When using most programs in OS X, you can hold various combinations of modifier keys (Shift, Command, and Option) when performing standard actions to invoke alternative functions. For instance, in most programs you can hold the Option key when clicking the red Close button to close all windows instead of only the foremost one.

With regards to browsing the Web and clicking on links, for most browsers the default actions will be to open content you click in the current window or tab. You therefore might commonly rely on the contextual menu to open links in alternative ways, such as in another tab, or in a new window. If you use these alternatives often, then you can make use of modifier keys to quickly access them without first right-clicking to use the contextual menu.

Since each browser you use is developed by a different group, the modifier keys will be different, but you should be able to find one that will allow you to directly download an item, open it in a new tab or window, and have that tab or window be in the foreground or background.

For the top three browsers (Safari, Chrome, and Firefox), the following modifier keys will invoke the same functions when clicking on links:

• Command — Open Link in a new tab behind the current page
• Shift-Command — Open the link in a new tab in front of everything

Beyond these, each browser has some additional modifier key uses that can give you a quick way to handle links.

Safari:

• Command-Option — Open in a new window behind the current one
• Shift-Option-Command — Open the link in a new window in front of everything
• Option — Download the linked item (if it is a Web page, it will download as a Web archive)
• Shift — Add the item to your reading list, for offline viewing

Firefox:

• Shift — Open in a new window

Chrome:

• Shift — Open in new window
• Option — Download the linked item