With a close tab shortcut key, you can quickly quit an open tab in your web browser. This works for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, and we’ll show you how to use it.
Close an Open Chrome Tab With a Shortcut Key
On Windows, Chromebook, or Linux, to quickly close an open Chrome tab, press the Ctrl+W shortcut on your keyboard. This will instantly close your tab.
On Mac, press the Command+W shortcut to close an open tab in Chrome.
Tip: If you accidentally close a tab, restore that tab by pressing Ctrl+Shift+T (Windows) or Command+Shift+T (Mac).
In case you want to close an entire Chrome window, then press Ctrl+Shift+W (Windows) or Command+Shift+W (Mac).
Close an Open Firefox Tab With a Shortcut Key
On a Linux or Windows PC, you can close an open Firefox tab by pressing Ctrl+W.
On a Mac, the keyboard shortcut to close an open Firefox tab is Command+W.
An entire Firefox window can be closed by pressing Ctrl+Shift+W (Windows) or Command+Shift+W (Mac).
Tip: If you end up closing an important tab, there are multiple ways to reopen closed tabs in Firefox.
Close an Open Edge Tab With a Shortcut Key
Edge works pretty much the same way as Chrome, so you can use Chrome’s shortcut to close tabs in Edge.
On your Windows or Linux PC, to close an active Edge tab, press the Ctrl+W keyboard shortcut.
In Edge on Mac, you can close an open tab by pressing the Command+W shortcut.
To fully close an Edge window, press Ctrl+Shift+W (Windows) or Command+Shift+W (Mac).
Close an Open Safari Tab With a Shortcut Key
Like other browsers, Safari also lets you close open tabs with a shortcut key. This shortcut even works in Safari on iPad when you have connected a physical keyboard to the device.
To close an open tab in Safari, press Command+W on your keyboard. To close your Safari window, press Command+Shift+W instead.
And, if you end up closing an important tab, there’s a way to restore closed Safari tabs in your browser.
With the availability of a keyboard shortcut to close an open browser tab, your browsing speed will be off the charts. Happy browsing!
As you advance in your browsing skills, consider the advantages of using tab groups.