Want to start with a blank sheet of the world white web—every time? Find out here how to start Safari with a blank page, both on a Mac using macOS and, with certain limitations, on iPhone and iPad.
First, Boring and Dull
In 2012, Dull and Boring joined forces to… form an alliance to… excite extra tourism.
Initiated by Elizabeth Leighton on a cycling trip, the communities of picturesque Boring in Oregon by the Cascade Mountains and just as scenic Dull in the Scottish Lowlands have formed an informal bond.
Beautiful Bland later joined the posse, it seems—before we get to that, though, how about adding pretty Blank to Safari?
How to Start Safari with a Blank Page (“about: blank”)
Time needed: 2 minutes
To have Safari open with a blank page on a Mac using macOS:
- Open Safari settings.
Here’s how: Select Safari | Preferences from the menu.
Keyboard shortcut: You can also press Command , (comma) to open Safari settings. - Go to the General tab.
- Select Empty Page for New windows open with:.
- Choose Empty Page for New tabs open with: as well.
Optional: Both choices are, of course, optional. You can choose to have Safari open new windows with an empty page but new tabs with a duplicate of the same page (Same Page), for instance.
Alternative: See below for an alternative (using about:blank) that has Safari open with a true page that is blank. - Optional: Select A new window for Safari opens with:.
With “All windows from last session”: If All windows from last session or All non-private windows from last session is selected here, Safari will open the windows and tabs that were open when you quit Safari; only if you close all windows before quitting Safari will it really start with a blank page in that case.
No “A new window”: If A new window is not an option you can choose, first make macOS close windows for you as you quit applications in System Settings; see below. - Close the General preferences.
Enable Starting Safari with a New Window (Instead of Restoring the Last Session)
To make macOS close windows as you quit applications and allow Safari to start with new, blank window every time:
- Open System Settings on the Mac.
Here’s how: Select System Settings (or System Preferences…) from the (Apple logo) menu on your Mac, for example. - Go to the General category.
- Under Prefer tabs:, check Close windows when quitting an app.
How to Start Safari with a Blank Page (“about: blank”) on iPhone and iPad
To make Safari on iPhone and iPad open to a—just about entirely—empty page:
- Open a new page in Safari.
- Tap Edit at its bottom.
- Turn off Use Start Page on All Devices.
Not mandatory: You can leave this setting enabled, of course, and have your blank start page synchronize with other devices. - Turn off everything.
The choices: Disable Favorites, Frequently Visited, Shared with You, Privacy Report, Siri Suggestions, Reading List and iCloud Tabs.
- Swipe down to save the setting.
Safari will now open new tabs with a blank page.
How to Start Safari with a Blank Page (“about: blank”): FAQ
Can I make “about:blank” the home page for Safari?
Yes.
You can set the empty, white page as your Safari home page on macOS. This will open a blank browser tab as a “real” page—that means you can right-click on its tab and close other tabs, for instance.
To set up the blank browser page (about:blank) as the Safari home page:
- Open Safari settings; see above.
- Choose Homepage for New windows open with and New tabs open with as you see fit.
- Type
about:blankunder Homepage:.
- Close the preferences window.
Can I set about:blank as the home page on iPhone and iPad?
No.
On iOS and iPadOS, you can only edit the start page (see above) to be just about empty or use a Safari plug-in that lets you set a different home page.
(How to start Safari with a blank page tested with macOS Sonoma 14.2, Ventura 13.1, Monterey 15.3, and iOS 15–17; updated January 2024)