Hey everyone, with iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, Safari got a pretty cool feature called Profiles. It’s super useful for keeping your browsing separate – think work vs. personal, or maybe different hobbies. Profiles keep your cookies, history, extensions, tab groups, and favorites all separate. Let me show you how to set these up on both your iPhone and Mac.
Setting up a Profile on iPhone
It’s really straightforward to get a profile going on your iPhone. Here’s how:
- First, head over to the Settings app on your iPhone (make sure you’re on iOS 17!).
- Then, scroll down a bit and tap on ‘Safari’.
- In Safari’s settings, find ‘Profiles’ (you might need to scroll down a bit) and tap on ‘New Profile’.
- Now, you’ll give your profile a name – something you’ll remember! Pick a fun icon and a color for easy spotting.
You can also tweak extra stuff, like which bookmarks folder to use, or what you want new tabs to show.
- Once you’re happy, tap ‘Done’ in the top-right. That’s it, your new profile is ready!
After creating it, you get to choose which extensions you want for that profile in the ‘Extensions’ settings.
Switching Profiles on iPhone
Switching between profiles on your iPhone is a breeze.
- Start by opening up the Safari app.
- Tap the ‘Tabs’ icon, usually bottom-right.
- Look for the ‘stacked menu’ icon in the middle of the toolbar - it might look a bit different based on which profile you are using.
- Tap ‘Profile’ in the menu. Initially, it will probably say ‘No Profile’.
- Now you just pick which profile you want from the list.
You’ll notice the start page changes to match the chosen profile, with the color and icon you set up.
Heads up - if you create a profile on your iPhone, it will also be available on your other Apple devices, as long as they are on the latest software and using the same Apple ID.
Setting up a Profile on Mac
If you have macOS Sonoma, you can do the same thing on your Mac!
- Fire up Safari on your Mac.
- There are multiple ways to get to settings - Click ‘Safari’ in the top menu bar and pick ‘Settings’. Alternatively, press
Cmd+,to jump directly there.
- In the Settings window, click the ‘Profiles’ tab.
- If you’ve already made profiles, they’ll show up here. To add a new one, hit that ‘+’ icon at the bottom of the sidebar.
- Give it a name, a color, and an icon. You can also pick a bookmarks folder, either a new one or use existing bookmarks.
- Click ‘Create Profile’ and you are all set.
You can also customize how new tabs and windows should open for each profile.
You can also manage which extensions are enabled for the profile by switching to the ‘Extensions’ tab.
Switching Profiles on Mac
Switching is just as easy on Mac:
- Right-click on the Safari icon in your Dock.
- Choose ‘New [Profile Name] Window’ from the menu. For instance, you’d select ‘New Personal Window’ for your “Personal” profile.
The new window will pop open using that profile, and you’ll see the chosen color and icon on the start page, also the profile name at the title bar.
To swap between open profile windows, right-click that Safari icon again, and pick from the list.
Safari Profiles really make it easy to juggle different browsing situations. Work, personal, whatever you need – it’s all kept neatly separate.