Browse the web using Safari on iPad

In the Safari app , you can browse the web, view websites, preview website links, translate webpages, and add the Safari app back to your Home Screen if it gets removed. If you sign in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all your devices, you can see pages you have open on other devices, and keep your bookmarks, history, and Reading List up to date on all your devices.

An open webpage. Along the top, from left to right, are the Sidebar button, the title of the current open Tab Group, the Previous and Back buttons, the search field, the Share button, the New Tab button, and the Tab Overview button.

View websites with Safari

You can easily navigate a webpage with a few taps.

Get back to the top: Double-tap the top edge of the screen to quickly return to the top of a long page.
See more of the page: Turn iPad to landscape orientation.
Refresh the page: Pull down from the top of the page.
Share links: Tap at the top right of the page.

View two pages side-by-side in Split View

Use Split View to open two Safari pages side-by side.

The left half of the screen displays a webpage. The right half of the screen displays a different webpage. Between them is an adjustable divider. At the top of each webpage there is the icon for the Multitasking Controls.

Open a blank page in Split View: Touch and hold , then tap New Window in Split View.
Open a link in Split View: Touch and hold the link, then tap Open in Split View.
Move a window to the other side of Split View: Touch and hold at the top of the window, then drag left or right.
Close tabs in a Split View window: Touch and hold .
Leave Split View: Drag the divider over the window you want to close.

Preview website links

Touch and hold a link in Safari to see a preview of the link without opening the page. To open the link, tap the preview, or tap Open.

To close the preview and stay on the current page, tap anywhere outside the preview.

A preview for a website. To the right of the preview is a menu that shows the options, including Open, Open in Background, Open in New Window, and more.

Translate a webpage

When you encounter a webpage that’s in another language, you can use Safari to translate the text (not available in all languages or regions).

When viewing a webpage in another language, tap , then tap if translation is available.

Manage downloads

To download a file, touch and hold the file or link you want to download, then tap Download Linked File.

Tap to check the status of a file you’re downloading, to access downloaded files quickly, or to drag a downloaded file onto another file or into an email you’re working on.

Tip: You can download files in the background while you continue to use Safari.

Add Safari back to your Home Screen

If you don’t see Safari on your Home Screen, you can find it in App Library and add it back.

On the Home Screen, swipe left to access App Library.
Enter “Safari” into the search field.
Press and hold , then tap Add to Home Screen.

iPad User Guide