If you’re used to Firefox’s recent-tab switcher, TabBack brings a similar Control-Tab workflow to Safari on your Mac. Press it to return to the tab you just used, or hold Control to choose from recent tabs.
Why Control-Tab feels different in Safari
In Firefox, the Ctrl+Tab cycles through tabs in recently used order setting makes the shortcut follow your recent activity. You can check it under Firefox > Settings > General > Tabs.
Safari’s Control-Tab moves to the next tab in tab-bar order. For example, if you move from tab 2 to tab 7, it takes you to tab 8 instead of back to tab 2.
Set up Firefox-style switching in Safari
- Install and open TabBack from the Mac App Store.
- In Safari, open Safari > Settings > Extensions, turn on TabBack, and choose Always Allow on Every Website.
- Open TabBack Settings and set the shortcut to Control-Tab.
- Visit two webpages in Safari. Press and release Control-Tab to return to the first; press it again to switch back.
To choose an older tab, hold Control and tap Tab until the preview you want is selected, then release Control. TabBack keeps recent-tab history per Safari window and switches within the active Tab Group. Website permission lets it track active tabs and create previews; this information is processed on your Mac.
Use Safari’s built-in shortcuts
If you only need to switch between two specific tabs, Safari’s Command-1 through Command-9 shortcuts select tabs by position. See how to toggle between two Safari tabs for the setup and limitations.