The 70 most useful hotkeys for Google Chrome
They will save you time and help you work more productively.
Google Chrome is a popular web browser, the main purpose of which is a comfortable work on the Internet. The browser is equipped with a set of useful features and tools that each user adjusts to himself for fast and comfortable surfing. To make working in Chrome even more convenient, you can use hotkeys to call specific functions.
Interacting with windows and tabs
Most of the time in the browser we open tabs and windows, switch between them, and click on links. It’s easy to do all this with the mouse, but it’s much easier to use Chrome hotkeys. See how easy it is.
For Windows
- Ctrl + N – new window.
- Ctrl + T – new tab.
- Ctrl + Shift + N – new window in incognito mode.
- Ctrl + click – opening a link in a new background tab.
- Ctrl + Shift + click – opening a link in a new tab with switching to it.
- Shift + click – opens a link in a new window.
- Ctrl + Shift + T – restore the last closed tab (up to 10 tabs).
- Ctrl + W – close the active tab or pop-up window.
- Ctrl + Tab – switch between tabs.
For Mac
- ⌘ + N – new window.
- ⌘ + T to open a new tab.
- ⌘ + Shift + N – a new window in incognito mode.
- ⌘ + Click – opens a link in a new background tab.
- ⌘ + Shift + click – opening a link in a new tab with switching to it.
- Shift + click – opens the link in a new window.
- ⌘ + Shift + T – restore the last closed tab (up to 10 tabs).
- Option + ⌘ + ⇨ and Option + ⌘ + ⇦ – switch between tabs.
- ⌘ + W – close the active tab or pop-up window.
- ⌘ + Shift + W – close the active window.
- ⌘ + M – minimize the window.
Interacting with content on the page
There are many ways to navigate through pages and interact with content, but trust me: the fastest are shortcuts.
For Windows
- Ctrl + S – save the page.
- Ctrl + P – print the page.
- F5 or Ctrl + R – refresh page.
- Ctrl + F5 or Shift + F5 – forced refreshing (without regard to the cache).
- Esc – cancel page loading.
- Ctrl + F – search.
- Ctrl + U – page source code.
- Ctrl + D – bookmark for the current page.
- Ctrl + Shift + D – bookmarks for all open pages.
- F11 – full-screen mode.
- Ctrl + plus and Ctrl + minus – change the page scale.
- Ctrl + 0 – standard zooming.
- Space – scroll page by the screen.
- Home – switch to the top of the page.
- End – switch to the end of the page.
- Shift + wheel – page scroll left or right.
For Mac
- ⌘ + S – save the page.
- ⌘ + P to print the page.
- ⌘ + R to refresh the page.
- ⌘ + F – search.
- ⌘ + Option + U – source code of the page.
- ⌘ + D – bookmark for the current page.
- ⌘ + Shift + D – bookmarks all open pages.
- ⌘ + Shift + F – full screen mode.
- ⌘ + plus and ⌘ + minus – zooms the page.
- ⌘ + 0 – standard page scale.
- Space – scroll the page screen by screen.
- Fn + ⇦ – switch to the beginning of the page.
- Fn + ⇨ – switch to the end of the page.
Interaction with the address bar
We don’t use it very often, but you can save a few precious seconds by using it. Most things are easier to do with a mouse, but Chrome shortcuts come in handy for some of them.
For Windows
- Ctrl + L – Select URL or text in address bar.
- Alt + Enter – Open the URL in a new tab.
For Mac
- Press ⌘ + L to highlight URLs or text in the address bar.
- Press ⌘ + Enter to open the URL in a new tab.
Settings and features
All of Chrome’s features and settings are available from the menu, but why waste time wandering around? Memorize the shortcuts to commonly used features, and you’ll be more productive!
For Windows
- Alt + F or F10 – settings.
- Ctrl + Shift + B – show or hide bookmarks panel.
- Ctrl + H – history.
- Ctrl + J – downloads.
- Shift + Esc – Task Manager.
- Ctrl + Shift + J – Developer Tools.
- Ctrl + Shift + Delete – history clearing.
- Ctrl + Shift + M – switch between user accounts.
For Mac
- ⌘ + Shift + B – show or hide the bookmark bar.
- ⌘ + Option + B – Bookmark Manager.
- ⌘ + , – settings.
- ⌘ + Y – History.
- ⌘ + Shift + J – Downloads.
- ⌘ + Shift + Delete – Clear history.
- ⌘ + Shift + M – switch between user accounts.
- ⌘ + Option + I – Developer tools.
Chrome shortcuts
The quick extension method given in this article does not apply to smartphones. Because it requires a physical keyboard. Also, the mobile version of Chrome doesn’t support working with the extension in the sense that the desktop version does. But the tips will be useful to both Windows and Mac users.
Although, even here there are peculiarities and not all extensions will work properly with hotkeys. Just not all extensions support this feature, but during the configuration, you will be able to see this and understand whether you can assign “hotkeys” to this particular extension.
What are hotkeys in Google Chrome for?
Not all users know what hotkeys are, so let’s first understand this concept and why they are needed at all. So, a hotkey is a combination and simultaneous pressing of several keys on the computer keyboard, the result of which is a call of a certain function in the system. This applies to Google Chrome as well. That is, you can press a certain combination of keys and go to bookmarks, settings, extensions, open a new tab or immediately perform a specific option. Knowing the shortcuts will make it easier for you to work in the browser and make it faster and more comfortable.
How to launch Chrome extensions?
In order to run Google Chrome extensions, you need to click on its icon next to the address bar. They go there immediately after installation and are essentially within walking distance, but you still have to reach them with your mouse.
If you type a lot, you can switch between the tabs with the hotkeys, and I find it more convenient to invoke extensions with the hotkeys. Of course, this only applies to those that you really need to open and their main functionality is not reduced to running in the background.
How to configure hotkeys for Google Chrome extensions
First of all, you need to understand where all the extensions are and how to access them. Only after that, you can make changes to the way you run them. Many people think that you can manage them only by running them next to the address bar, but this is not true.
To access extensions, you must click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the program interface. In the menu that pops up, you must select the “Advanced Tools” item, which is almost at the very bottom. Hovering your cursor over it will open another menu where you should select “Extensions”.
All of your extensions will appear in front of you and you can read or customize them. It is interesting that clicking on “Details” next to the extension does not give you the opportunity to make some settings, such as hotkeys.
To configure them, you need to click on the three bars on the left side of the screen and configure the shortcuts thereby selecting the appropriate item. You will see only those extensions that support keyboard shortcuts. I have only two of the six extensions installed.
In order to configure the hotkeys directly, you should click on the “Specify hotkeys” field and select the combination that seems convenient to you. To do this, the Shift, Alt, and Control (or Command, if you have a Mac) keys should be used. You must assign a letter or a number to them. If this combination is not available, the system simply won’t accept it.
How do I install Google Chrome extensions?
Installing Google Chrome extensions is easy, but you need to understand what kind of extension you need. To do this, you can use an Internet search and find reviews on forums and thematic sites or read the description in the extension store inside Google Chrome.
You can open the extension store at this link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions.
Next, you will need to enter into the search what you need and have already chosen. If with conditional translators everything is simple, then the rest of the extensions will sometimes be more difficult. But you can simply study the list of recommendations. Perhaps there will be something you need that you didn’t even know existed.
How do I uninstall Google Chrome extensions?
If you’ve got everything from an extension you’ve been using and you don’t need it anymore, you can and should remove it so it doesn’t hang in plain sight and overload the insides of Chrome.
To do this, you only need to perform a few actions:
- Press the “three dots” in the upper right corner of the screen
- Select “More Tools
- Select “Extensions” from the menu that appears.
- Find the extension you want and click “Uninstall next to it”
These simple actions will allow you to get rid of a pile of unnecessary extensions and things that are just stored on your computer.
Are browser extensions safe?
Objectively, there is a small risk. Many extensions run in the background and therefore access the information you’re viewing or sending.
This is largely why it is better to remove unused extensions and control what you install, giving preference to trusted developers. If you do so, extensions will be as safe as possible, and the risks can be neglected.
