The web browser popularised the ‘back’ button. You can follow a link from one page to another,
happy knowing you can return to the previous page with just another click if you wish.
But it can be helpful at times to have more than one page on the go. For example, you might
want to check a fact on Wikipedia to include in a post you’re writing on Facebook. Or you might
need to use Gmail to receive a one-time code to verify your identity on another site.
Tabbed browsing works on all computers, tablets and smartphones, but
the details vary. The following points apply to computers, where tabs appear across the top of
the browser.
- To open an empty tab, e.g. to search or visit a bookmark, hold the
Ctrl key (Windows) or
Command key (Mac) and press the letter
T.
- To open a linked page in a new tab while remaining on the current page, hold
Ctrl or Command
while clicking the link.
- To switch between tabs, click their headings.
- To close a tab, click the ‘x’ in its heading. You can also close the current tab by pressing
Ctrl–W (Windows) or
Command–W (Mac).