"Regular" tabs (tabs not opened in groups) are stored in ~/Library/Safari/CloudTabs.db
but tabs opened in Tab Groups aren't there, so where are they stored?
2 Answers
Safari has another database file in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Safari/SafariTabs.db
. It has a table bookmarks
which has a row for each tab group entry. There is a parent
column which has the id
of the tab group itself.
Came here troubleshooting a problem of tab groups not syncing via iCloud from one MacBook to another when setting up a replacement work laptop, on which I could not use migration assistant. Based on this answer, I tried moving the SafariTabs.db file from the old laptop to the new laptop, but the tab groups did not come over. Moving the entire contents of the ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Safari/
directory did move the tab groups from the old laptop to the replacement, so it seems like more files may be involved now on Safari 17.
Also, if you're looking for this directory, it may show in terminal, but may not show in Finder, even with hidden files turned on. Pasting the path in Go > Go To Folder doesn't work, but if you manually type it, when you get to com.apple.Safari
it will offer a replacement of Safari
, and if you choose that, you can keep entering the path to bring up the directory in Finder.