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Safari on macOS uses Command (⌘) as its primary modifier throughout. The shortcut set follows the standard Mac browser pattern for tab management and navigation, then diverges into Safari-specific territory for Reader mode, Tab Groups, the sidebar, and privacy controls.
This is the only platform page for Safari on HKeys. All Safari shortcut content is here.
The Tab key behavior. Safari does not cycle through all links and interactive elements on a page with the Tab key by default. Pressing Tab moves focus between form fields and buttons only. To use Tab for full keyboard navigation, the way it works in Chrome and Firefox, you need to enable it manually:
Go to Safari → Settings → Advanced → check "Use keyboard navigation to move focus between all controls."
On older macOS versions, this setting was in System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → check "Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls."
Once enabled, Tab works as it does in other browsers. This is one of the most commonly missed Safari settings for keyboard users.
Command (⌘) as primary modifier. All Safari shortcuts use Command in place of Ctrl. This is consistent with macOS system shortcuts and other Mac browsers.
Smart Search Field. Safari combines the address bar and search field into one, the Smart Search Field. The keyboard shortcut to focus it is the same as the address bar shortcut in other browsers, but what you type determines whether Safari treats input as a URL or a search query.
Reader mode. Entering and exiting Reader mode has a dedicated shortcut when the feature is available for a page (indicated by the Reader button in the address bar). Within Reader mode, text size, background color, font, and text-to-speech controls are keyboard-accessible.
Tab Groups. Opening, closing, and navigating between Tab Groups, as well as adding tabs to a group, can be done from the keyboard. These shortcuts are particularly useful if you maintain multiple groups for different projects or contexts.
Sidebar. Safari's sidebar holds bookmarks, history, Tab Groups, and the Reading List. It can be toggled and navigated by keyboard.
History and bookmarks. Opening history, navigating it, and managing bookmarks all have dedicated shortcuts.
The Safari macOS shortcut list is available as a printable PDF. Reader mode, Tab Groups, and sidebar navigation are the sections most worth printing, they're well-developed features with their own shortcut logic that's easy to forget without a reference nearby.
Go to Safari → Settings → Advanced and check "Use keyboard navigation to move focus between all controls." Without this enabled, Tab only cycles through form fields and buttons, not links. This is a Safari-specific setting required for keyboard-first browsing.
Safari's Tab Groups integration includes shortcuts for opening and switching between groups. iCloud-synced Tab Groups and Shared Tab Groups use the same interface as local Tab Groups from a shortcut perspective, the access method is the same. These are covered in the table above.
Both are activated by a keyboard shortcut when available on a page, and both strip the page to its main text content. The internal controls differ: Safari's Reader mode has its own display settings (font, size, background) accessible by keyboard. The shortcut to enter each is different between browsers. Firefox's version is called Reader View; Safari's is called Reader mode.
Need more than shortcuts?
Visit the Apple Safari app page for an overview and helpful links.
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