How to Clean Up your Safari Reading List on Mac: Step-by-Step Guide

An easy tutorial for deleting sites from your Reading List on a Mac

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: March 20, 2024 Fact Checked

Is your Reading List in Safari getting crowded? Perhaps you added something to your Reading List accidentally, or you simply don't care to read the articles or stories you saved previously. Clearing your Safari Reading List on your Mac is as simple as a few clicks, and we'll teach you how to complete this task in 6 quick and easy steps.

Quick Tips for Clearing Out Your Reading List

To delete your Safari Reading List on Mac, click the sidebar button in Safari, then click on the Reading List button (the icon looks like a pair of round glasses). Press Ctrl and click on an item in your Reading List, then select Remove Item to delete that entry or Clear All Items... to delete everything on the list.

Steps

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You can do so by clicking the Safari application on your dock, double-clicking it on your desktop, or opening it from a Finder window in the Applications folder. The Safari icon looks like a silver compass with a blue face.
This button looks like a rectangle split into two sections, and it's located in the upper-left corner of the window next to the browser's back and forward arrows.

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3
Click Reading List in the sidebar. It's the second option from the top and has an icon that looks like a pair of round glasses.
- Alternatively you can open the Reading List when Safari is open by clicking View in the top bar and then selecting Show Reading List Sidebar.
4
Press Ctrl and click any item on your Reading List. If you only want to remove one item, make sure to Ctrl + click on the correct item. A contextual menu will pop up with a variety of options.
- Ctrl + click is how to right-click on a Mac computer.
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Select Remove Item or Clear All Items…. To remove an individual item from your Reading List, you'd want to select Remove Item. If you want to clear your entire Reading List, select Clear All Items…^{[1]
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- You can also clear your Reading List by Ctrl + clicking on your Reading List sidebar background and selecting Clear All Items…
- If you opt to clear all items, Safari will confirm if you want to clear your Reading List. Click the blue Clear button to finish clearing the list.
If you don't want your sidebar to remain open, simply click the sidebar button again to close it.