You've found an article or a product page worth passing on, and you want it in Messages, Mail, or WhatsApp instead of buried in your open tabs.
Safari on iPhone and iPad hands the link to any installed app through the Share Sheet. On the newer Compact layout the Share icon is hidden, so you reach sharing through the More menu instead.
In this guide, I have covered:
Contents
You have a page open and want to send it to someone
Load the page in Safari on your iPhone or iPad first. Give it a moment to finish loading, because the link preview your recipient sees pulls its title and image from the finished page.
Find the Share button on the Safari toolbar
Where the Share icon sits depends on which tab layout you’re using. Apple made a new Compact layout the default in iOS 26, and that layout hides the dedicated Share icon. The older Bottom and Top tab bars still show it.
If you see a Share icon in the toolbar
On the Bottom or Top tab bar layouts, Safari keeps a permanent Share 
button on screen.
- Tap the Share button. On a Bottom tab bar it sits at the bottom of the screen; on a Top tab bar it sits to the right of the address bar.
- Continue with the Share Sheet steps below.
If you don’t see a Share icon anywhere
On the Compact tab bar, the Share icon is gone from the toolbar. Sharing lives behind the More menu instead.
- Tap the
menu on the address bar row. On iPhone it usually sits at the right end of the tab strip; on iPad, beside the address bar. - Choose Share from the menu that opens. Safari opens the Share Sheet.
- Continue with the Share Sheet steps below.
Pick where to send the link in the Share Sheet
The Share Sheet opens with a row of app icons, an AirDrop strip above them, and a longer action list below. Pick a destination and the link lands in that app.
- In the top row under AirDrop, tap a nearby Apple contact to send the page to their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The receiving device shows an accept prompt.
- Tap a messaging or social app from the row of icons: Messages, Mail, WhatsApp, Instagram, or any other app you’ve installed that supports share extensions.
- Can’t see the app you want? Swipe the icon row left to reveal more, or scroll the action list below.
- Inside the chosen app, pick the contact or chat, add a note if you want, and send. The link, page title, and a small preview go with it.
You’ll know it worked when the app opens with the link already sitting in the message field, ready to send.
Apps only appear in the Share Sheet if you’ve installed them. If a service you want isn’t listed, install its app or copy the link and paste it into the app manually.
Apple’s own apps sit at the top of the row: Messages, Mail, Notes, and Reminders. You can hand a link to someone in your contacts without installing anything extra.
Bring back the Share icon on the Safari toolbar
If the missing Share button keeps slowing you down, switch Safari back to the older Bottom or Top tab bar in Settings. Your open tabs and saved pages survive the change.
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap Apps, then Safari.
- Scroll to the Tabs section.
- Choose Bottom or Top instead of Compact.
- Return to Safari. The Share icon now sits permanently on the toolbar again.
If the Share Sheet still refuses to open after the switch, reinstalling the Safari browser on the iPhone is the heavier reset worth trying.
Save the page in Safari instead of sharing it externally
Not every Share Sheet action sends the link to another person. Some keep it inside Safari, which is what you want when you plan to come back to the page later, pass it to another Apple device, or print it.
- In the Share Sheet, tap Options at the top to switch between sharing the link and sharing the page as a full file.
- Tap Add to Favorites to pin the page to the Favorites tab, or Add Bookmark to file it under any folder in your Bookmarks list.
- Tap Add to Reading List to save the page for offline reading.
- Tap Add Quick Note to drop the link into a new or existing Quick Note.
- Tap Print to open the system Print dialog, where you can pick a printer or save the page as a PDF.
- Tap Copy if you only need the URL to paste somewhere yourself.
On iOS 18 and later, the same actions are also reachable from the Page Menu (the aA button at the left of the address bar). The Page Menu exposes Add to Favorites, Add Bookmark, Add to Reading List, Add Quick Note, Print, and a few other site tools without opening the full Share Sheet.
Handoff and Universal Clipboard can also pass a Safari link to your Mac on their own when both devices use the same Apple ID. For the same flow on a desktop, see how to send a link from Safari on iPhone to your Mac, or share a website link externally from Safari on Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Share button in Safari on iPhone?
On iOS 26 with the default Compact tab bar, the Share icon is no longer on the toolbar. Tap the menu on the address bar row and choose Share. On the older Bottom or Top tab bar layouts, the Share button still sits on screen.
How do I make the Share icon stay visible in Safari again?
Open Settings, tap Apps, then Safari. Under Tabs, pick Bottom or Top instead of Compact. Safari keeps the Share icon on the toolbar without losing open tabs.
Can I share a Safari link with an app I don’t have installed?
Not directly through the Share Sheet. The app has to be installed before it appears as a share option. As a fallback, tap Copy in the Share Sheet and paste the URL into the app yourself.
How do I send a Safari page to a nearby Apple device without picking an app?
Tap Share, then tap their avatar under AirDrop at the top of the Share Sheet. The other device shows an accept prompt. AirDrop works between iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Why are some Safari sharing actions inside the browser instead of the Share Sheet?
Apple moved several actions such as Add to Favorites, Add Bookmark, Add to Reading List, Add Quick Note, and Print into the Page Menu (the aA button on the left side of the address bar) starting with iOS 18. They are still reachable from both places, so either route gets you there.
Same issue as Norbert. Has anyone found a fix to this? Seems like iOS is getting worse!
Same here… using ios15 0n ipad pro and iphone …. but worse…when safari tries to share it tosses up a whle range of irrelevant inbox emails across bottom of scren then ‘works’ endlessly. This isnt the only glitch in the new ios…. Reminds me of the notoriously bad old days of windows.
Wondering what url is used to share, is it the canonical url?
Same problem on my ipad – already for one week (no sharing from safari to Messenger)
Hi,
I have the same problem on my iPad, I can’t share a webpage from safari to messenger, it will send a message though and I can share via email etc. No problems on my android phone all works. Gone through settings and nothing works, can’t delete safari as it is a system app.
Have the same issue – can not share a link from either safari or chrome via Messenger using the share icon on my 100 % updated iPhone SE 2020 – I have tried reinstalling Messenger but it still does not work. It shows up as if it will share it, and I can type a message, but its only the message that gets thorugh. The link is not. any clues?
Hello Morten, that’s kind of weird.
I just checked on my iPad as well as iPhone XR and it’s working quite well. The links and text messages is getting through. Have you tried using other medium like Mail? Do the problem persist even there?
I get the exact same problem. Can share photos from gallery but no links from the different browsers to whatsapp
Hi
The share link from safari to messenger, on iOS, no longer works. Only option now is to copy and paste. This is a nuisance and the contents of the share are no longer visible to the recipients, just the URL.
Any suggestions?
Hi Amanda, I just checked on my iPhone, I could see the parsed URL with content. I hope you’ve update Safari browser on your device. If you still facing issue, then consider reinstalling safari browser.