Keyboard shortcuts for chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari

There are hundreds of keyboard shortcuts out there, but these 7 are the ones you'll definitely want to remember. I use them every day, and you should too.

Tab Domination

Numbered Tabs

If you have multiple tabs, you can access the one you want to open using the numbers on the keyboard. In all the major browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari), simply press:

Ctrl + (1-9) on a Windows PC
Command + (1-9) on a Mac

This is particularly useful for going back and forth between a few specific tabs. One minor issue I did notice is that switching between tabs 1-8 works flawlessly, but Control/Command + 9 automatically takes you to the last tab, regardless of the tabs actual number. If you have more than 8 tabs, you won't be able to access some of them using this shortcut.

Tab Your Tabs

Ctrl + Tab on Mac or Windows PC
So, if you have 5 tabs open and are currently viewing tab 3, this shortcut will take you to tab 4, and so on. You can also use the following shortcuts, which do the same thing.

Control + Page Up/Page Down on a Windows PC
FN + Control + Up/Down Arrows on a Mac
These work in all the major browsers except for IE.

Close Tabs

There have been so many times when I have enough tabs open that they're tightly bunched together, and I end up closing the wrong one. Doesn't sound like that big a deal, but when it keeps happening over and over, it's insanely annoying. Here's a shortcut I wish I'd found sooner.


Just select the tab you want to close, then press:

Control + W on a Windows PC
Command + W on a Mac
It's that simple.

Reopen Closed Tabs

Now, what about those accidentally closed tabs? Instead of retyping the website address or going through your history, you can use a quick shortcut to reopen recently closed tabs. Just press:

Control + Shift + T on a Windows PC
Command + Shift + T on a Mac
You don't even have to open a new tab—it will reopen in a new tab on its own. This shortcut works for all the majors browsers and allows you to reopen your last 10 closed tabs. Money, I know.

Jump to Browse

Anything that can save me from using my mouse or track pad is a plus. My track pad is just wretched, and using a mouse for too long really starts to hurt my wrist, so the more keyboard shortcuts the merrier.

Pressing Control/Command + L in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and IE will automatically highlight the address bar, allowing you to enter in either a search query or a web address.

To automatically highlight the address bar in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and IE, press:

Control + L or Alt + D on a Windows PC
Command + L on a Mac
This allows you to enter in either a search query or a web address.

Magnify

Control and the +/- key on a Windows PC
Command and the +/- key on a Mac
This is useful for websites with very fine print, or for those who have poor eyesight. Check out the before and after of our homepage:



Once you've zoomed in to whatever percentage is good for you, how do you get back to normal size? You can always zoom out until you think it's back to normal.

If you want to get the size right every time, just hit:

Control + 0 on a Windows PC
Command + 0 on a Mac
This will take you back to the standard size no matter how many times you've zoomed in and out.

Cache Override

If you're using Windows:

Firefox: Control + Shift + R
Chrome: Control + F5 or Shift + F5
Internet Explorer: Control + F5
Safari: Hold the Shift key and click the Refresh button on your toolbar

If you're using Mac:

Firefox: Command + Shift + R
Chrome: Command + R
Internet Explorer: FN + F5
Safari: Hold the Shift key and click the Refresh button on your toolbar