In the Knowledge Economy, we spend most of the working hours on the computer and, specifically, using the internet. Learning a few essential Chrome Keyboard shortcuts can go a long way to saving precious seconds, which quickly add up to hours per week.

Navigating using the keyboard is a simple way to work smarter. There’s simply no point to lose a few seconds every time you want to open or close a window and doing so with your mouse.

Just memorizing a few of these Chrome keyboard shortcuts and using them in your daily browsing can make you more productive and complete your work faster. Apply the 80/20 rule: memorize few shortcuts that you use multiple times per day.

I broke these helpful chrome keyboard shortcuts per sections to make it easier to browse: navigation, search, and others. If you want to learn them faster, print them and keep the paper at your task until they have become a habit.

Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigation

Make navigation a breeze in Chrome: learn how to open, close, bookmark, and navigate between tabs with your keyboard only.

Opening/Closing Tabs and Windows

• Open new tab: Cmd + T for Mac, Ctrl + T for PC
• Close current tab: Cmd + W for Mac, Ctrl + W for PC
• Open new window: Cmd + N for Mac, Ctrl + N for PC
• Open new incognito window: Cmd + Shift + N for Mac, Ctrl + Shift + N for PC
• Reopen last closed tab: Cmd + Shift + T for Mac, Ctrl + Shift + T for PC
• Close all open tabs and browser: Cmd + Shift + w for Mac, Ctrl + Shift + W for PC
• Quit Chrome: Cmd + Q for Mac, Ctrl + Q for PC

Navigating Tabs

• View next tab: Cmd + Option + Right arrow key in Mac, Ctrl + Tab for PC
• View previous tab: Cmd + Option + Left arrow key in Mac, Ctrl + 9 for PC
• Switch to a specific tab (1–8 only): Cmd + Number for Mac, Ctrl + Number for PC
• Switch to last tab: Cmd + 9 for Mac, Ctrl + 9 for PC
• Bookmark current page: Cmd + D for Mac, Ctrl + D for PC
• Minimize current window: Cmd + M for Mac, Alt + Space + N for PC

Navigating a Page

• Scroll horizontally: press Shift and scroll with the up or down arrow
• Go to the beginning of a page: Cmd + Up arrow for Mac, Ctrl + Up arrow for Mac
• Go to the end of a page: Cmd + Down arrow for Mac, Ctrl + Down arrow for Mac
• Zoom-in: Cmd + + for Mac, Ctrl + + for PC
• Zoom-out: Cmd + — for Mac, Ctrl + — for PC
• Reset Zoom: Cmd + 0 for Mac, Ctrl + 0 for PC
• Go back to the previous page: press Delete on Mac, Backspace on PC
• Go forward to next page: hold Shift and press Delete on Mac, hold Shift and press Backspace on PC
• Reload current page: Cmd + R for Mac, Ctrl + R for PC
• Open hyperlink in a new tab: hold Command + click the link for Mac, use Control in PC (try with this link)
• Open hyperlink in a new window: hold Shift + click the link for Mac and PC (try with this link)

Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts for Search

Learn how to navigate the search bar in chrome using your keyboard only and finding anything you need in a page in seconds.

Search Bar

• Put the cursor in the search bar: hold Command and press L for Mac, hold Ctrl and press L for PC
• Erase current search: hold Command and press Delete on Mac, hold Command and press Backspace for PC
• Add www and .com: type a site name + Ctrl + Enter
• Open a new tab and perform a Google search: type a search term + Alt + Enter
• Search within a website: type website and Tab when prompted, type a search term, and press Enter

Search Within a Page

• Open the find bar: Cmd + F for Mac, Ctrl + F for PC
• Scroll to next keyword: press Enter on Mac, Ctrl + G for PC
• Scroll to the previous keyword: hold shift and press Enter on Mac, Ctrl + Shift + G for PC

Other Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts

• Open Settings: hold Cmd and press the comma key for Mac (no shortcut on PC)
• Open Bookmarks: Cmd + Alt + B for Mac, Ctrl + Alt + B for PC
• Toggle Bookmark Bar: Cmd + Shift + B for Mac, Ctrl+Shift+B for PC
• Open Downloads: Cmd + Shift + J for Mac, Ctrl + J for PC

If you are looking for more productivity hacks, join my invite-only community: one new short curated productivity hack to your email, twice a week → get FREE access!