Zoom around the web with these keyboard shortcuts

April 22, 2024

By Kim Komando

I spend hours and hours (and hours) online every week looking for the latest in tech for my national radio show, podcasts and, of course, newsletter. Browsing more efficiently means I can spend more time on fun stuff like playing with Abby and answering Qs from all of you!

I rounded up eight browser keyboard shortcuts so you can spend less time clicking around for the right button. These genuine timesavers work in most popular browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.

3 tricks for tabs

• Closing time: Hit Ctrl + W (Windows) or Cmd + W (macOS) to shut down the browser tab you’re currently looking at. If you close a tab by accident, use Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + T (macOS) to bring it back.
• Tab cycling: On Windows and macOS, you can use Ctrl + Tab to scroll through open tabs (yeah, all 200 of them). Hold down Shift as well to go in the opposite direction.
• Turn over a new tab: Hit Ctrl + T (Windows) or Cmd + T (macOS) on your keyboard to open a new tab and jump straight to it. If you want a brand new window, you need Ctrl + N (Windows) or Cmd + N (macOS).

2 ways to stay in the flow

• Keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling: Engrossed in something online? Tap the Spacebar to scroll down the page and keep reading without looking away. Shift + Spacebar takes you back in the other direction.
• Eyes on the prize: Follow an interesting link without losing focus while reading. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (macOS) when you click on a web link to open it in a new tab while you stay on your current tab. Add the Shift key to open a link in a new tab and jump straight to it.

2 ways to re-trace your steps

• Follow the breadcrumbs: You know those “back” and “forward” buttons in your browser? You can do the same with your keyboard, no clicking required — hold down Alt (Windows) or Cmd (macOS), then tap the left or right arrow button to explore your browsing history in the current tab.
• Save your page: Press Ctrl + D (Windows) or Cmd + D (macOS) to bookmark the current webpage so you can get back to it later. Your browser will throw up a dialog box you can use to sort the bookmark into a folder.

1 way to go undercover

• Keep it hush-hush: If you need a new incognito or private window, press Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + N (macOS). Firefox does this differently, for some reason: Use P instead of N. 

By the way: Google finally caved and deleted billions of Incognito browsing records. It also agreed to block third-party cookies by default when you’re browsing Incognito — so you can rest a little easier. I talked all about it on my podcast here!

Your carpal tunnel says, “Thank you.” Share this with your tab-happy friends! Along with this: I heard astronauts use their computer keyboards to stay refreshed in orbit … They have a spacebar.