safari open new tab

How to open Safari links in new tabs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Learn how to set Safari to open links in a new tab or do it on the fly to control how and where links open.

Everyone browses the web differently. And whether you’re working, researching, or just bumming around the internet, you want control over the links you open.

In Safari , you have various ways to open links on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. One of the easiest ways to open a link is in a new tab. This lets you keep your current page open but still have a look at the link you click or tap.

On iPhone and iPad

At times, when you tap a link from a web page in Safari on iOS, it’ll open in a new tab. But many websites don’t want you to navigate away. So if you visit a site and tap to read an article, for example, it’ll open in the same tab. But you can change this.

Instead of tapping a link on a webpage, press and hold the link . This will display the shortcut menu. From there, tap Open in New Tab .

When you do this, the link opens in a new tab and you switch to that new tab automatically . But you can change this too. You can still open the link in a new tab but do so in the background.

1) Open iPhone Settings and select Safari .

2) Tap Open Links  in the Tabs section.

3) Select In Background .

Now, when you press and hold a link to display the shortcut menu, tap Open in Background . This will open the link in a new tab but won’t switch you over to it immediately . This way, you can continue viewing the site you’re on and pop over to that tab when you’re ready.

You have different options in Safari on Mac than you do on iOS. You can control links by opening them in new tabs instead of new windows automatically and use a shortcut to immediately open links in new tabs.

Open Safari and click Safari > Settings or Preferences from the menu bar. Select Tabs at the top to configure these options.

• Open pages in tabs instead of windows : Select either Automatically , Always , or Never from the drop-down. The difference between these is that Automatically will open the link in a new tab unless that link is designed for a specific format. Always will open it in a new tab regardless. And Never will prevent this.
• Command-click opens a link in a new tab : If you check this box, you can hold your Command key, click the link, and the page will open in a new tab.
• When a new tab or window opens, make it active : Check this box only if you want to immediately switch to the new tab when it opens. If you prefer to leave it open in the background, don’t check the box.

Along with the above adjustments, you can always open a link in a new tab with a right-click. Right-click the link and select Open Link in New Tab .

This is how you can take control of the links you open in Safari. Open them in new tabs, switch right to them, or open them in the background and use shortcuts. It’s all in your hands!

Do more in Safari:

• Ways to reopen recently closed tabs in Safari for Mac
• How to have Safari automatically close all open tabs on iOS
• 11 tips to customize and personalize Safari on iPhone and iPad

How to open a link in a new tab on your Mac computer in 2 different ways

• You can easily open a link in a new tab on your Mac by right clicking or using a keyboard shortcut.
• The process is the same for Safari and Google Chrome.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Whether you browse the internet in Safari or Chrome , it's easy to open a link in a new tab.

Opening multiple tabs on your Mac is extremely helpful when doing research, online shopping, or working on a project. To quickly open another link in a new tab while keeping your existing ones open, you can right-click or use a keyboard shortcut.

The Mac keyboard shortcut is to hold down the COMMAND key and then click on the link you wish to open. The shortcut is the same for both Safari and Chrome.

You can always use the plus (+) sign at the top of the browsers to start a new search or enter another website, but here are two easy ways to open a link in new tab on a Mac .

Here's how.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Macbook pro (from $1,299.99 at best buy), how to open a link in a new tab on a mac by right-clicking in chrome or safari.

1. Right click on the link you wish to open.

2. Click "Open link in New tab."

How to open a link in a new tab on a Mac by using a keyboard command in Chrome or Safari

You can also open link in new tab by using the Mac keyboard shortcut: Hold down the COMMAND key and then click on the link you wish to open. The shortcut is the same for both Safari and Chrome. 

This shortcut will automatically open the link in a new tab adjacent to your current tab.

Related coverage from  How To Do Everything: Tech :

How to get your mac computer to read text aloud, how to download and install skype on your mac computer in 4 steps, how to turn off blue light on your mac computer with night shift, and make it easier to fall asleep at night, how to find the applications folder on your mac computer and pin apps to your dock, how to download and access microsoft powerpoint on your mac computer.

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• Main content

How to Open a New Tab in Safari on an iPhone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Opening a new tab in Safari on your iPhone is a breeze. All you need to do is launch the Safari app, tap the square icon in the bottom right corner, and then tap the plus sign to open a new tab. It’s that simple. Now, let’s dive into the detailed steps to make sure you’ve got it down pat.

Step by Step Tutorial: How to Open a New Tab in Safari on an iPhone

Before we start, it’s worth noting that opening a new tab will allow you to browse multiple websites simultaneously without losing your place on the current page. This can be especially handy when you’re comparing products or need to reference information from different sources.

Step 1: Launch the Safari app

Open the Safari app on your iPhone by tapping on its icon.

Once you’ve opened Safari, you’ll see your current webpage or your favorites page if you don’t have a page open.

Step 2: Tap the square icon

Look for the square icon in the bottom right corner of the screen and tap it.

This icon represents the tabs view, which shows all the web pages you have open in Safari.

Step 3: Tap the plus sign

In the tabs view, tap the plus sign in the bottom center of the screen to open a new tab.

When you tap the plus sign, a new tab will open, and you can begin browsing another website while keeping your other tabs accessible.

After completing these steps, you’ll have a new tab open in Safari where you can navigate to any website you choose. Your previous tabs will remain open, and you can switch between them by tapping the square icon again and selecting the desired tab.

Tips: Navigating New Tabs in Safari on an iPhone

• To close a tab, simply tap the ‘X’ in the corner of the tab preview in the tabs view.
• You can reorder tabs by pressing and holding a tab preview, then dragging it to the desired location.
• If you accidentally close a tab, you can quickly reopen it by pressing and holding the plus sign and selecting the closed tab from the list.
• To quickly switch between tabs without going into the tabs view, swipe left or right on the bottom toolbar.
• Use Private Browsing Mode if you want to open a new tab that won’t save your browsing history.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many tabs can i have open at once in safari on an iphone.

You can have up to 500 tabs open at once in Safari on an iPhone. However, having too many tabs open may slow down your browsing experience.

Can I open a new tab in the background?

Yes, you can open a new tab in the background by pressing and holding a link and selecting ‘Open in New Tab’ from the context menu.

How do I switch to a different tab without closing the current one?

To switch tabs, tap the square icon to enter the tabs view, then tap on the tab you want to view. The current tab will remain open in the background.

Is there a shortcut to open a new tab?

If you have a keyboard connected to your iPhone, you can use the shortcut ‘Command + T’ to open a new tab in Safari.

Can I search within my open tabs?

Yes, in the tabs view, you can use the search bar at the top to search for keywords within your open tabs.

• Launch the Safari app.
• Tap the square icon.
• Tap the plus sign.

Opening a new tab in Safari on your iPhone is a fundamental skill that can enhance your browsing experience. It allows you to multitask and keep information at your fingertips without losing your place. With the simple steps outlined in this tutorial, you’ll be a pro at managing multiple tabs in no time. Remember to use the tips provided to navigate your tabs efficiently and keep your Safari organized. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to revisit the frequently asked questions section. Happy browsing, and enjoy the seamless functionality of Safari on your iPhone!

Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.

His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.

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The Quickest Way to Open a New Tab in Safari

In this article, we'll show you how to open a new tab in Safari just by swiping on your address bar. We'll also discuss who will love the feature and who may not, as well as how to enable the feature if you don't have the bottom address bar in Safari.

Why You'll Love This Tip

• Easily open a new tab just by swiping.
• If you don't keep a lot of Safari tabs open at once, this is the quickest way to open a new tab.

How to Open New Tab in Safari on iPhone by Swiping

Safari got a redesign a while back that was intended to make life easier while browsing. Swiping to open a new tab is a good example of that! If you're like me and don't often have a lot of Safari tabs open, this could be the fastest shortcut to open a new tab in Safari. If you tend to keep a lot of tabs open, you'll likely have better luck tapping the tabs icon to navigate your tabs in the new grid view. Want to learn more iOS 16 tips and tricks? Sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter!

Here's how to open a new tab in Safari by swiping:

Now that you know how to open a new tab in Safari, you're ready to optimize your web browsing experience by opening tabs quicker than ever before! If you ever find yourself accidentally closing a tab that you needed open, there's an easy trick to get it back.

Author Details

Elisabeth Garry

Elisabeth Garry is an Associate Editor for iPhone Life. Formerly of Gartner and Software Advice, they have six years of experience writing about technology for everyday users, specializing in iPhones, HomePods, and Apple TV. As a former college writing instructor, they are passionate about effective, accessible communication, which is perhaps why they love helping readers master the strongest communication tools they have available: their iPhones. They have a degree in Russian Literature and Language from Reed College.

When they’re not writing for iPhone Life, they’re reading about maritime disasters, writing fiction, rock climbing, or walking their adorable dog, Moosh.

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This is how i take classes online for free, why you shouldn't sign in with google or facebook, quick links, how to open, pin, and close tabs, the tab-related keyboard shortcuts you should know, how to choose what appears when safari launches or opens a new tab, get more out of your tabs with extensions.

Tabs, glorious tabs! Every web browser now has them, including Apple's Safari . In fact, tabs have been a part of Safari since the very beginning, but there's a lot more to them than you may have realized. Let's walk you through and show you all you need to know to become a Safari tab master.

Related: The Complete Guide to Mastering Tabs in Google Chrome

Safari tab basics are pretty easy to grasp, and resemble Google Chrome's in many ways .

To create a new tab, click the little + sign on the right edge of the Tab Bar, or press Command+T on your keyboard.

To close a tab, click the X on the tab's left side or use the keyboard shortcut Command+W.

Seems easy enough, but there's so much more you can do.

When you have more than one tab open, drag them along the Tab Bar to rearrange them, or drag a tab out of the Safari window to open it in its own instance.

If you want to merge any separate windows into one, click the Window menu and then "Merge All Windows".

Right-click on any tab and notice the options. There aren't a lot, but they're important. You can close the active tab or move the active tab to a new window, as if you had dragged it off the Tab Bar.

If you have a bunch of open tabs and you don't want to close each one individually, right-click and select "Close Other Tabs". If you accidentally close a tab you want to keep, you can press Command+Shift+T on your keyboard to bring it back. (You can also press Command+Z to do this, like you're "Undoing" your previous action, though this is a bit more limited.)

Speaking of open tabs, you can see all of yours arranged in a convenient grid by clicking the "Show All Tabs" button in the upper-right corner, or by pressing Command+Shift+\ on your keyboard.

Right-clicking on a tab will also let you pin tabs. When you pin tabs, it will create smaller ones that persist on the left side of the Tab Bar.

Pinned tabs will remain there even if you close and re-open Safari, unless you specifically close or unpin the tabs. This is great for keeping tabs open that you use all the time such as your e-mail or How-To Geek.

To silence a noisy tab, click the speaker icon on the tab. To mute all tabs, click the blue speaker icon in the location bar.

Safari has a few other tab tricks up its sleeve. Right-click on any bookmark folder and choose "Open in New Tabs" to quickly open everything in that folder. If you select "Automatically Replace Tabs", every time you click that folder, everything within it will open on the Tab Bar.

You can tell when this option is selected because a small square will appear next to the folder's name.

To restore the folder to normal operation, right-click on it again and uncheck the option.

Finally, if you want to temporarily hide the Tab Bar, click the View menu, and then select "Hide Tab Bar".

The Tab Bar will remain hidden until you create a new tab, after which you will need to hide it again from the View menu.

Safari comes with quite a few handy keyboard shortcuts---some of which we've already covered---to navigate and manipulate tabs. Here's a convenient list:

• Open new tab : Command+T
• Close tab : Command+W
• Move to the next tab : Control+Tab or Command+Shift+]
• Move to the previous tab : Control+Shift+Tab or Command+Shift+[
• Show all tabs : Command+Shift+\
• Open a website in a new tab: Command+Click on a link or bookmark, or  Command+Return from the Smart Search Field
• Open a website in a new tab and make it active : Command+Shift+Click on a link
• Open a website in a new window : Command+Option+Click on a link
• Open a website in a new window and make it active : Command+Option+Shift+Click on a link
• Select one of the first nine tabs : Command+1 through Command+9
• Close all tabs but one : Option+click the close (X) button on the tab you want to keep open
• Reopen the last tab(s) or window(s) : Command+Shift+T

If you want to change Safari's tab behavior, open the preferences from the Safari menu or press Command+, on your keyboard.

In the General preferences, you can configure Safari to open new tabs to your Favorites page, Top Sites, your Homepage, an empty page, or the same page---for example, if you have How-To Geek open, new tabs will open with How-To Geek.

In the Tab preferences, you can choose when new pages open in tabs instead of windows:

• Never: if a link is meant to open in a new window, it will open in a new window.
• Automatically: links meant to open in new windows will instead open in new tabs.
• Always: links meant to open in new windows, even those coded to open in their own separate, specially-formatted windows, will instead open in tabs.

Below this are options to change new tab behavior:

• Enable or disable Command+Click to open links in a new tab.
• If you click a link and it opens a new window or tab, it will become active (normally they open in the background).
• Enable or disable Command+1 through Command+9 tab switching.

Disabling Command+Click will also disable any other associated shortcuts and their modifiers, which are described at the bottom of the Tabs preferences.

While Safari's tabs are already pretty complete, they could always do more, which is why you might want to check out some tab extensions .

There are tab extensions to save an entire tab session , add emoji to your favorite tab titles , and a better way to keep track of recently-closed tabs , plus many more. Chances are you might find something really useful.

As you can see, there's a lot more to tabs in Safari than what you find at first glance. They're really easy to learn, and memorizing a couple of keyboard shortcuts can make short work of repetitive tasks. Now you're well on your way to becoming a Safari tab master!

• Web Browsers

How to use tabs and private browsing in Safari for iPhone and iPad

Become a tab master.

• How to open a new tab in Safari
• How to switch tabs in Safari
• How to close a tab in Safari
• How to view recently-closed tabs in Safari
• How to view websites from your other devices in Safari

How to use Tab Groups in Safari

• How to use private browsing in Safari

Tabs in Safari let you keep multiple web pages open so you can switch between them efficiently or refer back to them whenever you want. You can open links in new tabs, so you don't lose where you're currently surfing, and even go into Private Mode to give you some privacy on the internet.

Safari has been around for a couple of decades now, and there's a lot to learn — especially for power users. As a first-party app, there are some excellent iOS features Apple's browser can offer, and it integrates seamlessly with your other Apple devices, making it the best web-browser to navigate seamlessly between iPhone, iPad, and Mac. 

How to open a new tab in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Note: We have our Safari Tab Bar at the bottom of our iPhone screen, but all the steps in this guide work if you have yours at the top except from gesture-based manoeuvring. For more on moving the Safari address bar, check out our guide: How to change the Safari address bar on iPhone .

• Open Safari
• On an iPhone, tap the show pages icon in the bottom right of the screen (it looks like two squares). A quick swipe up from the Bottom Tab Bar on iOS 15 and newer gets you there even quicker.
• Tap the + button.

Alternatively, tap and hold the show pages icon, then tap New Tab . For those who like gestures, a quick swipe to the left on the Bottom Tab Bar opens a new tab while a swipe to the right goes back to your previous one. 

You can also open links you come across in a new tab by doing the following:

• Tap and hold (long press) the link you want to open in a new tab.
• Tap Open in New Tab (or Open in Background on iPad).

If you're on an iPad, you can open a link in a new window with Split Screen in Safari . Instead of tapping Open in Background, hit Open in Split Screen to have both tabs side by side -- great for when you're working on an essay for example.

How to switch tabs in Safari on iPhone and iPad

• On an iPhone, tap the show pages icon in the bottom right of the screen (it looks like two squares). On iPad, this looks like four squares and appears in the top right of the screen.
• Tap the tab you want to view.

You'll also benefit from Mac-like tab dividers beneath the URL field on the iPad's larger display. You can tap these to switch between tabs too.

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How to close a tab in Safari on iPhone and iPad

• Tap the X in the top right of a tab to close it. (You can also swipe the card to the left to throw it away).

While the above steps work on an iPad, it is easier to tap the X next to your tab in the toolbar to close it and save yourself an extra tap.

How to quickly close all tabs in Safari on iPhone and iPad

• On an iPhone, tap and hold the show pages icon in the bottom right of the screen (it looks like two squares). On iPad, this looks like four squares and appears in the top right of the screen.
• Tap Close All X Tabs .

How to view recently-closed tabs in Safari for iPhone and iPad

• On an iPhone, tap the show pages icon in the bottom right of the screen (it looks like two squares). On iPad, you can skip this step.
• Tap and hold the + button to bring up the Recently Closed Tabs menu.

How to view tabs open on your other devices in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Safari's iCloud Tabs feature lets you quickly and easily access web pages you've already opened in Safari on any of your other Apple devices — iPhones, iPads, or Macs. It's a very useful tool for getting the most out of your Apple ecosystem.

• On iPhone or iPad, tap the URL field in the Bottom Tab Bar .
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see tabs open on your other devices.
• Click on the tab you want to access from your other device.

Each device linked to your iCloud account is sorted alphabetically -- if you don't see your iPhone, iPad, or Mac make sure you sign in with the same Apple ID credentials across all devices. Note: tabs created in Private Browsing mode do not appear in iCloud Tabs, so you won't see those.

In iOS 16 , Apple improved upon Tab-Groups in Safari. Tab-Groups are a great way to combine several tabs together and organize them to make them easy to find. The feature also saves you from leaving a ton of tabs open for later reference.

We have a dedicated guide on how to use Tab Groups in Safari , so check that out to get the most out of the organizing tool. 

How to use private browsing in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Private browsing works just like regular browsing, except Safari won't cache your search terms or add the pages to your browser history -- this can be useful around the holiday period when gift shopping. Here's how to open private browsing on iPhone or iPad.

• Tap Private or New Private Tab .

To exit private browsing mode, press and hold the show pages icon and tap (number) Tabs to return to your previously open regular tabs.

You can also start and stop a private browsing section from the sidebar menu on the iPad.

Become a tab master

Using Safari on iPhone and iPad is similar to using Safari on Mac , however, the interface has some differences to account for smaller screens and touchscreen input. With the above guidance, you'll be well on your way to browsing Safari like a pro on your iOS devices making sure you're getting the best iPhone and best iPad experience possible.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.  John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit. 

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How to use the new tab bar in iOS 15 Safari

iOS 15 introduces big changes to Safari — here's how to perform old, familiar features

Safari has been a mainstay of Apple's iPhones since the very beginning, but iOS 15 brings some major changes to the venerable web browser's appearance and functionality. Perhaps the biggest alteration is in the tab bar, the part of Safari's interface that governs how you interact with all the websites you've opened. 

Most crucially, Safari's tab bar on the iPhone is now at the bottom of the screen by default, instead of the top. That takes some getting used to, not to mention an adjustment of muscle memory — assuming that you don't just go and make Safari's tab bar return to the top of the screen .

• iOS 15 review : A better iPhone experience
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The location of the tab bar may have changed, but other functions in Safari remain the same, even if they might look a little out of place if you keep that tab bar at the bottom of the screen. iOS 15 beta testers may also be confused, as Apple made several tweaks to the look of Safari in response to feedback from users.

To help you navigate around the redesigned Safari browser on your iPhone, here's a guide on how to use the tab bar in Safari on iOS 15, along with a reminder on how to handle some basic interactions.

How to open a new browser tab in iOS 15 Safari

1. Tap the tabs button in the bottom right corner of Safari.

2. Tap the blue plus (+) button on the left side of the location bar.

3. Alternatively, tap and hold on the tab button, then tap New Tab on the pop-up menu that appears.

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How to close a browser tab in iOS 15 Safari

1.   Tap the tabs button in the right corner of the location bar.

2. You'll see an overview of all your currently open tabs. Tap the 'x' in the top right corner to close a tab.

3. Alternatively, when you're viewing the page you want to close, tap and hold on the tab button, then tap Close This Tab. 

This step also allows you to close all tabs at once with a single tap.

How to share a website in iOS 15 Safari

1. Tap the Share button in the center of the location button.

2. On the ensuing screen, tap the contact you want to share a website link with (it will be in the last app you connected with them) or pick an app for sharing the link.

The Share icon is also what you tap to perform other actions with a particular web page. These actions include copying the link, adding it as a bookmark or favorite, searching for a word or phrase on the page, and adding to your reading list.

How to reload a website

If you tested an early beta of iOS 15, reloading a website was unnecessarily complicated, forcing you tap a More button in the tab bar; only then could you access the reload button. But later on during the beta process, the reload button was added to the tab bar — just tap it when you want to reload a page. 

Alternatively, you can drag down from the top of the webpage to reload it in iOS 15 Safari.

How to activate Reader mode in iOS 15 Safari

1. Tap the Aa button on the left side of the tab bar.

2. Select Show Reader.

3. You're now in Reader mode. To close Reader, just repeat steps 1 and 2, only this time, select Hide Reader.

Alternatively, pressing and holding the Aa button automatically launches Reader mode.

How to switch between browser tabs in iOS 15 Safari

1. Tap the tab button along the bottom strip of icons in Safari. 

2. Select the tab you want to open.

Alternatively, you can swipe upward on the location bar to see all your tabs. 

You can also quickly move between taps by swiping the location bar left-to-right or right-to-left to switch to the next or previous open tab, though we've found this to be tricky on iPhones with smaller screens.

How to open a new private browser tab in iOS 15 Safari

1. Press and hold the tab button in the lower right strip of icons in Safari.

2. Select new Private Tab from the pop-up menu.

3. The tab bar will change colors, signifying you're now in private browsing mode.

4. To exit a Private tab, tap on the Tab icon again. Then select the Private drop-down menu.

5. From there, select your other, non-private tabs.

More iOS 15 how-tos

• How to schedule FaceTime calls in iOS 15
• How to use Portrait Mode in FaceTime on iOS 15
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Dan Moren is the author of multiple sci-fi books including The Caledonian Gamibt and The Aleph Extraction. He's also a long-time Mac writer, having worked for Macworld and contributed to the Six Colors blog, where he writes about all things Apple. His work has also appeared in Popular Science, Fast Company, and more

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How to Open a New Tab in Safari While Clicking on Something

Internet browsing can get a bit sticky when you have a lot of research to do. You can end up with a jumble of browser windows, or you may leave one webpage only to wish you could find it again.

When you're browsing with Safari on a Mac and you want to open multiple webpages at once or open a page now for later viewing, your best bet is to open those pages in their own tabs. There are several ways to do it.

Open a Page in a New Tab Once

There are several ways to open a webpage in a new tab on a Mac.

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• Command-click a link on a webpage
• Command-click on a Favorites icon or a Top Sites thumbnail, both of which can be reached through the Bookmark tab in the menu bar
• Command-click the Back or Forward button in Safari to open the previous or next page in a new tab.
• After typing in the Smart Search field, Command-click a search suggestion to open it in a new tab.
• From the Bookmarks sidebar, Control-click a bookmark and choose "Open in New Tab" from the shortcut menu. You can also Control-click a Bookmarks folder and choose "Open in New Tabs."

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If Command-clicking isn't working, go to the Safari menu and select Preferences. In the Tabs section, select "Command key-click opens a link in a new tab."

Always Open Pages in New Tabs

To open all links in new tabs all the time, open a terminal window and type the following command line: "defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClicksCreateTabs -bool true" without the quotation marks. To reverse this, open a terminal window and type: "defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClicksCreateTabs -bool false" without quotes.

To open a terminal window on a Mac, first open the Applications folder, then the Utilities folder and then the Terminal application, or enter "Terminal" in the search field of the Launchpad.

Other Tab Tricks For Your Mac

• To show all tabs in a window, click View in the menu bar and choose Show All Tabs.
• WindowMerge All Windows

Open Links in New Tabs in iOS

The iPhone and iPad work differently from the Mac. To open an interesting link in a new tab in the background of your current tab, you need to make a change in the iOS Settings app.

• For iPhones, open the Settings app. Tap Safari. Tap Open Links and select Open New Tabs in Background.
• On an iPad, open the Settings app, tap Safari and tap the slider next to Open New Tabs in Background to activate the setting.

After you make the settings change, you can open a link in a background tab on iPhones and iPads:

• Tap and hold on a link.
• Open in New TabShow all Tabs icon
• Safari for Mac: View Webpages in Tabs Using Safari
• CCM: Safari - Open Link in a New Tab
• CCM: MacOs - Force Safari to Open Links in a New Tab

Brenna Swanston is a freelance writer, editor and journalist. She covers topics including environment, education, agriculture, travel, immigration and religion. She previously reported for the Sun newspaper in Santa Maria, Calif., and holds a bachelor's in journalism from California Polytechnic State University. Swanston is an avid traveler and loves jazz, yoga and craft beer.

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How to force Safari to always open new sites in tabs

Sometimes Safari makes me want to pull out my hair. Normally, it's a fine web browser . But every once in a while, it misbehaves like a child who just downed a four-foot-long tube of Pixie Stix. 

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See if this behavior strikes a chord with you.

You already have Safari open, and you've gone to Apple Mail to see if anyone's reached out to you with something important to say.

You get an email with a link you absolutely must visit. You click on said link, and, instead of the link opening a new tab in the currently open Safari window, it opens in a brand new window. 

Keep doing this, and you'll find yourself with more Safari windows than you care to manage. 

Also: How to check the Privacy Report for website tracking in Safari

This behavior has caused me no end of headaches. It's made worse when you realize that the different Safari browsers all have the same tabs open, save for (maybe) the one tab you opened that caused the new window to appear. 

Although this isn't a deal-breaking behavior, it's certainly frustrating. And remember, every time a new Safari window opens that contains the same tabs you already had open, it consumes considerably more system resources. This could land you in a situation where Safari consumes 100% of the system resources and renders your desktop slow to the point of being unusable.

You don't want that.

So, how do you avoid such a situation? Fortunately, there's a built-in option that will help circumvent this problem. Let me show you how it's done.

How to force Safari to always open new sites in tabs 

Requirements.

The only thing you'll need is a running instance of Safari. I'll demonstrate with version 16.1 running on MacOS Ventura. So long as your version of Safari is updated, it should work just fine.

1. Open Safari

The first thing to do is open the Safari web browser, which can be done via the Launchpad app on your dock.

2. Open Settings

Click on the Safari menu in the MacOS top bar and click Settings.

Accessing the Safari Settings app from the MacOS top bar.

3. Configure Open Pages In Tabs

Click the Tabs section in Settings and locate the Open pages in tabs instead of windows drop-down. 

Also: Apple finally gives Safari Tab Groups the one feature it sorely lacked  

From that drop-down, select Always. 

The Tabs section is where you need to look.

4. Ok the selection

A new popup will appear. Click Always Create Tabs to ok the selection. Once you've taken care of this, you'll find yourself back in the Settings app. Close Settings and you're back in the Safari window.

The setting will not be enabled until you ok it.

Test the new behavior

You should now be able to click a link from any app, and it will always open a new tab in the existing Safari window instead of opening a new window. This will save you from having to copy the link, close the new window, open a new tab in the existing Safari window, and paste the link in a new tab.

Also:   How to get more space in Safari with Compact Layout

This may seem like an insignificant problem, but the more it happens, you'll eventually realize how much of a hassle and time waster it is. In the name of working smarter, your daily workflow will thank you for taking the time to set up this configuration.

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Safari User Guide

• Change your home page
• Import bookmarks, history and passwords
• Make Safari your default web browser
• Go to websites
• Find what you’re looking for
• Bookmark web pages that you want to revisit
• See your favourite websites
• Use tabs for web pages
• Pin frequently visited websites
• Play web videos
• Mute audio in tabs
• Pay with Apple Pay
• Autofill credit card info
• Autofill contact info
• Keep a Reading List
• Hide ads when reading articles
• Translate a web page
• Download items from the web
• Share or post web pages
• Add passes to Wallet
• Save part or all of a web page
• Print or create a PDF of a web page
• Customise a start page
• Customise the Safari window
• Customise settings per website
• Zoom in on web pages
• Get extensions
• Manage cookies and website data
• Block pop-ups
• Clear your browsing history
• Browse privately
• Autofill username and password info
• Prevent cross-site tracking
• View a Privacy Report
• Change Safari preferences
• Keyboard and other shortcuts
• Troubleshooting

Keyboard shortcuts and gestures in Safari on Mac

Here are shortcuts you can use, in addition to those that appear in Safari menus. To turn off or change keyboard shortcuts, see Create keyboard shortcuts for apps .

Open Safari for me

Current web page

Preferences, reading list, bookmarks sidebar and bookmarks view.

Safari for iPhone & iPad: How to open tabs in the background

Three steps to distraction-free reading

So, you're reading a fascinating article in Safari when you come across a link to something else that looks interesting. You don't want to stop reading, but you're afraid you'll forget about the new article, so you open it in another tab for safe keeping. Annoyingly, though, Safari kicks your current article to the curb and immediately takes you to the new one. Argh! If Safari was a person, you could punch it in the face — but since it isn't, here's what else you can do: make new tabs open in the background.

To do this, you first need to change a setting:

• Open the Settings app.
• On an iPhone, navigate to Safari > Open Links. On an iPad, go to Safari > Open New Tabs in Background.
• On an iPhone, select the "In Background" option. On an iPad, toggle on "Open New Tabs in Background."

Now you can open links in the background tab by performing these steps in Safari:

• Tap and hold on any link.
• On an iPhone, select "Open in Background." On an iPad, choose "Open in New Tab."
• On an iPhone, you can find the new link by tapping the Show All Tabs button in the lower-right corner. On an iPad, the link opens in a new tab beside your current one.

Voilà! You can now open stories to read later without leaving your current article, and Safari didn't get its face punched. Everyone's a winner!

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Safari is opening a new window instead of a tab

When I click on a link in Mail it opens a new window in Safari, even though I have Safari set to open new stuff in tabs. This started with the new release of Safari. Any ideas?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 5, 2020 1:46 PM

Posted on Oct 11, 2020 12:15 PM

Hello Mike Lipay,

We understand that you're looking to have Safari open a new tab instead of a window when you click on a link.

In the Safari Preferences page, go back to the Tabs section. Select "Automatically" for the "Open pages in tabs instead of windows" option. Close out the menu, then open Safari and navigate to a webpage. Then click on a link from your email and see if that works for you.

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Oct 11, 2020 12:15 PM in response to Mike Lipay

Oct 14, 2020 8:22 AM in response to jeremy_v

Thanks. It was already set, so I turned if off/on, closed Safari, restarted the computer, now it's working fine.

Oct 14, 2020 10:32 AM in response to Mike Lipay

Hi again, Mike Lipay,

We're glad to hear it's working the way you prefer. have a great rest of your day!