Great!! Thanks for the help. It is not as good as it was before but sure is usable. Thanks again.
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Safari 14.0. Missing Top Sites!
- Thread starter Bksansoo
- Start date
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Great!! Thanks for the help. It is not as good as it was before but sure is usable. Thanks again.
Well I guess its somewhat comforting that I wasn't just so inept that I couldn't figure out why I had no Top Sites, anywhere. Yes I had a Top Sites Plist, and performed the remove/reinstall to no avail. That was my last ditch effort. Then I happened onto this thread. Now anxiously awaiting a fix. 
I totally agree. I complained to Apple that if I wanted to pin crap, I'd go to Pintarest and asked what kind of meds the developers were on to think this was a good idea! I am so ticked off.
I created an account just to say THANK YOU! I can retrieve my websites again. it's hard to believe Apple didn't save our Information and just deleted them without a notice.
I have learned through many decades of owning Apple hardware that they have nothing but contempt for their customers. It has always been that way and likely always will.
Okay, so I am able to access that file, but I can't open it. I researched and downloaded an app called Property List Converter, but even with three options, there isn't a way to open the file - I can go to library via the app, but safari doesn't show there. If I access library via by clicking on Go, I see the list. Any ideas?
Hi, so I downloaded the app Xcode in order to open the plist file. However, I'm unable to get my top sites back. I've tried copying various sections of the url, so if anyone can help me further, it would be great. You can see in bottom left what I get from the top sites pinned but I end up with 'page not found.' Thanks in advance,
Attachments
That is really weird. I am able to open it normally with the default “textEdit” app. Maybe your default app is changed, right click on the file and click “open with...” then “textEdit”
This sux for me as well. Apple is so arrogant sometimes. They force 'updates' that I don't like or would ever opt for if given a choice. Oh, wait - give us a choice? What a novel idea. I want my Top Sites back!
I have posted a response to the missing Top Sites issue with Safari 14 in another thread to wit:
No, Frequently Visited is a completely different animal. You have no direct control of what goes in or when. With Top Sites, you had total control of was available with a couple of clicks, then the site of interest was then available with one click until you decided otherwise(deleted the link).
The Frequently Visited feature is controlled by the software itself (I think SIRI is involved in some manner). I frequently check an 'underground dot com' radar page, often a couple times a day, yet this page NEVER appears in Frequently Visited. Since using Safari 14, I have visited my credit card website once to make an account payment, that damn webpage showed up immediately in this Frequently Visited section of Start Page. Hmmm, that's rather odd behavior.
No sir, Top Sites and Frequently Visited are NOT interchangeable in functional operation at the user experience level. Whether or not Frequently Visited will be the new Top Sites remains to be determined, however, that is not the case right now.
To anyone thinking Frequently Visited and Top Sites are the same thing, oopsie. They ain't; coulda'. woulda', shoulda'. But not in actual function, at least not Safari 14 in a Catalina context.
I haven't ventured into Big Sur territory, however, I really don't think this issue is different in either context, nor Mojave for that matter.
As an additional note, the names of the links in Top Sites could decided by you at the moment you created such a link. For example Astronomy Picture of the Day{https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html} was called APOD for this link in my selection of this sight in Top Sites. I really appreciated this freedom.
Currently, in Safari 14, I see apod.nasa.gov for this site Frequently Visited, and I cannot edit it to my personal liking. Gee, isn't that special.
Having no reasonably expeditous manner to revert back to S.13 I am sadden by this turn of events. 😔
No, Frequently Visited is a completely different animal. You have no direct control of what goes in or when. With Top Sites, you had total control of was available with a couple of clicks, then the site of interest was then available with one click until you decided otherwise(deleted the link).
The Frequently Visited feature is controlled by the software itself (I think SIRI is involved in some manner). I frequently check an 'underground dot com' radar page, often a couple times a day, yet this page NEVER appears in Frequently Visited. Since using Safari 14, I have visited my credit card website once to make an account payment, that damn webpage showed up immediately in this Frequently Visited section of Start Page. Hmmm, that's rather odd behavior.
No sir, Top Sites and Frequently Visited are NOT interchangeable in functional operation at the user experience level. Whether or not Frequently Visited will be the new Top Sites remains to be determined, however, that is not the case right now.
To anyone thinking Frequently Visited and Top Sites are the same thing, oopsie. They ain't; coulda'. woulda', shoulda'. But not in actual function, at least not Safari 14 in a Catalina context.
I haven't ventured into Big Sur territory, however, I really don't think this issue is different in either context, nor Mojave for that matter.
As an additional note, the names of the links in Top Sites could decided by you at the moment you created such a link. For example Astronomy Picture of the Day{https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html} was called APOD for this link in my selection of this sight in Top Sites. I really appreciated this freedom.
Currently, in Safari 14, I see apod.nasa.gov for this site Frequently Visited, and I cannot edit it to my personal liking. Gee, isn't that special.
Having no reasonably expeditous manner to revert back to S.13 I am sadden by this turn of events. 😔
thanks, I have downloaded a text edit file and now see the TopSiteIsPinned, but why do I do now? Normally I would go to Safari Preferences and then past the URL into home page, but I'm not sure exactly where the link starts and ends. I know this is what I need, but if anyone can help me with my final step, I would be so grateful. I spent almost an hour chatting with Apple Support when my Top Sites first disappeared and rep couldn't help. Finally he said I would have to wait for another update!
Attachments
Hi, if we take for example the top link section for Netflix, the URL will be the bottom one in the string tag:
<string>https://www.netflix.com/browse</string>
Just copy and paste the link between <string> and </string>, so really you're just copying:
https://www.netflix.com/browseHope that helps.
Well this is about as good as it gets. Thanks for the work-around, not as an elegant solution as we all would like to see, however it is at least usefully workable if a bit clumsy. Ah well, we'll adapt.
That does help, and thanks SO much for responding but when I copied all the URLs into home page, only one site opened. Maybe I have misunderstood how everyone got their top sites back, but I wanted Safari to open with them all as it did before update.
I meant to say, I went to Safari preferences, and for home page, copied all my top site URLS, but only the first one opens.
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Okay, I've got it! I went back and found the information about the favorite shows and then got my previous sites there - you are right, it doesn't look as it did before but now ai have them as thumbnails. Thanks for all your patience everyone!
Glad you got sorted!
You could also open each link individually in a new tab, and bookmark them for safekeeping.
Wow, that seems to be an extreme position on the issue. I get it that you aren't happy with the latest change - I am not either... but I'd stop way short of calling it "contempt for their customers".
I don't believe they are, something has changed maybe in the algorithm.
I always had Google Maps in there as I use it to plan almost daily, except that upon updating to the new Safari, that website had gone. Or something is just hosed in my particular one.
Easy way to recover, previous safari version, top sites
- Go to Finder.
- Press and hold the Option key.
- While you are pressing the Option key, click Go and Library. Keep pressing Option key
- This will open the Library folder.
- Find and click the Safari folder.
- In Safari folder, find the 'TopSites. plist' file.
- Move this file to your desktop. …Then use Text edit to view the file
If it helps, you can get to your old TOP SITES list and manually copy/paste to some other solution/bookmark — go to your LIBRARY (CMD+SHIFT+L or OPTION+GO menu), then SAFARI folder, then “TopSites.plist” — open this in a text editor (TEXTEDIT/BBEDIT/etc.) and the HTML links URLs are there. Copy what is between the underscores and quote marks.
But I used the Top Sites all the time, and wish it were an option.
But I used the Top Sites all the time, and wish it were an option.
Open
Safari
Preferences
General
As above:
New windows open with: [select] Start Page
New tabs open with: [select] Start Page
Homepage: [doesn't matter https://www.apple.com/startpage/ is apple's home page and not your Start page]
Favourite shows: [select] Favourites
Now when you open Safari you get your Start page with Favourites and Frequently visited.
You can them put them in folders as I mainly do or put them on the Start page as a single icon. By opening a folder you can drag the icon to the upper left with
<- [folder name]
and hover the icon over the arrow which takes you back to the your Start page and drop the icon. I've just done that by taking [Bureau of Meteorology - Home Page] out of the utilities folder to my Start page.
I've had no problems moving icons and folders around and you can always organise everything by going to:
menu bar - [select] Bookmarks
[from the drop down menu select] Edit Bookmarks
I never worried to much about bookmarks but I had set some up on Top Sites. Since they migrated from Top Sites to Favourites on my Start Page I find it useful.
I agree it's a bit like when a website completely changes their home page - just because - and you cannot find anything. I don't think - change because - is going away. I found #changebecause on Twitter but there are only 3 posts; the last in 2016. I liked the one about:
"Man I was soooo mad when when they changed the old TRIX CEREAL to the new trix balls....but they still are too good #changebecause???"
So if you're mad like this dude spread the word ... and get #changebecause active again
Venting can help; and its not annoying to others if you post on Twitter and nobody is following you
Safari
Preferences
General
As above:
New windows open with: [select] Start Page
New tabs open with: [select] Start Page
Homepage: [doesn't matter https://www.apple.com/startpage/ is apple's home page and not your Start page]
Favourite shows: [select] Favourites
Now when you open Safari you get your Start page with Favourites and Frequently visited.
You can them put them in folders as I mainly do or put them on the Start page as a single icon. By opening a folder you can drag the icon to the upper left with
<- [folder name]
and hover the icon over the arrow which takes you back to the your Start page and drop the icon. I've just done that by taking [Bureau of Meteorology - Home Page] out of the utilities folder to my Start page.
I've had no problems moving icons and folders around and you can always organise everything by going to:
menu bar - [select] Bookmarks
[from the drop down menu select] Edit Bookmarks
I never worried to much about bookmarks but I had set some up on Top Sites. Since they migrated from Top Sites to Favourites on my Start Page I find it useful.
I agree it's a bit like when a website completely changes their home page - just because - and you cannot find anything. I don't think - change because - is going away. I found #changebecause on Twitter but there are only 3 posts; the last in 2016. I liked the one about:
"Man I was soooo mad when when they changed the old TRIX CEREAL to the new trix balls....but they still are too good #changebecause???"
So if you're mad like this dude spread the word ... and get #changebecause active again
Venting can help; and its not annoying to others if you post on Twitter and nobody is following you
