Delete Safari Links Shared With You on iPhone

This guide shows you how to find and delete links that appear in the “Shared with You” section of Safari on your iPhone. This feature automatically collects links sent to you in Messages, and you can remove individual items or clear the entire section when you no longer need them.

What You’ll Need

• An iPhone running iOS 15 or later (the feature was introduced with iOS 15)
• The Messages app must be set up and have at least one conversation containing a link
• Safari must be updated to the latest version available on your device

Step-by-Step

1. Open Safari on your iPhone. The app icon is a blue compass on a white background, typically found on your home screen or in the App Library.
2. Start a new tab by tapping the tab icon in the bottom-right corner (two overlapping squares). If you’re already on the start page, you can skip this step.
3. Look for the “Shared with You” section on the start page. It appears as a horizontal row of link previews with the label “Shared with You” above them, usually below your Favorites and Reading List sections. If you don’t see it, scroll down slightly.
4. Tap “See All” in the top-right corner of the “Shared with You” section. This opens a full-screen list of every link that has been shared with you in Messages.
5. Delete a single link: Swipe left on the link you want to remove. A red “Delete” button will appear. Tap it. The link is removed from Safari, but it still remains in your Messages conversation.
6. Delete multiple links at once: Tap “Edit” in the top-right corner of the “Shared with You” list. Then tap the circle next to each link you want to remove (a checkmark appears). Tap “Delete” in the bottom-left corner, then confirm by tapping “Delete” again in the popup.
7. Clear the entire section: If you want to remove all links at once, tap “Edit,” then tap “Select All” at the top-left. Tap “Delete” and confirm. This removes every link from the Shared with You section in Safari.
8. Check that the section is gone: Return to the Safari start page. If you deleted all links, the “Shared with You” section will no longer appear in that tab. If you only deleted some, the section remains with the remaining links.

Common Mistakes

• Deleting the link in Messages instead: Removing a link from the Messages conversation does not remove it from Safari’s “Shared with You” section. You must delete it in Safari itself using the steps above.
• Swiping the wrong way: Swiping right on a link does nothing in this list. Always swipe from right to left to reveal the Delete button.
• Expecting the section to disappear after one deletion: The “Shared with You” section only disappears when all links in it are removed. Deleting one link keeps the section visible with the remaining links.
• Looking in the wrong place: “Shared with You” only appears on the Safari start page (the page you see when you open a new tab). It does not appear on a regular webpage or in your bookmarks.

Tips

• Turn off the feature entirely: If you don’t want Safari to show shared links at all, go to Settings > Messages > Shared with You and toggle off Safari. This hides the section completely while still keeping the links in your Messages conversations.
• Use the context menu for more options: Long-press on a link in the “Shared with You” list to see options like “Open,” “Add to Reading List,” “Copy,” or “Remove.” The “Remove” option deletes it without needing to swipe.
• Remove links from the start page directly: On the main start page, you can long-press a link preview in the “Shared with You” row and choose “Remove” from the popup menu. This is faster than opening the full list.
• Deleting the conversation removes the links: If you delete the entire Messages conversation that contains the shared links, those links will also disappear from Safari’s “Shared with You” section automatically.

Troubleshooting

• The “Shared with You” section doesn’t appear: Make sure you have received a link in Messages after upgrading to iOS 15 or later. Links shared before the update may not appear. Also check that the feature is enabled in Settings > Messages > Shared with You and that Safari is toggled on.
• Deleting a link doesn’t work: If the swipe or Edit method fails, try force-quitting Safari (swipe up from the bottom and swipe the Safari card away) and reopening it. Then try again. If it still fails, restart your iPhone.
• Links reappear after deletion: This can happen if the sender re-shares the same link in Messages, or if you have multiple conversations containing the same link. Delete it again from Safari, or delete the Messages conversation to prevent reappearance.
• The section is there but empty: A blank “Shared with You” section can happen after a sync glitch. Try toggling the Safari switch off and on in Settings > Messages > Shared with You, then check the start page again.
• Can’t find “See All”: If you only see one or two links, the “See All” button may not appear. In that case, long-press each link individually and select “Remove” to delete them one by one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will deleting a link from Safari delete it from my Messages?
A: No. Deleting from Safari only removes it from the “Shared with You” section. The original message with the link stays in your Messages conversation.

Q: Can I delete only some links and keep others?
A: Yes. Swipe left on individual links to delete them one at a time, or use Edit mode to select specific links and delete only those.

Q: Why do I see links from people I don’t know?
A: “Shared with You” pulls links from any Messages conversation, including group chats or unknown senders. If you don’t want these, toggle off Safari in Settings > Messages > Shared with You.

Q: Does this work on iPad too?
A: Yes, the same steps apply to iPadOS. The layout may look slightly different, but the “Shared with You” section and deletion methods are the same.

Q: Will deleting a link remove it from my iCloud history?
A: No. Deleting from Safari only affects the “Shared with You” section on that device. The link may still appear in your iCloud browsing history or other devices unless you clear those separately.

Q: Can I prevent links from being shared with me in the future?
A: Yes. Go to Settings > Messages > Shared with You and toggle off Safari. This stops new links from appearing in Safari, but existing ones remain until you delete them manually.

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