How to Swipe Between Open Tabs in Safari on iPhone

This article explains the horizontal swipe gesture used on the bottom address bar in the iPhone's Safari web browser to quickly switch between open tabs. You will learn the exact mechanics of this left-and-right swiping motion, how to use the same bar to open a new tab, and how to enable the bottom address bar if the gesture is not currently working on your device.

The Tab-Switching Gesture

The gesture that allows users to move directly between open tabs in Safari is a horizontal swipe (left or right) directly across the bottom address bar.

Introduced in iOS 15, this feature eliminates the need to open the main tab overview grid just to look at another webpage. When you place your finger on the address bar at the bottom of the screen, the bar acts like a physical slider for your open webpages.

How to Use the Gesture

To navigate your open tabs using the bottom address bar, use the following motions:

  • Switch to the previous tab: Place your finger on the bottom address bar and swipe right.
  • Switch to the next tab: Place your finger on the bottom address bar and swipe left.
  • Open a new tab: When you are on your last (rightmost) open tab, swipe left on the address bar to instantly create and switch to a new, blank tab.
  • View all open tabs: If you prefer to see all your tabs in a grid, swipe up on the bottom address bar.

How to Enable the Bottom Address Bar

The horizontal swipe gesture only works if your Safari layout is set to the "Tab Bar" (bottom) configuration. If your address bar is at the top of your screen, you cannot swipe between tabs.

To enable the bottom address bar:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Safari.
  3. Scroll to the Tabs section.
  4. Select Tab Bar instead of Single Tab.

Alternatively, while inside the Safari app, you can tap the AA icon (or the page settings icon) on the left side of the top address bar and select Show Bottom Tab Bar from the menu. Once the bar moves to the bottom of your screen, the left and right swipe gestures will be active immediately.