Top Sites is a graphic menu of your favorite websites.

It’s built into Safari. Just click on the site you want to visit. There’s no easier way to surf the web.

Setting Up Top Sites – Preferences

Top Sites offers a few simple preferences:

• Click on Safari in the Menu Bar.
• Select Preferences.

• Go to the General tab. There are 3 choices that impact Top Sites:
  • New windows open with – You can choose Top Sites
  • New tabs open with – You can choose Top Sites
  • Top sites shows – Choose between 6, 12, or 24 website thumbnails (shown below.)

Using Top Sites

You’ll find the Top Sites button on the left-hand side of the favorites bar:

• Click on the button and you are taken to Top Sites.
• Click on any site and you are instantly taken there.
• Click the Top Sites icon or use the back button to return to Top Sites.

You can also get to Top Sites by clicking History in the Menu Bar and selecting Show Top Sites.
The keystroke shortcut is Option Command 1

To leave Top Sites at any time, simply type a new search into the Google search/address bar.

How To Add, Delete, Pin, And Move Websites

When you first open Top Sites you see a collection of thumbnails for recently viewed sites.

You can delete or keep these using the directions below.

Add A Site

There are two ways to add a site to Top Sites:

• Click and hold on the site favicon, then drag and drop it onto the Top Sites button.

• Click the + button left of the address bar and choose Add To: Top Sites.

Delete A Site

In Top Sites, hover over the top left-hand corner of a site thumbnail.  An X and a Pin appear. Click the X and the site thumbnail disappears.

Pin A Site

In Top Sites, hover over the top left-hand corner of a site thumbnail.  An X and a Pin appear. Clicking on the Pin changes its color from gray to blue and back again.

• A thumbnail with a gray pin is moved out of Top Sites by the addition of an new site.
• A thumbnail with a blue pin cannot be moved out of Top Sites. Newly added sites have a blue pin by default.

Move A Site

You can drag and drop site thumbnails to re-arrange them. They move in the same manner as Apps on the iPhone.

Other Options

Under Safari in the Menu Bar, choose Reset Safari… One of the options you can check here is to Reset Top Sites. This action removes all pinned favorites and begins to build a fresh history of site thumbnails.

In the View Menu on the Menu Bar, when in Top Sites, choose Update Preview Images or Command R to refresh the website thumbnails.

Under History in the Menu Bar, if you choose Clear History… you are offered the option to Also reset Top Sites.

That’s it. Enjoy and have a great week.

Other posts about Safari that you might like:

Safari – Eight Tips To Make Your Life Easier

Safari Extensions – Add Something Cool To Your Browser

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