Being able to access the same Safari tabs on all your Apple devices is one of those features you might not think you need—until you actually use it. It’s incredibly handy when you’re switching between your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. The only catch? Apple doesn’t exactly make it obvious where to find or enable this feature. Don’t worry, though—I’ll guide you through everything you need to know about Sharing Tabs Between Apple Devices.
This is specifically about iCloud Tabs, which are a bit different from Tab Groups. If you’re using Tab Groups in Safari, those are automatically synced across your devices as long as they’re connected to the same iCloud account. iCloud Tabs, on the other hand, work similarly but are designed to sync your open Safari tabs across all your Apple devices. The tricky part is knowing where to look for them and making sure they’re set up properly.
How to Turn On iCloud Tabs for Sharing Tabs Between Apple Devices
Before you can take advantage of Sharing Tabs Between Apple Devices feature, you need to check that iCloud Tabs is enabled on all your devices. It’s a quick process, but the steps are slightly different depending on whether you’re using a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Let’s go through it.
On a Mac:
- Open System Settings (you’ll find it by clicking the Apple logo in the top-left corner and selecting it from the dropdown menu).
- Click on your name at the top of the sidebar.
- Select iCloud.
- Look for the section labeled Apps Using iCloud and click Show All (or See All).
- Make sure the toggle next to Safari is turned on.
That’s it! Your Mac is now ready to sync tabs with your other Apple devices.
On an iPhone or iPad:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on your name at the very top of the screen to access your Apple ID settings.
- Select iCloud.
- Scroll down to Apps Using iCloud and tap Show All (or See All).
- Toggle on the switch next to Safari.
Now your iPhone or iPad is set to sync Safari tabs with iCloud too.
Viewing iCloud Tabs
Once iCloud Tabs is enabled on all your devices, Safari will start syncing your open tabs across them. However, finding these tabs isn’t always obvious. Here’s how you can view them.
On an iPhone or iPad:
- Open the Safari app.
- Swipe up or down (if necessary) to make the controls visible.
- Tap the icon that looks like two overlapping squares (it’s in the bottom-right corner).
- Tap the + icon that appears at the bottom of the screen to open a new tab.
- Scroll down past sections like Favorites, Suggestions, Reading List, and Recently Closed Tabs. You’ll find your iCloud Tabs here.
- Swipe sideways to browse through the tabs from your other devices, then tap on the one you want to open.
On a Mac:
- Open Safari.
- Click on the navigation pane icon (a square with dots along the left) in the top-left corner of the Safari window.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of the list, and you’ll see a section labeled iCloud Tabs.
If nothing appears here, it’s possible you just turned on the feature, so give it a little time to sync. Another possibility is that your iCloud storage is running low—if that’s the case, you’ve probably been receiving notifications or emails about it.
Why iCloud Tabs Are Worth It
Once you’ve set this up, the convenience is hard to overstate. Imagine you’re browsing something on your Mac and later realize you need that same page on your iPhone—it’s right there in your iCloud Tabs. No more copying links, emailing yourself URLs, or frantically trying to remember the website’s name. Everything is synced and ready to go.
While it’s true that Apple could make this feature a bit easier to find, it’s a lifesaver once you’ve got the hang of it. So go ahead and enable iCloud Tabs on all your Apple devices—you’ll thank yourself the next time you seamlessly pick up where you left off, no matter which screen you’re on.
