Home / Software / How-To
How-To

How to move the address bar back to the top in Safari

Confused by the iOS 15 changes to Safari? If you're frustrated that the URL bar is no longer at the top here's how to move it back to the bottom.
By Halyna Kubiv & Karen Haslam
Macworld SEP 22, 2021 9:53 am PDT

Of all the changes in iOS 15 one of the most noticeable, and potentially frustrating, is the changes to Safari and in particular the relocation of the address bar. If you are lost and confused by the change we show you how to return it to the top again.

In iOS 15 Safari on the iPhone feels like a completely new browser thanks to lots of new features including group tabs and scrolling between pages, but one of the most controversial is the migration of the address bar from the top to the bottom of the page.

During the development of iOS 15 testers complained about the change – to such an extent that adjustments were made. For example, during beta testing the address bar sometimes hovered over the content and sometimes was part of the window – Apple withdrew the latter option after particularly negative feedback. The company also made the decision to make it possible to return the browser to the used to be for those users really confused by the new set up.

How to get the old Safari back

Completely baffled by Apple’s new layout for Safari? You can return things to the way they were. Here’s what to do:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll to the Safari section and tap on that.
  3. On the Safari settings page find the Tabs area. By default in iOS 15, the ‘Tab Bar’ setting is activated, which means the address bar will be at the bottom of the window.
  4. Tap on the ‘Single Tab’ option to move the address bar back to the top of the browser window. Move URL Bar in Safari
  5. If you want to go a step further and return to the way that Safari looked before iOS 15 you might want to turn off the ‘Allow colouring of web pages’ slider, then the appearance of tabs will no longer adapt to the content on the page itself.

Why you should give it a chance…

However, we would recommend giving the new function a chance. The main issues with the new layout while it was being beta tested have been addressed – the bar no longer bounces around the window like a hyperactive grasshopper, for example.

We find that operation with one hand is much more comfortable if the address bar is at the bottom as it can be reached with your thumb on any size screen.

Apple has not only renewed the Safari interface, but also revised the code in the background a little. As a result even older smartphones, such as on a first-generation iPhone SE, will find that the browser works a little faster on iOS 15 compared to iOS 14 as we found out in our speed comparison. Read: Will iOS 15 slow down your iPhone?

This article originally appeared on Macwelt. Translation by Karen Haslam.