I tend to try to type into the tab bar into the safari URL bar, because the tab bar looks like a text input area. Also it's odd that you can't close an inactive tab; you have to either switch to the tab or go to the tab view (the boxes on the top right) to close an inactive tab.
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Safari 15 Users Say New Tab Design is Counterintuitive
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Safari 15 is FUBAR, even before mentioning the crippling performance issues ?
Thank you! I thought it was just me being too old to adapt to changes. 
Now I know why I seem a bit confused around my tabs, something that never happened before in Safari.
Now I know why I seem a bit confused around my tabs, something that never happened before in Safari.
Even after using the betas for 3 months, I still get confused with which tab is active
Well it should be noted that this is the back up design. The original design, which is now buried as a option that no one will ever use, is the Compact tabs design. I firmly believe the entire Safari 15 redesign revolved around this new concept. But they caved to whining early in the beta, and came out with this much worse option which was less different than Safari 14, and made it the default. That was the mistake.
I am still using the Compact tab UI because it is better than this one. It has its own drawbacks but its better than what they went with as the default.
I am still using the Compact tab UI because it is better than this one. It has its own drawbacks but its better than what they went with as the default.
People don't like the new design that was made for designs sake? Well, users are just going to have to give it some time until they get used to and comfortable with it. At that point, Apple will roll out a new design just to confuse users and force them to relearn things again.
It's like how Microsoft made dumb design changes with Windows 8, forcing user to forget about what they learned and were accustomed to from the prior 10+ years of using Windows. And when they started getting comfortable with the Windows 8 design and layout, Microsoft changes things again with Windows 10.
It's like how Microsoft made dumb design changes with Windows 8, forcing user to forget about what they learned and were accustomed to from the prior 10+ years of using Windows. And when they started getting comfortable with the Windows 8 design and layout, Microsoft changes things again with Windows 10.
I totally agree on this. I don't like it, and it is confusing. If I could put it back, I would.??
Doesn't it depend on the colour of the tab? Currently my active tab is the lighter one because the colour is black.
Apple Music was never intuitive to me, ever. Nor was the desktop iTunes. I've been with Apple since 2005 and most if not all other things always made intuitive sense, except those two. (and I know my way around computer OS'es and software)
What I don't understand is ... like those things with the tabs now, isn't this precisely why we have extensive beta testing phases? No one bothered to tell Apple during those? Or worse yet ... no one noticed (or cared enough)?!
But I'm generally not a big fan of big design overhauls. I just don't understand this apparent need/desire for massive change. Small changes, little modernizations here and there? Sure. But why change something completely just for the sake of change?
Never change a running system.
If you accidentally close the wrong tab, long press the new tab icon (+) in the toolbar to get it back.
"Natural scrolling" is a side-effect of the scrolling metaphor. When you scroll, are you moving the virtual page up and down behind the screen or are you moving your view up and down the page?
If Apple made a touchscreen Mac then it wouldn't be an issue, but they haven't. I suppose after all the old people are dead they'll get rid of "unnatural scrolling" on the MacOS side.
It is counterintuitive and stupid. Apple needs to pull their heads out of their butts.
At first I agreed that the new tabs design seemed "backwards." After I read this comment, I tried switching on Compact layout, and it feels like a big improvement. I think the grayed active tab works better in Compact layout, but it's not so great when you walk it back to Separate layout. It's nice to be able to get something positive out of a forum post and even to change your mind sometimes.
Not surprising, considering that they've ignored this same problem in the "Today / Notifications" tabs for years.
I really like the new tabs in Big Sur/Monterey, but the bottom tab bar in iOS 15 is destroying my life.
Just use Safari, like IE, to download Chrome, your problem is solved...
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With the new tab bar color, sometimes it's really hard to differentiate between regular and private window especially if the website's background and tab bar colors are both black.
I've done this as well. But you can close an inactive tab by clicking the X that appears to the left of the tab text when you mouse over it. That X also appears on the active tab without hovering, so it's another way to tell which tab you're on.
The bigger problem I have with Safari, and it's not at all new, is the number of websites that don't work properly (or at all) with it. I know Apple will say it's the website developer's fault, but at least a few times a week I have to use Chrome to get a website to work.