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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Applications > Safari 6.0 - Backspace disabled :-(

Safari 6.0 - Backspace disabled :-(
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richwig83
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Jul 25, 2012, 08:39 AM
 
I seems to have lost the function by where you can press backspace to navigate to the previously view pages. Is there a way to get this back?

It seems crap to have to press cmd+[ ....
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aesopus
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Jul 26, 2012, 11:28 AM
 
oooooh, ****apple

why disabled the backspace in safari?
a have to press Fn+alt+cmd+8 to back page on macbook pro with hungarian keyboard layout.
give me back backspace!
     
Ham Sandwich
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Jul 26, 2012, 06:05 PM
 
Greetings. I am unable to delete my posts, and apparently you moderators are on some kind of a strike.

Therefore, I have removed the content of the original post by hand.

I am asking for this post to be deleted, since I don't seem to have the option to do that myself.
     
gradient
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Jul 26, 2012, 07:53 PM
 
Just swipe left, silly.
     
aesopus
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Jul 26, 2012, 10:56 PM
 
Originally Posted by gradient View Post
Just swipe left, silly.
no way on older mbp
     
Beefers26
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Jul 27, 2012, 01:10 AM
 
Just found the same problem - the backspace key is now disabled for internet navigation.

Spoke to Apple technical support and they confirmed the feature has been removed!

So annoying, as it was something I used a lot.

The Apple people actually suggested I start using Chrome of Firefox for a browser. So much the Safari browser update being useful.
     
jjcckk
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Jul 27, 2012, 01:43 AM
 
I put together a Safari extention a few weeks ago that re-enables this behaviour. BringBackDelete

You can find it at https://github.com/heardrwt/BringBackDelete

Hope this helps.
     
Ham Sandwich
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Jul 27, 2012, 05:18 AM
 
Greetings. I am unable to delete my posts, and apparently you moderators are on some kind of a strike.

Therefore, I have removed the content of the original post by hand.

I am asking for this post to be deleted, since I don't seem to have the option to do that myself.
     
richwig83  (op)
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Jul 27, 2012, 08:33 AM
 
Originally Posted by gradient View Post
Just swipe left, silly.
Yeah thats what im doing to be honest. Still annoying when youve happily been pressing backspace for the last 6 years
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gradient
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Jul 27, 2012, 03:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by aesopus View Post
no way on older mbp
Ah, how I hate trackpads. Magic Mouse is the way to go (though many hate it...).
     
gradient
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Jul 27, 2012, 04:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by richwig83 View Post
Yeah thats what im doing to be honest. Still annoying when youve happily been pressing backspace for the last 6 years
I'm with you on old habits dying hard. The left swipe really is so much quicker and more intuitive, though, once you get used to it.
     
P
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Jul 28, 2012, 05:30 AM
 
Originally Posted by Andrej View Post
Apple disabled the backspace because people like me were getting annoyed that I had to re-type entire forms just because of a misclick when I thought the cursor was between two characters.
Besides, I've always been using Command { and Command } to navigate.
That's a real bug, but the way to fix it is to save form contents before going back and restoring it if you push forward. At least move Back to Command-backspace or something.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 28, 2012, 07:02 AM
 
If it just saved the text entry data between moving forward and backward, it might break certain websites and forms (the hella-confusing "re-submit form data?" dialog already throws me a loop every time).

Command-Backspace generally means "delete".

Honestly, I think using the backspace key for ANY command not directly related to destroying data is completely idiotic, regardless of how much you may have grown accustomed to bad habit.

FWIW, I found the command totally unpredictable (I only ever invoked it by accident, as Andrej above). Commands should either work if applicable, or not. Not working because you've tabbed to a text entry field, or suddenly working because you've tabbed to a website interface widget qualifies as "broken".

Attaching "benign" functionality to a key used to destroy is asking for trouble.
     
P
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Jul 28, 2012, 08:32 AM
 
I'll admit to not using it very often, but it's an established shortcut by now. I think Powerpoint had it for back since the eighties. It does make more sense there, though, since it's used in the presentation mode where return (just next to it) means forward.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 28, 2012, 01:44 PM
 
Wow, that's so Microsoft.

See, when NOT in presentation mode, like, say, in slide overview mode, it actually deletes the slide!

Makes total sense to use it for "back" when in a different mode. Sure.
     
P
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Jul 30, 2012, 12:15 PM
 
They've had infinite undos for the better part of TWO DECADES, and if you're advanced enough to know about that shortcut, you know about undo. It's a nice big button you can find quickly if you need to go back one slide. There are only two more ways to do that, that I'm aware of - the left arrow button, which is half-size on most laptops and somewhat tricky to find if you're not seated at the keyboard, and rightclicking and selecting that action from a menu. Both of those are considerably more finicky.

Anyway: Apple is still solving the wrong problem. If you happen to go back for some other reason, the form contents is still not saved.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Steeve Patrick
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Jul 31, 2012, 09:41 AM
 
I have installed Mountain Lion on a different HD thankfully but had updated to Safari 6 on my work Lion HD. Many features missing and pages render poorly. I went back to Safari 5 using Apple's own uninstaller for developers. I use a Mac Pro and because of the lack of support for some of the best new features in Mountain coupled with Safari 6, I can't see how I could use the OS. I'm surprised at how Apple decided to take away many of the features that had people choosing the browser over the competition. Apple seem to be putting all their effort into iOS and changing their desktop OS accordingly. There's no substitute for the Activity window, certainly not for how I use it on many projects. Go back to 5 but the only way is this Uninstaller, otherwise you'll run into many issues. Safari 6 doesn't have enough advantages to make up for all that was stripped away.
     
rkehlor
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Aug 1, 2012, 06:22 AM
 
I whole-heartedly agree: that "feature" was a major pain in the @$$. Didn't follow any interface or usability conventions anyway. VERY happy that they took that functionality out--or I'd go so far as to say "fixed that defect". I can't tell you how many times I literally screamed in frustration when it took me back to another page -- usually on some corporate or banking site where it would then also make you log back out and in for using the "back" button.

Cmd-{, swipe left for machines that support it, and the good-old BACK BUTTON are more than plenty. Adding a custom extension for folks that really like it seems the most helpful and prudent way to go.

Thank you, Apple!!
     
richwig83  (op)
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Aug 12, 2012, 01:38 PM
 
RIGHT.....

terminal

defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit 2BackspaceKeyNavigationEnabled -bool YES


And it works again!!
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FireWire
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Aug 14, 2012, 09:39 PM
 
What a coincidence! I was about to start a thread titled "Damn it, safari!" after I lost a long post, again, because I wanted to delete a character and Safari decided to return to the previous page instead.. Seriously, who thought it would be a good thing? I cannot remember how many forms I lost because of that "feature".. seriously, what's the point? Worse, it asks if we really want to navigate away if we're clicking on a link while having some text typed in a form, yet it happily trashes a whole form if we press backspace while typing in the said form...

I'm glad it disappeared in the most recent version!
     
   
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