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Control Safari Windows With Keyboard Shortcuts

Learn how to use Safari without a mouse

By Tom Nelson Tom Nelson Writer Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 11, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Safari Window Shortcuts Enable Command+Click Shortcuts Command+Click Options Page Navigation Shortcuts for Safari Apple's web browser supports keyboard shortcuts to open new window tabs on a Macbook without using your mouse or trackpad. Learning how to use Safari window shortcuts for tabbed browsing makes for a more streamlined browsing experience. Instructions in this article apply to Safari 10 and later for macOS and Windows.

Safari Window Shortcuts

Safari supports the following keyboard shortcuts for multi-window and tabbed browsing: For Windows users, replace the Command () key with the Ctrl key. Command+T: Open a new tab with a blank page. Command+N: Open a new window. Command+Shift+N: Open a new window in Safari's private browsing mode (Mac only). Control+Tab: Move to the next tab on the right and make it active. Performing this shortcut on the right-most tab will move you back around to the left-most one. Control+Shift+Tab: Move to the tab on the left and make it active. Performing this shortcut on the left-most tab will move you to the right-most one. Command+W: Close the current tab and move to the next tab on the right. If you only have one tab open, this command will close the window. Command+Shift+W: Close the current window. Command+Option+W: Close all windows (Mac Only). Command+Shift+Z: Reopen the last tab you closed (Mac Only). There are many more keyboard shortcuts for Safari that utilize the Mac modifier keys.

How to Enable Command + Click Shortcuts

Command+click in Safari can perform two different functions, depending on how you set the tab preferences in Safari. Here's how to find and adjust those options to decide which shortcuts are available: Select Safari > Preferences, or use the shortcut Command+comma ( , ). On Windows, select the settings gear in the top-right corner and choose Preferences. Select the Tabs heading. The first box you can toggle affects what happens when you hold Command (or Ctrl) and select a link. If it's checked, Command+click will open the linked page in a new tab. If it's not, the page will open in a new window. The third option unlocks some other useful keyboard shortcuts. Check the box to combine Command with the numbers 1 through 9 to switch between up to nine tabs (numbered left to right). This option is not available for the Windows version of Safari. Close the window to save your changes.

Command + Click Options in Safari

Holding Command while you select a link in Safari will always do something, but the specifics depend on whether you checked the box in your Preferences. Command+Click: The link will open in a new Safari tab/window in the background.Command+Shift+Click: The link will open in a new tab/window, which will then become active.

Page Navigation Shortcuts for Safari

The following shortcuts help you quickly navigate active web pages: Up/Down Arrow keys: Move up or down a web page in small increments. Left/Right Arrow keys: Move left or right on a web page in small increments. Spacebar or Option+Down Arrow: Moves the page down by one full screen. Shift+Spacebar or Option+Up Arrow: Move the page up by one full screen. Command+Up or Command+Down Arrow: Moves directly to the top or bottom of the current page (Mac only). Command+[ or Command+Left Arrow: Go to the last page you visited. Command+] or Command+Right Arrow: Go to the next page (if you'd previously used the back command). Command+L: Move the cursor to the address bar with the current URL selected. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Manage Tabbed Browsing in Safari for macOS How to Turn on Incognito Mode in Your Browser The Best Windows Keyboard Shortcuts in 2022 How to Fix It When the Cursor Disappears in Windows 10 The Best Mac Shortcuts in 2022 What Is the Windows Terminal & How Does It Work? How to Make an Arrow on a Keyboard Keyboard Shortcuts: Speed up PowerPoint Presentations How to Control F on iPad How to Set the Home Page to Your Favorite Website The 4 Best Free Text Editors for Windows & Mac How to Stop Autoplay Videos How to Manage the Top Sites Feature in Safari How to Control iPhone Safari Settings and Security Viewing the HTML Source Code in Safari How to Indent in Word and Use Tabs and Rulers Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies