The iCloud tabs feature that syncs open tabs in Safari across all your devices didn’t go away in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and Safari 15 for macOS, but it might. Previously, you found shared tabs in these places (and also see “What Apple operating systems work with iCloud tabs on all devices?”):
- iOS 14 / iPadOS 14 and earlier versions: In Safari, tap the Tab Overview button (two overlapping rectangles) and swipe down the locally open tabs until you see lists of other devices by name, showing each tab. Tap to open one of those in the current device’s Safari browser.
- Safari 14 and earlier versions on macOS: Click the Similar Tab Overview button and then view the list of tabs by device under the open tabs as you scroll down. Click to open.
How to access iCloud tabs on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS
The new approach of using the home page makes more organizational sense, but you may not have been able to find it.
- Create a new home page. In iOS 15 or iPadOS 15, tap the + button; In Safari 15 for macOS, the options vary; see below.
- Swipe or scroll down to find the name of one of your devices in big bold with a listing of its tab.
- Optionally, tap or click on that device’s name to select another Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
- Touch or click to open the tab.
Safari 15 allows you to create a home page in several ways:
- On any tab, click the home page icon in the upper left corner.
- On any tab, choose Bookmarks> Show Home Page.
- place Safari> Preferences> General> New windows open with or New tabs open with to the Home page, and you can use Command-N or Command-T to create a new Home Page.
If you use iCloud tabs all the time in Safari for macOS, you can also add a toolbar icon to display all your devices tabs at once in a drop-down menu. Choose View> Customize Toolbar, drag the iCloud tabs icon to the desired toolbar position, and then click Done.
One issue with the new tab group organizing feature in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and Safari 15 for macOS is that iCloud tabs only show open tabs on the currently Chosen tab group in Safari on your other devices. This may mean that the tabs you are trying to access are not showing up.
Also, many readers have reported that iCloud tabs may get out of date and not list the current pages open in Safaris on their other devices. Sometimes the items listed include tabs that were closed some time ago. There is no solution for that except logging out of iCloud on your device and logging back in, which brings a host of other sync-related issues; I do not recommend it to solve this problem.
Ask Mac 911
We’ve compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions, along with answers and column links – read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we are always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to [email protected] Primer.com, including screenshots as appropriate and if you’d like your full name to be used. Not all questions will be answered, we do not respond to email, and we cannot provide direct advice for troubleshooting.