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How to change Safari background on MacOS, iOS, and PadOS

Looking to personalise your web browsing experience? It's easier than you think
Last Updated on July 15, 2024
How to change Safari background 1
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Safari is (probably) the best browser to use with Apple products simply due to it being optimized for iOS, padOS, and macOS. With Safari 5, there’s a whole host of reasons to have Apple’s home-grown web browser as your main web surfing tool. Safari Reader picks out the main information you need from an article and pushes other distractions such as ads to the background, allowing users to focus.

As well as improved HTML 5 support, smart address field, Safari 5 is powered by the Safari Nitro Engine. Based on Javascript, Safari 5 claims to be twice as fast as Firebox and 3% faster than Chrome. Speaking of Chrome, Safari now finally supports extensions, so you can add your own customizations to the web browser.

How to change Safari background on Mac, iOS, and PadOS

How to change Safari background

Moving nicely into customization, did you know you can change the background image on Safari on your Mac, iPad, and iPhone? Well, you probably did seeing that you’re here, so let’s show you how to do it on all of your favorite Apple devices:

How to change Safari background on iOS/padOS

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Open a new tab by tapping the double squares in the bottom right-hand corner then tap the plus icon on the bottom left. This is the ‘customize start page’ screen, tap edit to pick an Apple-provided background or to pick your own. You’ll be able to pick from anything in the photos app to really make web browsing your own.

How to change Safari background on macOS

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After opening Safari, click the Menu icon (looks like three sliders) which lives on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Click ‘Background Image’ to see some stock background images or click the + button to add your own image that’s saved on your Mac. Select the image you’d like to use as a background, followed by ‘choose’.

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Christian 'Reggie' Waits' is a contributor to PC Guide, having written a wide array of how to and buying guide content.