How to put Safari back on the home screen on iPhone or iPad

We can easily put the Safari browser back on the home screen and even in the application base. Simply dragging and dropping from the app library will also work.

While Apple has now given the option to change the default browser on iPhone, many users still use Safari. Two main reasons for this are its streamlined functionality and ease of syncing across all Apple devices.

There is no question which browser should be selected by users who are already part of this Apple ecosystem. However, lately, there have been some inquiries from users that they cannot find their browser on the home screen.

First of all, there is nothing to worry about as Safari is still installed on your device with all data intact. It was just removed from your home screen due to one of the many plausible reasons that we will discuss in this guide.

 

Furthermore, we will also show you how to put the Safari browser back on the home screen of your iPhone. So without further ado, let’s get started.

Through Spotlight Search

Apple’s Spotlight Search feature allows you to find your favourite applications and files stored on your device. This is the easiest approach and should be your preferred option when looking for a particular application.

Here are the steps to add the Safari app to the home screen from Spotlight search  :

Swipe down on the home screen to invoke  Spotlight search.

Type  Safari and select the Safari browser from the search result.

It will take you to the location of that app, also known as a folder or page.

Drag and drop that Safari app onto the home screen, and the task will complete.

Check your iPhone or iPad; The Safari application will be visible on the home screen again.

From the app library

One of the most talked-about features of iOS 14 was the introduction of the  App Library, which organized all of your apps into different category folders.

And in one of those folders would be the Safari browser. So if the browser doesn’t appear on the home screen, it might still be present in the app library and you can add it back from there.

Here are the steps to add Safari back to the home screen from the app library  :

Open the app library  page (last page by swiping to the right)

Open the Utilities folder and find the Safari browser.

Drag the Safari app from that App Library folder and drop it on your home screen.

If you can’t find it there, you can do a manual search. Make a swipe down gesture on the app library page, and then type Safari in the search box. It will now show the name of the folder where Safari is present. Simply dragging and dropping on the home screen will add the Safari app.

From hidden pages of the home screen

iPhone gives you the option of hiding apps from the home screen by creating hidden home pages and placing the apps there.

If you’ve inadvertently hidden Safari through this option, it won’t even show up in Spotlight or the app library. The only way out is to go to the hidden page and get the application from there.

Here are the steps to display the Safari app from the home screen pages  :

Long press on an empty location on your home page.
The Edit Pages screen appears.

Tap on the menu  present at the bottom of the screen.

Browse the hidden pages and check if Safari is placed.

If the page with Safari is hidden, enable the mark of verification to display.

Hit the Done command present at the top right.

That’s it, Safari will now be visible and you can put it back on your iPhone home screen from that page.

Add Safari to the privacy restriction whitelist

The tech giants have incorporated the parental control feature that allows adults to disable children’s access to certain apps.

If an application is hidden through this restrictive measure, you will not be able to access it using any of the methods mentioned above. The only way out is to remove the app from this list.

Here are the steps to allow Safari to have no privacy restrictions  :

Go to the Settings  >  Screen Time section on your device.

Open Content and Privacy Restrictions  and enter your device passcode

Navigated to Allowed apps and enable the toggle button next to the Safari app.

By doing so, you have added Safari to the exclusion list and it will now be visible on your device.

Reset home screen

If none of the above methods tells you that you have been successful, you should consider performing a home screen reset. Doing so will reverse the layout exactly as it came out of the box, with Apple Safari taking up a purple on your home screen.

Here are the steps to reset the home screen on iPhone or iPad  :

Launch Settings app > General page on your device.

Navigate to the Reset menu and tap  Reset Home Screen Layout

Confirm the Reset Home Screen option.

Now it will reset the layout and you will see the Safari app on the home screen.

It will remove all the widgets and customizations that you would have made when resetting the home screen. But if you can return the browser to the desired location, it is worth a try.

Bottom line: put Safari back on the home screen

With this, we complete the guide on how to put Safari back on the home screen of your iPhone. We have shared five different methods for the same.

In my case, the application was present inside the application’s Library Utility folder. Therefore, the second method worked quite well.

However, you can try any method that works to put the Safari browser back on your home screen and even on the dock bar.

Don’t forget to always visit this site for more how to guides.