Chrome shortcuts make my internet browsing more productive and more effective. With this list and a little practice, yours will be too.

We all spend a lot of time browsing the internet. That means plenty of button clicking and page navigation. Those seconds quickly add up.

So:

If you want to learn how to be more productive, this is a great place to start. There’s a lot of time to be saved.

And that’s not all.

Chrome shortcuts also help you maintain your reading flow and keep your windows organized. This is key to achieving deep work.

After all, they’re not called shortcuts for nothing.

They’re simple and powerful.

Closing windows, switching tabs, saving bookmarks, and Google searches. All just a couple of keys to push.

Control plus action.

How are you going to do this?

By learning some simple key combinations, and putting them into practice.

Start by looking at the actions you perform most often. They’ll seem pretty obvious as you go through the list.

Then, when you’re in Chrome, try to avoid clicking buttons. And refer back to this guide as much as you need. Good habits will be built quickly, and the time savings will start to stack up.

Let’s get into it.

Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts: The Full Index

Here’s an index to get you going. This is every Chrome shortcut you need to get started saving time and maintaining flow.

Below that, I’ve spread them out into more categories. I explain what each one does, and give tips for how to use them all.

Chrome Shortcuts for Browser Tabs

All of your browsing happens in tabs. 

If you’re anything like me, this means a lot of tabs. So that’s where we’ll start.

I like to keep my tabs organized, and be able to move between them quickly.

How to Open and Close Tabs With Shortcuts

1. Shortcut for Opening Tabs in Chrome: 

• Mac: Cmd + T
• PC: Ctrl + T 

This lets you open another tab in the same window. Tabs will be added to the tab bar, in the order you open them.

This is a good way to keep all of the tabs for a project or task in one place.

2. Shortcut for Closing Tabs in Chrome:

• Mac: Cmd + W
• PC: Ctrl + W

It’s too easy to let browser tabs build up. Suddenly the window is flooded with open tabs and you can’t remember why you need them all.

Use this shortcut to close a tab in Chrome once you’ve finished with it and keep the browser tidy. Don’t stress about losing anything important, you can reopen them any time with the next shortcut.

3. Reopen Last Closed Tab in Chrome: 

• Mac: Cmd + Shift + T
• PC: Ctrl + Shift + T

This reopens the last tab that you closed. Whether you accidentally closed it or thought you were finished, this is a lifesaver.

What’s really great about this is you can keep pressing ‘T’ to reopen all of the tabs you have closed – since starting up Chrome.

Just keep in mind that this one doesn’t work in Incognito Mode.

4. Close All Open Tabs and Browsers:

• Mac: Cmd + Shift + W
• PC: Ctrl + Shift + W

Once you’re done for the day, celebrate. Close all of your tabs at the same time. In fact, this closes all of your browser windows instantly as well.

It saves time and the hassle of having to check you got them all. And next time you open Chrome you can start fresh with a new window.

How to Switch Tabs in Chrome with Shortcuts

Learning how to change tabs in Chrome will level-up your browsing because it’s a super common action. You can switch forward, back, or straight to any of your first 8 tabs.

1. View Next Tab: 

• Mac: Cmd + Option + Right Arrow Key
• PC: Ctrl + Tab

Move to the next tab to the right of your screen with this shortcut – it’s pretty simple. And no guesses for what’s next – going back to the left.

2. View Previous Tab:

• Mac: Cmd + Option + Left Arrow Key
• PC: Ctrl + Tab

These two shortcuts are the fastest way to navigate between tabs that are next to each other. You can quickly switch between tabs for multitasking. Use either the left or right arrow key, depending on which direction you need to go.

If you want to navigate through all of the tabs, just keep pressing either arrow key to move in that direction.

If your tabs are a bit more organized, or you know the order, this next one does something similar.

3. Switch To Specific Tab (1-8 Tabs Only):

• Mac: Cmd + Number Key (1-8)
• PC: Ctrl + Number Key (1-8)

When I’m working on an article I keep a pretty consistent order in my ‘research’ window. I start with my notes and then have articles or references in the order that I opened them. 

By simply holding the Command key and any number between 1 and 8, I can switch to any tab between the first and the eighth.

As a result, this also means it’s really easy to get back to the first tab – using Command and ‘1’. This is handy even if you don’t remember the second through to eighth tabs. You can always snap back to the beginning and navigate along using the arrow keys.

The more you do this kind of thing, the better you will get at memorizing the tab numbers. And then your switching will get really fast.

The one downside of this is that it’s limited to 8 tabs. Are you wondering why that little ‘9’ key on your keyboard is left out?

It’s not.

4. Switch To Last Tab:

• Mac: Cmd + 9
• PC: Ctrl + 9

No matter how many tabs you have open, you can always get to the last one (on the far right). Use the ‘9’ key, the same as the other numbers.

This means you can use 1-8 for the first 8 tabs, and get straight to the last one with ‘9’. Then use the arrow keys to navigate back from there.

Chrome Shortcuts for Working with Windows

1. Open New Window Shortcut:

• Mac: Cmd + N
• PC: Ctrl + N

Create a separate Chrome window with this shortcut. Doing so lets you work in multiple windows at once, and create new windows for different spaces on Macs. These can be moved around, resized, and stacked on top of each other – giving you a lot of flexibility for your browsing.

The shortcut opens a blank window, but you can also drag tabs from existing windows into the new one. Just make sure you drag it right into the Tab Bar.

2. Open New Incognito Window:

• Mac: Cmd + Shift + N
• PC: Ctrl + Shift + N

This does the same as the shortcut above – it opens a new window. Except this opens an Incognito window. This a browser option that does not store browsing history – also known as private browsing.

Pages, user details, and cookies are all forgotten when the window is closed. People use it for privacy, security, and to stop Google from remembering their searches.

3. Chrome Full-Screen Shortcut:

• Mac: Ctrl + Cmd + F
• PC: Press F11 key

If you’re wondering how to focus on reading websites, this will definitely help. It helps you avoid distractions and see more of your window. The shortcut does this by making your current Chrome window fill the full screen. You get to focus on a single window. 

When you’re done, just run the shortcut again and it will go back to normal.

4. Minimize Current Window:

• Mac: Cmd + M
• PC: Alt + Space + N

If you keep multiple windows open or run other programs on the same screen, this one is handy. Use it to minimize the window and access whatever is behind it. It will be hiding in the dock for whenever you need it next.

You can keep running the shortcut to minimize all of your windows. It will go through them in the order you last used them.

Note that this shortcut only works if you’re not on full screen.

Chrome Shortcuts for Navigating Pages

Once you’re on the right page, use these shortcuts to move around fast, without your mouse or trackpad.

1. Scroll Horizontally:

• Mac and PC: Press Shift + scroll with Up or Down Arrow Key

You can also use this to scroll horizontally with your mouse. Just hold Shift, and go about your usual scrolling. Now it will be side to side instead of up and down.

2. Go To Beginning of a Page:

• Mac: Cmd + Up Arrow
• PC: Ctrl + Up Arrow

Why waste time scrolling all the way back to the top of the page?

You can get there at any point with this one easy shortcut. It doesn’t matter how deep you’ve gone.

And:

If you can get to the top, you might as well know how to get to the bottom.

3. Go To End of a Page:

• Mac: Cmd + Down Arrow
• PC: Ctrl + Down Arrow

Yep, just like the last one. Use this to instantly go to the bottom of any page.

You would actually be surprised how much time is spent scrolling back to either extreme. Practice this one and get used to using it for lots of saved time.

4. Chrome Shortcut to View Source:

• Mac: Cmd + Option + U
• PC: Ctrl + U

If you need to view the HTML source of a site, this is the fastest way. Although it’s not the most frequently used Chrome shortcut, It’s super convenient if you need it.

Bookmark Shortcuts in Chrome

I use bookmarks a lot to save pages for later, create reading lists, and store references. It’s also a good way to save your most commonly visited pages for quick access.

1. Bookmark Shortcut For Current Page:

• Mac: Cmd + D
• PC: Ctrl + D

If you ever find something interesting on a page and want to save the page for later, this is the best way. It’s quick, easy, and won’t disrupt what you’re currently doing. It will be filed away and you can maintain your flow.

Then you can come back to it whenever you like. Even if you never actually need it, the page is saved away just in case.

2. Open Bookmark Manager Shortcut:

• Mac: Cmd + Alt + B
• PC: Ctrl + Alt + B

Access your saved pages and bookmarks with one shortcut. It actually takes a few clicks to open the Bookmarks Manager with your mouse. So this one really can save you some time if you open Bookmarks often.

3. Toggle Bookmark Bar Shortcut:

• Mac: Cmd + Shift + B
• PC: Ctrl + Shift + B

Another way to access Bookmarks in Chrome is to use the Bookmarks Bar. This is a menu that can sit below the address bar, with your bookmarks available to click.

The problem with leaving it there all of the time, is that it takes up screen space, and can be distracting.

Use this shortcut to toggle it into view when you need it, and right back out of the way when you don’t.

Chrome Shortcuts for Changing Zoom

These are pretty straightforward – they’ll zoom you in and out of pages to your heart’s desire.

1. Zoom In:

• Mac: Cmd + ‘+’ key
• PC: Ctrl + ‘+’ key

2. Zoom Out:

• Mac: Cmd + ‘-’ key
• PC: Ctrl + ‘-’ key

I switch a lot between needing to see the whole page and needing to focus on a section of text. Being able to quickly zoom in and out is necessary for that. Therefore, these are two of my frequently used Chrome shortcuts.

It’s also something that your mouse/ pointing device of choice doesn’t do very effectively in Chrome.

And if you’re going to start optimizing zoom, you probably want to know how to undo your changes.

3. Reset Zoom:

• Mac: Cmd + 0
• PC: Ctrl + 0 

When I’m zooming in and out, it’s useful to be able to go back to the default. Using this reset shortcut snaps your window back to 100% where it began.

You can see how the page appears naturally, and start fresh. 

Chrome Shortcuts for Changing Pages

1. Go Back to Previous Page:

• Mac: Cmd + Left Arrow
• PC: press Backspace

Save yourself from clicking the ‘back’ button – use this shortcut to return to the previous page.

2. Go Forward to Next Page:

• Mac: Cmd + Right Arrow
• PC: Hold Shift + press Backspace

Once you’ve finished going backward, this shortcut works in reverse – taking you forward.

These two shortcuts used together give you the fastest way to move around your page history. This makes quick checks, referencing, and multitasking much easier.

3. Reload Current Page:

• Mac: Cmd + R
• PC: Ctrl + R

Refreshing a current page is another shortcut that I need often. It’s useful for new information being loaded onto a website, in-browser email, and when pages freeze whilst loading.

Chrome Shortcuts for Hyperlinks

1. Open Link in New Tab:

• Mac: Cmd + click link
• PC: Ctrl + click link

Here’s a link to practice with.

How often do you read something with a link that you want to open, without moving away from the page you’re on? I do it a lot. You might even want to keep reading from the current page and visit the linked page later.

By holding your Command/ Control key as you click, the page will open in the next tab for you to view when you’re ready. You won’t lose your current page or your focus.

2. Open Link in New Window:

• Mac: hold Shift + click link
• PC: hold Shift + click link

Here’s a link to practice with.

If a new tab isn’t quite enough, or your current window is getting a bit full, open links in a new window with this shortcut.

For this one, hold the Shift key as you click the link and see the new window appear.

Google Chrome Shortcuts for the Search Bar

1. Put the Cursor in the Search Bar:

• Mac: Cmd + L
• PC: Ctrl + L

From anywhere on the page, move your cursor straight to the search bar. Don’t worry about grabbing your mouse.

And you can start typing the website or search term immediately.

2. Erase Current Search:

• Mac: Cmd + Delete
• PC: Ctrl + Backspace

Once the cursor is in the search bar, clear it with Command/Control and Delete/Backspace. You’ll be ready to enter your search then.

3. Add ‘www.’ and ‘.com’ To Your Search Text:

• Mac: Type website name, then Cmd + Enter
• PC: Type website name, then Ctrl + Enter

If you’re going directly to a website from the address bar, you’re going to push Enter. Save yourself from typing ‘www.’ and ‘.com’ every time – simply hold Command/ Control as you hit the Enter key.

4. Open a New Tab and Search Google:

• Mac and PC: Type search term then Alt + Enter

With this shortcut you can open the Google search results in a new tab just by holding the Alt key as you hit Enter.

This saves you from having to first create a new tab and keeps the page you are currently on.

Chrome Shortcuts for Search Within a Page

1. Open the Find Bar:

• Mac: Cmd + F
• PC: Ctrl + F

Open the Find Bar to search for any terms within the page. This is great for quickly finding the section of a page that is relevant, or counting single phrases.

2. Scroll to Next Keyword:

• Mac: Press Enter
• PC: Ctrl + G

Once you’ve searched your keyword on the page, you can jump from one to the next with this shortcut. This saves scrolling and trying to find them with your eyes. And it’s way faster.

3. Scroll to Previous Keyword:

• Mac: Shift + Enter
• PC: Ctrl + Shift + Enter

Just the same as the shortcut above, except this one lets you move back in the other direction.

Chrome Shortcuts for Settings and Downloads

1. Shortcut to Open Settings:

• Mac: Cmd + Comma key (‘,’)
• PC: No shortcut for PC

This is great for going straight to the settings page in Chrome. I use it to switch between my Google accounts and adjust the theme settings.

2. Shortcut to Open Downloads:

• Mac: Cmd + Shift + J
• PC: Ctrl + J

Get straight to your Downloads list with this shortcut. This gets used a lot on my devices for downloads like PDF’s. It’s powerful to be able to access them all at any point with just a couple of keys.

3. How To Quit Chrome with a Shortcut:

• Mac: Cmd + Q
• PC: Ctrl + Q

Close the whole application down by using this shortcut. This is another way to close all browser windows and tabs. And it also stops Chrome from operating in the background.

When you restart, you will begin a new session. Don’t use this one if you want to be able to quickly reopen tabs though.

4. Chrome Shortcut to Clear Browsing Data:

• Mac: Cmd + Shift + Delete
• PC: Ctrl + Shift + Delete

And finally, cover up your tracks and leave a clear browser history. This shortcut wipes your browsing data, which includes browsing history and cookies.

Congratulations, You’re About To Save Time With Chrome Shortcuts

There you go – all done.

We’ve covered ways to do things faster, keep you focussed, and keep your screens more organized.

Remember what I said – start with the actions you do most often. Check back to this guide as you start to learn more, and you’ll memorize them all before you know it.

And then have fun making things happen with your keyboard.

Good luck, and happy browsing.

Tags:: Hacks, Tech