11 Essential Keyboard Shortcuts Google Chrome/Chromium Users Should Know

Master these Google Chrome keyboard shortcuts for a better, smoother and more productive web browsing experience. A downloadable cheatsheet is also included.
Warp Terminal

Google Chrome is the most popular web browser and there is no denying it. Its open source version Chromium also gets some attention and some Linux distributions now include it as the default web browser.

If you have installed Google Chrome on Ubuntu or any other operating system, you can improve your browsing experience by using Google Chrome keyboard shortcuts. No need to navigate around with your cursor to get things done. Just master these shortcuts, and you’ll even save some time and be more productive.

I am using the term Google Chrome, but these shortcuts are equally applicable to many Chromium-based browsers.

11 Cool Chrome Keyboard shortcuts you should be using

If you are a pro, you might know a few of these Chrome shortcuts already but the chances are that you may still find some hidden gems here. Let’s see.

Keyboard Shortcuts Action
Ctrl+T Open a new tab
Ctrl+N Open a new window
Ctrl+Shift+N Open incognito window
Ctrl+W Close current tab
Ctrl+Shift+T Reopen last closed tab
Ctrl+Shift+W Close the window
Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab Switch to right or left tab
Ctrl+L Go to search/address bar
Ctrl+D Bookmark the website
Ctrl+H Access browsing history
Ctrl+J Access downloads history
Shift+Esc Open Chrome task manager

You can download this list of useful Chrome keyboard shortcuts for quick reference.

1. Open a new tab with Ctrl+T

Need to open a new tab? Just press Ctrl and T keys together and you’ll have a new tab opened.

2. Open a new window with Ctrl+N

Too many tabs opened already? Time to open a fresh new window. Use Ctrl and N keys to open a new browser window.

3. Go incognito with Ctrl+Shift+N

Checking flight or hotel prices online? Going incognito might help. Open an incognito window in Chrome with Ctrl+Shift+N.

4. Close a tab with Ctrl+W

Close the current tab with Ctrl and W key. No need to take the mouse to the top and look for the x button.

5. Accidentally closed a tab? Reopen it with Ctrl+Shift+T

This is my favorite Google Chrome shortcut. No more ‘oh crap’ when you close a tab you didn’t mean to. Use the Ctrl+Shift+T and it will open the last closed tab. Keep hitting this key combination and it will keep on bringing the closed tabs.

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6. Close the entire browser window with Ctrl+Shift+W

Done with your work? Time to close the entire browser window with all the tabs. Use the keys Ctrl+Shift+W and the browser window will disappear like it never existed.

7. Switch between tabs with Ctrl+Tab

Too many tabs open? You can move to the right tab with Ctrl+Tab. Want to move left? Use Ctrl+Shift+Tab. Press these keys repeatedly and you can move between all the open tabs in the current browser window.

You can also use Ctrl+0 to Ctrl+9 to go to one of the first ten tabs. But this Chrome keyboard shortcut doesn’t work for the 11th tabs onward.

8. Go to the search/address bar with Ctrl+L

Want to type a new URL or search for something quickly? You can use Ctrl+L and it will highlight the address bar on the top.

9. Bookmark the current website with Ctrl+D

Found something interesting? Save it in your bookmarks with the Ctrl+D keys combination.

10. Go back in history with Ctrl+H

You can open up your browser history with the Ctrl+H keys. Search through the history if you are looking for a page visited some time ago or deleted something that you don’t want to be seen anymore.

11. See your downloads with Ctrl+J

Pressing the Ctrl+J keys in Chrome will take you to the Downloads page. This page will show you all the downloads action you performed.

Bonus shortcut: Open Chrome task manager with Shift+Esc

Many people don’t even know that there is a task manager in the Chrome browser. Chrome is infamous for eating up your system’s RAM. And when you have plenty of tabs opened, finding the culprit is not easy.

You can see all the open tabs and their system utilization stats with Chrome task manager. You can also see hidden processes such as Chrome extensions and other services.

chrometaskmanager 1
Chrome Task Manager

I am going to this table here for a quick reference.

Download Chrome keyboard shortcuts cheatsheet

I know that mastering keyboard shortcuts depends on habit; you can make it a habit by using it repeatedly.

To help you in this task, I have created this Google Chrome keyboard shortcut cheat sheet.

You can download the below image in PDF form, print it, and put it on your desk. This way you can use practice the shortcuts frequently.

copy of google chrome shortcuts 1
Google Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Keyboard shortcut fan? Here are more

I guess you use more than one browser. If Firefox is the other browser, you can use similar shortcuts there as well.

15 Useful Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts [With Cheatsheet]
Love Mozilla Firefox browser? Use it more efficiently by using these keyboard shortcuts.

Use Ubuntu? Feel like a pro user with these shortcuts.

13 Keyboard Shortcuts Every Ubuntu User Should Know
Knowing keyboard shortcuts increase your productivity. Here are some useful Ubuntu shortcut keys that will help you use Ubuntu like a pro. You can use an operating system with the combination of keyboard and mouse but using the keyboard shortcuts saves your time. Note: The keyboard shortcu…

Using some other Linux distribution? The terminal shortcuts will help you a great deal.

13 Linux Terminal Shortcuts Every Power Linux User Must Know [Free Cheatsheet]
Use Linux command line like a pro by mastering these Linux terminal shortcuts and increase your productivity. It’s a must for any power Linux user.

By the way, what’s your favorite Chrome shortcut?

About the author
Abhishek Prakash

Abhishek Prakash

Created It's FOSS 11 years ago to share my Linux adventures. Have a Master's degree in Engineering and years of IT industry experience. Huge fan of Agatha Christie detective mysteries 🕵️‍♂️

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