Comments on: Return Safari 6 Delete Key Functionality to Go Back a Page

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:28:40 +0000

Thank goodness this fix exists. Though, if it didn’t I would simply just stop using safari.

By: Michal

Michal — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 08:49:27 +0000

That’s not the only annoyance in the new Safari. The one that really baffles me is taking away the ability to not have to type .com at the end. Ever since the beginning of Safari we never had to type www or .com but now all of a sudden Apple decides that Google search takes precedence. I don’t get it and hope someone can come up with a hack for this or a way to reverse it. Please!

By: Colt45

Colt45 — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 21:59:59 +0000

whoever you are….thank you. Sheer genius you are
This linked worked great. I did it twice but works great

defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2BackspaceKeyNavigationEnabled -bool YES

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:23:07 +0000

This fix isn’t working for me. Any suggestions? I copied and pasted the whole line into terminal and no changes to my safari’s escape button behaviour. Thoughts??

By: Bliss

Bliss — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:49:10 +0000

Thanks. I don’t know who’s bright idea that was but it was definitely worth someone filling out a new ID.10-T form.
The backspace/delete button has been a default for years on both PC and MAC, whoever decided to change it did it for the sack of change and change only… and wasn’t a needed update.

By: David

David — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:19:36 +0000

Sometimes I think the only reason they make a change like this is to remind us that they can. If it were truly necessary to be removed, they surely would have removed the way to put it back as well.

By: Nevin

Nevin — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 05:21:15 +0000

On a similar note, having just gotten used to the new UI in Lion’s QT Player, I was dismayed to discover the full-screen/windowed button in the control bar has been removed in Mtn Lion.

While I understand that changes happen, and for the most part, begrudgingly come to adapt, me and a much underrepresented group of OS X converts came from the ultra-conservative world of Unix professionals, many who I know get annoyed that installing Mtn Lion requires a reboot (and I suspect, some enough to hack a workaround so as not to spoil their year+ uptimes). The folks who’ve to Mac via that route do not suffer frivolity well, often nor long.

By: Haruhiko

Haruhiko — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:51:16 +0000

The reason why Apple does this is to promote the use of two finger swipe back on the trackpad. For instance, they also disabled three finger swipe to go to the previous/next page starting fom Lion (although we can enable it in System Preferences.

By: Martin

Martin — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:17:22 +0000

So what is Apple’s reason?

Apple should not make unilateral changes to software without the user being informed in advance. Also, Apple should make changes optional rather than compulsory.

For a company who supposedly cater for the user experience, Apple get it completely wrong. I don’t like Apple dictating what functionality I can and cannot have when they release updates/upgrades.

By: ChipH

ChipH — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 23:56:27 +0000

Why would they go from a single, double-width key, that was not only easy to hit, but had also been in place as a de-facto standard for years and years, to a double-key combination that no one knows is beyond me.

Thanks for publishing the fix.

By: Vandad NP

Vandad NP — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 22:29:10 +0000

Apple changes these things for a reason. People change them back just so they won’t have to develop a new habit and move on. I find this really dumb. The world evolves, stop trying to go back in time

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 22:25:39 +0000

Thank all those who found this solution, and let me ask rhetorically, why in the &^$^% would someone decide to remove a functionality so built into user’s psyches that it’s almost genetic? It’s certainly reflex behavior on my part to reach for delete.