Safari on iOS is more powerful than it looks, especially when you know the hidden gestures that can make your browsing faster and more productive. These shortcuts quietly transform how you navigate the web, manage tabs, and share content across devices. Once you know them all, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them.
Many of these gestures work seamlessly across the Apple ecosystem. While some are optimized for touchscreens, like drag-and-drop tab management or swipe gestures, others, such as organizing and sharing links, work just as well on a desktop. Whether you're juggling work and personal tasks across devices, these tricks will help you navigate more efficiently.
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Navigation gestures
Swipe left or right on the address bar to switch tabs
When multitasking between multiple tabs, switching can be a hassle if you're constantly opening the tab overview. Instead, simply swipe left or right on the address bar to cycle through tabs instantly. Whether comparing products, reading articles, or toggling between tasks, this gesture ensures seamless navigation. Alternatively, just tap the peeking-out address bar on the left and right side of the main address bar to jump to those tabs instantly.
Note that you must be using the Tab Bar layout instead of the Single Tab option to use swipe to switch tabs. You can change your preferences via Settings » Apps » Safari » Tabs.
Swipe left or right to navigate backward or forward
Moving through your browsing history is incredibly simple with this gesture. Swipe left on the current webpage to return to the previous one, or swipe right to move forward to the next one. This makes navigation more fluid and avoids relying on the small back and forward buttons.
Tap the hidden address bar to expand it
When the address bar is minimized on the current webpage, swiping down on the page will expand it so you can access the search field, page settings, and refresh button. However, you can expand the minimized address bar just by tapping it — no scrolling needed.
Tap the top of the screen to scroll back up
Long articles and endless scrolling are no longer a hassle. Tap your iPhone's status bar (the very top of your screen), and Safari will instantly jump to the top of the webpage. This is especially useful for quickly returning to menus, navigation bars, or headers.
Pull down to refresh a page
When at the top of a webpage, dragging down on it instantly refreshes it, just like refreshing pages in your favorite apps. This gesture eliminates the need to tap the refresh icon when you're troubleshooting or waiting for updated content. It's especially handy when reading live blogs or tracking real-time updates.
Long-press the scroll bar for faster navigation
Scrolling through a long webpage can be tedious, but Safari makes it faster. Tap and hold the scroll bar on the right side of the screen, then drag it up or down. This allows you to navigate large sections of a page quickly, ideal for skipping lengthy content or finding specific information.
Tab management shortcuts
Long-press to close all tabs
Too many tabs open? The fastest way to clear them is to long-press the Tabs button (the overlapping squares) and select Close All [#] Tabs — no need to open the tab overview first.
Alternatively, if you're already in the tab overview, you can long-press the Done button to see the Close All [#] Tabs option.
This is a lifesaver when you want to start fresh and declutter your browsing session quickly.
Swipe left on a tab to close it
Closing tabs in the tab overview doesn't have to involve carefully tapping the small X button. Instead, swipe left on any tab to close it instantly. This gesture is faster and reduces the chances of accidentally closing the wrong tab.
Long-press to reopen recently closed tabs
Accidentally close a tab you still need? No worries. In the tab overview, long-press the plus (+) button to reveal a list of recently closed tabs. From this list, you can reopen any tab with a single tap, saving you the trouble of trying to find the same page again or digging through your history.
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Drag and drop to rearrange tabs
With drag-and-drop functionality, reorganizing your tabs is easy. Open the tab overview, press and hold a tab, and then drag it to a new position. This feature is convenient when you're organizing tabs for research or multitasking.
Pinch to zoom out and view all tabs
If you want to see all your open tabs without tapping the Tabs button, simply pinch the screen on any webpage. This gesture zooms out to reveal the tab overview, giving you a clear view of all your open pages in one smooth motion.
Alternatively, you can swipe up from the bottom of the address bar to transition into the tab overview just as quickly.
Long-press the Tabs button for quick actions
The Tabs button isn't just for opening the tab overview. Long-press it to access additional options, such as switching between Tab Groups. Here's what you'll see:
New Tab
New Private Tab
Move to Tab Group
Close This Tab
Close All Tabs
Private
[Tab Group Name]
Enhanced browsing and sharing tricks
Highlight and share specific sections
Want to share a specific part of a webpage? Highlight the text, long-press it, and select Copy Link with Highlight. When you send the link, the recipient will see the highlighted section in yellow, jumping straight to the relevant part of the page. You need Safari 18.2 or later to use this trick, which means iOS 18.2 or later.
Full Guide: Use This Safari Trick to Highlight and Share Specific Text from Any Webpage on Your iPhone
Drag tabs or links into other apps
Want to save a tab or share a link without copying and pasting? Just drag the address bar on the webpage or tab in the tab overview from Safari and drop it into another app like Notes, Messages, or Mail.
Touch and hold the tab preview or the webpage's URL in the address bar, then drag it with one finger while using your other hand to open another app via the app switcher. Drop it where you want, and the link will instantly appear — no menus needed.
It's a fast, gesture-friendly way to share articles, save research, or drop URLs directly into a conversation or task list.
Access the browsing history for a tab
If you've visited multiple pages in a single tab, you don't need to tap back repeatedly to return to an earlier page. Long-press the back or forward button instead to reveal a list of all pages you've visited in that tab. From there, you can jump directly to the page you want.
Take screenshots of full-length webpages
Capturing an entire webpage is effortless with Safari's full-page screenshot feature. Simply take a screenshot of the page (Side + Volume Up on newer iPhones or Power + Home on older models), tap the preview thumbnail, and select the Full Page option. Safari will capture the entire length of the webpage, which you can save as a PDF to the Files app.
Full Guide: How to Take Scrolling Screenshots of Entire Webpages, Text Documents, and More on Your iPhone or iPad
You can also crop to remove unnecessary sections before saving and save webpages as images to your Photos app.
Extract text from images with Live Text
Safari's Live Text feature makes extracting information from images easy. Long-press any image on a webpage, select Show Text, and Safari will highlight the text in the image. You can then copy, translate, or search the text instantly. Alternatively, you can just hold text on the image and then select it, just like highlighting text in a paragraph.
Lift subjects from images to make background-less stickers
Safari isn't just for browsing — you can use it to cut out people, pets, or objects from images on any webpage with just a long press. Tap and hold the subject of a photo, and if iOS recognizes it, you'll see an option to Copy Subject.
Tap that, then paste the sticker cutout into Messages, Notes, Mail, or any other app — perfect for creating memes, reaction images, or quick visual references. It's fast, fun, and feels like magic.
Full Guide: Apple's New Cutout Tool Magically Isolates Subjects and Removes Backgrounds from Images on Your iPhone
Bonus productivity features
Quickly perform actions from the address bar
The Safari address bar isn't just for entering URLs — it also provides quick actions with a long press. So, touch and hold the address bar, then choose an action from the menu:
Copy the webpage's URL: Hit Copy to quickly save the page URL to your clipboard to paste somewhere else. It's a little faster than tapping the address bar, tapping the highlighted link, and choosing Copy.
Perform a voice search: Hit Voice Search to enable dictation quickly, then speak your query instead of typing it. It's a little bit faster than tapping the URL bar and then hitting the microphone icon.
Move the tab to a different Tab Group: Hit Move to Tab Group to open the list of all your Tab Groups. Then, select a Tab Group or create a new one. This helps you easily organize your browsing by shifting tabs between groups.
Shake to undo actions or mistakes
Have you made a mistake in Safari? Just shake your iPhone, and an Undo prompt will appear. This function works to undo a tab closure, clear text in the address bar or a form field, or even cancel an accidental bookmark deletion.
It's a subtle gesture but surprisingly handy when you need a quick way to recover. Just make sure you have Shake to Undo enabled in Settings » Accessibility » Touch.
Find specific text on a page
Trying to locate a word or phrase on a long webpage? Safari's Find on Page feature makes it easy — and there's more than one way to activate it:
Tap the Page Menu button in the address bar, then hit the Find on Page icon (it looks like a magnifying glass over a sheet of paper).
Tap the Share button, then select Find on Page.
Tap the address bar, type your query, and then tap Find [term] below the suggested results.
Select text on the page, then choose Find Selection from the pop-up menu — this one doesn't even require typing!
Safari will highlight the first occurrence and show on-screen arrows to jump between results. It's especially useful when researching, verifying facts, or scanning dense content.
Bookmark pages or multiple tabs in seconds
Bookmarking options are more accessible than ever. Long-press the bookmark icon to bring up the following options:
Add Bookmark: Open the Add Bookmark window, where you can change the webpage name and pick a bookmarks folder to save it in.
Add Bookmarks for [#] Tabs: Open the New Folder window to create a new folder and choose a parent folder to host it. This is great for saving research sessions.
Add to Reading List: Immediately add the current tab to your Reading List.
Copy links for all tabs in a group
If you're using Tab Groups, you can share your entire browsing session in one step. Long-press the Tab Group name from the tab overview and select Copy [#] Links. This saves a list of the tabs to your clipboard with each page's meta title and URL, which you can then paste wherever needed. This is great for sharing research, trip-planning links, or project resources.
Organize tabs by title or website in Tab Groups
If your Tab Group feels chaotic, Safari gives you an easy way to organize it. From the tab overview, long-press the Tab Group name and select Arrange Tabs By to sort all open tabs by Title or Website.
This is especially helpful when you're researching multiple topics, working on a project, or comparing content across similar sites — it brings order to the chaos with just one tap.
View quick summaries of entire webpages
As of iOS 18, Safari includes an AI-powered summary tool that distills long webpages into key takeaways — so you don't have to scroll forever just to get the main point.
If the webpage supports it, tap the Page Menu button in the address bar, which should have a small purple sparkle icon to indicate a summary is available. Safari will then instantly present a concise summary pulled from the page, letting you decide whether to keep reading or move on.
It's perfect for skimming articles, comparing sources, or researching without diving into every paragraph. The feature works on many news and information-based sites, especially those supporting Safari Reader.
Full Guide: Safari's New Summary Feature Boils Webpages Down to Key Highlights for You — Here's How It Works
Quickly show Reader for a clutter-free page
Want to remove ads and distractions for a cleaner reading experience? Instead of navigating through menus, long-press the Page Menu button in the address bar to enable Reader mode instantly (if the webpage supports it). This reformats the page into a distraction-free, easy-to-read layout, making it perfect for reading articles or blog posts without visual clutter. If there's a summary available, you'll be able to see it at the top of the Reader view, as well as a Table of Contents if Reader creates one.
Declutter pages and hide distracting elements
As of iOS 18, Safari's Page Settings menu gives you the power to customize how websites appear — beyond just turning on Reader. Tap the Page Menu button, then choose Hide Distracting Items to clean up the interface. Then, tap annoying elements and hit Hide to watch them vanish from the page. It's perfect for distraction-free reading, faster scanning, or keeping things clean visually.
Full Guide: Safari's Secret Weapon to Distraction-Free Browsing Gives You Complete Control Over Webpage Annoyances
Add pull quotes to rich link previews when sharing
Sharing links doesn't have to be boring. Safari offers a clever feature that lets you create attractive pull quotes to accompany a link you share via the Messages app.
Highlight a sentence or paragraph in an article.
Tap the Share icon.
Select Messages as the sharing option.
Instead of a standard thumbnail preview, the selected text appears as a visually appealing quote, with a clickable/tappable link attached. You can tap the rich link preview and hit Customize to switch to a regular thumbnail view or an imageless preview link. Hitting Convert to Text Link removes the preview entirely.
The only thing that would make this better is if it would also copy the text fragment, so when the person opens the link, they jump right to the highlighted text. (I mentioned this before when discussing the Copy Link with Highlight option.)
Final thoughts
Mastering these Safari gestures can dramatically enhance your browsing efficiency — but these are just some of the tricks Safari has up its sleeve. Whether you're navigating tabs faster, organizing your workflow, or sharing content seamlessly, these shortcuts will help you get more done with less effort across all your Apple devices.
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Cover photo, screenshots, and GIFs by Gadget Hacks.
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