People who get tasks done without using the mouse with a flick of their fingers on the keyboard seem like computer wizards. By practicing the keyboard shortcuts and function keys on your Chromebook, you navigate the OS and perform tasks faster. Keyboard shortcuts not only save time but also boost productivity and efficiency.
You might be forgiven for thinking Chrome OS probably doesn’t have as many keyboard shortcuts as a Mac or Windows computer. It’s the Chrome web browser running on top of the Linux kernel. It still packs in a lot of keyboard shortcuts though. The Chrome browser itself supports many keyboard shortcuts. On Chromebook, you get even more since the browser handles various functions of the OS.
Below is a huge table of various Chrome OS or Chromebook keyboard shortcuts and what they do.
100+ Chromebook Shortcuts
There are a lot of Chromebook shortcuts and no one can remember them all. Fortunately, nobody has to. Everyone uses their devices differently. Some people use their Chrome OS device to browse content on the web and maybe type a bit of email and messages. Some people will write long articles, and others use them to consume media content.
Naturally, everyone has a different workflow along with different requirements. Your most used functions will be very different than mine. Learn some of these Chromebook keyboard shortcuts and incorporate them into your workflow. Once you get used to them, you won’t need to remember to use them. It becomes natural after a point. Check out our list of keyboard shortcuts for Windows, Mac, Chrome, and more that will make your life easier.
Using these Chrome OS shortcuts, you can take screenshots on your Chromebook, open Task Manager, zoom in or out, control browser settings and manage URLs, create, open, and save files, navigate a page, and do more. You can also download the complete list of keyboard shortcuts as a PDF file from the end of this article.
Basic Chromebook Function Keys |
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| Ctrl + P | Open Print dialog |
| Ctrl + S | Save the current webpage |
| Ctrl + R | Refresh the page |
| Ctrl + Shift + R | Refresh the page without loading the cache |
| Ctrl + O | Open a file |
| Ctrl + H | View History |
| Ctrl + J | Open Downloads |
| Ctrl + D | Bookmark current page |
| Ctrl + Shift + D | Bookmark all open tabs |
| Ctrl + Shift + B | Toggle bookmarks bar |
| Alt + E | Open Chrome’s menu |
| Search + Esc | Open Task Manager |
| Ctrl + U | View page source |
| Ctrl + Shift + I | Open the Developer Tools panel |
Navigating Tabs and Windows |
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| Ctrl + N | Open new window |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Open a new incognito window |
| Ctrl + T | Open new tab |
| Ctrl + W | Close current tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + W | Close current window |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen the last closed tab |
| Ctrl + 1 — Ctrl + 8 | Switch to tabs 1-8 |
| Ctrl + 9 | Switch to the last tab |
| Ctrl +Tab | Move to the next tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Move to the prior tab |
| Ctrl + Click | Open the link in a new tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + Click | Open the link in a new tab and switch to it immediately |
| Shift + Click | Open the link in a new window |
Apps and Shelf Shortcuts |
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| Alt + 1 to Alt + 8 | Open shelf apps 1-8 |
| Alt + 9 | Open the last app on the shelf |
| Alt + Tab | Switch to the last-opened app; keep pressing to cycle through apps |
| Alt + Shift + Tab | Switch to the last recently opened app; keep pressing to cycle through apps |
| Alt + [ | Pin the current app to the left side of the screen |
| Alt + ] | Pin the current app to the right side of the screen |
| Alt + Equals (=) | Maximize current window |
| Alt + Minus (-) | Minimize current window |
| Search + Alt + M | Move the window between screens (when using multiple monitors) |
Webpage Navigation Shortcuts |
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| Ctrl + Plus (+) | Zoom in |
| Ctrl + Minus (-) | Zoom out |
| Ctrl + 0 (Zero) | Reset zoom to 100% |
| Ctrl + F | Search the current page |
| Alt + Left | Go back one page |
| Alt + Right | Go forward one page |
| Alt + Up | Scroll the page up. Equivalent to the Page Up key in Windows |
| Alt + Down | Scroll the page down. Equivalent to the Page Down key in Windows |
| Ctrl + Alt + Up | Jump to the top of the page. Equivalent to the Home key in Windows |
| Ctrl + Alt + Down | Jump to the bottom of the page. Equivalent to the End key in Windows |
Chrome OS System Shortcuts |
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| Shift + Alt + N | Show notifications |
| Ctrl + Forward Slash (/) | Open Help |
| Ctrl + Alt + Forward Slash (/) | Show Chrome OS shortcuts reference window |
| Search + L | Lock screen |
| Ctrl + Shift + Q (twice) | Sign out of Google account |
| Ctrl + Shift + Plus (+) | Increase screen resolution |
| Ctrl + Shift + Minus (-) | Decrease screen resolution |
| Ctrl + Shift + Zero (0) | Reset screen resolution |
| Alt + Brightness Up/Down | Increase/decrease keyboard backlight (if applicable) |
| Ctrl + Window Switcher | Take a screenshot of the entire screen |
| Ctrl + Shift + Window Switcher | Take a screenshot of a selected region |
| Ctrl + Full Screen | Toggle external monitor modes (if applicable) |
Text Editing Shortcuts |
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| Alt + Search | Toggle Caps Lock |
| Alt + Backspace | Delete the next character. Equivalent to the Delete key on Windows |
| Ctrl + Backspace | Delete the previous word |
| Ctrl + Alt + Backspace | Delete next word |
| Ctrl + A | Select all |
| Ctrl + L | Select all text in the address bar |
| Ctrl + Right/Left | Move the cursor to the next/previous word |
| Ctrl + Shift + Right/Left | Select the next/previous word |
| Shift + Search + Right/Left | Select all text to the end/beginning of the current line |
| Ctrl + Search + Right/Left | Jump to the end/beginning of a text field/document |
| Ctrl + C | Copy |
| Ctrl + X | Cut |
| Ctrl + V | Paste |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste without formatting |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo |
Trackpad Shortcuts and Swipe Gestures |
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| Alt + Click | Equivalent to a right-click |
| Click with three fingers | Equivalent to a middle-click |
| Swipe up or down with two fingers | Scroll up or down on the page |
| Swipe right/left with two fingers | Go forward/back one page |
| Swipe down with three fingers | Equivalent to the Window Switcher key |
| Swipe right/left with three fingers | Move between open Chrome tabs |
Accessibility/Advanced Navigation Shortcuts |
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| Shift + Alt + B | Highlight the bookmarks bar; use arrows to navigate |
| Shift + Alt + T | Highlight the icons in the address bar row |
| Shift + Alt + S | Highlight the status area at the bottom-right |
| Shift + Alt+ L | Highlight the first shelf icon |
| Ctrl + Back | Move to the previous keyboard-accessible area on the screen |
| Ctrl + Forward | Move to the next keyboard-accessible area on the screen |
| Shift + Search + Volume Up | Opens the right-click menu for the highlighted element |
| Search + Ctrl + H | Toggle high contrast mode |
| Search + Ctrl + M | Magnify the entire screen |
| Search + Ctrl + D | Magnify part of the screen |
| Ctrl + Alt + Z | Toggle ChromeVox, the built-in screen reader |
Miscellaneous Shortcuts |
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| Ctrl + Enter | Add “www.” and “.com” to the text in the address bar and open the page |
| Ctrl + Period (.) | Show hidden files in the Files app |
| Search + 1 — Search + Equals (=) | Use F keys (F1 through F12) |
| Ctrl + Alt + Period (.) | Switch to the next user (if applicable) |
| Ctrl + Alt + Comma (,) | Switch to the previous user (if applicable) |
| Ctrl + Shift + Space | Cycle between keyboard languages (if applicable) |
| Alt + Shift + M | Open Files app |
With the hope that these Chromebook shortcuts and function keys will help you perform a range of tasks quickly and easily, I wind up my list here. Should I find any other keyboard shortcuts, I’ll update this list. If you want to keep these keyboard shortcuts for ChromeOS for future reference, download the PDF.
