Old iPhone iCloud tabs show up in Mac Safari

I have faced the same issue. In my case the scenario was:

• iPad with iOS 14.X & 15.X
• iPhone with iOS 14.X & 15.X
• Macbook with MacOS 11.X

Safari was completely updated in the three devices.

I'm dragging this issue since iOS 14 and I've finally solved in iOS 15. I don't think that the issue is related to iOS or MacOS itself. I think that the issue is related to iCloud synchronisation.

In my scenario, both the iPad and the iPhone were showing "ghost" tabs from the Macbook that are already close. I've tried a bunch of different solutions, some of them found in this question.

After some tries, the final solution was:

1.- Completely close Safari in the three devices (even remove the app from the multitask)

2.- Disable Safari synchronisation in the Macbook

For this step, you have to go to "System Preferences > Apple ID" and untick Safari.

3.- Remove all files and folders related to Safari under your user's "Library". These files and folders are:

• ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.parsecd/CustomFeedback/SafariAutoPlay (folder)
• ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.parsecd/CustomFeedback/SafariAutoFill (folder)
• ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari (folder)
• ~/Library/SafariSafeBrowsing (folder)
• ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.share.System.add-to-safari-reading-list (folder)
• ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari.SafariQuickLookPreview (folder)
• ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari.DiagnosticExtension (folder)
• ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari.CacheDeleteExtension (folder)
• ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari (folder)
• ~/Library/Safari (folder)
• ~/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~com~apple~mobilesafari (folder) [Note: After removing this, it will be automatically recreated]
• ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~SafariShared~History (folder) [Note: After removing this, it will be automatically recreated]
• ~/Library/SafariSandboxBroker (folder)
• ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.share.System.add-to-safari-reading-list (folder)
• ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.Safari.SafariQuickLookPreview (folder)
• ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.Safari.DiagnosticExtension (folder)
• ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.Safari.CacheDeleteExtension (folder)
• ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.Safari (folder)
• ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.PasswordBreachAgent.plist (file)
• ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.SandboxBroker.plist (file)
• ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.SafeBrowsing.plist (file)
• ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.SafariBookmarksSyncAgent.plist (file)
• ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist (file)

Notes:

• The symbol "~/" means your user folder. Don't search those files and folders in the system's Library.
• At the end of every file or folder, between parenthesis, is the type of element that you're looking for. File or folder.
• Also at the end of some lines, between square brackets, there are some notes about the file or folder.

4.- Open Safari in the Macbook

In this step, some of the previously deleted files and folders are going to be created again, but with the history, bookmarks, reading list, open tabs, etc. with no data. Those files and folders will contain a brand new Safari configuration.

5.- Enable Safari synchronisation in the Macbook

For this step, you have to go to "System Preferences > Apple ID" and tick Safari.

6.- Wait until all your bookmarks, history, reading list is synchronised

7.- In this step I've configured Safari again. Things like "Search engine", "How Safari opens", "Enable extensions", etc.

8.- Open Safari in the iPad and in the iPhone

At this point the "ghosts" tabs disappear and never appear again. At least in the last 5 days that I've waited between doing the procedure and writing this answer.

Hope someone finds this useful.

iCloud tabs are just broken. Tabs persist and don't update, you can't delete them. You delete them and they come back. You can log out and back in, remove Safari from iCloud and re-add it, reboot, re-install, safe mode, it doesn't matter it all just stops working again, or continues not to work.

Some devices can see tabs from some other devices but not visa versa, it's a complete mess, and has been for well over a year, through several updates, with no action to fix it.

Have you tried completely logging out of iCloud on the Mac, shutting down, then restarting, and then logging back in to iCloud?

A more aggressive version of this would involve restarting in Safe Mode, then restarting normally and logging back in to iCloud. Safe Mode clears some caches, which could be "remembering."

You could try this:

Close all the tabs you want to get rid of in Safari on the Mac.

Then, in Safari Preferences on the Mac, select Advanced and then Show Develop Menu

In that Develop Menu select Empty Caches.

Quit Safari. Then reboot in Safe Mode, holding down the shift key until the boot completes, which will take a long time, as many as 10-20 minutes.

Then restart normally and see if the problem persists.

I have a similar issue: I have an iMac, iPhone X and iPad Air 2.

Last week, after I initialised the iPad, suddenly several old iCloud Panels (from the iMac) started to appear on my iPhone and iPad, I am able to delete them on iPhone and iPad only with Safari closed on iMac but, as soon as I open Safari again, the panels also reappear.

I initialised also the iMac and the problem seemed solved but today I have a new persistent iCloud panel (only on the iPad, the iPhone is OK) of a website I opened this morning on the iMac.

Again, I can delete it but when I open Safari on the iMac it reappears almost immediately.

I had this exact issue. Tabs showing as ‘open’ on my iPhone from my iPads safari. This is how I solved it. I went on my iPhone (the device my iPad was reporting had open tabs that weren’t actually open). I turned off safari in the iCloud settings. I went on my iPad and swiped each tab and clicked delete until they were all gone. I waited a while and then turned safari back on on the iPhone settings. They phantom tabs have not shown back up on the iPad and all my devices report the correct tabs now.

I have the same issue and have yet to find a fix: My iPad recognizes 20+ old tabs on my iPhone around last November (I can tell because it includes fall recipes and a Black Friday sale).

I’ve tried closing and turning off Safari from iCloud sync on both devices, then I removed all the tabs manually from my “iPhone” through my iPad’s safari, then re-synced my devices. As soon as I reopen Safari on my iPhone, they pop back up again. Quite literally: I can have Safari open on both devices, swipe to close a tab on my iPad’s Safari, and it immediately reopens a moment later.

I ended up fixing my problem this evening by signing out of iCloud on my Mac, rebooting, then signing back in. It was a total pain, but so far, my Mac cloud tabs have not reappeared on my phone. I noticed also that handoff was also not working properly with my phone/mac when this was happening. Now, everything appears somewhat normal at least for the time being.

I have an old tab from mac book pro appearing my iPhone. Have tried everything mentioned above but the tab keeps reappearing. I’m guessing it’s something to do with the software rather than iCloud, whether that be macOS or iOS I don’t know.

I am having this issue as well on a new iPad Pro. I found several threads on these forums about the issue.

In iCloud tabs on my new iPad Pro, there are a hundred or more “open” tabs from my 12 Pro and previous iPad. My tabs are set to auto-close after a day, and I have cleared history on all devices and toggled iCloud for Safari. (I haven’t signed out because it’s a pain setting up Apple Pay cards.)

Like you, mine seem to start from last November. There are tabs about the election.

Edit: At first when I tried closing the tabs, they immediately reappeared. Upon trying again they (hopefully) stayed closed. We’ll see if they come back.

Edit 2: They came back. :(

Edit 3: I noticed that as soon as I opened Safari on the devices, the tabs reappeared. So I disabled iCloud for Safari on one of those devices and then deleted the tabs on my iPad showing the tabs. I have to figure out what to do with my iPhone because I do want iCloud enabled. Those tabs are still showing.

I signed out of my Apple ID on my phone and iPad (was annoying as find my Mac and all stored cards in Apple wallet drop) but when I did that and logged back in the errant old tabs went away. It's been over a week and they haven't returned.

Thanks. That will be my last resort. I hate removing Apple Pay cards because sometimes Amex blocks adding them back, and I have to call in.

I disabled iCloud for Safari on one device and then closed the tabs. They’ve remained closed, but I still have the tabs from another device.

I had this same problem and searched everywhere for a solution. Finally, what worked is what steve626 suggested:

I logged out of iCloud on all of my Apple devices. Then I logged back into iCloud on one device at a time. And that fixed it.

(Caveat: After logging back in, some settings on your device(s) may need to be reset. I've filed a bug report with Apple about this. Logging out/in to iCloud shouldn't change settings, but it does. Still, it fixed my stuck iCloud tabs.)