Safari OS X

Getting Started with Safari

Safari is Apple's internet browser for Macintosh computers running OS X v. 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4. It is installed in all public labs as well as on all faculty and staff computers.

Getting Started

To launch Safari

Click the Safari icon on your Dock. If you do not have a Safari icon in the Dock, select the Go menu > Applications and double-click on the Safari icon.

Navigation

The Safari Window

The Safari window displays one web page at a time. Near the top, the Address field displays the address of the page being viewed. This is called the URL (Universal Resource Locator) -- each page has its own unique URL. Some URLs are case-sensitive and all characters must be typed exactly, including spaces or special symbols such as ~. Below is a picture of the Safari window with important features highlighted.

Navigation Buttons

Back	The back button lets you return to the last page you visited. If you click and hold the mouse on this button, you will see a list of the pages to which you can return.
Forward	This button lets you return to the previous page if you used the Back button to get to the current page. If you click and hold the mouse on this button, you will see a menu of the pages to which you can go forward.
Add	The add button allows you to quickly make a bookmark to the page you are currently viewing. Clicking on it opens a window asking you to name the bookmark, and where you would like to save it.
Snapback	The snapback button returns you to the page where you last typed a url or used a bookmark. For example, if you last typed in http://www.wellesley.edu, then clicked on multiple links and realized you would like to return to the Wellesley homepage, clicking the snapback button would take you there.
Refresh & Stop	If the page is taking too long to load, you can stop the process by clicking on the Stop button. Click on the Refresh button to start the loading process again from the beginning. Sometimes a page will load faster on the second or third try.
Show Bookmarks	The Show Bookmarks button opens the Bookmarks Library, a new feature allowing for easier organization of bookmarks.
Home	The home button may be turned off in Safari. The home button allows you to quickly return to your home page. To turn on the home button: Go to the View menu > Home. Clicking the text unchecks and checks the option.

 

Tabbed Browsing

Tabbed browsing is a way to have multiple web pages open at once without having many different browser windows open. When tabbed browsing is turned on, you can switch between pages quickly and easily using tabs in Safari.

To enable tabbed browsing:

1. From the Safari menu select Preferences
2. Select the Tabs icon, then check the box next to Enable tabbed browsing
3. Close the open window

To open a new tab:
Go to the File menu > New tab

To switch between pages:
Click the tabs under the Bookmarks bar to navigate from one page to another.

To open a link in a new tab:
Hold down the APPLE key and click the link you want to open.

To close a tab:
Click the x to the left of to the title of the page you would like to close

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Bookmarks

Bookmarks provide a permanent and easy way to remember your favorite web pages. They are only deleted when you delete them, not when you quit Safari.

Creating a bookmark

1. Go to the page you want to bookmark.
2. From the Bookmarks menu, select Add Bookmarks.
3. A new window will open. Here you may enter a new name for the book mark or keep the original name, and select whether to put it in a folder in the Bookmarks menu or in the Bookmarks bar.
4. Click Add to save the bookmark.
   

Importing a Bookmark List from Internet Explorer and Netscape

By default, Safari imports bookmarks from Internet Explorer and Netscape the first time you use Safari. If you are running OS 10.4, you can import your bookmarks by going to File - Import Bookmarks, find your bookmark.html or favorites.html file, then click Import.

Viewing and Using Bookmarks

Click on the Show Bookmarks button . This will open up your Bookmark Library. From this page, click on the bookmark you would like to open. To exit, click the Show Bookmarks button again. You will return to the main Safari browser window.

Organizing Your Bookmarks

Click the Show Bookmarks button. Drag items up or down to arrange them. Select an item and press the DELETE key to remove it.

Safari comes with default folders to which you can add more bookmarks. You can file your bookmarks in different folders to organize them.

To create a new folder:
Go to the Bookmarks menu and select Add Bookmark Folder.

Clicking on an individual folder in the Collections window will show the bookmarks inside.

To exit, click the Show Bookmarks button. You will return to the main Safari browser window.

Bookmark Bar

Safari allows you to add bookmarks to the Bookmark Bar, located next to the Show Bookmarks button. This is a good place to put links to web sites you visit frequently because they are easily accessible.

To add a bookmark to the Bookmark Bar:

1. Open a page and drag the icon that appears next to the URL (eg: )from the address box to the bookmarks bar.
2. In the window that appears, type a name for the bookmark.

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Editing Preferences

Setting the Default Home Page

Your default home page can be whatever you choose.

To choose a new home page:

1. Navigate to the page you want to use as your home page.
2. Select the Safari menu then select Preferences.
3. Click on the General icon.
4. Click Set to Current Page.
5. Close the window.

Emptying the Cache

As you open web pages, Safari saves the content of the pages in a temporary location to make it faster to open the pages the next time. If you are not seeing new content on a page when you open it, you may want to clear the cache. In any case, you should clear the cache at least once a month.

To clear the cache:

• From the Safari menu select Empty Cache
• In the new window, click the Empty button

Clearing the History List

The history list is the list of URL's you have typed into the address bar. If you are using a public computer and want to make sure other people using that computer don't see what web sites you have been to, you can clear the history list as well as clearing the cache.

Note: This will clear your history list, but not your bookmarks.

To clear the History List:
From the History menu, select Clear History.

Loading the Page with No Images

Loading a page with no images is very useful if you are using a dial-up internet connection or are browsing graphics intensive web pages. Loading a page with no images allows you to load pages more quickly because it prevents all images from loading, leaving only the text.

To load a web page with no images:

1. From the Safari menu, choose Preferences.
2. In the Preferences window, select Appearance.
3. Uncheck Display images when the page opens.
   

To undo loading a web page with no images:

1. From the Safari menu, select Preferences.
2. In the Preferences window, select Appearance.
3. Check Display images when the page opens.
   

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Saving Pages and Images

Saving an Image

You can save an image from a web page onto your computer.

To save an image:

1. Hold down the CONTROL button and click on the image.
2. Select Download Image to Disk
   • The image will save to your desktop

   You can also click on the image and drag it to your desktop. The image will be saved onto your desktop.

Saving a Web Page

To save a web page onto your hard drive, go to the web page you want to save:

1. From the File menu, select Save As.
2. Select the location you want to save the file to.
3. Click Save.

To open a web page you have saved:

1. In Safari, go to the File menu and select Open File.
2. Browse for the file you would like to open
3. Click Open.

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Tips and Tricks

Multiple Windows

You can have more than one window open at a time, which is helpful when browsing multiple web sites. However, it is much easier to use tabbed browsing.

To open a new window, select File > New Window.

Privacy

Many people are worried about privacy over the Internet, especially if they are asked to provide information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or other confidential information. You can change Safari's security settings by going to the Safari menu > Preferences and clicking on the Security image.

When browsing a secure web page, Safari will show a small padlock symbol in the top right corner. Remember to check for this icon if you are concerned about the security of a web page.

WARNING: The default Safari settings currently save form data. To turn this feature off, go to Safari > Preferences, then click on the AutoFill tab. Uncheck all of the boxes, and close the Preferences window.

 

Searching for a Word

To search for a text string within the current page:

1. Go to the Edit menu > Find > Find...
2. Type in the text you want to search for.
3. Press the RETURN key on the keyboard. The page will jump to the position of the first match found; and the matching text will be highlighted.

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Safari Features

Pop-up Control

Safari offers pop-up control to help prevent unwanted windows from popping up while you are browsing the internet. However, with this option turned on, legitimate pop-ups may not appear.

To turn Block pop-up windows on or off:

1. Go to the Safari menu > Block Pop-up Windows.
2. Clicking the text checks and unchecks the selection.
   • If there is a check mark to the left of Block Pop-up Windows the blocker is on.
   • If there is no check mark the blocker is off.

Google Search

Safari has a built in Google.com search window. To search the internet, type your query into the search box , and press the RETURN key. The search results will appear in the window you have open.

To turn off the Google Search window:

1. Go to View menu > Google Search.
2. Clicking the text unchecks and checks the option.
   • If there is a check mark to the left of Google Search the search box will appear.
   • If there is no check to the left of Google Search the search box will not appear.

Privacy Reset

If you are using Safari on a shared or public computer, you may want to reset it to prevent other people from seeing what you have been doing. This is especially important if you have been accessing important personal or sensitive information such as bank or credit card web sites.

Resetting Safari clears the history, empties the cache, clears the Downloads window, and removes all cookies. It also removes any saved user names and passwords or other AutoFill data and clears Google search entries.

In addition, any open windows are closed and a new window opens. The new window has a new history for the Back and Forward buttons and the SnapBack buttons.

To reset Safari:

• Go to the Safari menu > Reset Safari
• A window will pop up confirming if you really want to reset Safari. Click the Reset button.

Privacy Browsing

If you are using Safari on a shared or public computer, you may want to browse using Private Browsing to prevent cookies, webpages, and browsing history from being saved.

When private brosing is turned on, webpages are not added to the history, items are automatically removed from the Downloads window, information isn't saved for AutoFill (including names and passswords), and searches are not added to the pop up menu in the Google search box.

Until you close the window, you can still click the Back and Forward buttons to return to webpages you have opened.

To open Private Browsing:

• Go to Safari > Private Browsing.
• A window wil pop up describing Private Browsing. Click Ok.
  

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How to Quit

To quit Safari, go to the Safari menu > Quit.

 

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• Han Su Kim
• Information Services
• Created: September 16, 2003
• Last Modified: August 3, 2007
• Expires: July 1, 2007