Apple seems to have removed the favorite website icons from Safari 16.3 on macOS Big Sur 11.7.3. When it comes to the browser domain, then there are quite a few noteworthy players to choose from, however, if we talk about the Apple ecosystem, then users are generally inclined towards the offering from the Cupertino giant, mainly due to its deep integration into this ecosystem. However, as of late, it seems to be going through a rough patch.
Favorite website icons removed from Safari 16.3 on Big Sur 11.7.3
Numerous users have voiced their concern that their favorite website icons seem to have been removed or greyed out from Safari 16.3 on macOS Big Sur 11.7.3. The issue is only affecting the eleventh iteration of the OS, its successor [Monterey and Ventura] running the same Safari version are free from this bug. This issue is noticeable across both the home page as well as in the URL bar.
How to Fix This Issue?
As of now the only workaround that is spelling out success for some users involves deleting and then recreating the favorite icon cache. So refer to the below steps to give it a try and check out the result.
- Launch Finder and click on Go > Go to Folder from the top menu bar.
- Then type in the below location and hit Enter:
~/Library/Safari/Favicon Cache/
- Now select all the files via Command+A and hit Command+Del to delete them.
- Then restart Safari and go to Preferences > Tabs and check Show website icons in tabs.
That’s it. This might fix the issue of favorite website icons from Safari 16.3 on macOS Big Sur 11.7.3. As far as the official stance on this matter is concerned, the developers are yet to acknowledge this issue, let alone give out any ETA for the rollout of a fix. As and when any of these two things happen, we will update this guide accordingly. In the meantime, the aforementioned workaround is your best bet.
