Web Browser Shortcuts
Image by Campaign Creators
When we’re using a computer – whether that be Windows or Mac – there’s a good chance that the majority of time we spend on it will be using a web browser. Aside from just surfing the web or social media, an increasing number of applications are accessed completely through web browsers rather than through a dedicated desktop app, well known examples being Google Sheets/Docs and Canva.
As we’re spending so much time using web browsers, anything that can help us work quicker with them is extremely valuable! I use web browser keyboard shortcuts constantly – it’s critical to how I increase my work speed and efficiency. The less time I spend scrambling to click through browser windows and tabs means more time I can spend on actually finding and using the information there!
I’ve compiled a list of my favourite shortcuts below. These should work across all the major web browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari) but unfortunately as there are so many browser options it wasn’t possible to double-check every potential shortcut on every potential app.
I hope you’ll find some of these helpful and that they make your web browsing even just a little bit quicker and easier!
| Windows Keyboard | Mac Keyboard | Action | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + Tab | Ctrl + Tab | Cycles to next tab in active browser window | Tabs & Windows |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Cycles to previous tab in active browser window | Tabs & Windows |
| Ctrl + 1-9 | ⌘ Cmd + 1-9 | Selects corresponding tab in browser | Tabs & Windows |
| Ctrl + N | ⌘ Cmd + N | Open new browser window | Tabs & Windows |
| Ctrl + T | ⌘ Cmd + T | Open new browser tab | Tabs & Windows |
| Ctrl + W | ⌘ Cmd + W | Close active browser tab | Tabs & Windows |
| Ctrl + Shift + W | ⌘ Cmd + Shift + W | Close active browser window | Tabs & Windows |
| Ctrl + H | ⌘ Cmd + Y | Show History | Tabs & Windows |
| Ctrl + J | ⌘ Cmd + Shift + J | Show Downloads | Tabs & Windows |
| Alt + ← | ⌘ Cmd + [ | Go back to previous page in history | Navigation |
| Alt + → | ⌘ Cmd + ] | Go forward to next page in history (after going back) | Navigation |
| Alt + Home | ⌘ Cmd + Home | Go to home page | Navigation |
| Home | ⌘ Cmd + ↑ | Go to top of page | Navigation |
| End | ⌘ Cmd + ↓ | Go to bottom of page | Navigation |
| Ctrl + F | ⌘ Cmd + F | Search text within current page | Navigation |
| F5 | F5 | Reload current page | Navigation |
| Ctrl + L | ⌘ Cmd + L | Jump to search/address bar | Navigation |
| Alt + Enter | ⌘ Cmd + Return | Open address bar search in new tab | Navigation |
| Shift + Enter | Shift + Return | Open address bar search in new window | Navigation |
| Ctrl + Left-click | ⌘ Cmd + Left-click | Open link in new tab | Navigation |
| Ctrl + Shift + Left-click | ⌘ Cmd + Shift + Left-click | Open link in new tab – foreground or background based on settings | Navigation |
| Shift + Left-click | Shift + Left-click | Open link in new window | Navigation |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | ⌘ Cmd + Shift + N | Chrome/Edge: Open new window in Incoginito Mode | Navigation |
| Ctrl + Shift + P | ⌘ Cmd + Shift + P | Firefox: Open new window in Private Mode | Navigation |
| Ctrl + = | ⌘ Cmd + = | Zoom in page | Appearance |
| Ctrl + - | ⌘ Cmd + - | Zoom out page | Appearance |
| Ctrl + 0 | ⌘ Cmd + 0 | Reset page zoom level to 100% | Appearance |
| F11 | Fn + F | Fullscreen mode | Appearance |
| Ctrl + D | ⌘ Cmd + D | Bookmark current page | Bookmarks |
| Ctrl + Shift + D | ⌘ Cmd + Shift + D | Bookmark all open tabs | Bookmarks |
| Ctrl + Shift + O | ⌘ Cmd + Opt + B | Open Bookmarks manager window | Bookmarks |
| Ctrl + Shift + B | ⌘ Cmd + Shift + B | Show/hide Bookmarks bar at top of page | Bookmarks |
| F12 | ⌘ Cmd + Opt + I | Inspector mode (shows highlightable code behind webpage) | Special Functions |
| Ctrl + U | ⌘ Cmd + Opt + U | Show HTML source code for webpage | Special Functions |
| Ctrl + S | ⌘ Cmd + S | Save page as complete HTML file | Special Functions |
| Ctrl + P | ⌘ Cmd + P | Print/Create PDF of current page | Special Functions |