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8 Essences of Power Browsing with Safari

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Obviously, we want to have the best user experience while using this web browser and for sure, there should be some hidden features inside. That's why I'm here, exposing you to several remarkable findings on Safari web browser. And these findings will become your basic guide on using Safari web browser, if you are new to the world of Mac.

You could expect to find something new here, trust me.

Multiple Tabs Browsing

In every browsing session, I have the habit to open several tabs at once. Even though it sounds really simple, there are various tricks you can use in opening new tabs.

1. Command-T to open new blank tabs
2. Command-Click on the link to open link in new tabs. As for the behaviour of the web browser to execute this new tab, it depends on your configuration on Menu Bar ▸ Safari ▸ Preferences ▸ Tabs



3. Command-L to highlight current url and Command-Return to reopen it in new tab. This is particularly useful for duplicating current viewed page
4. Command-Option-F to jump to Safari search bar followed by Command-Return to open the search result in new tab
5. Command-Click on set of bookmarks to open all bookmarks inside the set in new tabs

File Downloading

Often we need to save the information into our hard drive with the intention to review it again while you're offline - or maybe it's just too cool that you want to add it into your collection. Whatever the reason is, downloading file never leaves activity of web browsing.

As many are confused on what is the most effective way to download files, I dare not answer as there is no such thing as the most effective way. But I can give you several alternatives which can help you find the way that suits you most.

1. Control-Click on the link and choose Save Linked File to… or you can use Option-Click to directly save the linked file to your Download folder. This default download folder can be changed inside pane Safari ▸ Preferences ▸ General Section



2. Command-Option-A to invoke Activity Monitor which gives you the ability to download unavailable links to the file, such as Free Download YouTube Video with Safari
3. Command-Option-L to reveal your Download list. Inside this list, you can select several actions: Open File, Show in Finder and Copy Address. Show in Finder is particularly useful for me
4. Drag and drop image out of web browser to download the image. It's that easy
5. While viewing wallpapers gallery and after getting the big version of the image opened in one of your Safari tabs, you can quickly set it as your Desktop background by using contextual menu (Control-Click) Use Image as Desktop Picture

Googling with Safari

Safari has its built-in Google search which often boosts my productivity and saves my time. However, I have a few tricks here to help you enhance your Googling experience and improve your Google search result to be as relevant as possible.

1. Command-Option-F to quick jump to Google search field
2. Don't use common words (a, the, an) as Google will eliminate those also
3. Use Google Cheat Sheet for defining search keywords as specific as possible, e.g.
4. Use Google Search Features for fun
5. Install Inquisitor plugin to see top Google search results in advance

History Browsing

After hours of browsing, I am hundred percents sure that we will lost some of the useful information along the way and will try to retrieve them back. That's when I usually refer back to my browsing history.

But history browsing not only limited to that. There are several tricks that perhaps you haven't read before.

1. Command-Shift-H to go back to your Home Page. Home Page can be set under menu bar Safari ▸ Preferences ▸ General
2. Command-Option-K to mark the page. Few moments later if you feel the urge to go back to the marked page, you only need to press Command-Option-P which will bring you back. This is called Snapback.
3. Always after searching for a term, if you want to go back to the search result page, you can press the orange Snapback button at the rightmost of the search field. This activity can be simplified by pressing keystrokes Command-Option-S
4. Safari tends to remember your Last Browsing Session. If you accidentally closed your browsing window, you can easily retrieve back the pages by using menu bar Safari ▸ History ▸ Reopen Last Closed Window or Safari Menu Bar ▸ History ▸ Reopen All Windows From Last Session
5. For larger scope of history viewing, you can click on Bookmark icon on the leftmost of the bookmarks bar, go inside the History section and expand/shrink as necessary



6. Take in mind that you can always use menu bar Safari ▸ Private Browsing to browse into your private world while preventing Safari from saving the session

Web Content Filtering

I hate the way some of web advertisers put their ads on individual pop-up window. Sometimes I also getting troubled loading tons of images packed into single page. During these bad times, I gain experience in handling these kinds of web content.

1. Plug-ins, Java, JavaScript or Pop-Up Windows can be enabled/disabled under Safari ▸ Preferences ▸ Security Section
2. Command-[.] to stop the page from downloading the content. This is the best way to handle heavily loaded page
3. Option-Reload to avoid caching while reloading the page
4. Enable security warning to prevent your private information leak out



5. Command-[/] to Show/Hide Status Bar. Status Bar, located at the bottom of your browser, is useful for you to know beforehand what is the linked page

Bookmarks Organizing

Useful information needs special care, especially for whole chunk of information that cannot be put inside the brain. Most usual practice is by bookmarking the web page.

I've given out the in-depth discussion about Using Safari Browser Bookmark previously. Here, I will just summarize it.

1. You can use Command-1, Command-2, and so on to select which bookmark you want to open from Bookmarks Bar
2. If you want to have larger storage of bookmarks, Bookmarks Menu is the solution. You can find your Bookmarks Menu under Safari Menu Bar ▸ Bookmarks
3. Command-D to bookmark current page. Further action is needed to select where you want to put in your bookmark
4. Batch bookmarking always comes in handy. You can do this by going to menu bar Safari ▸ Bookmarks ▸ Add Bookmark For These X Tabs
5. Click on the Bookmark Icon (leftmost of your Bookmarks Bar) to organize your bookmark by simply dragging-n-dropping bookmarks around
6. Sync Safari Bookmarks without .Mac account is possible by modifying Bookmarks.plist file located under the folder Macintosh HD ▸ Users ▸ [your username] ▸ Library ▸ Safari

RSS Reading

Keeping yourself up-to-date is not a difficult task in current internet era. One of the ways is by subscribing to RSS Feeds.

The good thing is, Safari can become your RSS Reader. Aside of acting as RSS Reader, there are several other interesting tricks you can apply to read RSS.

1. While browsing the site, you can click on Blue RSS button, right to your address bar.
2. Under RSS Pane, press Command-D to bookmark it
3. Adjust the Article Length slider to wider the scope of viewing or to maintain the details of each articles
4. Click Update Now to update your RSS feed
5. Built-in search also available for your Safari RSS Reader, it's near the top of the reader pane; Easily identified by seeking the Spotlight icon



6. Go to menu bar Safari ▸ Preferences ▸ RSS for setting the behaviour of your Safari RSS Reader
7. You can also set up RSS Visualizer for your screen saver by going inside menu bar Apple ▸ System Preferences ▸ Desktop & Screen Saver ▸ Screen Saver Section and choose screen saver RSS Visualizer. Hit Options… button to choose your RSS

Safari Plugins

Though Safari plugins are not as many as those of Firefox, but we still can use several Impressive Safari Plugins that's readily available for you to download. You can go to PimpMySafari to check for latest Safari plugins.

1. Safari Stand adds Sidebar to your Safari
2. Inquisitor enhances your Spotlight experience
3. TabExposé helps you to Exposé multiple tabs
4. GreaseKit enables you to run user script on Safari
5. Safari-Stretch assists you on stretching your Safari to its maximum size
6. SafariSource helps you in coloring View Source for easier inspection
7. DeliciousSafari and Stumbi are to assist you in bookmarking and sharing your web content

The compilation of these plugins has been sitting here on Using Mac, since several months ago.

Categories: Internet, Popular, Tips and Tricks
Tags: Browser, Safari, Web

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Very interesting article. Love it :)

Hey new layout but still the black background.. can we have white background for good readability 

I'm not sure when I will make white background, but I am a big fans of dark background myself…

Another Safari plug in to check out is 'Glims'.
Shows mini icons on the tabs to add colour
Multi search engines used.
Mini web page shown against the results.
And its possible to create dated download folders automatically. And its free.

nice article
:)

ive been trying to find a way to use safari fullscreen, like real full screen, hiding the dock and the menu bar. i go to video copilot a lot and for some reason his videos are displayed huge! any suggestions?

Great post, thanks.

I'm wondering if there's a way to change the Safari defaults so that every time I open a new tab, the cursor defaults to the top-right search field (where I have the indispensable Inquisitor installed).

The two feature I miss from Chrome (that I use on my XP box at work) are i) Google searches from the URL bar, which is to where the cursor defaults when a new tab is opened and ii) protected memory for each tab.  Defaulting the cursor to the search field would solve my issue.

ii) is probably a bit much to ask for from a hack.  But any ideas on i) would be much appreciated.

Jimbo

hi...
how do you icons of the websites on menu bar ...
dont want texts ... just icons for website ... like favicons ...
any help wud be appreciated ...
thanks ...