Learn how to switch back to Safari’s old address bar design with familiar tabs and controls on your iPhone instead of the new compact layout.
Safari on iOS 26 has a more compact address bar, which hides your buttons for bookmarks, open tabs, and sharing options behind a three-dot menu. In contrast, the Bottom tab layout in Safari on iOS 18 puts those buttons (plus the navigational buttons) at the bottom, saving you unnecessary taps.
iOS 27 improves on iOS 26 by showing the All Tabs button next to the address bar and a handy bookmarks bar at the top of the Start Page.
Still, if you don’t like these changes, you can restore a bottom-tabs-style layout by following the instructions below.
Switch to the old Safari address bar design
1) Open the Settings app on your iPhone running iOS 26 or iOS 27.
2) Scroll to the bottom and tap Apps.
3) Select Safari from the list of applications.
4) Scroll to the Tabs section and select Bottom instead of Compact. Choosing Top takes you back to the iOS 14 days.
5) Return to Safari, and you’ll notice the address bar design has changed to display the buttons for bookmarks, sharing options, and all tabs.
These newer versions of iOS also retain the older “Top” layout option for those who prefer to have their address bar at the top and the bookmarking, sharing, and tab options at the bottom.
Summing up, iOS 26 and later expands the “Top” and “Bottom” layout options with a third “Compact” option, and you can freely switch between them as you like.
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