Use These Keyboard Shortcuts to Switch Tabs in Chrome, Safari, & More

PDF download Download Article
Keyboard hotkeys to switch tabs in any browser on PC & Mac
PDF download Download Article

This wikiHow teaches you how to switch between browser tabs using the keys on your keyboard. You will also learn how to open a new tab, close tabs, and re-open a recently closed tab using easy keyboard shortcuts on your Windows PC or Mac computer.

How to Switch Tabs with a Keyboard on Mac or PC

On Windows in any browser or on Mac in Safari, press Ctrl + Tab and Ctrl + Shift + Tab to move back and forth between your tabs. On Mac in Chrome or Firefox, press Cmd + Option + → and Cmd + Option + ← to move between tabs. Firefox can also move between tabs with Ctrl + PgUp and Ctrl + PgDwn .

Section 1 of 4:

Switching Tabs on Windows (All Browsers)

PDF download Download Article
  1. There are a number of keyboard shortcuts you can use to switch between tabs on Windows. These shortcuts work in any browser, as well (like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge). [1]
    • Ctrl + Tab ↹ : Goes to the next open tab. To scroll through your open tabs, hold down Ctrl and keep pressing Tab ↹ until you get to the tab you want.
    • Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + Tab ↹ : Goes to the previous open tab. To scroll through your open tabs backwards, hold down Ctrl + ⇧ Shift and keep pressing Tab ↹ until you get to the tab you want.
    • Ctrl + 1 - Ctrl + 9 : Goes to an open tab in that position. For example, pressing Ctrl + 3 will bring you to the 3rd open tab.
      • In some browsers, pressing Ctrl + 1 - Ctrl + 8 will bring you to tabs 1 through 8, but pressing Ctrl + 9 will bring you to the right-most tab.
  2. Use the following keyboard shortcuts to open and close tabs in any browser on a Windows computer:
    • Ctrl + T : Open a new tab.
    • Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + T : Re-open the tab you just closed.
    • Ctrl + W : Close a tab.
    3. Advertisement
Section 2 of 4:

Switching Tabs in Safari on macOS

PDF download Download Article
  1. Use the keyboard shortcuts below to move between your open tabs in Safari on your Mac. [2]
    • Ctrl + Tab ↹ : Goes to the next open tab. To scroll through your open tabs, hold down Ctrl and keep pressing Tab ↹ until you get to the tab you want.
    • Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + Tab ↹ : Goes to the previous open tab. To scroll through your open tabs backwards, hold down Ctrl + ⇧ Shift and keep pressing Tab ↹ until you get to the tab you want.
    • ⌘ Cmd + 1 - ⌘ Cmd + 9 : Goes to an open tab in that position. For example, pressing ⌘ Cmd + 3 will bring you to the 3rd open tab.
  2. Use the following keyboard shortcuts to open and close tabs in Safari on your Mac:
    • ⌘ Cmd + T : Open a new tab.
    • ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + T : Re-open the tab you just closed.
    • ⌘ Cmd + W : Close a tab.
    3. Advertisement
Section 3 of 4:

Switching Tabs in Chrome on macOS

PDF download Download Article
  1. Use the keyboard shortcuts below to move between your open tabs in Chrome on your Mac. [3]
    • ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + → : Goes to the next open tab. To scroll through your open tabs, hold down ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option and keep pressing → until you get to the tab you want.
    • ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + ← : Goes to the previous open tab. To scroll through your open tabs backwards, hold down ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option and keep pressing ← until you get to the tab you want.
    • ⌘ Cmd + 1 - ⌘ Cmd + 8 : Goes to an open tab in that position. For example, pressing ⌘ Cmd + 3 will bring you to the 3rd open tab.
    • ⌘ Cmd + 9 : Goes to the right-most open tab.
  2. Use the following keyboard shortcuts to open and close tabs in Chrome or Firefox on your Mac:
    • ⌘ Cmd + T : Open a new tab.
    • ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + T : Re-open the tab you just closed.
    • ⌘ Cmd + W : Close a tab.
    3. Advertisement
Section 4 of 4:

Switching Tabs in Firefox on macOS

PDF download Download Article
  1. Use the keyboard shortcuts below to move between your open tabs in Firefox on your Mac. [4]
    • Ctrl + Tab ↹ : Cycles through your tabs in recently used order. To scroll through your open tabs in recently used order, hold down Ctrl and keep pressing Tab ↹ until you get to the tab you want.
    • ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + → : Goes to the next open tab. To scroll through your open tabs, hold down ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option and keep pressing → until you get to the tab you want.
      • You can also press Ctrl + PgDwn to move to the next open tab.
      • If "Ctrl+Tab cycles through tabs in recently used order" is disabled in your Firefox settings, you can also move to the next tab by pressing Ctrl + Tab ↹ .
    • ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + ← : Goes to the previous open tab. To scroll through your open tabs backwards, hold down Ctrl + ⇧ Shift and keep pressing Tab ↹ until you get to the tab you want.
      • You can also press Ctrl + ⇞ PgUp to move to the previous open tab.
      • If "Ctrl+Tab cycles through tabs in recently used order" is disabled in your Firefox settings, you can also move to the previous tab by pressing Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + Tab ↹ .
    • ⌘ Cmd + 1 - ⌘ Cmd + 8 : Goes to an open tab in that position. For example, pressing ⌘ Cmd + 3 will bring you to the 3rd open tab.
    • ⌘ Cmd + 9 : Goes to the right-most open tab.
  2. Use the following keyboard shortcuts to open and close tabs in Chrome or Firefox on your Mac:
    • ⌘ Cmd + T : Open a new tab.
    • ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + T : Re-open the tab you just closed.
    • ⌘ Cmd + W : Close a tab.
    3. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      6 Easy Ways to Use Shortcut Keys to Shut Down a Windows PC
      How to
      Bring an Off Screen Window Back on Windows
      How to
      Automatically Shut Down Your Computer at a Specified Time
      How to
      Check Your Mouse DPI on Windows & Mac
      6 Simple Ways to Create a .ZIP File from Files or Folders
      4 Easy Ways to Paste Text Using Keyboard Shortcuts
      3 Easy Ways to Customize EXE Program Icons in Windows
      How to
      Copy and Paste on Any Device
      3 Easy Ways to Merge Objects in Blender: Step-by-Step
      How to
      Check the BIOS Version on Windows 11, 10, and 8.1
      How to
      Unzip a File on Any Device: Easy Step-by-Step Guide
      How to
      Add a Local User Account to a Windows 10 or 11 PC
      How to
      Open XML
      How to
      Select All
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/157179#zippy=,tab-window-shortcuts
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/keyboard-and-other-shortcuts-cpsh003/mac
      3. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/157179#zippy=,tab-window-shortcuts
      4. ↑ https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/keyboard-shortcuts-perform-firefox-tasks-quickly#w_windows-tabs

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 197,624 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement