Close Tab Shortcut (Ctrl+W / ⌘W)
Close the current tab: ⌘W on Mac, Ctrl+W on Windows. Here it is with reopen, close-window and quit.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close current tab | ⌘W | Ctrl+W | |
| Reopen last closed tab | ⌘⇧T | Ctrl+Shift+T | |
| Close the whole window | ⌘⇧W | Ctrl+Shift+W or Alt+F4 | |
| Close all other tabs | (right-click tab) | (right-click tab) | |
| Quit the browser | ⌘Q | Alt+F4 | |
| Next / previous tab | ⌃Tab / ⌃⇧Tab | Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab | |
| Close window | ⌘⇧W | Ctrl+Shift+W / Alt+F4 |
Close one tab, not everything
⌘W (Mac) or Ctrl+W (Windows) closes just the active tab. It also closes the current document or window in many non-browser apps, so watch which tab has focus.
Reopen and close-all
Closed the wrong one? ⌘⇧T / Ctrl+Shift+T reopens it (repeat to walk back through your history). To close the entire window at once, use ⌘⇧W on the Mac or Ctrl+Shift+W / Alt+F4 on Windows.
Troubleshooting: Ctrl+W closed the wrong thing
Ctrl+W closes the active tab; in single-window apps it may close the whole document or window. Closed a tab by accident? Press Ctrl+Shift+T (⌘⇧T) to bring it back — repeat to restore several. To close the entire window instead of one tab use Ctrl+Shift+W (⌘⇧W) or Alt+F4 on Windows.
FAQ
What is the close tab shortcut?
Press ⌘W on the Mac or Ctrl+W on Windows to close the currently active browser tab.
How do I reopen a tab I just closed?
Press ⌘⇧T (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+T (Windows). Keep pressing it to reopen tabs further back in your history.
What's the difference between Ctrl+W and Alt+F4?
Ctrl+W (⌘W) closes one tab; Alt+F4 (⌘Q) closes the whole window or quits the app entirely.
How do I reopen a tab I closed with Ctrl+W?
Press Ctrl+Shift+T (⌘⇧T on Mac). Keep pressing it to reopen tabs in the order they were closed.
What's the difference between Ctrl+W and Ctrl+Shift+W?
Ctrl+W closes the current tab; Ctrl+Shift+W (⌘⇧W) closes the whole window with all its tabs.