Safari Startup Tricks: Boost Your Browsing Experience
Safari Startup Tricks for Enhanced Browsing
The web browser serves as the primary access point to the digital world. As we move further into the age of cloud computing, where data and applications increasingly reside online, browsers will assume an even more central role in our daily lives.
Safari stands as a prominent contender in the browser market. Being the default browser on macOS, it naturally enjoys widespread adoption within the Apple ecosystem. However, its appeal extends beyond Mac users, establishing it as a viable alternative even on Windows platforms.
For both current and prospective Safari users, we present three helpful startup techniques that may not be commonly known.
Trick 1: Reopening Windows from Last Session
Losing your browsing session unexpectedly can be frustrating. Safari offers a simple solution to automatically restore your previous windows and tabs upon startup.
- Navigate to Safari > Preferences.
- Select the General tab.
- In the "Safari opens with" section, choose "All windows from last session".
With this setting enabled, Safari will automatically reopen all the windows and tabs you had open before closing the browser.
Trick 2: Setting a Specific Homepage
Customizing your homepage allows for a quick and efficient start to your browsing experience. You can designate any webpage as your default starting point.
- Go to Safari > Preferences.
- Click on the General tab.
- In the "Safari opens with" section, select "New window" or "New private window".
- Then, in the "Homepage" field, enter the URL of your desired homepage.
Now, each time you launch a new window, it will automatically load your chosen homepage.
Trick 3: Controlling Window Behavior
Safari provides options to manage how new windows are displayed, offering flexibility to suit your workflow.
- Access Safari > Preferences.
- Select the Tabs tab.
- Under "New windows," you can choose whether new windows should open with the active tab or a new, blank tab.
This allows you to tailor Safari’s behavior to match your preferred browsing style.
These simple adjustments can significantly enhance your Safari experience, making it more efficient and personalized. Experiment with these settings to find what works best for you.
Resuming Previous Browsing Sessions
The capacity to restore prior browsing activity should be a standard function in contemporary web browsers. Despite this, several prominent browsers currently lack this capability.
Safari incorporates a comparable functionality, accessible via the "History - Reopen All Windows from Last Session" option.
Safari's Session Restoration
However, utilizing this feature necessitates manual intervention each time Safari is restarted.
For automated session resumption, consider employing Safari extensions such as Glims or SafariRestore.
Should an accidental window closure occur within Safari, the "History - Reopen Last Closed Window" menu provides a swift method for restoring the window and all its associated tabs.
Safari Startup Customization Options
A distinctive feature of the Safari browser, not commonly found in its competitors, is the extensive level of control it offers over startup behavior. These settings are accessible within the Preferences window, which can be opened using the keyboard shortcut Command + Comma on macOS, or Ctrl + Comma on Windows.
Like many other leading browsers, Safari allows users to designate a specific webpage as their homepage. This is achieved by entering the desired URL into the "Home page" field. Alternatively, you can navigate to the intended page within Safari and then select the "Set to Current Page" button.
To ensure the homepage loads automatically each time a new window is opened, select "Home Page" from the dropdown menu labeled "New windows open with".
Additional choices include Top Sites, an Empty Page, the Same Page, and Bookmarks. However, a particularly powerful capability is the ability to launch multiple pages simultaneously. Select "Choose tabs folder" and then choose a pre-existing tab folder from the displayed list. All pages contained within that folder will then open whenever a new Safari window is initiated.
A comparable option exists for new tabs, though the selection of a tab folder is not available in this context.
Creating and customizing tab folders is straightforward. Utilize the "Bookmarks - Add Bookmark Folder" menu option to create a new folder. Subsequently, you can drag and drop your saved bookmarks into this newly created folder.
Alternatively, if you have multiple pages already open, you can select "Bookmarks - Add Bookmark for These XX Tabs" – where XX represents the number of currently open tabs – to add all open pages to a new folder.
Following this, you will be prompted to provide a name for the bookmark folder and to specify its desired save location.
Upon completion of these steps, you will have successfully created a custom tab folder.
Getting Started with Safari's New Tab Page
When initiating a new window or tab, the "Top Sites" feature presents a convenient starting point. This allows for rapid selection and opening of web pages, drawing from either Safari’s browsing History or a compilation of frequently visited sites.
Selecting the History tab presents a list of pages in a visually engaging, cover flow-style layout. Users can easily navigate through the items by scrolling horizontally.
The Top Sites tab organizes frequently accessed websites into a grid-like arrangement. The size of the boxes displaying these sites – small, medium, or large – can be adjusted by interacting with the control located in the screen’s lower right corner.
Further customization of the Top Sites display is achievable by clicking the "Edit" button situated in the lower left portion of the screen. This action reveals buttons on each page tile.
These buttons provide the functionality to either remove specific items from the list or to pin them to the matrix. Pinning ensures that a particular website will consistently remain visible.
These Safari startup features are designed to enhance user productivity and efficiency. They offer a streamlined experience for those already utilizing the browser.
Perhaps these functionalities could even encourage users unfamiliar with Safari to explore its capabilities.
Do you currently use Safari? If so, are you aware of any additional startup tips or tricks? Please feel free to share your insights in the comments section below.
