We all know and rely on the glorious copy-paste shortcut. Seriously, imagine having to right-click to copy and then right-click to paste every single time you need to move a snippet of text. Frustrating, right? It completely breaks your rhythm!
Now, what if I told you there’s a whole universe of equally useful keyboard shortcuts waiting for you to make your Chromebook experience a lot easier?
1
How to lock your screen
Picture this: You’ve stepped away for a much-needed coffee, or you’re heading to another room to grab something. Maybe there are kids in the house who are just one mischievous tap away from deleting your important documents or homework. It’s better to be safe and lock your computer.
Although this is a simple security measure, manually clicking the time, then hunting down the lock button? Way too slow, and honestly, a bit clunky.
Instead, you can lock your Chromebook instantly by pressing Search+L. That’s it.
One quick, decisive move. Your screen is locked, your work is safe, and you’re back in control without any fuss. Honestly, I consider this combo a must-use, every single day, and I genuinely can’t imagine living without it.
On most laptops/keyboards you find a Caps Lock key, but Chromebooks replace it with a Search key. It opens the launcher, apps, and search bar. We will be using the Search key a lot to activate shortcuts.
2
Getting control over your Chrome tabs
Okay, be honest: How many tabs do you have opened right now? Twelve? Fifteen? I’ve definitely hit the two-dozen mark more than once. In such a situation, I have got a dozen tabs open, and now I am desperately hunting for that one article I opened a few minutes ago, the one whose tiny favicon is maybe the only way to identify it.
In this case, I could click randomly on each tab and hope for the best, but that’s a recipe for fatigue. Or, I could gracefully switch between tabs without ever touching the trackpad.
To move forward: Ctrl+Tab. To move backward: Ctrl+Shift+Tab.
And what about opening a new tab? The usual workflow involves dragging your mouse to the tiny “+” icon, pressing it, and then starting to type your URL. Instead, just remember to press Ctrl+T. A new tab will open instantly. It’s blissfully fast! Similarly, if you need a new browser window: Ctrl+N.
Finally, for the satisfying quick kill when you’re done with a tab: Ctrl+W. Poof! Gone. There is no better satisfaction than closing the document tab once the task has been completed.
So, remember these:
- Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+Shift+Tab to cycle between tabs.
- Ctrl+T to open a new tab
- Ctrl+N to open a new browser
- Ctrl+W to close the active tab
3
Opening Google Voice Assistant
Sometimes you just need an answer, or you want to add something to your to-do list, or maybe even open a specific app. Why not let Google Assistant lend a hand? And the best part? You can call it via the keyboard by pressing Search+A.
I use this all the time. Need to see my appointments? I hit the shortcut and simply say (you might have to enable voice mode), or type “Open Google Calendar.” It’s incredibly convenient.
4
Opening the File Manager
Are you also the one who opens the File Manager app dozens of times a day? Constantly clicking the shelf icon means constant, repetitive mouse movement, and that is unnecessary fatigue!
So, swap the movement for a key press. Use Shift+Alt+M. Seriously, try it right now. It brings up the File Manager instantly. You’ll feel a little jolt of power when you do it.
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5
How to quickly launch your favorite apps
Here’s a secret that many Chromebook users might not know about. The first few apps on your shelf? They’re special. They can be assigned quick, numbered shortcuts to launch them instantly.
So, first, pin your apps to the shelf. Make sure your absolute favorite, most-used apps (like your email or notes) are the very first icons on your shelf. The Formula is like this. You press Alt+[Number]. For example: Alt+1 opens the first app on your shelf. Alt+2 opens the second app, and so on, up to 8.
6
How to turn on the caps lock
You might have wondered where the Caps Lock key is on a Chromebook. I certainly did! When I first got my Chromebook, for months I used to keep the Shift key pressed to type all caps. Finally, I know where the toggle is. Press Search+Alt.
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7
How to turn on voice typing
This is something I use a lot. A very powerful feature on the Chromebook is voice typing. Something perfect for brainstorming, writing or replying to a long email when your fingers are tired. To turn it on, press Search+D. You will have your Iron-Man styled Jarvis up and running.
8
How to view all shortcuts
What if you love how certain shortcuts have smoothed out your workflow, but you suddenly forget one? Or perhaps you want to find an advanced shortcut I didn’t even mention?
I have you covered here. You just need to remember this one app, which is a cheat sheet. Open your search bar and type keyboard shortcuts. Open the app.
This app has all the key combinations that you will ever need on your Chromebook. And let me tell you one cool thing. You can launch this app via a shortcut. Just type shortcuts in the app. It will tell you the key combination.
As you’ve seen, we really don’t have to put up with needless mouse clicks and frustrating navigation delays. These shortcuts are helpful at maintaining a flow state and removing needless frictions. Here’s one last thing I would like to add.
Keyboard shortcuts are things we often tend to forget. The very best way to solidify them into your muscle memory is to practice them. So, right now, open your File Manager, but only using the shortcut we discussed above. Go on, give it a try!
