has its own Tab Groups, so a window in the wrong one shows a different list.
• Safari is off in iCloud, or another Apple Account: Apple says a device that isn’t signed in, or has the Safari feature turned off, can’t reach your Safari data in iCloud. Check under your name, then iCloud, in Settings (iPhone, iPad) or System Settings (Mac).
• Changed on another device: Apple says changes on one device appear on all of them, so a group deleted on your iPhone is gone from your Mac too.
• Shared with you, or in a deleted profile: the owner can remove your access or stop sharing, and a deleted profile takes its groups with it.

Apple describes no way to restore a deleted Tab Group; iCloud.com’s recovery page is for bookmarks. Tabs you closed recently may still be in the recently closed list.

Tab Groups not syncing?

1. Check Apple’s System Status page for problems with iCloud Bookmarks & Tabs.
2. Use the same Apple Account on every device, with two-factor authentication on; Apple lists both for seeing your Mac’s tabs on an iPhone.
3. If Safari is on in iCloud settings, turn it off, wait a few minutes and turn it back on.
4. Check the date and time, then restart Safari and the device.