Back in 2003, it was almost unbelievable that Apple would bring out its own web browser, back when Internet Explorer on Mac was the best option. Twenty years later, however, Safari has become the go-to web browser when you load up on macOS.
Features like iCloud Tabs allow you to open a single window on your iPhone for example and upload it to your Mac. Apple is constantly introducing new features that include tabs, such as Tab Groups in macOS Monterey.
These enable you to group a group of sites into tabs, and you can also share them with friends and family. With macOS Ventura, there are even more options available that will help enhance browsing management — with that in mind, here are some steps on how to best use tab groups in Safari.
Tools and requirements
Step by step guide
1. Create a tab group from your existing tabs
(Photo: © Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson)
You can create tab groups using tabs already open, or create an empty group and add tabs as needed; We’ll look at the first option first. Open the Safari sidebar and tap New tab set Button – marked by two squares and a + symbol.
Select a file Set new tab with x tab windows Selection (x It will be replaced by the number of tabs you have open. Type a name for your tab group and hit Enters.
2. Create a tab group with tabs selected
(Photo: © Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson)
Of course, you may not want to add all your open tabs to a group, preferring instead to create a group of just a few of them. Make sure that not only is your Safari sidebar open, but also that the list of open tabs is visible – just click > button to expand the list.
Select the tabs you want to convert into a tab group by clicking and holding Command. tap on … next to the first tab you selected, and then click Move to the tab group > New tab set Before writing the name and pressing Enters.
3. Add tabs to existing groups
(Photo: © Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson)
When you create groups, it is easy to open new tabs within that group and those sites will automatically be part of that group. But you may also want to move a tab that is not in a group to an existing group or even move a tab from one group to another.
hanging control While clicking a tab in the Safari sidebar—or a two-finger flick—and selecting Move to the tab group before clicking on the name of the tab group you want to move it to.
4. Sharing tab groups
(Photo: © Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson)
If you use a group of tabs to search for potential hotels to use on your next trip, to check out different vacation destinations, or even for a work project, you may want to share a group of tabs with someone else.
Hover over a tab group heading in the sidebar, and click the …. button. From the pop-up menu to display, select Share Tab Group and then choose the Messages option before searching for a contact and sending them an invitation.
5. Pinning within tab groups
(Photo: © Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson)
It is very likely that you are familiar with the idea of pinning tabs in Safari so that you can not only easily access your most used sites but also reduce the size of the respective tabs.
It is also possible to pin tabs within tab groups, which helps to organize things neatly. It works the same way as a normal installation. Within a group of tabs, Command-Click on a tab or tab with two fingers and select a file Pin tab Selection. When installed, you cannot move a tab to another group until you uninstall it.
6. Move tabs between groups of tabs
(Photo: © Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson)
If you have two or more tab groups on the go at the same time, it’s very easy to open a new tab within the wrong group. Fortunately, it is very easy to move tabs between groups. You simply need to Command– Two-finger click/tap on a tab below the address bar, or in a tab entry in the sidebar. The list that appears, select the form Move to the tab group the option followed by the name of the group you want to move it to.
7. Use tab groups with focus
(Photo: © Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson)
If you have different tab groups configured for work and home projects, you can use them together with the Focus feature in macOS Ventura. tap on an Apple menu, select System settings and move to to focus to divide.
Select or create a focus and then click Add a filter button in focus filter to divide. tap on Safari/group tabs option, click Choose Then select the group of tabs you want to associate with the chosen focus. click Addand you’re done.
8. Customize tab groups
(Photo: © Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson)
You can easily change the order in which tabs appear in a group by dragging and dropping them to your preferred positions. It is also possible to customize the starting page of a tab group by selecting an appropriate background image.
Select a tab group in the Safari sidebar, and click Bookmarks menu and select Show home page. Click the Options button at the bottom right of the screen and you can then choose from one of the included images, or select one of our own.
Final thoughts
There’s a lot to love about tab groups in Safari, but the feature isn’t the only way you can keep tabs in Apple’s desktop web browser. You can consider switching to a different browser, of course — the likes of Firefox and Chrome offer their own individual methods for managing tabs. But if you prefer to continue using Safari, there are a few extensions that can help.
The first extension worth taking a look at is Tab Space (Opens in a new tab). While it’s not free, it’s very cheap and gives you great options like the ability to mark tab sessions, then open them in the future with a single click. Also worth noting is OneTab (Opens in a new tab)a free Safari extension that lets you turn a number of tabs into a list that can then be reopened individually or as a group.