These chrome shortcut keys cover most of what you do in Google Chrome every day. Ctrl + T opens a new tab, Ctrl + W closes the current one, and Ctrl + Shift + T brings back a tab you closed by mistake. F11 switches to full screen.
On a Mac, replace Ctrl with Command for almost all of them. Most of these keys also work in Microsoft Edge, which is built on the same engine. Learning ten of them, especially the tab keys, makes research and online form filling noticeably faster than clicking small tab buttons with a touchpad.
Quick facts
New tab
Ctrl + TClose tab
Ctrl + WReopen closed tab
Ctrl + Shift + TAddress bar
Ctrl + LFull screen
F11Mac
Command for Ctrl
Chrome shortcut keys for tabs and windows
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New tab | Ctrl + T | Command + T |
| Close tab | Ctrl + W | Command + W |
| Reopen last closed tab | Ctrl + Shift + T | Command + Shift + T |
| Next tab | Ctrl + Tab | Control + Tab |
| Previous tab | Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Control + Shift + Tab |
| Tab 1 to 8 | Ctrl + 1 to Ctrl + 8 | Command + 1 to 8 |
| Last tab | Ctrl + 9 | Command + 9 |
| New window | Ctrl + N | Command + N |
| Incognito window | Ctrl + Shift + N | Command + Shift + N |
| Close window | Ctrl + Shift + W | Command + Shift + W |
Shortcut for full screen in Chrome
Press F11 to hide tabs and the address bar; press it again to come back. On laptops where F11 controls volume, use Fn + F11. On a Mac, Chrome uses Command + Control + F. For presentations and reading, full screen plus Ctrl + Plus to enlarge text works well. The full screen shortcut key page covers other programs.
Pages, history and downloads
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Address bar | Ctrl + L or Alt + D | Command + L |
| Back | Alt + Left | Command + [ |
| Forward | Alt + Right | Command + ] |
| Reload | F5 or Ctrl + R | Command + R |
| Hard reload | Ctrl + Shift + R | Command + Shift + R |
| History | Ctrl + H | Command + Y |
| Downloads | Ctrl + J | Command + Shift + J |
| Bookmark this page | Ctrl + D | Command + D |
| Show bookmarks bar | Ctrl + Shift + B | Command + Shift + B |
| Find on page | Ctrl + F | Command + F |
| Clear browsing data | Ctrl + Shift + Delete | Command + Shift + Delete |
Text size and printing in Chrome
Ctrl + Plus and Ctrl + Minus change the page size, and Ctrl + 0 resets it. Chrome remembers the zoom for each website. Ctrl + P prints or saves as PDF. Developer tools open with Ctrl + Shift + I; see inspect element shortcut.
When Chrome shortcuts do not work
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + T does nothing | No tab was closed in this session, or history is off |
| Keys type into the page | A text box has focus; click on the page background first |
| An extension changed a shortcut | Check chrome://extensions/shortcuts |
| F11 changes volume | Use Fn + F11 |
Frequently asked questions
What are the most useful Chrome shortcut keys?
What is the shortcut for full screen in Chrome?
How do I reopen a closed tab in Chrome?
What is the shortcut key for Google Chrome to open?
Pin Chrome to the taskbar; if it is the first icon, Win + 1 opens it.
Do Chrome shortcuts work in Edge?
Most of them do, because both browsers share the same engine.
What are Chrome shortcut keys on Mac?
The same keys with Command in place of Ctrl.