Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Surf the Web More Easily with Bookmarks
Bookmarks are hardly a new phenomenon, so I'm amazed when people tell me they don't use
them. Bookmarking a website is a quick way to revisit a website on your computer, without having to
remember or type in the cryptic URLs. The mobile revolution now lets you carry those easy-access
shortcuts wherever you go. Even better, thanks to iCloud, if you make a change to a bookmark or add
a new one, it'll appear on all your iCloud devices.
With iCloud, bookmarks take on new forms with great tools like Reading List and iCloud Tabs.
Reading List lets you bookmark links to be read later, then deletes them once you've gone to the web
page, so your bookmarks don't get cluttered with links that were only meant to be temporary remind-
ers. iCloud Tabs shows you the web pages currently and recently open on other iOS devices and
Macs, so you can pick up where you left off as you change devices.
Get your bookmarks in order
If you already have bookmarks saved on one of your devices, you're already part of the way to
syncing them. If not, you can start with an empty set of bookmarks. Either way, I strongly recom-
mend you do the heavy bookmark lifting on your computer (in Safari on a Mac or your choice of Sa-
fari or Internet Explorer on a Windows PC). What you want to do is create your bookmarks on that
computer (or clean up the ones it already has), so it serves as the initial master bookmarks list for
when you later sync other devices' bookmarks with it. Yes, you can do this work on your iOS device,
but you'll find it is easier to do on a computer.
If you have bookmarks stored in another browser, first import them into Safari on your computer
to help put together that master bookmark list. All browsers differ, but the export option is normally
in the bookmark. In Safari on your computer, choose File > Import Bookmarks, select the exported
bookmarks file, and click the Import button to add them to Safari.
Now it's time to tidy up your bookmarks. In Safari, choose Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks to
see all your bookmarks. The process in Windows' Internet Explorer varies based on the version of IE
you use, but look for a similar setting. On an iOS device, tap the Bookmarks button (
) in Safari
to open the Bookmarks screen or pop-over.
Delete unwanted bookmarks, add missing bookmarks, create new folders, and organize book-
marks in folders. On an iOS device, tap the Edit button to get these controls. On a computer, simply
select, delete, and drag and drop links as you want, and use the Bookmarks menu for other opera-
tions.
When Safari (or Internet Explorer) are set up with your master bookmarks, make sure that Safari
is selected in the iCloud system preference on the Mac or that Browser is selected in the iCloud con-
trol panel in Windows (click Options to select whether Safari or Internet Explorer is synced; you can't
sync both). Then, on each iOS device, go to the Settings app's iCloud pane and make sure the Safari
switch is set to On. Your devices will sync their bookmarks (give it up to an hour the first time).
REMEMBER:
The devices need an active Internet connection to sync.
After the devices all sync up their bookmarks, you may find some duplicates because of book-
marks that may have been on your iOS devices or other computers connected to your iCloud account.
Go to any computer or iOS device to clean up the bookmarks, and in a short time you'll see the other
devices cleaned themselves up as well after they've synced.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search