Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts: The Ultimate Guide

Updated June 4, 2021

Most Chromebook users are mobile and without a mouse. Keep this Chromebook keyboard shortcuts guide bookmarked so you can have a more efficient experience.

A Chromebook is a device that offers mobility and convenience. Everything works faster on a Chromebook. So it makes sense that most users love all of the Chromebook keyboard shortcuts that are available to them.

Most of the time when you’re using a Chromebook, you’re going to be on the go. This means you won’t have a mouse and only access to the keyboard. So keep this Chromebook keyboard shortcuts guide bookmarked and handy so that you can have a more efficient experience.

Common Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts

Let’s start off with the most common keyboard shortcuts that Chromebook users use.

Take a screenshot: Cntrl + Show Windows
Screenshot a window: Shift + Cntrl + Show Windows
Lock the screen: Search+ L
Sign out: Shift + Cntrl + Q (twice)
Open files app: Shift + Alt + m
Toggle caps lock: Search + Alt
See notifications: Shift + Alt + n
Magnify screen: Cntrl + Search + m (Same to disable)
Select shelf icons: Alt + 1 through Alt + 8

Probably the most useful Chromebook keyboard shortcut is the one you can use to browse all available keyboard shortcuts on your Chromebook. To see this guide, press Cntrl + Alt + /.

This guide is organized into six major categories so that it’s easy to find the shortcut that you want. There’s also a search field at the time to do a quick search for what you need.

Chrome Browser Shortcuts

The Chrome browser is the default browser on your Chromebook. So, it stands to reason that there are a lot of Chromebook keyboard shortcuts focused on the Chrome browser.

Don’t worry about clicking your mouse. Just use any of these keyboard shortcuts to save time.

Managing Chromebook Windows

There are a lot of ways to open, close, or switch between Chrome windows.

New Chrome window: Cntrl + n
New Chrome incognito window: Shift + Cntrl + n
Close current window: Shift + Cntrl + w
Switch between open windows: Alt + Tab
Switch to least used window: Shift + Alt + Tab
Dock window left: Alt + [
Dock window right: Alt + ]
Maximize current window: Alt + =
Minimize current window: Alt + –
Switch windows between monitors: Search + Alt + m

Managing Chrome Tabs

Most of the time when you’re using your Chromebook, you’ll be using the Chrome browser. Chromebook has a long list of great Chromebook keyboard shortcuts for managing tabs fast and efficiently.

Open new tab: Cntrl + t
Close current tab: Cntrl + w
Reopen last tab or window closed: Shift + Cntrl + t
Switch to tab 1-8: Cntrl + 1-8
Switch to last tab: Cntrl + 9
Switch to next tab: Cntrl + Tab
Switch to previous tab: Shift + Cntrl + Tab
Open a URL in a new tab: Type the URL in the address bar and press Alt + Enter

Managing Links

If you wanted to open a link in the background, you could always right-click and select Open link in new tab. But since most Chromebooks require you to hold down the alt key to right-click the mouse, that can get annoying.

The following are useful Chromebook keyboard shortcuts that’ll save you a few extra annoying steps.

Open link in a new tab in the background: Cntrl + click the link
Open link in a new tab: Shift + Cntrl + click the link (or drag the link to a blank area in the tab strip)
Open link in the same tab: Drag the link to the address bar
Open link in a new window: Shift + click the link

Navigating Pages

Finally, one of the fastest ways to navigate through your browsing history is by surfing forward and backward through it. There are a couple of Chromebook keyboard shortcuts that’ll help you with that. There is also a long list of great shortcuts to use when you want to quickly navigate the page you’re viewing.

Previous page in history: Alt + Left Arrow
Next page in history: Alt + Right Arrow
Scroll down: Space bar
Page Up or Down: Search + Up/Down arrow or Alt + Up/Down arrow
Go to top: Cntrl + Alt + Up arrow
Go to bottom: Cntrl + Alt + Down arrow
Reload page: Cntrl + r
Zoom in: Cntrl + +
Zoom out: Cntrl + –
Reset zoom: Cntrl + o
Stop page load: Esc
Save page as a bookmark: Cntrl + d
Search the page: Cntrl + f
Perform Google search: Cntrl + k or Cntrl + e
View history: Cntrl + h
View downloads: Cntrl + j
Print page: Cntrl + p
Save page: Cntrl + s

Chromebook System Keyboard Shortcuts

Now you know how to use Chromebook keyboard shortcuts for browsing with Chrome. It’s time to explore other shortcuts that can help you with the Chromebook system and files.

Open status bar: Shift + Alt + s
Next page in history: Alt + Right Arrow
Scroll down: Space bar
Use function keys: Search + 1 (F1) through = (F12)
Increase/lower screen resolution: Shift + Cntrl + +/-
Reset screen resolution to default: Shift + Cntrl + o
Switch to next user: Cntrl + Alt + .
Switch to the previous user: Cntrl + Alt + ,
Toggle ChromeVox (speech): Cntrl + Alt + z

There is also a whole set of keyboard shortcuts you can use to navigate throughout the Chromebook window without using any mouse at all.

Highlight launcher button: Shift + Alt + L
Highlight next shelf item: Shift + Alt + L and Tab or Right Arrow
Highlight previous shelf item: Shift + Alt + L and Shift or Left Arrow
Open highlighted button: Shift + Alt + L and Space or Enter
Remove highlight: Shift + Alt + L and Esc
Switch focus between screen area: Cntrl + Back or Cntrl + Forward
Highlight bookmarks bar: Shift + Alt + b
Highlight address bar row: Shift + Alt + t
Open right-click menu: Search+ Shift + Volume

Text Editing Keyboard Shortcuts

Editing a document is a common task on a Chromebook, and keyboard shortcuts can make the job a whole lot easier.

Select all: Shift + a
Select next word: Shift + Cntrl + Right arrow
Select text to end of the line: Search+ Shift + Right arrow
Select previous word or letter: Shift + Cntrl + Left arrow
Move to end of next word: Cntrl + Right arrow
Move to start of previous word: Cntrl + Left arrow
Move to start of the current line: Search+ Left arrow
Move to end of the current line: Search+ Right arrow
Skip to end of document: Search+ Cntrl + Right arrow
Skip to start of document: Search+ Cntrl + Left arrow
Copy selected text: Cntrl + c
Cut selected text: Cntrl + x
Paste text from clipboard: Cntrl + v
Delete previous word: Cntrl + Backspace
Undo last action: Cntrl + z
Redo last action: Shift + Cntrl + z

Now you know everything you need to know in order to use any Chromebook keyboard shortcut effectively. So, bookmark this page and return to it any time you need to look for which keyboard shortcut you need.

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