In Safari, if you want to copy the link URL, you should do 3 operations:
- Hover the link
- Right-click the link
- Use the "Copy link" item from the main/contextual menu
Alternatively, you can hover/navigate to the link and then select the link (usually if textual) by using the mouse/trackpad. Then you hit CMD+C and have the link copied, but these are still 3 operations (navigate/hover, select, copy).
So, the question: Is there a way in Safari to reduce the above to just 2 operations: 1) Hover and 2) Copy ?
It seems there are similar tools/plugins for Firefox and Chrome:
-
Chrome: Copy link address
-
Firefox: Copy URL on Mouse Over
There is even a plugin for Safari which does something similar, but not exactly: Type to navigate. The issue is that this plugin is not designed to solve the above problem, so even though the plugin allows you to copy the link you have selected, it is not solving the real problem – how to reduce the steps to just 2 (hover and copy).
Ideas are welcome!
Best Answer
Depending on what you are trying to do with the link, it may be sufficient to drag it. If you click and drag a link in Safari, you can drop it in many places and get the desired functionality. For example, if you drop it in a text editor, it will drop the link URL (for plain text) or a formatted link using the title from the page. If you drop it on your desktop, you will get a webloc file. If you drop it on the Safari URL bar or tab, that tab will load the link.
If you really need to copy the link, one possibility is to use spotlight as a easy-access text field. Start dragging the link, hit Command+space (or whatever you have it set to) to pop up spotlight, drop it in the search field, and copy.