How to Inspect Element on Mac?

Inspect Element is a go-to feature for almost every frontend or UI developer for debugging UI errors or making temporary edits in HTML or CSS scripts. This feature is pre-enabled for Chrome and Firefox browsers and can be viewed with a right-click. However, the same feature must first be enabled for Safari users operating on a Mac before they can inspect web elements.

This article will show you

• How to enable the Safari Inspect Element feature on a Mac
• Guide you in remote testing of your website on Safari on a real Mac.
• Explain how Method 2 is widely used by developers and testers due to limited access to updated device labs and the latest/legacy browser versions.

How to Inspect Element on Mac?

The following sections will delve into two easy methods for inspecting elements on macOS:

Method 1 – Using Safari Inspect Element

Follow the steps below to Inspect Element on macOS using Safari:

Step 1. To enable the Developer Menu open the Safari browser and click Safari > Settings.

Step 2. Click on Advanced. Check the Show Develop menu in Menu bar checkbox. Doing this also allows you to Inspect Elements on iPhones by connecting them.

Step 3. The Inspect Element Safari feature is now enabled. To cross-check, one can open any URL in Safari and right-click the mouse button to check if the option is enabled.

Method 2 – Using a Real Device Cloud with BrowserStack Live

Safari’s Inspect tool is useful for preliminary testing, but for cross-browser and OS compatibility, real device clouds like BrowserStack, with 3500+ device-browser combinations, are essential.
To test your application using BrowserStack Live, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log in or Sign Up for a free BrowserStack account.

Step 2: Select Device and Browser: Choose Mac > Sonoma under the macOS section, then select Safari version 17.3.

Step 3: Start Testing and access features like resolution changes, GPS testing, file uploads, and more.

Step 4: From the Live toolbar, click the resolution and change it to your desired setting, like 1280 x 1024.

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Why Inspect Element on Mac using Real Device Cloud?

Testing on a real device cloud like BrowserStack gives you distinct advantages. You can test on various Mac versions, Safari iterations, and other browser combinations to guarantee compatibility across different user environments. This reduces the risk of encountering unexpected issues after deployment.

Some very high-level distinctions are:

• Wider Configurations: BrowserStack enables testing on multiple Mac and Safari versions, ensuring cross-browser compatibility that is difficult to achieve with local machines.
• Real-time Debugging: With BrowserStack Live, you can inspect elements, capture screenshots, and record videos of bugs, streamlining the debugging process as you run tests.
• Consistency and Reliability: Unlike local setups that may vary due to software versions or hardware differences, BrowserStack provides a controlled environment for consistent results.
• Faster Testing: Run tests simultaneously on different Mac/Safari configurations, significantly speeding up the testing process compared to sequential local testing.

Additional Benefits of using BrowserStack Live

Here are some of the additional features that you can leverage by using BrowserStack Live to test your website on real devices and browsers:

• Geolocation Testing: Tailor the geographic source of traffic to your website or mobile application to observe its performance globally.
  You can replicate website and mobile behaviors by choosing IP addresses from over 60 countries to:
  • validate scenarios such as localized pricing,
  • languages, and
  • product listings.
• Media Injection and Audio Streaming: To test the app workflows successfully, you can use Camera Injection feature of BrowserStack Live for:
  • capturing images,
  • QR code testing,
  • Barcode testing,
  • testing video call simulation,
  • enable facial recognition, and
  • execute voice commands.

• Network Simulation: Test the app under real user conditions by simulating network conditions from 2G to custom scenarios to identify performance issues in various internet environments.
• Real Device Network Testing: Leverage physical SIM card features to test cellular network-dependent functionalities, such as SMS verification and two-factor authentication.
• Screen Readers Testing: Use built-in screen readers like VoiceOver or TalkBack to test web app accessibility, ensuring usability for users with disabilities.

Conclusion

BrowserStack enables seamless cross-browser testing in real user conditions with features like integration with tools such as Jira and Slack, geolocation testing across 100+ countries, local testing for staging environments, and access to both latest and legacy devices.

With pre-installed debugging tools, source maps, and performance testing via Lighthouse, teams can debug efficiently, reduce test cycles, and accelerate time-to-market for websites and apps.

Start Testing on Real Device Cloud