Secret Safari shortcuts: Speed up your browsing now!

Safari for iPhone spun out of Safari for Mac to become one of the very first fully-functional web browsers on mobile. Taking all that power and making it simple and accessible for the masses meant that, over the years, a lot of shortcuts and time savers got hidden away behind gestures. Luckily, once you know how to long-tap (touch and hold) and swipe your way around, you'll be using Safari for iPhone faster than ever!

Note: Some shortcuts, like history list and tab restore don't work in private browsing mode, because private.

New tab

Sure, you can still tap the Tabs button and then the + button, but now there's also a faster way to trigger a new tab:

  1. Touch an hold the Tabs button.
  2. Tap on the New Tabs button when it pops up.

Close all tabs

Once upon a time you had to open tabs and tediously tap or swipe away each one in turn. Like an animal. Now, though, you can quickly close all open tabs, all with a tap.

  1. Touch an hold the Tabs button.
  2. Tap on Close [X] Tabs button when it pops up. (Where [X] is the number of currently open tabs.)

To the top

One of the first and still one of the best iPhone gestures, while I'm sure almost all of you already know this, I'm including it just in case. If you've spent a while scrolling down a page but decide you want to go back to the top, instead of scrolling all the way back up, try this:

  1. Tap the title bar at the very top of the screen. (If the address bar is minimized, tap twice — once to maximize it, once to jump up.)

Tap for tools

To show you more of the page content, Safari hides the toolbar as you scroll down. Instead of trying to make it reveal itself by scrolling back up, try this:

  1. Tap the very bottom of the screen.
  2. Tap the tool button you want to invoke.

Super saver

If you come across an image on a website you want to save — or copy — to the clip board, try this:

  1. Touch and hold down on an image.
  2. Choose to save or copy it from the menu.

(If it doesn't work, the image may be embedded in the style sheet instead of the page — no luck!)

Flash back

If you've tapped a bunch of links and decide you want to go back to a previous page, instead of tapping the back button or swiping to go back a page at a time, try this:

  1. Touch and hold down on the back arrow button at the bottom left to pull up the history list of pages you visited previously.
  2. Tap the page you want to jump back to.

Flash forward

If you've already jumped back but decide you want to go forward again, instead of tapping the forward button or swiping forward a page a time, try this:

  1. Touch and hold down on the forward arrow button at the bottom left to pull up the history list of pages you visited next.
  2. Tap the page you want to jump forward to.

If you land on a page you love and you want to make sure you remember it, instead of tapping the share button and then choosing what you want to do, try this:

  1. Touch and hold down on the bookmark button at the bottom center to bring up the bookmark menu.
  2. Tap add a bookmark, add to reading list, or add to shared links.

Rapidly reorder

If you like to keep your tabs in a very specific order, and they aren't already the way you want them, instead of closing them and opening them all again, try this:

  1. Tap the tabs button.
  2. Touch and hold down on the tab you want to reorder.
  3. Drag it to the position you want it.

Flick away

When the time comes to close a tab, you can hit the small X button at the top left, but if you want to be a little more physical, and have a little more fun, try this:

  1. Tap the tabs button
  2. Touch and hold down on the tab you want to close.
  3. Toss it away to the left.

Rapidly restore

If you close a tab or set of tabs by mistake, or you close them but later wish you hadn't, instead of trying to remember the page, try this:

  1. Tap the tabs button at the bottom right
  2. Touch and hold down the + button to bring up a list of recently closed tabs.
  3. Tap the tab you want to restore

Remotely close

If you leave a tap open on an iPad or Mac you wish you hadn't, instead of running back to the device, turning it on, going to Safari, and closing the tab, try this:

  1. Tap the tabs button and scroll down to iCloud tabs
  2. Swipe across the iCloud tab to bring up the delete button.
  3. Tap the delete button to close the tab.

Direct to desktop

While some sites think they're doing iPhone owners a favor by forcing them into mobile versions of a website, sometimes those mobile versions are poorly formatted or missing important functionality. (Hi Twitter!) You can get Safari to request the full desktop site from the Share Sheet, but you can also do it quickly right from the reload button.

  1. Touch and hold the reload button at the right of the address bar at the top of the screen.
  2. Tap on Request Desktop Site.

Instant un-block

Content blockers can speed up and clean up your browsing by refusing to load ads, fonts, tackers, and other large or complex assets. Sometimes, though, that can break the website you're trying to load. You can disable content blockers, but you can also reload without them right from the address bar.

Note: This only works if you have a content blocker installed, of course.

  1. Touch and hold the reload button at the right of the address bar at the top of the screen.
  2. Tap on Reload Without Content Blockers.

Find on Page

Once you find the web page you want, you might still need to find specific text on that page like a word or phrase. You can still do that in the most recent version of iOS, but the option has moved to the Share sheet.

  1. Tap the Share button.
  2. Tap Find on Page in the black and white action options near the bottom. (You'll need to scroll right.)

Web pages are great, but sometimes you need to keep a copy of a page offline. That's what PDFs are for. With the latest version of iOS, you can save any web page to a PDF file and store it safe and sound in iBooks so you can reference it any time. And you can do it right from the Share sheet.

  1. Tap the Share button.
  2. Tap Save PDF to iBooks in the share options near the top. (You'll need to scroll right.)

Home screen jumps

If you have an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus with 3D Touch, you can press on the Safari icon on your Home screen to jump directly to Reading List, Bookmarks, a new Private tab, or a new regular tab.

  1. Press firmly on the Safari icon on your Home screen
  2. Tap on the Home screen option you want to use.

14. Peeks and pops

If you have an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus with 3D Touch, you can also press on frequently used site icons, list entries, and even links on any web page to bring up a "peek" preview and press harder to "pop" right into the page.

  1. Press firmly on any web icon, list item, or link to preview.
  2. Press harder to go to the page.

Your shortcuts?

These Safari shortcuts should have you browsing faster than ever! We're always on the lookout for more, though, so if you've come any we missed, let us know!

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

53 Comments
  • Never knew #7...thanks!
  • That one will be such a time saver. Super useful!
  • I didn't know #7 either! Great tips! Sent from the iMore App
  • Stumbled upon 2 - 9, and I've been longing for #1, so thanks for that tip.
  • I think #1 works in all apps where the main content is scrollable. It definitely works in Tweetbot/Facebook anyway
  • #1 has been around for quite some time now. Yes, it does work almost everywhere with scrollable content.
  • iPhone 6+ In landscape mode, pinching your fingers together will show all tabs. Easily swipe to close or tap to jump to any tab. Sent from the iMore App
  • Also does this on my iPhone 6 and iPad mini 2. Sent from the iMore App
  • Looks like the same for iPad Air 2. Nice tips, thanks.
  • Can't use landscape without my phone crashing. iPhone 6 plus. Sent from the iMore App
  • Restore!
  • Very helpful, I didn't know some of these. Thanks Rene Sent from the iMore App
  • When closing tabs in the tab view, don't bother trying to tap the X, just swipe the whole page off to the left!
  • Added that, and added the drag-to-reorder tabs gesture!
  • Nice! Although you don't actually need to do a long-tap to close a tab; just swipe and it's gone.
  • It depends on the state in my experience. If you've never touched a tab, it seems to reject direct swipes. Once you've touched a tab, it seems to recognize them. (Likely to prevent inadvertent closures.)
  • When you need a non-mobile version of a page (e.g. to use Google's reverse image search), go to the page, then tap the URL bar and pull down to reveal a "Request Desktop Site" option.
  • I've been missing that since my move from Android/WP! Thank you.
  • Worth noting that this doesn't work with websites that use "Responsive Design" (i.e. the website reorders itself to fit the screen size), albeit if these websites are designed correctly they should be similar to the Desktop view and should offer the same feature set
  • Wow. After all this time, I honestly didn't know about #4 thru #8. Very handy and helpful, thanks, Rene!
  • I love the remote close of iCloud tabs. However, recently I have noticed it is a bit spotty on taking. Anyone else? Sent from the iMore App
  • My favourite is #10 Sent from the iMore App
  • #10 doesnt work. Sent from the iMore App
  • I can't get 6 to work on my iPhone or iPad
  • Great article, finally I now how to pull the history up.
  • Didn't know about #9! And #6 thanks for the tips Rene. Sent from the iMore App
  • #3 additional tip---if the image is embedded and you still want to save it, take a screenshot by pressing the power button and home button simultaneously. Sent from the iMore App
  • Tip #11, don't use Safari. I use Dolphin. Love the fact that it shows tabs like you see on a desktop. No worries about having a large number of tabs open that takes you days to close.
  • I've never had an issue with having too many tabs open because I'm always switching tabs so I see how many I have open when I switch. Also the iPhone 6 Plus has the tab bar in landscape
  • Got it, thanks for sharing!
  • Good article! Thanks! Sent from the iMore App
  • Very helpful Sent from the iMore App
  • I still can't get my head around how Reading List works. Not how you add links/articles but how you make it save for offline reading. It's really hit or miss I find. Sent from the iMore App
  • Mr. Ritchie, for
    "#10 Remotely close iCloud tabs
    If you leave a tap open on an iPad or Mac you wish you hadn't, instead of running back to the device, turning it on, going to Safari, and closing the tab, try this:" Did you mean:
    "if you leave a TAB open"?? (sorry for the caps)
  • Nice tips !!! Learnt about tip #7 from this.
  • I think you made a mistake on #12.
    It should be; 2. Tap on "Reload Without Content Blockers"
  • I would love a "close all" function for the tabs. Sent from the iMore App
  • Great article, Rene...! Sent from the iMore App
  • Read this last year, but forgot many of them--thanks for reposting and updating it! Very helpful!
  • Thanks for the tips.
  • Search on this page. Thank you, I was still using the old way of writing in the address bar then scrolling to the bottom to Find On This Page.
  • Me too and it seems the old way takes half the gestures to get same result. Apple could have better optimized this by putting "find on page" option in obvious location at top of results list.
  • Also Peek and Pop on Tabs!
    You can also search with the search bar! Under the Google suggestions you will have the in-page results.
    I didn't know the share button way!
  • I want to know why Jony has the menus on the iPhone and iPad in different places? I want to close tabs on iPhone it's on bottom. On iPad it's on top. Totally stupid.
  • Nice. I didn't know about #13 either.
    To make the page-search even more accessible you can reorder the icons in the share panel.
    Hold & drag icons to reorder them. (Or select the final More option and do it from there)
    I now have Search in spot#4 where Reading list was.
  • #4 is something I've wanted to know for ages so this is great. #5 & #9 are also great to know. I knew most of the others but this is a great list and I'm sure nearly everyone who looks through it will find at least one thing they never knew & some people probably won't be aware of most of them. Excellent.
  • It has always been my to go browser on my iPad and iPhone because of its so many features, but I didn't know few of the gestures. It was super helpful. Thanks! Sent from the iMore App
  • Be careful about saving PDFs to to iBooks. I had done this with many PDFs for a research project, putting even into a file structure, and with an iOS update, some months ago, all but one pdf (but no books) disappeared (except for the file structure which remained but was emptied). They still haven't returned and syncing across devices (Mac, iPad, iPhone) doesn't work any longer.
  • Thank you is verry good :D
  • I'm wondering why is this SUPER HANDY TIP missing: With URL in clipboard, press and hold on URL/search box - Safari will show a button with "Paste and go". No need to tap the box, tap-hold to show a Paste button, paste and then pressing Go. If you've got text instead of URL on clipboard, Safari will search for that text instead.
  • Great article! Even though I knew most, you always seem to add something that I did not know before. But I really want to thank you and all of iMore for always giving the option of viewing these types of articles as a slideshow or "View All". I personally HATE slideshows when I am viewing articles on my iPhone and/or iPad (serious hatred here!!). I wish everybody was a considerate of personal choice/preferences - it really means a lot! THANK YOU!
  • Don't be afraid of pressing the clear button in the history. It'll give you options like clearing the history for the last hour, today, today and yesterday, and all time.
  • OMG Wait but Why! And one of my favourite posts too.