Keyboard shortcuts can be very useful when you're doing any type of work. The reason why they're useful to me is it eliminates the amount of time I have to move my hand over to my mouse and I'm able to progress with my worker at a quicker rate.
In this section we will be going over basic windows keyboard shortcuts and google chrome keyboard shortcuts. Should the need to add more keyboard shortcuts for other browsers arise, this article will be revised..
Windows Shortcut Keys
- Windows Key + R: Opens the Run menu.
- Windows Key + E: Opens File Explorer.
- Alt + Tab: Switch between open programs.
- Windows Key + Up Arrow: Maximize current window.
- Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open Task Manager.
- Windows Key + Break: Opens system properties.
- Windows Key + F: Opens search for files and folders.
- Windows Key + D: Hide/display the desktop.
- Alt + Esc: Switch between programs in order they were opened.
- Alt + Letter: Select menu item by underlined letter.
- Ctrl + Esc: Open Start menu.
- Ctrl + F4: Close active document (does not work with some applications).
- Alt + F4: Quit active application or close current window.
- Alt + Spacebar: Open menu for active program.
- Ctrl + Left or Right Arrow: Move cursor forward or back one word.
- Ctrl + Up or Down Arrow: Move cursor forward or back one paragraph.
- F1: Open Help menu for active application.
- Windows Key + M: Minimize all windows.
- Shift + Windows Key + M: Restore windows that were minimized with previous keystroke.
- Windows + F1: Open Windows Help and Support.
- Windows + Tab: Open Task view.
- Windows + Break: Open the System Properties dialog box.
- Hold Right SHIFT key for eight seconds: Switch FilterKeys on and off.
- Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen: Switch High Contrast on and off.
- Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock: Switch Mouse keys on and off.
- Press Shift five times: Switch Sticky keys on and off.
- Hold Num Lock for five seconds: Switch Toggle keys on and off.
Google Chrome Web Browser - Keyboard Shortcuts
9 of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for the google chrome web browser is listed below. For an expansive list of keyboard shortcuts for the google chrome web browser, visit this link
1. Go Incognito Mode
- On Windows: Ctrl + Shift + N
- On Mac: ⌘ + Shift + N
Incognito Mode is for those times when you want to browse privately and don’t want other people using the computer to see your browsing history – think family computers or shared workstations.
This mode blocks Chrome from saving cookies, temporary Internet files that contain your IP address, login details, and other browsing information.
One scenario that Incognito Mode is useful is when you want to get around paywalls on sites like the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and the New York Times – sites that have a 10-article limit.
Going incognito usually lets you read for free, especially if you click on a link from a social media site.
2. Open Last Closed Tab
- On Windows: Ctrl + Shift + T
- On Mac: ⌘ + Shift + T
This shortcut is probably one that will get the most mileage for you on this list.
This shortcut basically lets you open the last browser tab you closed – great for those times when you accidentally closed a tab or you go through the last series of tabs you closed.
You can perform this function until the first tab you closed since running Chrome.
NOTE: This feature does not work in Incognito Mode, so take care when closing tabs in that mode.
3. Close the Active Right Away
- On Windows: Ctrl + W
- On Mac: ⌘ + W
While you can always click on the tiny X to close individual tabs on Chrome, why do that when you can simply press Ctrl + W instead?
This Chrome shortcut instantly closes the tab that’s current open (i.e. the one you’re currently seeing on your screen).
And remember, if you close a tab by accident, you can always press Ctrl + Shift + T to bring it back.
4. Jump Between Next & Previous Tabs
- On Windows: Ctrl + PgDn (Next open tab) or Ctrl + PgUp (Previous open tab)
- On Mac: ⌘ + Option + Right arrow (Next open tab) and ⌘ + Option + Left arrow (Previous open tab)
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Does the image above look familiar?
If you have a habit of opening multiple tabs when browsing the Internet, it can be frustrating to have to use your mouse partner to click on every other tab and see what’s on it.
Instead, you can simply move to the next and previous open tab by holding Ctrl + PgDn or Ctrl + PgUp.
5. Minimize the Active Window
- On Windows: Ctrl + M
- On Mac: ⌘ + M
If for some reason, you’re someone who opens multiple windows instead of tabs, you can minimize open windows right away by pressing Ctrl + M.
This is useful if you have stacks of browser windows on top of the other.
6. Open Your Downloads Page
- On Windows: Ctrl + J
- On Mac: ⌘ + Option + L
Need to see what files you downloaded using Chrome?
This shortcut brings up your download window and lets you access downloaded files through the browser rather than look for it using File Explorer on Windows or Finder on Mac.
7. Open Bookmarks Manager
- On Windows: Ctrl + B
- On Mac: ⌘ + Option + B
Use this shortcut to open Bookmarks Manager on Chrome, which will allow you to open and delete individual bookmarks, create bookmark folders, and move bookmarks into different folders.
This shortcut is particularly useful for users who keep hundreds of bookmarks for work, school, or just life in general.
8. Snap Your Cursor to the Search Bar
- On Windows: Ctrl + L
- On Mac: ⌘ + L
Instead of having to take your hands away from the keyboard to move the cursor to the search bar, use this shortcut to instantly bring your cursor to the search bar to Google something or type in a URL.
9. Clear Browsing Data
- On Windows: Ctrl + Shift + Delete
- On Mac: ⌘ + Shift + Delete
As mentioned earlier, one of the downsides of using Incognito Mode is that you can’t bring back tabs you closed by accident because Chrome doesn’t store your browsing history.
If you’re concerned about privacy when using a loaner machine, a shared computer, or a machine at an Internet café, you can use this shortcut to bring up the “Clear Browsing Data” page, where you can then clear your data manually.
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