Ask Different (Apple)
Q&A for power users of Apple hardware and software
Latest Questions
1
votes
1
answers
1351
views
Safari reuses already existing tabs instead of opening new ones
If I click a link in say an e-mail or application and that exact link already has an open tab, Safari will focus that tab instead of opening it anew at the end of the current window. I would prefer this behaviour to be different because moving the focus is really distracting and often I want the new...
If I click a link in say an e-mail or application and that exact link already has an open tab, Safari will focus that tab instead of opening it anew at the end of the current window.
I would prefer this behaviour to be different because moving the focus is really distracting and often I want the new tab to open in the current window/context.
Is there a way to change this?
Alper
(389 rep)
Nov 3, 2020, 01:51 PM
• Last activity: Jul 11, 2025, 07:06 AM
7
votes
1
answers
8126
views
Better tabs management in Safari 6.x
I'm looking for extensions to allow the Safari 6.x versions to manage a large number of open tabs better than the current implementation. In particular I'm looking for two features: 1. *Vertical tabs*. This is possible in Firefox by means of the extension [Tree Style Tab][1]. 2. *App tabs*. In Firef...
I'm looking for extensions to allow the Safari 6.x versions to manage a large number of open tabs better than the current implementation. In particular I'm looking for two features:
1. *Vertical tabs*. This is possible in Firefox by means of the extension Tree Style Tab .
2. *App tabs*. In Firefox it is possible to pin tabs as _app tabs_.
Up to know I've found and tried several times SafariStand but it doesn't look great and it doesn't provide the features of _Tree Style Tab_. I would really like to move from Firefox to Safari, but for the problem of "I have too many useful extensions in Firefox." :)
Has anyone discovered extensions that add these features to Safari for OS X?
Maverik
(5869 rep)
Feb 19, 2012, 12:15 PM
• Last activity: Jul 7, 2025, 03:05 AM
1
votes
1
answers
185
views
Switching to the first tab in Mail using Applescript or Shell
I am looking for a way to switch to the first tab in a Mail window. It seems like there is no universal way to address tabs in macOS programmatically. I have tried Apple scripting with and without using "System Events", but with no luck. And most scripts on the net are regarding Safari. These do not...
I am looking for a way to switch to the first tab in a Mail window. It seems like there is no universal way to address tabs in macOS programmatically. I have tried Apple scripting with and without using "System Events", but with no luck. And most scripts on the net are regarding Safari.
These do not work:
I have traversed the Applescript Dictionary but cannot find anything suitable. Any hints would be appreciated. It would also be nice to know if it can be solved using Shell since I am going to use it for a Keyboard Maestro action.
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Mail" to tell window 1 to tell radio button 1 to clicktell window 1 of application "Mail" to set current tab to tab 1
max1mvs
(39 rep)
Sep 28, 2022, 05:41 AM
• Last activity: Jun 20, 2025, 01:02 PM
2
votes
2
answers
1477
views
Pin tab does not work in Safari, after creating tab groups
I created a tab group in Safari and added a few tabs to it. It does not give me an option to pin a tab in the tab group. How do I pin tabs in a tab group?
I created a tab group in Safari and added a few tabs to it.
It does not give me an option to pin a tab in the tab group.
How do I pin tabs in a tab group?
apostofes
(215 rep)
May 15, 2022, 07:38 AM
• Last activity: Jun 17, 2025, 12:07 AM
2
votes
1
answers
686
views
How to show open tabs on other devices on Mac Safari?
I want to show open tabs on other devices that share the same Apple and iCloud account, but for some reasons there is no open tab on Mac Safari when I click the top-right icon (the icon of two tabs overriding). On my iPhone and iPad I can access the tabs opened on my Mac, but the other direction is...
I want to show open tabs on other devices that share the same Apple and iCloud account, but for some reasons there is no open tab on Mac Safari when I click the top-right icon (the icon of two tabs overriding).
On my iPhone and iPad I can access the tabs opened on my Mac, but the other direction is not true. How can I open the tabs opened on iOS devices on Mac or maybe is it just a bug?
---
### UPDATE
I found out that sometimes the tabs appear properly whereas other times they don't.
### UPDATE 2
This might be a bug, but I think 60~80% of the time the tabs don't appear. I upgraded to macOS 11.1 but the problem still persists. Any workaround would be appreciated.
Blaszard
(3903 rep)
Dec 12, 2020, 01:34 PM
• Last activity: May 22, 2025, 05:09 PM
170
votes
9
answers
354868
views
How to get the chrome tabs to always show when in full screen mode?
I would really like to use Chrome on my new 2013 Macbook Air with tabs, but without the menu bar. So, I use full-screen mode, but it hides the tabs. Is what I want possible? And, if so, how can I get it to work that way?
I would really like to use Chrome on my new 2013 Macbook Air with tabs, but without the menu bar. So, I use full-screen mode, but it hides the tabs. Is what I want possible? And, if so, how can I get it to work that way?
bitcycle
(1801 rep)
Jun 23, 2013, 06:47 PM
• Last activity: May 15, 2025, 06:14 PM
0
votes
1
answers
39
views
Safari Horizontal Tab Scrolling in Seperate Tab Layout behaving wierdly
Whenever I open lots of tabs in Safari, it normally has tabs layered in a nice-looking stack where I can see a few tabs, like the ScreenShot below: [![enter image description here][1]][1] But while this is still how it looks on the right, this is how it is on the left. [
But while this is still how it looks on the right, this is how it is on the left.
I know this behaviour is unintentional is that it only happens on the left side. Another way I know this is unintentional is that if I scroll all the way to the left-most tab, it appears as in the screenshot, and not a blank space. the Blank space also stays if I scroll all the way to the left, and then clicking on it opens the leftmost tab instead of scrolling
How do I make the left side look like the right?
Safari Version: 18.4 (20621.1.15.11.10)
MacOS: 15.4.1
But while this is still how it looks on the right, this is how it is on the left.
I know this behaviour is unintentional is that it only happens on the left side. Another way I know this is unintentional is that if I scroll all the way to the left-most tab, it appears as in the screenshot, and not a blank space. the Blank space also stays if I scroll all the way to the left, and then clicking on it opens the leftmost tab instead of scrolling
How do I make the left side look like the right?
Safari Version: 18.4 (20621.1.15.11.10)
MacOS: 15.4.1
VJ09743
(93 rep)
May 7, 2025, 08:07 AM
• Last activity: May 13, 2025, 11:06 AM
4
votes
1
answers
324
views
Safari iCloud tab sync leaves a "phantom tab"
Mac (13.1) Safari tab sync popup accurately reflects the tabs on my iPhone (iOS 16.2) BUT always displays (brings back) the same phantom tab I visited a few months ago and haven't revisited. No amount of setting fiddling or rebooting seem to work.
Mac (13.1) Safari tab sync popup accurately reflects the tabs on my iPhone (iOS 16.2) BUT always displays (brings back) the same phantom tab I visited a few months ago and haven't revisited. No amount of setting fiddling or rebooting seem to work.
Inbruges
(75 rep)
Jan 13, 2023, 05:32 PM
• Last activity: Apr 11, 2025, 08:03 AM
1
votes
2
answers
203
views
How to count the number of tabs in a Safari window?
I have a macOS Safari window with a large number of open tabs. The tabs scroll off the side of the tab bar, so I can't see them all at once. How can I determine the number of open tabs in this Safari window?
I have a macOS Safari window with a large number of open tabs.
The tabs scroll off the side of the tab bar, so I can't see them all at once.
How can I determine the number of open tabs in this Safari window?
pkamb
(9620 rep)
Feb 5, 2025, 05:15 PM
• Last activity: Feb 5, 2025, 05:38 PM
0
votes
0
answers
116
views
How to configure Skim to always open PDFs in tabs?
How to configure Skim on Sequoia 15.0.1 (24A348) to always open PDFs in tabs? Executing `defaults write -app Skim AppleWindowTabbingMode -string always` basically changes nothing, and PDFs open randomly in tabs or in new windows on randomly selected screen.
How to configure Skim on Sequoia 15.0.1 (24A348) to always open PDFs in tabs?
Executing
defaults write -app Skim AppleWindowTabbingMode -string always basically changes nothing, and PDFs open randomly in tabs or in new windows on randomly selected screen.
homocomputeris
(225 rep)
Oct 31, 2024, 11:28 AM
14
votes
3
answers
1993
views
How to cycle through recently *used* tabs in Safari?
I want to cycle through recently ***used*** tabs in Safari 7.1.3 (MacOS 10.9.5) like one can in in [Firefox][1], [Chrome][2], and [Opera][3]. I predominantly run Opera 11.64, and it exhibits the best behavior for this recently-used-tab switching. Is there a way to do this in Safari, even if it requi...
I want to cycle through recently ***used*** tabs in Safari 7.1.3 (MacOS 10.9.5) like one can in in Firefox , Chrome , and Opera . I predominantly run Opera 11.64, and it exhibits the best behavior for this recently-used-tab switching. Is there a way to do this in Safari, even if it requires an extension/plugin/addon of some kind?
Note: cycling/switching between tabs in most-recently-used (aka "visited") order is different than simply cycling through all the tabs as they are listed at the top of the browser; the latter seems more-commonly discussed.
Johnny Utahh
(1299 rep)
Mar 1, 2015, 07:00 PM
• Last activity: Oct 24, 2024, 03:37 PM
1
votes
0
answers
121
views
Get Firefox's iOS app to show tabs in two columns
I use the "Larger Text" Display Zoom option. Until recently, when I switched between tabs in the Firefox iOS app, it would show the open tabs arranged in two columns. But recently, the Firefox app has begun showing my open tabs arranged in a single column, with the preview of each open tab so large...
I use the "Larger Text" Display Zoom option. Until recently, when I switched between tabs in the Firefox iOS app, it would show the open tabs arranged in two columns. But recently, the Firefox app has begun showing my open tabs arranged in a single column, with the preview of each open tab so large that it takes up almost the whole iPhone screen, so I can now only preview one tab at a time. This basically defeats the purpose of previewing all the open tabs in the tab switching screen.
How can I get Firefox's tab switching screen to display my open tabs arranged in two columns again, rather than one?
tparker
(351 rep)
Aug 21, 2024, 04:00 AM
• Last activity: Oct 19, 2024, 07:26 PM
1
votes
1
answers
54
views
How can I switch between buttons on a dialog box using the keyboard without activating Full Keyboard Access?
I'd like to switch between buttons on a dialog box using the tab key, just like in Windows (any other key or combination instead of tab is OK). I don't want to use Full Keyboard Access because I hate the blue outline it shows around each component and also the fact that I can't use the tab key to in...
I'd like to switch between buttons on a dialog box using the tab key, just like in Windows (any other key or combination instead of tab is OK).
I don't want to use Full Keyboard Access because I hate the blue outline it shows around each component and also the fact that I can't use the tab key to insert tabs in texts any more.
Alex
(21 rep)
Aug 26, 2024, 07:07 AM
• Last activity: Sep 29, 2024, 01:04 PM
3
votes
1
answers
7504
views
How do I delete the "Tab Group Favorites" bookmarks group in Safari?
How do I delete the Safari "Tab Group Favorites" bookmark group? (I don't mean the "Favorites" folder). It shows up in my Bookmark sidebar. I don't even know how it got created. It contains folders I no longer want. And I can't rename anything within the group either. If I right-click the group or a...
How do I delete the Safari "Tab Group Favorites" bookmark group? (I don't mean the "Favorites" folder).
It shows up in my Bookmark sidebar. I don't even know how it got created. It contains folders I no longer want. And I can't rename anything within the group either. If I right-click the group or any of the folders within, I'm presented with a "Open in Tab Group" option. There's no delete option.
I searched online for an answer and didn't find anything. Is there a way to edit the
.plist and delete it that way?
yasky
(31 rep)
May 14, 2023, 10:57 AM
• Last activity: Jun 18, 2024, 12:47 PM
2
votes
1
answers
188
views
Cmd + W on safari inconsistent?
Sorry if this has been asked before or has an obvious solution, I couldn't find either a reason or solution online when searching for this. ⌘ Command W closes tabs on Safari. The problem is, I don't know which tab it switches focus to after closing a tab. Sometimes it focuses tabs left, sometimes ri...
Sorry if this has been asked before or has an obvious solution, I couldn't find either a reason or solution online when searching for this.
⌘ Command W closes tabs on Safari. The problem is, I don't know which tab it switches focus to after closing a tab. Sometimes it focuses tabs left, sometimes right. Usually when it is doing this, it consistently switches focus *either* left *or* right, but then at times it will seemingly change near the end. I really have no idea why this is happening, and it is *extremely* annoying when trying to close multiple tabs and keep others open, as I can't predict whether it's going to close the tab I want or not when using the shortcut many times quickly.
Please if you know the reason / pattern / way I can fix it or alternative solution to closing tabs (even third party is fine, as long as it works *consistently*), I would appreciate it greatly.
icantcode
(51 rep)
May 16, 2024, 06:54 AM
• Last activity: May 17, 2024, 06:20 AM
12
votes
3
answers
5331
views
safari to open external links in new window
I like safari to open links in new _tabs_ in general. I.e. when I do a search, I want results I click to open in new tabs in the same window. This allows to have multiple windows with multiple tabs and have them grouped by topic. when I click on a link i an email, safari (on OS X) somehow (randomly?...
I like safari to open links in new _tabs_ in general. I.e. when I do a search, I want results I click to open in new tabs in the same window. This allows to have multiple windows with multiple tabs and have them grouped by topic.
when I click on a link i an email, safari (on OS X) somehow (randomly?) chooses an open window and opens the link as a new tab in it. sometime it picks even a minimised window, although there are others visible on the same space.
to be clear: I want the new window when the action is triggered from external application (e.g. Mail, etc.). Within Safari I'd like to stick with the default behaviour.
I tried the Safari Settings -> Tabs -> Open new pages in tabs instead of windows setting (all of them), but this does not give the expected result. it is general for all.
Also google did not know a satisfying answer, so I am asking here.
Any help is appreciated.
Nils
(191 rep)
Nov 3, 2014, 10:54 PM
• Last activity: May 3, 2024, 06:02 AM
12
votes
3
answers
8223
views
Where does Safari store the open tabs?
I'd like to know where does Safari store all the open tabs. My daughter did who-knows-what on my laptop and all tabs were closed (except hers of course...) and the "Reopen from last session" is greyed. I know that when I update Safari, or even upgrade the OS, the open tabs are kept. I then suppose t...
I'd like to know where does Safari store all the open tabs. My daughter did who-knows-what on my laptop and all tabs were closed (except hers of course...) and the "Reopen from last session" is greyed.
I know that when I update Safari, or even upgrade the OS, the open tabs are kept. I then suppose they are stored in a file somewhere on the HD. As I do have TimeMachine active, I hope that by restoring an older version of this file, I would be able to retrieve my open tabs. The problem being of course that I don't know where it stores them...
I'm on Safari 13.0.2 on macOS 10.13.6 (High Sierra - can't upgrade my early 2011 MBP, but I don't think it would have changed something)
LudoMC
(4031 rep)
Nov 1, 2019, 05:11 PM
• Last activity: May 1, 2024, 05:59 PM
3
votes
0
answers
120
views
Prevent websites from regaining tab focus in Safari on macOS
macOS Safari somehow allows unfocused tabs to regain focus. This can be very annoying as tabs keep changing in the middle of doing something else. One such example is https://www.kiwi.com On this flight search website, just search for a flight and on the flight list page leave the tab open, change t...
macOS Safari somehow allows unfocused tabs to regain focus. This can be very annoying as tabs keep changing in the middle of doing something else.
One such example is https://www.kiwi.com
On this flight search website, just search for a flight and on the flight list page leave the tab open, change to another tab and do your thing. In a few minutes, you will see the kiwi.com showing up an in-page JS popup titled with "Get fresh prices" and the that tab will regain focus, regardless of which other tab you are active on.
Considering it's common to search for flights with multiple tabs, you can see how a behaviour like this can be quite annoying. Regardless, a website should not be allowed to modify tab the focus behaviour while inactive.
- Safari Version 17.4 (19618.1.15.11.12)
- macOS 14.4
Everything is up to date but I have the issue at least for a year since switched to Safari, finally it bothered me enough to look for an answer.
Is there a way to stop Safari from allowing the tabs to change focus?
Seregwethrin
(149 rep)
Mar 20, 2024, 08:42 AM
• Last activity: Mar 22, 2024, 07:58 AM
5
votes
2
answers
1371
views
Where Safari 15 store tabs opened in groups?
"Regular" tabs (tabs not opened in groups) are stored in `~/Library/Safari/CloudTabs.db` but tabs opened in Tab Groups aren't there, so where are they stored?
"Regular" tabs (tabs not opened in groups) are stored in
~/Library/Safari/CloudTabs.db but tabs opened in Tab Groups aren't there, so where are they stored?
SuitUp
(886 rep)
Dec 3, 2021, 08:23 PM
• Last activity: Mar 18, 2024, 07:26 PM
2
votes
2
answers
346
views
Syncing tab groups in Safari Tech Preview
It seems that only Safari is sync tab groups between devices. Safari Technology Preview does not seem to share them. Is there a trick? Was it just disabled for STP? At worst, is there any handy one-off want to bulk transfer tab groups? The problem: 
It seems that only Safari is sync tab groups between devices. Safari Technology Preview does not seem to share them.
Is there a trick? Was it just disabled for STP?
At worst, is there any handy one-off want to bulk transfer tab groups?
The problem: 
New Alexandria
(757 rep)
Dec 7, 2021, 05:43 AM
• Last activity: Dec 6, 2023, 10:10 PM
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