---
title: How do I open web pages and tabs in the preview?
question: address bar and tabs
area: browser
order: 3
surface: desktop
audience: beginner
keywords: [address bar, url bar, type a url, go to a website, search, back, forward, reload, refresh, hard reload, cmd shift r, bypass cache, tabs, new tab, close tab, open in default browser, lock icon, not secure, https]
related: [how-do-i-open-the-preview-to-see-my-app, the-built-in-browser, how-do-i-preview-my-site-on-mobile-and-tablet]
updated: 2026-07-21
---

# How do I open web pages and tabs in the preview?

Type an address into the bar across the top of the preview and press return, the same as any browser. It does not have to be your own app: you can open any website. If you type something that is not an address, like `react hooks`, codus treats it as a search and opens Google, just as Chrome does. You can keep several pages open at once using the tab strip along the very top.

## Going to a page

- **Type an address.** Click the address bar, type the address, and press return. As you type, codus offers pages you have visited before; use the up and down arrow keys to pick one, or keep typing and press return for what you typed.
- **Back and forward.** The two arrow buttons on the left move through pages you have already visited. They grey out when there is nowhere to go.
- **The lock icon.** A padlock (🔒) at the start of the address bar means the connection is encrypted. A warning sign (⚠) means it is not. Hover it to see why, for example "Not secure (no HTTPS)". For a local dev server this warning is normal.

## Reloading, and forcing a fresh copy

The circular arrow (⟳) reloads the page. Sometimes a change you know the agent made will not show, because the browser is holding an old copy in its cache. When that happens you need a **hard reload**, which throws the old copy away:

- Press **Cmd+Shift+R**, or
- Right-click the reload button.

The button's own tooltip spells this out: "Reload (right-click or ⌘⇧R for hard reload, bypasses cache)". Reach for the hard reload whenever an edit seems to have had no effect.

## Using tabs

The strip along the very top of the preview works like the tabs in Chrome or Safari.

1. Click the **+** at the end of the strip to open a new tab. It reads **New tab** on hover and opens Google, so it doubles as a search box.
2. Click a tab to switch to it.
3. Close a tab with the **×** on it, or by middle-clicking it. You cannot close the last tab, so there is always one open.

You can have up to six tabs open at once. When you reach that, the **+** greys out and reads "Tab cap reached (6)". Close a tab to free up a slot.

## Opening a page in your normal browser

To hand the current page off to Safari, Chrome, or whatever your Mac uses by default, click the **yellow dot** at the top-left of the preview. On hover it reads "Open this page in your default browser". It shows a minus sign that looks like a minimize button, but it does not minimize anything, which catches people out.

## Common problems

**My change is not showing.** The browser is serving a cached copy. Do a hard reload with **Cmd+Shift+R**, or right-click the reload button.

**It searched Google instead of opening my address.** What you typed did not look like an address, so codus searched for it. Include a dot (like `example.com`), a port (like `localhost:3000`), or the full `http://` or `https://` to force it to load as a page.

**The + for a new tab is greyed out.** You already have six tabs open, which is the limit. Close one to open another.