After you follow a link in Microsoft Edge, you may want to get back to the page you came from or move forward again. The Back and Forward buttons follow the current tab's history, not every page you've visited.
Click the left or right arrow beside the address bar, or use the keyboard shortcuts. If a page is no longer in that tab's sequence, open Edge History and select it by title or URL.
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Contents
Go Back to the Previous Page in Edge
You clicked a link that took you somewhere else, or you just need to return to the page you came from. The Back button sits just left of Edge’s address bar. Each tab keeps its own navigation history, and Back moves one step toward the start of that sequence.
- Open a website in Microsoft Edge on your computer.
- Select a link on the page to open another page in the same tab.
- Click the Back button
to return to the previous page.
Click Back again to move farther back through the same sequence. The button is unavailable when the current page is the first page in that tab’s history.
Go Forward to the Next Page in Edge
You moved back and now want to return to the page you just left. The Forward button faces right and continues through the same tab history in the opposite direction.
- Open the first page in Microsoft Edge on your computer.
- Select a link to open a second page in the same tab.
- Click the Back button to return to the earlier page.
- Click the Forward button
to return to the next page.
Click Forward repeatedly to continue through the pages.
If you open a different page after moving backward, Edge replaces the remaining forward entries for that tab. The Forward button may then be unavailable.
Move Between Pages with Keyboard Shortcuts
Your hand is already on the keyboard, so the navigation shortcuts can be faster than reaching for the toolbar. Press both keys at the same time.
- On Windows and Linux, press + to go back, or + to go forward.
- On macOS, press + to go back, or + to go forward.
The shortcuts move through the same history as the arrow buttons. They do not open a new tab or reload the current page.
Open an Earlier Page from Edge History
You need a page that has dropped out of the current tab’s Back or Forward sequence, or you want to revisit something from an earlier session. Edge History lists those pages for you.
- Open Microsoft Edge on your computer.
- Press + on Windows or Linux, or + on macOS, to open the History page.
- Select the page title or URL you want to reopen.
Opening a history entry creates a new place in the current tab’s history. It does not restore the old tab’s complete Back and Forward sequence.
On Edge for Android, the arrow control on the toolbar does the same job. For the phone steps, see how to navigate to the previous and next pages in Edge on Android.
Use Back and Forward Navigation in InPrivate Mode
You want a private browsing window but still need to move between pages in that window. InPrivate navigation keeps working during the active session, and those pages are not added to your regular browsing history.
For instructions on starting this mode, see how to open an InPrivate window on your computer. Closing the last InPrivate window ends the temporary session.
Tell Back, Forward, and Reload Apart
You click Back and the address changes, but the page looks almost the same? Check which control you used. These buttons change the tab’s position in history in different ways.
- Back opens the earlier page in the current tab’s sequence.
- Forward returns to the next page after a backward move.
- Reload refreshes the address that is already open.
A dimmed Back button means there is no earlier page. A dimmed Forward button means there is no later page in the current sequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Forward button unavailable in Microsoft Edge?
The current tab has no later page to open. You may have reached the newest page, or opening a new page from a backward position replaced the remaining forward entries.
How do I go back and forward with the keyboard in Edge?
On Windows and Linux, press + to go back and + to go forward. On macOS, use with the left or right bracket key.
Can I reopen a page that I visited earlier in Edge?
Yes. Open the History page with + on Windows or Linux, or + on macOS, then select the saved entry. This opens the page even when it is no longer in the current tab’s Back or Forward sequence.
Does InPrivate mode keep Back and Forward history?
Back and Forward still work inside that private window while the session is open. The pages are not added to your regular browsing history, and the session is discarded when the last InPrivate window closes.
