The 21 Best Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts
Windows and Mac computers have many keyboard shortcuts that help get things done faster. So do Chrome OS-powered computers. We’ll list some Google Chromebook keyboard shortcuts for executing common, everyday tasks more quickly.
The Best Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts
You’ll find these shortcuts useful for text editing and formatting, webpage navigation, adjusting system settings, etc. These are some of the best Chromebook keyboard combos you should know–in no particular order.
1. Turn Cap Locks On and Off
Unlike Mac and Windows devices, Chromebook keyboards don’t have a dedicated Caps Lock button. Instead, what you’ll find is the Search/Launcher key.
So, how exactly do you turn Caps Lock on Chromebook? By pressing theAlt+Searchkeys. Press the buttons again to turn off Caps Lock.
If your Chromebook has aLauncher key(circle icon), press theLauncher key+Altto turn Caps Lock on or off.
2. Take a Screenshot
There are different methods for taking screenshots on Chromebook, but using a keyboard shortcut is the fastest.
Press theCtrl+Show Windowskey to take a screenshot of your Chromebook’s screen.
PressCtrl+Shift+Show Windowskeys to launch the screenshot menu. You can take a partial screenshot, record your screen, or modify where screenshots are saved from the screenshot menu.
3. Open the Task Manager
Not too many Chromebook users know that their device has a dedicated task management utility. You can force-close unresponsive apps and monitor how system resources are being consumed.
HitSearch+Esc(orLaunch+Esc) while on the desktop or using an app to open the Task Manager.
Select an app you want to force-close and select theEnd processbutton in the bottom-right corner.
4. See All Keyboard Shortcuts
The Chrome operating system has a dedicated “Shortcuts” app where all system and app shortcuts are compiled. PressCtrl+Alt+/(forward slash) orCtrl+Alt+?(question mark) keys to launch the Shortcuts app.
You’ll see different categories (Popular Shortcuts, Tabs & Windows, Page & Web Browser, etc.) on the left sidebar. Select a category to view all keyboard shortcuts in that category. Then, type a function into the search bar to find its corresponding keyboard shortcut.
5. Open Your Chromebook Clipboard
Copied texts, images, and recent screenshots are temporarily stored in your Chromebook’s clipboard. Chrome OS holds the last five copied items in the clipboard.
PressSearch+VorLauncher+Vto open your Chromebook’s clipboard menu. Select an item (text or image) to paste the content into an app’s text editor.
6. Switch Keyboard Input Language
If multiple input languages are enabled on your Chromebook, pressCtrl+Shift+Spaceto switch between keyboard languages.
HitCtrl+Spaceto switch to the last used keyboard language or input method.
7. Close and Reopen App
PressingCtrl+Shift+Wwill close the current window or app you’re using. To reopen the last app or window you closed, pressCtrl+Shift+T. You can also use this keyboard shortcut to open a recently closed browser tab in Google Chrome.
8. Lock Your Chromebook
A single press of the power button on Windows and Mac computers will lock the devices. On Chromebook, you have to press and hold the power button and select Lock on the power menu. TheSearch+LorLauncher+Lkeyboard shortcut locks your Chromebook faster.
9. Split Your Chromebook’s Screen
Splitting your Chromebook’s screen allows you to organize two apps in a side-by-side setup. To use apps in split-screen mode on your Chromebook, you must dock both apps side-by-side on the screen.
Open the first app you want to use in split-screen mode and pressAlt+](right square bracket). That’ll dock the app windows to the right-half section of your Chromebook’s display.
PressAlt+[(left square bracket) to dock the same app or another app to the left-half section of the screen.
10. Open URL or Webpage in a New Tab
There’s a keyboard shortcut for opening web pages in a new tab right from your current tab. Type the URL in the address bar of the current tab and pressAlt+Enterto open the web address in a new tab.
You can’t use the shortcuts in third-party or non-Google web browsers. It only works for the Chrome browser on Chromebooks, Windows, and Mac.
11. Open Status Area / View All Notifications
Alt+Shift+Nwill open your Chromebook’s status area (“Status Tray”) and display all unread notifications.
12. Zoom In and Out
Do you find the elements of an app (text, images, etc.) too tiny? PressCtrl++(plus icon) to zoom in and magnify the page or app’s content. PressCtrl+–(minus) to zoom out on the page.
Not all Android apps support the zoom functionality in Chrome OS. These shortcuts work on web browsers, webpages, and select apps like Settings, Files, Calendar, etc.
To reset an app or page’s zoom level back to default, pressCtrl+0(zero key).
13. Change Display Size or Screen Resolution
You can magnify or reduce the sizes of items on your Chromebook’s screen by adjusting its screen resolution.
Shift+Ctrl++(plus icon) andShift+Ctrl+–(minus icon) are the shortcuts to increase and decrease your Chromebook’s display size.
Hit theShift+Ctrl+0(zero) keys to reset the screen resolution to its original size.
14. Move to the Beginning or End of a Document
Scrolling through a lengthy document with your mouse or trackpad can be tiring. Use theSearch+Ctrl+<(left arrow key) shortcut to jump to the beginning of the document you’re typing.
To go to the end of the document, pressShift+Ctrl+>(right arrow key).
15. Move to the Beginning or End of a Webpage
In Google Chrome, whack theCtrl+Alt+Up arrow(^) keys to jump to the top of any webpage.Ctrl+Alt+Down arrow(˅) key combination to move to the bottom of any webpage in Chrome.
16. Move to the Beginning or End of a Line
Use theSearch+<(left arrow) keys to move your Chromebook’s cursor to the beginning of a line in your document.Search+>(right arrow key) will move the cursor to the end of the line.
17. Select the Next or Previous Word in a Document
PressShift+Ctrl+<(left arrow key) to select the word to the left of the cursor. Alternately, use theShift+Ctrl+>(right arrow key) to select the next word after the cursor in your document.
18. Open Google Chrome Menu
When surfing the internet in Google Chrome, hitAlt+Eon any page to open the browser’s menu.
19. Rotate Chromebook Screen
You can change your display orientation using theShift+Ctrl+Rotate(orRefresh) keys. Your Chromebook’s screen will rotate 90 degrees each time you press the key combination.
20. Delete a File or Folder
Chromebook keyboards lack a dedicated delete key, but you can still use the keyboard to delete a file or folder.
Open the Files app, select the item(s) you want to delete, and pressAlt+Backspace.
21. Copy or Paste Content from Clipboard
Ctrl+CandCtrl+Xwill copy and cut selected content (texts or images) to your clipboard, respectively.
PressCtrl+Vto paste text exactly as copied from the source. UseShift+Ctrl+Vto paste copied content as plain text–that strips the text of all formatting.
Sodiq has written thousands of tutorials, guides, and explainers over the past 4 years to help people solve problems with Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows devices. He also enjoys reviewing consumer tech products (smartphones, smart home devices, accessories, etc.) and binge-watching comedy series in his spare time.Read Sodiq’s Full Bio
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked*
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Website
Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of tech tips from trusted tech experts. We have thousands of articles and guides to help you troubleshoot any issue. Our articles have been read over 150 million times since we launched in 2008.
HomeAbout UsEditorial StandardsContact UsTerms of Use
Copyright © 2008-2024 Help Desk Geek.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
