Master Safari
Top tips for getting more from Apple’s web browser
Manage tabs >>> Although you can have loads of browser windows on the screen, it’s tidier to use Safari’s tabs. Pressing gives you a new one. You can drag tabs around to rearrange them or move them between windows. To merge a web page from a window that has only one tab with another window, you’ll need to make the tab bar visible (choose View > Show Tab Bar). Window > Merge All Windows gathers all tabs into a single window.
Favorites >>> If there are sites you visit constantly and always need quick access to, pin them to the tab bar. To get started, open a site in any window, then choose Window > Pin Tab. The site’s icon will slide to the left end of the tab bar and subsequently appear in every Safari window. There’s no escape! Okay, there is: drag pinned tabs away from that end of the tab bar to unpin them. You can rearrange pinned tabs simply by dragging them left or right.
Suggestions >>> In Safari’s preferences, in the Search tab, turn on Include Safari Suggestions. Now Safari’s Smart Search Field (address bar) works rather like Spotlight in responding to certain search terms with more than just website suggestions. Type “weather” and you’ll get a local forecast. Enter a major sports team to get its latest result. Suggestions also include Wikipedia articles.
Search sites >>> If Quick Website Search is enabled in Safari’s Search preferences, you can bypass a website’s homepage to search its contents. All you have to do is search on the site once. After that point, start typing the site’s address in the Smart Search Field, tap Tab when it’s suggested, then type your search term. Press and you’re sent to the site’s results.
Full address >>> Safari no longer displays a web page’s full address in the Smart Search Field by default. Click around apple.com, say, and the field’s contents will stay unchanged throughout your visit. If that’s unnerving or annoying, check “Show full website address” in Safari’s Advanced preferences. The field then shows addresses in full. (Even with this setting off, the full address is shown when you click in the field.)
Notifications >>> Websites, as well as apps, can ask permission to send alerts your way. It’s all too easy to accidentally allow this when a site first asks permission, so it’s worth periodically checking out Safari’s Notifications preferences. There, you can allow or deny a site’s ability to trigger notifications. If you never want any site to even ask you for permission, there’s a switch here that prevents them doing so.
Manage downloads >>> In Safari’s General preferences, you can choose where file downloads are sent. If you don’t want them to go to your Downloads folder, select Other in the pop-up menu. Should you want Safari to ask where to save each one, you can specify that. There’s also a checkbox regarding opening safe files. Clear it if you don’t want your Mac to open docs and distracting you from what you’re doing.
Quick shortcuts >>> In Safari’s Tabs preferences, there’s a checkbox labelled “Use through to switch tabs.” If this is filled, you can switch to any of the first nine open tabs in a window (including pinned ones) by pressing
and a number.
Access passwords >>> In Safari’s Passwords preferences you can enable or disable AutoFill for usernames and passwords, and check the details it uses to sign into sites. Doubleclicking a hidden password requests an administrator username and password to reveal it.
Local keychain >>> The idea behind iCloud Keychain is to save time on devices which you approve to use it by storing account credentials, bank card details, and known Wi-Fi network information. By default, this information is backed up to iCloud, but by skipping the creation of an iCloud Security Code, it’s stored locally only on approved devices. Apple can’t help recover your keychain in this scenario.