How to Remove "Top Sites" When Safari Opens

When you open a new Safari browser window or a new tab in Safari, the browser will display thumbnails of your most visited websites. If you'd prefer a more professional look that avoids the chance of displaying unwanted images, you can change your home page to either a specific website or to a blank page. If you only want to remove some of the top sites, you can delete individual items.

Turning Off Top Sites

To completely remove the Top Sites page, open the "Safari" menu and choose "Preferences." On the General tab, change the settings for both "New windows open with" and "New tabs open with." You can pick "Empty Page" to use a blank white screen or pick "Homepage" to use an address, which you can change below the drop-down menus.

Removing Individual Top Sites

To delete a specific site from the Top Sites page in Safari 7, hold your mouse over its thumbnail and click the "X" icon that appears. On Safari 6, click "Edit" on the Top Sites page to display the "X" icons on every thumbnail. Press one to remove the page. Sites removed in this way will never reappear on the Top Sites page regardless of their popularity.

Version Notice

Information in this article applies to Safari 7 and Safari 6 on Mac OS X Mavericks and Mountain Lion respectively. It may vary slightly or significantly in other versions.