Chromebook keyboard shortcuts - Chromebook Help (original) (raw)

To complete tasks quickly, you can use keyboard shortcuts. To find shortcuts on this page, press Ctrl + f and type what you want. To find all keyboard shortcuts, press Ctrl + Search + s.

Important: This article is only for US Chromebook customers with a standard English QWERTY keyboard. If you have an international keyboard, you can also follow the steps below.

To find keyboard shortcuts:

1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
2. Select Settings .
3. Under “Device,” select Keyboard and inputs View keyboard shortcuts.

Shortcuts on external keyboards

If you use a Windows or Mac keyboard, press the Windows key or Command key instead of Search key or Launcher key .

To change how a specific keyboard key works:

1. On your chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
   • Or press Alt + Shift + s.
2. Select Settings .
3. Under "Device," select Keyboard and inputs.
4. Change the function of one or more keys.

Popular shortcuts

EXPAND ALL COLLAPSE ALL

All other shortcuts

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the Search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Tabs & windows

Open a new window	Ctrl + n
Open a new window in Incognito mode	Ctrl + Shift + n
Open a new tab	Ctrl + t
Open a file in the browser	Ctrl + o
Close the current tab	Ctrl + w
Close the current window	Ctrl + Shift + w
Reopen the last tab or window you closed	Ctrl + Shift + t
Go to tabs 1-8 in the window	Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 8
Go to the last tab in the window	Ctrl + 9
Go to the next tab in the window	Ctrl + Tab
Go to the previous tab in the window	Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Switch quickly between windows	Press and hold Alt, press Tab until you get to the window you want to open, then release. You can also press and hold Alt, then press Tab, and select a window with the left or right arrow keys, mouse, or touch.
Open the window you used least recently	Press and hold Shift + Alt, press Tab until you get to the window you want to open, then release.
Go to previous page in your browsing history	Alt + Left arrow
Go to the next page in your browsing history	Alt + Right arrow
Open the link in a new tab in the background	Press Ctrl and click a link
Open the link in a new tab and switch to the new tab	Press Ctrl + Shift and click a link
Open the link in a new window	Press Shift and click a link
Open the link in the tab	Drag the link to the tab's address bar
Open the link in a new tab	Drag the link to a blank area on the tab strip
Open the webpage in a new tab	Type a web address (URL) in the address bar, then press Alt + Enter
Return the tab to its original position	While dragging the tab, press Esc
Dock a window on the left	Alt + [ (left square bracket)
Maximize window	Alt + =
Minimize window	Alt + - (minus)
Dock a window on the right	Alt + ] (right square bracket)
Switch windows between screens (when your Chromebook is connected to a monitor)	Search + Alt + m (or) Launcher + Alt + m

Page & web browser

System & display settings

Text editing

Text app

Accessibility

Learn how to make your Chromebook accessible.

Turn ChromeVox (spoken feedback) on or off	Ctrl + Alt + z
Turn on high contrast mode	Search + Ctrl + h (or) Launcher + Ctrl + h
Magnify your whole screen	Ctrl + Search + m (or) Ctrl + Launcher + m
Magnify part of your screen	Ctrl + Search + d (or) Ctrl + Launcher + d
Move around in fullscreen-magnifier mode	Ctrl + Alt + Up , Down , Left , or Right
Highlight the launcher button on your shelf	Shift + Alt + L
Highlight the next item on your shelf	Shift + Alt + L, then Tab (or) Shift + Alt + L, then Right arrow
Highlight the previous item on your shelf	Shift + Alt + L, then Shift + Tab (or) Shift + Alt + L, then Left arrow
Open the highlighted button on your shelf	Shift + Alt + L, then Space (or) Shift + Alt + L, then Enter
Remove the highlight from a button on your shelf	Shift + Alt + L, then Esc
Switch focus between: Status area (where the time appears) Launcher Address bar Bookmarks bar (if visible) The webpage that's open Downloads bar (if visible)	Ctrl + Back or Ctrl + Forward
Highlight the bookmarks bar (if shown)	Shift + Alt + b
Highlight the row with the address bar	Shift + Alt + t
Open right-click menu for highlighted item	Search + Shift + Increase volume (or) Launcher + Shift + Increase volume
Move an app icon up, down or to the side in the launcher	Ctrl + Up , Down , Left , or Right
Move an app in or out of a folder in the launcher	Ctrl + Shift + Up , Down , Left , or Right
Use shortcuts on a braille keyboard	Check braille keyboard shortcuts

Desks

Set F11 & F12 keys

You can remap the F11 and F12 keys.

Important: These key options assume that the keyboard has Back in F1 position and Refresh in F2 position.

1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
2. Go to Settings .
3. Select Device Keyboard and inputs.
4. Under “Built-in Keyboard,” select Customize keyboard keys.
5. Next to "F11" or "F12," select the shortcut you want from the dropdown menu.

For Chromebook keyboards with less than 12 top row keys:

• The key options for F11 if top-row keys as function keys are on:
  • Disabled
  • Shift + Back
  • Alt + Back
  • Ctrl + Shift + Back
• The key options for F11 if top-row keys as function keys are off:
  • Disabled
  • Search + Shift + Back
  • Search + Alt + Back
  • Search + Ctrl + Shift + Back
• The key options for F12 if top-row keys as function keys are on:
  • Disabled
  • Shift + Refresh
  • Alt + Refresh
  • Ctrl + Shift + Refresh
• The key options for F12 if top-row keys as function keys are off:
  • Turned off
  • Search + Shift + Refresh
  • Search + Alt + Refresh
  • Search + Ctrl + Shift + Refresh

Tip: This setting is disabled by default.

Related resources

• Use your Chromebook keyboard
• Choose keyboard language and special characters
• Using the text cursor to navigate and select text
• Customize your keyboard shortcuts

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