The secret to easy web browsing is right at your fingertips—literally. By learning a few keyboard shortcuts on Google Chrome, you can speed up your online searches without ever taking your hands off the keyboard. There’s no need to enable anything, either. Using these Chrome shortcuts really is as simple as pressing the right combination of keys.
So, what will you be able to do? For starters, open new tabs, save bookmarks, scroll through web pages, and find exactly what you’re looking for. And whether you’ve got a Mac or a PC, we’ve got you covered. Just print out these cheat sheets and you’ll be good to go! If you happen to be logging on to check your email, learn these Gmail shortcuts, too.
Chrome keyboard shortcuts for Mac
Perhaps you found an amazing article to save, or maybe you want to keep your online search away from prying eyes. No matter what you’re hoping to do, there’s a good chance your Mac has a key (or two) for that. Instead of using a mouse to browse the web, Mac users can rely on the Command key to help them do everything from opening a hyperlink to switching between tabs. These iPad and iPhone keyboard shortcuts will also come in handy if you have multiple Apple devices.
Tabs
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Command + T |
New tab shortcut: Open new tab |
Command + W |
Close tab shortcut: Close current tab |
Command + Shift + T |
Reopen the last tab you closed |
Command + Option + Right arrow key |
Switch to the tab to the right |
Command + Option + Left arrow key |
Switch to the tab to the left |
Command + Number of the tab you need |
Jump to a specific tab |
Command + Clicking on a link |
Open hyperlink in new tab |
Windows
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Command + N |
Open new window |
Shift + Clicking on a link |
Open hyperlink in new window |
Command + Shift + W |
Close window shortcut: Close current window |
Command + Ctrl + F |
Turn on (or off) full-screen mode |
Command + M |
Minimize current window |
Features
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Command + D |
Bookmark web page |
Command + Shift + D |
Save all open tabs as bookmarks |
Command + Shift + B |
Open the bookmarks bar |
Command + F |
Find a word or phrase on the current web page |
Command + G |
Jump to the next mention of the word or phrase you searched for |
Command + Shift + G |
Jump to the previous mention of the word or phrase you searched for |
If you’re an Apple aficionado, you’ll also want to memorize these other Mac keyboard shortcuts.
Address bar
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Command + L |
Move cursor to address bar |
Search term + Enter |
Search with default search engine (when cursor is in the address bar) |
Search engine name + Tab |
Search with a different search engine (when cursor is in the address bar) |
Website name + Ctrl + Enter |
Add “www.” and “.com” to a website name, and open the website in the current tab |
Website name + Ctrl + Shift + Enter |
Open the website in a new tab |
Browsing
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Command + [ |
Chrome back shortcut: Go back to last web page |
Command + ] |
Move forward a web page |
Command + “+” key |
Zoom in |
Command + “-” key |
Zoom out |
Command + 0 |
Return everything on the page to the default size |
Shift + Space bar |
Scroll up |
Space bar |
Scroll down |
Command + O + Select a file |
Open file |
Command + P |
Print current web page |
Command + S |
Save current web page |
Command + Shift + H |
Go to home page |
Command + Shift + R |
Refresh page |
Chrome keyboard shortcuts for PC
If you own a PC, you can substitute the Control key for the Command key in many of the tricks listed above. PCs don’t offer all of the same Chrome shortcut features that Macs do, but there are still plenty of effortless, mouse-free ways to speed up your web browsing. This cheat sheet of Windows keyboard shortcuts can help you get more mileage out of your searches, too.
Tabs
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Ctrl + T |
New tab shortcut: Open new tab |
Ctrl + W |
Close tab shortcut: Close current tab |
Ctrl + Shift + T |
Reopen the last tab you closed |
Ctrl + Tab |
Switch to the tab to the right |
Ctrl + 9 |
Switch to the tab to the left |
Ctrl + Number of the tab you need |
Jump to a specific tab |
Ctrl + Clicking on a link |
Open hyperlink in new tab |
Windows
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Ctrl + N |
Open new window |
Shift + Clicking on a link |
Open hyperlink in new window |
Ctrl + Shift + W |
Close window shortcut: Close current window |
F11 |
Turn on (or off) full-screen mode |
Ever wondered what those F1–F12 keys do? We’ve got the answers!
Features
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Ctrl + D |
Bookmark web page |
Ctrl + Shift + D |
Save all open tabs as bookmarks |
Ctrl + Shift + B |
Open the bookmarks bar |
Ctrl + F |
Find a word or phrase on the current web page |
Ctrl + G |
Jump to the next mention of the word or phrase you searched for |
Ctrl + Shift + G |
Jump to the previous mention of the word or phrase you searched for |
Address bar
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Ctrl + L |
Move cursor to address bar |
Search term + Enter |
Search with default search engine (when cursor is in the address bar) |
Search engine name + Tab |
Search with a different search engine (when cursor is in the address bar) |
Website name + Ctrl + Enter |
Add “www.” and “.com” to a site name, and open the website in the current tab |
Browsing
COMMAND |
ACTION |
Alt + Left arrow |
Chrome back shortcut: Go back to last web page |
Alt + Right arrow |
Go to the next web page |
Ctrl + “+” key |
Zoom in |
Ctrl + “-” key |
Zoom out |
Ctrl + 0 |
Return everything on the page to the default size |
Space bar |
Scroll down |
PgDn |
Scroll down |
Shift + Space |
Scroll up |
PgUp |
Scroll up |
Ctrl + O + Select a file |
Open file |
Ctrl + P |
Print current web page |
Ctrl + S |
Save current web page |
Alt + Home |
Go to home page |
F5 |
Refresh page |
Now that you’re up to speed on your Chrome shortcuts, learn these Zoom shortcuts to make your next video call go a whole lot smoother.
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