How to Inspect Element on Mac: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Have you ever wondered how websites are put together or wanted to experiment with designing a landing page?

If so, you probably encountered the term “Inspect Element.” This powerful browser tool lets you look closer at the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that make up any webpage, including its content, structure, styling, and client-side behavior.

Inspect Element also helps you examine which parts of the code affect the website’s load time or performance, troubleshooting issues before they become massive. If you’re on a Mac, this feature is built-in and easy to access across browsers, such as Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

In this blog post, we’ll show you step by step how to open and use it on your Mac.

How to Inspect Element on a Mac: Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and More

A. Safari

If Safari is your choice of browser on a Mac, you first need to enable the option to access Developer Tools. For that, here’s what you need to do:

1. In the top menu bar, click on Safari > Settings (or Preferences, depending on your macOS version

2. Go to the Advanced tab. Scroll to the bottom to check the box that says “Show features for web developers.”

3. Once that’s done, you’ll see a new Developer option appear in the top menu along with Feature Flags. This means you now have all the tools for inspecting page elements at your fingertips.

4. Next, right-click on any part of the page and choose the option “Inspect Element.”

Alternatively, press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + I on your keyboard to open the Element Inspector.

In either case, you’ll see a split screen with the page on one side (either the bottom or one of the sides) and the Inspector on the other.

5. Hover over different lines of code, and Safari will highlight the part of the page it relates to.

From that panel, you can view and edit HTML, change styles, check network activity, and examine performance.

Exploring Safari’s Web Inspector: Elements: Allows you to inspect and modify the HTML and CSS of the webpage; you can see how styles are applied, and test changes in real time Console: Used for running JavaScript code and viewing error/debug logs Sources: Lets you view and debug your site’s files (JavaScript, CSS, etc.); includes breakpoints and watches for step-by-step debugging Network: Monitors all network requests (e.g., API calls, images, scripts); helpful in diagnosing loading issues, bottlenecks, or failed requests Timelines (now called “Performance” ): Profiles the performance of your site, showing frame rate, scripting time, and layout reflows

B. Chrome

This is the most popular browser globally, and many testers rely on it to inspect and debug web pages. Using Inspect Element on Chrome is fast, feature-rich, and easy. There are a couple of ways to access the Inspector:

1. Right-click on any part of the webpage and choose Inspect.

Alternatively, press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + I on your keyboard.

You can also use Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + C to jump straight into the Elements tab.

2. Once opened, the Chrome DevTools panel usually appears at the bottom or side of your browser.

You’ll see the page’s HTML structure at the top and its CSS styles at the bottom. When you hover over or click on different tags, Chrome highlights the corresponding part of the page.

3. Explore how elements are nested in the HTML, edit styles on the fly and see changes immediately, and view how a page looks on different screen sizes using Device Mode.

The Sources tab also allows debugging JavaScript with breakpoints and monitoring network requests and page load times.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) Since Edge is built on the Chromium engine, its Developer Tools are nearly identical to Chrome’s. You can open them by right-clicking on a page element, selecting Inspect, or using CMD + Option + I. If you’re familiar with Chrome DevTools, you’ll feel right at home inspecting elements, debugging JavaScript, and testing responsive views in Edge.

Also Read: How to Run Selenium Tests on Chrome Using Chromedriver

C. Firefox

Inspecting web elements using Firefox on macOS is similar to using Chrome. Let’s find out how.

1. Right-click on the webpage element you want to inspect, then select Inspect Element.

Again, if you want a shortcut, use the keyboard shortcut CMD + Option + I to open the Developer Tools panel.

You can also jump directly into the Inspector tool by pressing CMD + Shift + C.

2. When the Inspector opens, the screen splits into two parts so you can see the page and the underlying code. When you hover over different parts of the code, Firefox highlights the corresponding elements on the page.

As you can see below, Firefox Developer Tools do offer some advantages over Chrome and Safari, especially if you’re a developer who wants deeper insights or cleaner workflows.

Here’s how Firefox excels:

Feature	Firefox Advantage
CSS Grid and Flexbox Visualization	Firefox has the most advanced, visual tools for inspecting and debugging CSS Grid and Flexbox layouts. You can see actual grid lines, area names, and more.
Style Editor	More intuitive for working with full CSS files (not just applied styles). Easier to make, test, and save changes to stylesheets.
Accessibility Inspector	Built-in tooling is more detailed than Chrome’s, with roles, contrast info, keyboard focus indicators, etc.
Built-in Fonts Panel	Clean and precise typography tools — see font stacks, fallback behavior, and character coverage.
Cleaner Debugging UI	The Debugger has a smoother workflow for breakpoints, async call stacks, and watching variables.
Better Storage Inspector	Unified view for cookies, local storage, indexedDB, and more — easier to navigate than in Chrome.

Limitations of Inspect Element on a Mac

There’s no doubt this feature is helpful. But it’s also good to know where it may pose as a roadblock for you:

• Some websites use complex JavaScript frameworks or load content dynamically, which makes inspecting elements more challenging; that’s because the page structure can change frequently, or content may be loaded asynchronously and not appear in the initial DOM
• Inspect Element only allows you to view the code that’s sent to your browser; it doesn’t give you access to backend files, databases, or server settings
• It helps with front-end issues, but it can’t fix problems related to server performance, security testing, or databases

Common Troubleshooting Tips: Inspect Element on a Mac With Ease

It’s possible that when you try to inspect elements on a Mac, it may not go as smoothly as you’d want. Here are simple tips for helping you get back on track:

1. When the developer tools won’t open

If you press the usual shortcuts or the right-clicking doesn’t bring up the Inspector, then you can do either of the following:

• Restart your browser
• Update your browser to the latest version
• Check if any browser extensions are interfering (Some extensions can block or override right-click menus)
• Ensure the developer tools are enabled in your browser’s settings (For instance, Safari needs the Develop menu switched on)

2. When elements don’t highlight properly

Ideally, when you hover over any piece of code in the Inspector, the corresponding element on the page gets highlighted. If that doesn’t happen, here’s what you should do:

• Inspect in a different browser to see if the issue persists
• Reload the page to reset the connection between the Inspector and the page
• Make sure the page isn’t using asynchronous or JavaScript-heavy frameworks that frequently re-render the DOM (This, in many cases, can confuse the Inspector)

3. When you repeatedly encounter console errors

If you see errors in the console but aren’t sure what they mean:

• Use the debugger tool to set breakpoints and step through your code
• Read the error message carefully (It’s usually the file and line number causing the problem)
• Search online for the error message (Chances are, someone else has encountered it and found a solution)

Also Read: What is Cross Browser Compatibility and Why is it Important?

How to Use Inspect Element on Mac the Right Way: Best Practices

Once you learn the basics of your browser’s Inspector, you might realize just how much information about all websites is publicly available. Let’s take a look at the best practices you must keep in mind when using the feature:

1. Reverse-engineer good design patterns

Inspect Element helps you study the layout structure, class naming conventions, and reusable components on well-designed or high-performing sites.

Analyzing other websites can inspire better practices for your own, whether it’s how a responsive navbar adapts, how card layouts are styled, or how utility classes are applied. 

Identify grid systems, explore modular CSS patterns, and understand how animations or transitions are triggered, enhancing your GUI testing efforts.

2. Test breakpoints and media queries contextually

When checking your website’s responsiveness, avoid the common trap of simply resizing your browser window. While that offers a rough idea of layout changes, it doesn’t reveal how specific CSS media queries behave per element.

Instead, use your browser’s Device Mode (e.g., in Chrome DevTools) to simulate real devices and screen sizes. With the Elements panel open, you can inspect how individual elements respond at various breakpoints and see which CSS rules apply at each stage.

3. Use network throttling to simulate real-world lag

Most websites are tested under ideal network conditions, which can hide serious performance issues for users on slower mobile connections. Network throttling tools in DevTools enable you to mimic real-world conditions like 3G, 4G, or offline scenarios.

This is especially useful for spotting layout shifts, unoptimized assets, or blocking scripts that delay content loading. 

4. Leverage DevTools as a fast path to SEO and metadata audits

You can quickly inspect “title” tags, meta descriptions, canonical URLs, and structured data to ensure your site is optimized for search engines. This is handy when working with JavaScript-heavy websites where rendered metadata may differ from the source code.

You can verify how your metadata appears in the live DOM, check for missing structured data schema (e.g., JSON-LD, Microdata), or catch misconfigured robot tags without using an SEO crawler or audit tool.

Inspect Element on Mac using TestGrid’s Real Device Cloud

Sometimes, inspecting elements on your own Mac browser isn’t enough. In fact, it should always be supplemented with some other form of testing. Real devices behave differently from simulators or browsers. That’s where TestGrid’s Real Device Cloud can make a huge difference.

It enables you to connect to actual devices online. You can open your website on various versions, operating systems, and models of iPhones, Android phones, tablets, and desktops to inspect how elements would potentially behave on real hardware.

Here’s why to choose TestGrid for real-device testing:

• Build and run tests are scriptless, saving time and resources
• Test fingerprint and facial recognition for secure login flows on your app
• Execute tests in parallel or in sequence to meet your project timelines effortlessly
• Simulate real-world conditions like poor network connectivity and low battery while tracking KPIs such as battery impact, CPU performance, and memory consumption
• Detect and resolve layout issues, misaligned elements, and visual bugs across different screen resolutions, sizes, and orientations

Real device inspection like this helps you deliver an authentic user experience, without investing in expensive physical infrastructure.

Whether you’re a QA analyst, product manager, or business leader,   this AI-powered end-to-end testing platform is incredibly useful. To experience its benefits, start your free trial with TestGrid today.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is the Inspect Element feature safe to use?

Yes, Inspect Element is generally safe to use. It’s helpful for anyone curious about how websites are developed or styled. When you edit its HTML or CSS in the Inspector, those changes only appear on your screen and are temporary. They don’t pose a security risk.

2. Is it legal to use Inspect Element?

Yes, it’s legal. Inspect Element is meant for learning, debugging, and exploring how websites are built. You don’t permanently change the actual site or its server-side code.

However, legality can become an issue if you use this feature for unethical purposes, such as bypassing paywalls, scraping protected content, or tampering with form submissions in a way that violates a site’s terms of service.

3. Can websites detect if I’m using Inspect Element?

In most cases, no. But those actions can be detected if you start interacting with the site in ways that trigger network requests or run JavaScript code, such as modifying form data, executing scripts, or tampering with protected elements.

4. Can I inspect elements on an iPhone from my Mac?

You can inspect elements on an iPhone directly from your Mac using Safari’s Web Inspector. To do this, connect your iPhone to your Mac via USB, then enable Web Inspector on your iPhone by going to Settings > Safari > Advanced.

Make sure the Develop menu is enabled in Safari’s settings on your Mac. Once both devices are set up, you can open Safari’s Develop menu on your Mac, select your iPhone under the list of devices, and inspect any open webpage on your mobile device in real time.