If you use Safari regularly, you’ve likely noticed the small icons beside your bookmarks in the Favorites Bar. These are called favicons, and since Safari 17 on macOS Sonoma, they’re enabled by default. But if your Favorites Bar feels cluttered, don’t worry — you can now control Safari favicons and choose how much visual space they occupy.
Whether you want a minimalist browser, faster visual recognition of sites, or room for more bookmarks, Safari gives you the tools to customize your experience.
What Are Favicons?
Favicons are tiny website icons that appear next to tabs, bookmarks, and URLs. They help you:
- Identify websites faster
- Differentiate similar site titles
- Improve multitasking when many tabs are open
In Safari, favicons also appear directly in the Favorites Bar, which you can enable from the menu bar by clicking View ➝ Show Favorites Bar.
Why You Might Want to Adjust Safari Favicons
Favicons are helpful, but they can:
- Make the interface look crowded
- Reduce the number of visible bookmarks
- Distract from a cleaner browsing aesthetic
When too many bookmarks are added, Safari may hide some under a double-chevron icon, forcing an extra click.
Fortunately, you have three easy ways to control Safari favicons.
Option 1: Show Icons and Text
This is the default view. Safari shows the website’s favicon alongside the name in the Favorites Bar.
To enable:
- Right-click anywhere on the Favorites Bar
- Select Show Icons and Text
This view is helpful if you prefer visual + verbal cues.
Option 2: Show Icons Only
This option is perfect if you:
- Know your sites by logo
- Want to fit more bookmarks in the bar
To enable:
- Right-click the Favorites Bar
- Select Show Icons Only
Safari will remove all bookmark names, leaving only the favicons.
Option 3: Show Text Only
Prefer a cleaner interface with no icons? Use this view to display bookmark names only, which reduces clutter and keeps things minimal.
To enable:
- Right-click the Favorites Bar
- Select Show Text Only
This is ideal if you don’t like visual noise or your screen space is limited.
Bonus Tip: Customize the Favorites Bar Layout
- You can rearrange bookmarks by dragging them.
- Use folders to group related links and save space.
- Keep essential sites toward the left for quicker access.
Conclusion
Learning how to control Safari favicons empowers you to tailor your browsing space for efficiency and comfort. Whether you prefer a minimalist layout or need visual cues for fast access, Safari makes it easy to toggle between icons, text, or both.
Try all three options to see which suits your workflow best — your browser should work for you, not the other way around.
