All major web browsers now include the feature of tabbed browsing, and Safari is no different. The idea of tabs is rather than opening a whole new window to view multiple web pages, you can have several tabs in the same window, which saves your desktop from over-crowding. There are a few tricks to using tabs that will make your workflow much more efficient.
Open the Safari web browser by clicking its icon in the dock or the Applications folder.
Click on Safari in the Menu bar and choose Preferences.
The Preferences window will open and you will see multiple headings. Click on the Tabs section.
Here you have multiple settings that will adjust the behavior of Tabs to your liking. The first choice says Open pages in tabs instead of windows and gives you a drop down menu. This will cause any link you click on that opens another page to appear as a tab.
You can choose Never so these links always create a new window, Automatically and Safari will choose what to open in a tab and when to just open a pop-up window (such as a login screen) or Always to force open any link in a tab. If you’re not sure which option to choose, click Automatically.
Next you have three check boxes with more preferences. The first box will allow you to hold the Command button while clicking links to open pages in tabs. Otherwise, just clicking a link will load the new page on top of the one you’re viewing.
The second option will cause Safari to make a new Tab active whenever one is created, navigating you away from the page you’re currently viewing. The last check box will give you a warning before closing a window or when closing Safari that you have multiple Tabs open. It’s suggested you check the first and last box, while the middle is up to your own liking.
The last section in the Tabs preferences shows you some shortcuts for dealing with tabs and windows.
Close the Preferences window and return to the Safari browser. To begin using tabs, navigate to a page you visit frequently and click a link while holding down the Command button. This will begin opening links in tabs rather than windows.
You can open bookmarks from the bar in tabs by holding the Command button as you click them.
If you use Bookmark Folders in the Bookmarks bar, as shown with a small triangle, click on the folder first and then hold the Command button to open the page in a tab. Clicking on a folder name while holding the Command button will open all the bookmarks in that folder simultaneously in different tabs.
This technique can also be used when typing web pages in the address bar. After typing an address, hold the Command button while pressing enter and the page will open in a Tab.
You can also use the keyboard shortcuts found in the Preferences panel and more. Such as, to navigate between open tabs in the same window, press Command + Shift + Left Bracket [ to move to the tab to the left. The same combination with the Right Bracket ] will activate the tab to the right. Experiment with using Tabs on a daily basis and you will find it makes your browsing experience much faster.
