Sidebar in Safari 15.0 not keeping bookmark view

Instead of View->Show Sidebar (keyboard shortcut Command-Shift-L)

use View->Show Bookmarks Sidebar (keyboard shortcut Command-Control-1).

If your muscle memory is trained to use Command-Shift-L you may try changing this is System Preferences->Keyboard->Shortcuts.

Boot into Safe Mode according to Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.

NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

That's how Safari works. If you close the sidebar and then reopen it the Bookmarks will be like you left them. But closing Safari resets everything back to "standard" among which is a closed Bookmark list. Tell Apple what missing features you'd like restored or new features added to the system via Feedback - macOS - Apple.  

This happens if you close the Sidebar or close the window. If you keep it open, or even if you quit and restart Safari (just so long as your settings are not to close windows when quitting applications), then you should still have the bookmarks.

Also: there is now (maybe there was already but I had never noticed it before) a shortcut to open the bookmarks directly in the sidebar, without having to click. I think it is Command-Control-1 (not at my mac to check but is right there next to open Sidebar).

As I am writing this, I have my sidebar showing my Bookmarks.

That does not change, unless I close the sidebar.

Are you saying that if you keep the sidebar open, but click here, like to reply to this message, it stops showing the Bookmarks?

I am not seeing this, regardless of how I access the Bookmarks.

The sidebar remains as is until I either click the back arrow or close the sidebar completely.

dazmoon wrote:

Personally I like to hide the sidebar and have it on pop out as you hover over it to maximise the display.

Are you referring to the Dock or Menu bar? I've never seen an option to automatically show and hide a Finder window sidebar.

Ever since loading Big Sur 15.0, when I open Safari, only the condensed view saying just "Bookmarks" appears and I have to click on that to see the expanded list. If I exit Safari and re-enter, just the condensed view shows. I re-started my iMac 24 in safe mode, then re-started in normal mode, and still just see the condensed view, so it seems to me to be an issue with 15.0. Very annoying to have to keep clicking to see the bookmarks. Any other ideas will be appreciated.

"Personally I like to hide the sidebar and have it on pop out as you hover over it to maximise the display."

I didn't know that existed as an option. How do you activate that?

Hey

I have the exact same issue. I have no idea how to fix it, but I miss how it used to be before. This is one extra unnecessary extra step every time.

Luis Sequeira1 wrote:

I think it is Command-Control-1 (not at my mac to check but is right there next to open Sidebar).

Correct.