Standard Browser Keyboard Shortcuts

All modern browsers have extensive keyboard shortcuts:

I tested every shortcut, and here's my list of keyboard shortcuts that work in all browsers – or, for the rare keyboard shortcuts I found especially useful, those that work in at least two of the above browsers.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original blog entry at: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/02/standard-browser-keyboard-shortcuts.html

Good list, I didn’t know about Ctrl-1.

My one gripe about the shortcuts: I wish Ctrl-Enter were smarter: don’t add the prefix and suffix if thery’re already there, for example.

apparently ALT+D does not set the focus to the address bar, but instead opens the file menu :slight_smile: (English File-German Datei). thats why ALT shortcuts suck :frowning:

(personally i tend to use f6 to set the focus to the address bar … works in ff and ie6)

I always found it strange that shortcuts are so well hidden. It seems like the standard UI designers are affraid that we suddenly should use the shortcuts too much or that our eyes will burn out by seeing too many shortcurts. Unless I dont use the application very often, I tend to forget the shorcuts, and I dont want to look them up every second, so then I just skip using them.

Thank you for the links, I will be using the search shortcuts alot now. :slight_smile:

/P

In Windows, the standard keyboard shortcut for closing a document in a MDI applications is CTRL+F4, and that closes the current tab in FF…I’m surprised that shortcut isn’t mentioned in today’s blog entry.

ALT+TAB changes app focus
CTRL+TAB changes document focus within the app

ALT+F4 closes current app
CTRL+F4 closes current document within the app

Its got great symmetry and feels natural…like SHIFT+INSERT for paste and SHIFT+DELETE for cut, it just makes sense :slight_smile:

I agree with Jon Raynor - keyboard shortcuts are too much of a pain to remember for each application. I spend a lot of programming time in UltraEdit and do make heavy use of seven or eight keyboard shortcuts. Beyond that, it’s mouse time.

If you think about it, you’re primarily using the mouse to navigate a page usualy (keyboard navigation tends to lead to the page jumping all over the place as you find links)

I usually have one hand on the mouse and the other resting on the keyboard, but it depends what I’m doing. If you are primarily typing, try to stick to typing because neither hand is free. If you are primarily mousing, your left hand is still free.

keyboard shortcuts are too much of a pain to remember for each application

You don’t have to remember them ALL-- just the ones that improve your quality of life.

It also depends how much time you spend in that application. If you’re like me, I bet you spend a lot of time in the web browser. So plan accordingly…

Chrome removed the Backspace shortcut in 2016: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/05/20/chrome_deletes_backspace/

Alt-arrows still work on Windows.

On macOS, Back and Forward navigation in Chrome, Firefox and Safari can be done with:

Back: Cmd-[
Forward: Cmd-]

These are also currently interesting due to the advent of desktop PWAs without the navigation buttons: https://twitter.com/karlhorky/status/1140919195183583232

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