Shortcuts in your browser allow you to navigate the web more quickly and efficiently. You may use shortcuts in your browser to re-open closed tabs, adjust the screen/font size, and automatically scroll through pages, among other things.
Using keyboard shortcuts is faster than using your computer’s touchpad or mouse to switch between tabs. We’ll show you how to use your keyboard to switch tabs in this article. We’ve put together a list of tab navigation shortcuts for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Brave.
These shortcuts should make it easier for you to access and manage your tabs. Take a look at them.
Shortcuts for Chrome and Microsoft Edge Tabs
These browsers have a lot of similarities and run on the same Chromium engine, while Microsoft Edge has additional features. On Chrome and Edge, the keyboard shortcuts mentioned below accomplish the same functions.
Go to the Next Tab.
Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + PgDn on your keyboard will take you to the next tab (on the right). With a familiar keyboard layout, this shortcut works nicely on Windows devices and other operating systems (e.g. Chrome OS on Chromebooks and Linux).
If you’re using a Mac, hold down Command + Option + Right arrow. This key combination will advance you one tab to the right every time you press it.
Return to the previous tab
Would you like to return to an open tab (on the left)? On your Windows or Linux computer, press Ctrl + Shift + Tab (or Ctrl + Page Up).
The macOS counterpart of Command + Option + Left arrow button is to jump to the leftmost tab.
Toggle to a Different Tab
Tab 1 to Tab 8 are the first eight tabs from the left in most web browsers. On Windows and Linux, pressing Ctrl and then the tab number will bring you to that tab.
For example, pressing Ctrl + 1 will open the first tab (from the left), whereas using Ctrl + 5 will open the fifth tab. You may do this all the way up to Ctrl + 8, which will launch the eighth tab. Ctrl + 9 navigates to the last tab (the one on the far right), whereas Ctrl + 0 does nothing.
Command + 1 through 8 on a MacBook or iMac will take you to the first 8 tabs, while Command + 9 will take you to the last tab in the row.
Shortcuts for Firefox Tabs
When you switch tabs using a keyboard shortcut, Firefox offers a “fancy” tab navigation interface that allows you preview web pages.
Switch Back and Forth Between Tabs
To cycle through open tabs in Firefox on Mac, Linux, and Windows devices, click Ctrl + Tab (from left to right).
This shortcut displays a thumbnail of all open tabs; keep hitting Tab while holding Ctrl to cycle through them (from left to right). Release the keys when the highlight lands on the tab’s thumbnail to open it.
Return to the Previous Tabs
When you click Ctrl + Shift + Tab (or Ctrl + Page Down) on your Windows or Linux PC, Firefox allows you to move one tab to the left. You can use either the Command + Option + Left arrow button (or Control + Shift + Tab) shortcuts on a Mac.
Because Firefox travels through tabs in the order they were last used, this shortcut is disabled by default. Uncheck “Ctrl+Tab cycles between tabs in recently used order” in Firefox’s Preferences menu if you want to switch to prior tabs (in reverse order).
Toggle to a Different Tab
The first eight tabs from the left are similarly assigned numbers 1 to 8. Press Alt + 1 to Alt + 8 (on Linux), Control + 1 to Control + 8 (on Windows), or Command + 1 to Command + 8 (on Mac) to switch to any of the first eight tabs (on Mac).
Use Alt + 9 (on Linux), Control + 9 (on Windows), or Command + 9 (on Mac) to jump to the final tab in Firefox’s Tab Bar (on Mac).
Shortcuts for Safari Tabs
If Safari is your preferred web browser, these keyboard shortcuts will drastically reduce the amount of time you spend switching between tabs.
Go to the Next Tab.
To jump to the next open tab on the right, use Control + Tab. A similar result can be obtained by pressing Shift + Command + Right Squared bracket (]).
Return to the previous tab
Command + Shift + Tab or Shift + Command + Left Squared bracket will take you one step backwards and open the tab on the left ( [ ).
Toggle to a Different Tab
Dedicated shortcuts in Safari allow you to jump quickly to the top eight tabs and the last tab. If you have 12 tabs open in Safari, pressing Command + 1 will take you to the first one (from the right), Command + 7 to the seventh, and Command + 3 to the third. Up to Command + 9, which opens the final or rightmost tab, you can accomplish this.
If these shortcuts instead open your bookmarks, go to Safari’s options and enable the tab switch option. Open Safari, then pick Preferences from the menu bar by clicking the Apple logo. Check the box next to “Use -1 to -9 to switch tabs” in the Tabs section.
Return to Safari and see if the keyboard shortcuts now navigate between tabs rather than bookmarks.
Shortcuts for the Opera Tab
Opera just comes with shortcuts for cycling through open tabs and windows forward and backward. Shortcuts for moving to a specific tab are not available in the browser.
Changing Tabs in Opera
To advance to the next tab on the right on Windows, Linux, and macOS devices, click Control + Tab. Shift + Control + Tab, on the other hand, cycles backward through open tabs.
Open and Close Opera Windows
If you have numerous Opera windows open on your device, click Command + Backquote (‘) on a Mac or Alt + Tab on Windows/Linux to cycle through them.
Opera’s Advanced Tab Navigation Shortcuts
While key combinations are quick, how about toggling between tabs with only one keystroke? With Opera’s sophisticated keyboard shortcuts, you can do just that. Select Enable advanced keyboard shortcuts from the Advanced > Browser > Shortcuts section in Opera’s settings menu.
With this option activated, click 1 on your keyboard to cycle forward and 2 to cycle backward through open tabs. This is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux systems.
For Mac, there’s an additional advanced tab navigation hotkey: You can switch between the current and previous tabs by pressing Control + Backquote (‘). If you switched from the 2nd tab to the 7th tab, this shortcut will return you to the 7th tab. The second tab is opened by pressing the key combination again.
Shortcuts for Brave Tabs
Brave is one of many alternative browsers that is quickly gaining popularity as a faster and more secure alternative to Chrome and Firefox. Read our in-depth assessment of the (Brave) browser before deciding whether or not to give it a shot.
If you already use Brave, here are some keyboard shortcuts to help you speed up your tab navigation.
Go to the Next Tab.
To navigate to the next open tab on the right on a macOS device, press Command + Option + Right arrow keys. Control + Tab or Control + Page Down are the shortcuts to utilise on a Windows or Linux machine.
Returning to the Previous Tab
Control + Shift + Tab or Control + Page Up are the default shortcuts for jumping one tab to the left on Windows and Linux devices. Use the Command + Option + Left arrow key on a Mac.
On Brave, go to a certain tab.
Control + 1 through Control + 8 (on Windows/Linux) or Command + 1 through Command + 8 (on Mac) will cycle through the first and eighth tabs (on macOS).
On a Mac, pressing Command + 9 will take you to the last tab, whereas pressing Control + 9 on Windows/Linux will do the same.
In No Time, You’ll Get to Your Destination Tab
Mastering these keyboard shortcuts for switching tabs may be challenging at first, but you’ll quickly become accustomed to them if you use them frequently. You’ll become a shortcut ninja in no time if you include these shortcuts into your daily online browsing habit.
