Are you sure you know how to use Chrome to its full potential? Google’s web browser is the most widely used on both desktop and mobile, yet almost everyone is literally unaware of some tricks that could make using it even more efficient.
In this guide, we’ve collected 10 must-learn Chrome shortcuts that will be very useful for speeding up some repetitive tasks you usually do with the Google Chrome web browser.
Add the page to your favorites
We all have sites that we visit more frequently during the day or week: logically, these sites are already part of the list of favorites, but if this is not the case, there is a shortcut that allows you to add them instantly .
- Ctrl + D from Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux computers
- Command + D from Mac
Without the shortcut, however, the path to add a site to the list of favorites requires these steps: first of all, you must connect to the website’s home page, then click on the star icon in the address bar, confirm the name of the favorite and the folder where you want to save it, and then press “Done” to confirm your choice.
Another useful shortcut to learn is one that allows you to delete browsing data in just a few moments . Remember that deleting this type of data can help protect you from credential theft and Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks, which involve a hacker inserting himself into a communication between two parties, such as a user and a website, with the aim of intercepting sensitive data such as login credentials, financial transactions, and email addresses.
- Ctrl + Shift + Del from Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux
- Command + Shift + Del on Mac
Search Google instantly
In an hour of internet browsing, you might find yourself having to perform several web searches (yes, even now that artificial intelligence is rampant ), and until now, you’ve probably always typed google.it into the address bar for each new search. What if we told you there was a shortcut that lets you instantly open a Google search without having to use the address bar or open a new window? Just use the following keyboard shortcut:
- Ctrl + K from Windows, ChromeOS and Linux
- Command + K on Mac
Hide bookmarks
Taking a screenshot of a web page or a portion of it is one of the most common actions among computer workers, screenshots that are then shared with colleagues or superiors. In this regard, for purely privacy reasons , the advice is to temporarily hide the list of favorites , even if there are no sites or pages to be ashamed of. You can do this instantly thanks to a dedicated shortcut, which allows you to hide the entire favorites bar in a flash.
- Ctrl + Shift + B from Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux
- Command + Shift + B on Mac
Alternatively, you could move the list of all your bookmarks to another folder ( “Other bookmarks” ) so that they don’t appear directly in the bookmarks bar. In this case, the following shortcut is useful:
- Ctrl + Shift + D from Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux
- Command + Shift + D on Mac
Switch to any tab instantly
When you have multiple Chrome tabs open, being able to instantly switch between them without having to move the mouse cursor is a significant time saver. There’s a dedicated shortcut for this, which works great if you have up to eight tabs open.
- Ctrl + 1 up to Ctrl + 8 from Windows, ChromeOS and Linux
- Command + 1 to Command + 8 from Mac
If you have a larger number of tabs open, another Chrome shortcut that lets you immediately open the last tab may be useful.
- Ctrl + 9 from Windows, ChromeOS and Linux
- Command + 9 from Mac
Adjust the page zoom
For those over 40, although there are always exceptions that prove the rule, sometimes zooming in on a web page is essential for easier reading. It could be the terms and conditions of a new mobile plan, or the terms and conditions for using your bank account’s online banking platform: whatever text you need to enlarge, you can do it instantly using these Chrome shortcuts .
Zoom in
- Ctrl + + from Windows, ChromeOS and Linux
- Command + + from Mac
Zoom out
- Ctrl + – from Windows, ChromeOS and Linux
- Command + – from Mac
Reset zoom
- Ctrl + 0 from Windows, ChromeOS and Linux
- Command + 0 from Mac
Reopen the last closed tab
Haste is a bad counselor, as we all know. At various times during the day, for example, you might find yourself closing a window due to an emergency or unjustified haste. If this happens frequently, from now on you can use a handy shortcut to instantly reopen the last tab you accidentally closed .
- Ctrl + Shift + T from Windows, ChromeOS and Linux
- Command + Shift + T on MacRead also
Calling Gemini from the address bar
Artificial intelligence also comes into play in this guide . This time, it’s Gemini, Google’s AI assistant , and a keyboard shortcut that lets you invoke it directly from the address bar to ask it anything, without having to visit its dedicated page. This is a significant convenience, as long as it doesn’t become an addiction in the long run.
All you need to do is type the following shortcut into the address bar, whether you’re using a Mac, a Windows PC, a Chromebook, or a Linux laptop.
- @Gemini
After you enter @Gemini, enter your request as you normally would with the classic AI-powered Google Assistant interface.
Move tabs without dragging them
The following Chrome shortcuts will help you avoid having to constantly use your mouse/touchpad. These shortcuts allow you to move tabs without having to drag them with your mouse or touchpad. Once you get the hang of it, using these keyboard shortcuts will become almost second nature.
- Ctrl + Shift + Page Up from Windows, ChromeOS and Linux to move the tab to the right
- Ctrl + Shift + Page Down on Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux to move the tab to the left
- Command + Alt + Page Up on Mac to move the tab to the right
- Command + Alt + Page Down on Mac to move the tab to the left
Note : Make sure your laptop’s keyboard has Page Up and Page Down keys; they’re usually located just above the arrow keys. If they’re not present, you unfortunately can’t use these Chrome shortcuts.
Task Manager built into Chrome
Professionals who work on computers often find themselves with numerous tabs open. In extreme situations, the system may start to slow down. To find out exactly why, and more generally to constantly monitor Google Chrome , it can be useful to instantly open the Chrome Task Manager . This allows you to quickly identify the page or pages, or any extensions, that are causing the problem. Here are Chrome shortcuts for various operating systems.
- Shift + Esc from Windows and Linux
- Search + Esc from ChromeOS
If you found this guide on Chrome shortcuts interesting, we invite you to read another article of ours that you might like, the one on keyboard shortcuts and key combinations on Windows .
