Count how many times an hour your hand travels to the mouse just to close a tab. Now multiply that by a working week.
The keyboard shortcuts for Google Chrome that fix this take an afternoon to learn and stick for years. Below is the current list for Windows and Mac, grouped by what you’re actually trying to do, with the handful that changed recently called out.
If you’d rather solve tab chaos with software than muscle memory, our best Chrome extensions for productivity roundup is the companion piece.
The ten to learn first
Chrome ships well over eighty shortcuts. Ten of them do most of the work.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Reopen the tab you just closed | Ctrl + Shift + T | Command + Shift + T |
| Jump to the address bar | Ctrl + L | Command + L |
| New tab | Ctrl + T | Command + T |
| Close the current tab | Ctrl + W | Command + W |
| Find on page | Ctrl + F | Command + F |
| Go back one page | Alt + Left arrow | Command + Left arrow |
| Hard reload, ignoring cache | Ctrl + Shift + R | Command + Shift + R |
| New incognito window | Ctrl + Shift + N | Command + Shift + N |
| Bookmark this page | Ctrl + D | Command + D |
| Reset zoom to 100% | Ctrl + 0 | Command + 0 |
Ctrl + Shift + T is the one people thank you for. It walks backwards through every tab you’ve closed this session, not just the last one.
Tabs and windows
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New window | Ctrl + N | Command + N |
| New incognito window | Ctrl + Shift + N | Command + Shift + N |
| New tab | Ctrl + T | Command + T |
| Reopen closed tabs, most recent first | Ctrl + Shift + T | Command + Shift + T |
| Next tab | Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + Page Down | Command + Option + Right arrow |
| Previous tab | Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Ctrl + Page Up | Command + Option + Left arrow |
| Jump to tab 1 through 8 | Ctrl + 1 to Ctrl + 8 | Command + 1 to Command + 8 |
| Jump to the last tab | Ctrl + 9 | Command + 9 |
| Move the current tab left or right | Ctrl + Shift + Page Up / Page Down | Ctrl + Shift + Page Up / Page Down |
| Back one page | Alt + Left arrow | Command + [ or Command + Left arrow |
| Forward one page | Alt + Right arrow | Command + ] or Command + Right arrow |
| Open your home page | Alt + Home | Command + Shift + H |
| Close the current tab | Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F4 | Command + W |
| Close the window | Ctrl + Shift + W or Alt + F4 | Command + Shift + W |
| Minimise the window | Alt + Space, then N | Command + M |
| Maximise the window | Alt + Space, then X | not applicable |
| Hide Chrome | not applicable | Command + H |
| Quit Chrome | Alt + F, then X | Command + Q |
| Split view | Shift + Alt + N | Command + Option + N |
Two corrections worth flagging, because half the shortcut lists online get them backwards. Alt and the left arrow goes back, Alt and the right arrow goes forward. And split view is genuinely new, so it won’t be in older cheat sheets. Drowning in tabs anyway? A tab manager extension beats any keystroke.
Address bar tricks
This is the section most people skip and then keep using the mouse for. The omnibox does far more than accept URLs.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Jump to the address bar | Ctrl + L, Alt + D or F6 | Command + L |
| Search from anywhere on the page | Ctrl + K or Ctrl + E | Command + Option + F |
| Search with a different engine | type its name, then Tab | type its name, then Tab |
| Add www and .com, open in this tab | type the name, then Ctrl + Enter | type the name, then Ctrl + Return |
| Add www and .com, open in a new window | Ctrl + Shift + Enter | Ctrl + Shift + Return |
| Search in a new tab | type a term, then Alt + Enter | type an address, then Command + Return |
| Delete a suggestion you never want again | arrow down to it, Shift + Delete | arrow down to it, Shift + Fn + Delete |
Deleting a bad autocomplete suggestion is the underrated one here. One misspelled URL from two years ago stops haunting you.
Reading and working on a page
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Reload | F5 or Ctrl + R | Command + R |
| Reload ignoring the cache | Shift + F5 or Ctrl + Shift + R | Command + Shift + R |
| Stop loading | Esc | Esc |
| Ctrl + P | Command + P | |
| Save the page | Ctrl + S | Command + S |
| Open a local file | Ctrl + O | Command + O |
| View page source | Ctrl + U | Command + Option + U |
| Bookmark this page | Ctrl + D | Command + D |
| Bookmark every open tab into a folder | Ctrl + Shift + D | Command + Shift + D |
| Full screen | F11 | Fn + F |
| Zoom in / out | Ctrl and + / Ctrl and – | Command and + / Command and – |
| Reset zoom | Ctrl + 0 | Command + 0 |
| Scroll down / up a screen | Space or Page Down / Shift + Space or Page Up | Space / Shift + Space |
| Top / bottom of the page | Home / End | Home / End |
| Move through clickable items | Tab / Shift + Tab | Tab / Shift + Tab |
| Move the cursor a word at a time | Ctrl + Left / Right arrow | Option + Left / Right arrow |
| Delete the previous word | Ctrl + Backspace | Option + Delete |
| Email a link to this page | not applicable | Command + Shift + I |
| Page setup | not applicable | Command + Option + P |
Chrome’s own features
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open the Chrome menu | Alt + F or Alt + E | not applicable |
| Show or hide the bookmarks bar | Ctrl + Shift + B | Command + Shift + B |
| Bookmark manager | Ctrl + Shift + O | Command + Option + B |
| History | Ctrl + H | Command + Y |
| Downloads | Ctrl + J | Command + Shift + J |
| Settings | not applicable | Command + comma |
| Task Manager | Shift + Esc | not applicable |
| Find bar | Ctrl + F or F3 | Command + F |
| Next / previous match | Ctrl + G / Ctrl + Shift + G | Command + G / Command + Shift + G |
| Search for the selected text | not applicable | Command + E |
| Developer tools | Ctrl + Shift + J or F12 | Command + Option + I |
| JavaScript console | Ctrl + Shift + J | Command + Option + J |
| Clear browsing data | Ctrl + Shift + Delete | Command + Shift + Delete |
| Switch profile or open a guest window | Ctrl + Shift + M | Command + Shift + M |
| Send feedback | Alt + Shift + I | Command + Option + Shift + I |
| Caret browsing | F7 | F7 |
| Help Centre | F1 | not applicable |
| Main menu bar | not applicable | Control + F2 |
Shift + Esc deserves a mention on its own. Chrome’s built-in Task Manager shows which tab is eating your battery, and it opens instantly. No menu diving.
What you can and cannot remap
Chrome’s own shortcuts are fixed. There’s no settings page for changing Ctrl + T into something else, and there hasn’t been for years.
What you can change is extension shortcuts. Type chrome://extensions/shortcuts into the address bar and every installed extension lists its bindable commands. Assign a key, choose whether it works globally or only in Chrome, done.
Beyond that you’re into system level tools: PowerToys Keyboard Manager on Windows, Karabiner on Mac. That’s a bigger commitment than most people need, and it can break shortcuts in other apps. If you want more system-wide speed, start with our Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts guide instead. Watching a lot in-browser? The YouTube shortcuts sit on top of these.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change or disable Chrome keyboard shortcuts?
Not the built-in ones. Chrome has no setting for remapping Ctrl + T or Ctrl + W, and there is no toggle to switch shortcuts off. You can rebind extension commands at chrome://extensions/shortcuts, or use a system tool like PowerToys on Windows or Karabiner on macOS.
Why does Alt and the arrow key go the wrong way for me?
It probably does not. Alt plus the left arrow goes back and Alt plus the right arrow goes forward. Plenty of shortcut lists print these swapped, which is where the confusion starts. On Mac the equivalents are Command with the left and right arrows.
What is the Chrome split view shortcut?
Shift + Alt + N on Windows and Command + Option + N on Mac opens split view, which puts two tabs side by side in one window. It is a recent addition, so it will not appear in older shortcut cheat sheets or on some managed installs.
How do I reopen a tab I closed by accident?
Press Ctrl + Shift + T on Windows or Command + Shift + T on Mac. Keep pressing it and Chrome walks backwards through everything you have closed in the current session, including whole windows.
Do Chrome shortcuts work the same in Edge and Brave?
Mostly yes, because they share the Chromium base. Tab, window, address bar and page shortcuts are almost identical. Browser specific features such as Edge Collections or Brave Rewards have their own keys, and each browser adds a few of its own.
Why has a shortcut stopped working since I installed an extension?
Extensions can claim key combinations, and the first one to register a command wins. Open chrome://extensions/shortcuts to see what is bound to what, then clear or reassign the conflicting entry. Testing in an incognito window with extensions disabled confirms the cause quickly.
Which Chrome shortcut is the biggest time saver?
Ctrl + L, or Command + L on Mac. It puts the cursor in the address bar with the current URL selected, so you can type a new address, copy the one you are on, or start a search without touching the mouse.
The bottom line
Start with five: Ctrl + Shift + T, Ctrl + L, Ctrl + W, Ctrl + F and Ctrl + Shift + R. Those five cover the moments where reaching for the mouse costs you the most, and they’re the core of any Chrome keyboard shortcuts habit.
Mac users should note the pattern rather than memorise the table. Command replaces Ctrl almost everywhere, and tab switching on Mac uses Command plus Option plus the arrow keys instead of Ctrl plus Tab.
One caution. Chrome won’t let you rebind its built-in keys, so don’t waste an afternoon looking for the setting. Use chrome://extensions/shortcuts for anything an extension provides and leave the rest alone.
