iPhone Safari settings: default browser, search bar, DNS and IP

Browsing settings are spread over Safari, Default Apps, Wi-Fi and Contacts. This guide covers six of them: the default browser, the Safari search bar, autofill address, SafeSearch, DNS and IP address. On iOS 18 the Safari settings are under Settings › Apps › Safari. On older versions they are directly in Settings › Safari.

How to change the default browser on iPhone

From then on, links you tap in Mail, Messages and other apps open in that browser. To go back, choose Safari in the same place. On older iOS, open Settings, scroll to the browser's name, tap it and choose Default Browser App. If you do not see Default Apps, you are on iOS 18.1 or earlier. Some apps open links in their own built-in browser, and the default setting cannot change that, so look for an Open in browser option inside the app.

How to move the Safari search bar to the top

On iOS 26, Compact is the default: a small floating bar at the bottom that shrinks as you scroll, with extra buttons in the three-dot menu. On iOS 17 and 18, the options are Tab Bar and Single Tab, and Single Tab puts the bar at the top. On iOS 15 to 18, you can also tap the aA button in the address bar and choose Show Top Address Bar or Show Bottom Tab Bar. To change the start page, open a new tab, scroll to the bottom, tap Edit and turn on Background Image. If pages load slowly or look wrong, try clearing Safari's cache.

How to change the autofill address

Safari now fills the new address in web forms. Apple Pay keeps its own address, which you change in Settings › Wallet & Apple Pay › Shipping Address. In Chrome, open the three dots › Settings › Addresses and More, then edit or delete the saved address. If an old address still appears, it is probably a second entry on your card. For updating payment details, see changing your payment method.

How to turn off SafeSearch on iPhone

SafeSearch filters explicit results in Google. In the Google app, tap your profile picture, then Settings › SafeSearch and choose Off. In Safari or Chrome, go to google.com/safesearch and choose Off. If results are still filtered, open Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions › App Store, Media, Web & Games › Web Content and choose Unrestricted.

If SafeSearch is locked, your Google account is under 18 or managed by Family Link, or a school or work network forces it. Only the parent or administrator can change that. If you are signed in to Google, the setting follows your account. If not, change it in each browser. Parents who want the filter on should leave it, and can read about Screen Time controls before changing anything.

How to change DNS on iPhone

This only affects that Wi-Fi network. For cellular data, use an app such as Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1. Cloudflare and Google (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) are fast and free, and Quad9 (9.9.9.9) also blocks known bad sites. DNS only changes who looks up website names, so it does not hide your IP address. If a custom DNS makes sites fail to load, switch back to Automatic. For connection problems in general, see an iPhone that will not join Wi-Fi.

How to change your IP address on iPhone

Your iPhone has a local IP address from your router at home, and websites see the public IP address of your router or carrier. Which one you want to change decides the method.

• Renew Lease: Settings › Wi-Fi › info button › Renew Lease gets a new local address.
• Switch networks: moving between Wi-Fi and cellular, or to another Wi-Fi network, changes the public address.
• iCloud Private Relay: Settings › your name › iCloud › Private Relay. It needs iCloud+, and it covers Safari and some app traffic, not every app.
• A trusted VPN: covers all apps, but pick a provider carefully.
• Restart your router: some internet providers then assign a new public IP.

Safari privacy options in your iPhone Safari settings

The Privacy & Security section of Safari settings is worth a minute. Prevent Cross-Site Tracking limits how advertisers follow you from site to site. Hide IP Address keeps your address from known trackers. Block Pop-ups stops most pop-up windows, and Fraudulent Website Warning shows a notice for pages that look like phishing. All four are usually on by default, so only change them if a site you trust does not work. You can also use Clear History and Website Data in the same menu when a page loads wrong, which is a safer first step than turning protections off.

In a page, the aA menu in the address bar has Request Desktop Website, Reader view and a way to change text size for that site. These help when a mobile page is cramped or cluttered, and they do not change any account setting.

Which change fits your problem?

• Pages load slowly or fail: try another Wi-Fi network, then another DNS, and clear Safari's cache.
• A site shows the wrong address for shipping: update My Card in Contacts and check AutoFill.
• You want links to open in Chrome or another browser: set the default browser.
• You want a different public IP: use Private Relay or a VPN, or switch networks.
• The search bar is in the way: move it from the bottom to the top in Safari settings.

Be careful with free VPN apps and unknown DNS services. A service that sees your traffic can also record it, so choose a provider with a clear privacy policy, and never install a profile from a website you do not know.

Tabs, Tab Groups and Private Browsing

Safari can keep your browsing tidy if you use it a lot. Tab Groups let you save a set of tabs, such as a trip or a project, and come back to them later. Profiles, available on newer iOS versions, separate work and personal browsing, each with its own history and cookies. Private Browsing keeps history from being saved, and on iPhones with Face ID it can be locked so it needs your face to open. None of these change what websites see about your connection, so they do not replace a VPN.

If Safari settings look different from this guide, check your iOS version in Settings › General › About. From iOS 18, Safari settings moved under Settings › Apps › Safari, and iOS 26 changed the default tab bar layout. A setting that seems missing is usually just in a new place, and the search field at the top of Settings finds it quickly.