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Level 1

51 points

How to I auto-add .com in Safari?

I'm new to Mac, and trying to get used to using Safari.

In other browsers, when I type in a URL, I would use CTRL-Enter (on a PC) and the www would be added to the front of the URL, along with the .com at the end of the URL.

I can't find a similar key combo in Safari. I've done several Google searches regarding the issue, and people state that it should always be added automatically. While that's true for sites I've already visited, it's not true for sites I go to for the first time. For those sites, I end up with some Brighthouse Cable DNS search page (which I assume must have gotten redirected at the router, since there's no way the MacBook could have known I have Brighthouse cable).

Any suggestions? Or is this just the way Safari works?

Charlie

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), Mac OS X (10.7.4), My very first MacBook Pro

Posted on Jun 16, 2012 6:03 AM

22 replies

Aug 5, 2012 11:04 AM in response to Neville Hillyer

I prepared the following answer for a post here (which I can no longer find) asking for a simple answer:

The simple answer is that it does not work for everybody.

Different browsers and different versions of the same browser do different things and these things depend upon other circumstances.

My Safari 5.0.6 always adds these extras for me but, apparently, the magic does not work for others.

I just found an interesting site by typing barbara in my address bar and hitting return - it took me to http://www.barbara.com/

If your browser is not so well behaved you might consider using a utility which converts key commands to whatever you want.

chris_hc

Level 1

0 points

Mar 26, 2013 2:16 PM in response to charlie74

When I use firefox the CMD+ENTER does add .com to whatever you type. In Safari it doesn't. I don't really understand why there is such an in depth discussion about this. The CTRL+ENTER/RETURN key stroke on windows/Linux does add www.-.com to whatever you type in the browser address. Safari on the mac does not accept CTRL+ENTER/RETURN. It does try to add the .com to certain addresses - but not all the time.

Keyboard shortcuts are something I always use on mac and pc. Touch screen does not allow this, but I dislike that for a plethora of other reasons. On windows the CTRL+C,CTRL+V for copy and paste is just CMD+C, CMD+V on a mac. Most keyboard shortcuts are replicated in one way or another. Just not the CTRL+ENTER, or CMD+ENTER for web addresses in Safari on a mac.

charlie74 Author

Level 1

51 points

Mar 28, 2013 9:37 AM in response to SJWhiteley

SJWhitley,

THANK YOU!!!!

It took 9 months since I posted the original question, and I've had folks talk about DNS issues, local internet provider issues, and everything other than the fact that CMD-ENTER does not do what would be expected in a web browser.

I tried your suggestion of placing a slash at the end of a URL, and you are correct - this will auto add the www and .com to the URL.

Agreeing with what chris_hc posted - I too am a fan of keyboard shortcuts. I use them all the time. It's disappointing that Safari misses this one common shortcut, but not a deal breaker... and as you pointed out, there is a work-around for it.

Thanks again,

Charlie

Jun 16, 2012 6:47 AM in response to charlie74

Hello:

I am far from an expert, but I think that is the way it works. To me, automatically adding .com would be risky, as there are (as you know) many other suffixes that might apply.

Barry

Jun 16, 2012 6:48 AM in response to charlie74

With my Safari I am taken to http://www.apple.com/ if I type apple in the address bar and hit return.

Jun 17, 2012 3:03 PM in response to charlie74

Putting allfordmustangs in my address bar and hitting return takes me to the web site at http://www.allfordmustangs.com/

Does this not work for you?

Oct 2, 2012 6:07 AM in response to SJWhiteley

That is interesting.

Adding '/' is also faster as it saves an unnecessary round trip to the server.

How to I auto-add .com in Safari?