Link peek
Open a link in a preview over the page, then close it or keep it as a tab.
Link peek opens a link in a floating card over the page you're on. The page behind it dims and blurs, and nothing about it changes: you can read the link, close it, and carry on where you were. If the link turns out to matter, keep it as a tab without reloading it.
Peeking at a link
There are three ways in:
- ⌥Alt-click a link (Option-click on a Mac).
- Hold the mouse button down on a link. A quick click still opens it as usual, and dragging or scrolling cancels the hold.
- Right-click a link and choose Peek link.
The right-click menu works for any web link, including links inside embedded frames. ⌥Alt-click and the long press only work on links in the page itself, not in frames inside it.
You can also peek at an open tab: right-click its card in the command center and choose Peek. That tab's address loads over the tab you're on.
Other clicks are left alone. ⇧Shift-click, ⌘Ctrl-click and middle click do what they always do.
In the peek
The card's header has the page's title and these buttons:
| Button | Does |
|---|---|
| Back | Goes back a page inside the peek |
| Open as tab | Moves the page into a tab right after the one you're on |
| Open in split view | Opens it as a tab beside the one you're on |
| Copy link | Copies the peeked page's address |
| Close | Closes the peek |
Open as tab moves the live page, so your scroll position, anything you typed into a form, and playing media all stay. Open in split view shows up while the tab you're on isn't already in a split.
Right-click the header for the same options. Right-click the peeked page for its link options, Back, Forward and Reload as well.
Keys
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| Esc | Close the peek |
| ⌘CtrlEnter | Open it as a tab |
| ⌘CtrlW | Close the peek (the tab under it stays) |
Clicking outside the card closes it too.
How it behaves
- One peek at a time. Peeking at another link replaces it.
- Switching tabs closes it. A peek belongs to the page it opened over. Closing that tab closes it as well.
- Links stay inside. A link you click in the peek loads in the peek. A link that opens a new window becomes a normal tab.
- Files download. A link that turns out to be a file downloads, and the peek closes.
- History. Pages you only saw in a peek aren't added to your history. Opening one as a tab adds it then.
- Incognito. A peek from an incognito tab is incognito too.
- Closing a peek stops its sound and video and frees its memory.
Settings
Go to Settings → General → Link peek:
| Setting | Does |
|---|---|
| Peek at links | Turns link peek on or off |
| Alt-click a link (Option-click on a Mac) | Peeks instead of downloading the link, which is what ⌥Alt-click does otherwise. Turn it off to get the download back |
| Long press a link | Peeks when you hold the mouse button on a link |
| Hold for | How long to hold before the peek opens |
| Size | Small, Medium, or Large: how much of the window the card covers |
Limits
- Passkeys don't work inside a peek. Open the page as a tab first.
- Only web links can be peeked. Links to the browser's own pages open as tabs.
- The blurred page behind the card is a still picture taken as the peek opens, so a video playing there looks paused until you close it.