Safari's start page is the first thing you see when you open a new window. But many users don't realize how customizable it is. For starters, you can get rid of its bland look by adding sections and changing its background.

We'll show you how to spruce up Safari's start page on your Mac to get it just how you want it.

How to Change the Background for Safari's Start Page

Background Image in Safari Start Page

By default, the start page's gray background is the first thing that'll grab your attention when you launch Safari. You can jazz it up with a couple of stock images that Apple bundles with Safari. Or you can upload a custom image to use as the start page background instead.

For that, click on the menu icon in the bottom-right corner of Safari's start page and enable the Background Image option. Next, you can pick one of the stock images from the Background Image label by scrolling from left to right.

Click the plus (+) icon to navigate to an image you want to upload for the start page's background in Safari. There are also plenty of other Safari tips and tricks for customizing your start screen.

How to Add Favorites to the Start Page in Safari

Add Favorites to Safari start page

Safari manages Bookmarks and Favorites differently than the other browsers. While Bookmarks appear in the sidebar, you can pin a handful of your frequently visited websites as Favorites on the start page in Safari.

That'll save you from the chore of opening Bookmarks or keeping the Bookmarks sidebar active. Open Safari, click on the menu in the bottom-right corner, and select the checkbox to enable Favorites.

All the links you've added to your Favorites list will appear on Safari's start page.

How to Put Your Reading List on Safari's Start Page

Add Reading List to Safari Start Page

If you like an article on a site, you can hit Shift + Cmd + D to add it to your Reading List. It's a good idea to add all the articles you want to read on the start page itself by enabling your Reading List.

Open the menu in the bottom-right corner of the Safari start page, then enable the checkbox for Reading List.

This way, you get quick access to the articles you want to read, instead of throwing them deep in the Bookmarks or cluttering your Favorites.

How to Sync Safari Tabs Across Devices Using iCloud

Enable iCloud Tabs Sync in Safari Start Page

With Safari on your Mac, you can access open tabs on your other Apple devices. This lets you pick up reading a website exactly where you left off. Apple syncs your Safari tabs between devices using iCloud.

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app. Then tap on [Your Name] > iCloud and enable the toggle for Safari from the list of Apps Using iCloud.

Now open Safari on your Mac, click on the menu in the bottom-right corner and select the checkbox for the iCloud Tabs.

You can start syncing tabs between Mac and other Apple devices, as long as the iCloud service is active on all of them.

How to Display a Privacy Report on Safari's Start Page

Add Privacy Report to Safari Start Page

Safari's privacy features block third-party tracker cookies and generates a privacy report for you to view on the start page. The privacy report shows the numbers of trackers blocked along with the list of websites that tried tracking you.

Again, you'll have to enable the checkbox for Privacy Report from the menu on Safari's start page to see this.

Over time, you can figure out which websites use the most trackers so you can be careful which ones you visit.

Spice Up Safari's Start Page to Improve Your Browser Experience

Safari's start page is customizable to your needs, allowing Favorites, synced tabs, privacy reports, a personalized background, and more. Thankfully, there are no news feeds to clog it or cause it to consume data unnecessarily.

After dressing up the start page, you can still tweak other Safari settings for browsing the web more efficiently.