Are you trying to become more proficient in using your Chromebook? Well, there are a number of default keyboard shortcuts that you should memorize for sure. From taking an instant screenshot to re-opening that tab you accidentally closed, here are seven of the best Chromebook keyboard shortcuts to memorize.
7Ctrl+Show Windows: Take a Screenshot Instantly
While most new Chromebooks include a screenshot key on the function row, there are other ways to take a screenshot (that are actually faster). The screenshot key (or using Ctrl+Shift+Show Windows) will take a partial screenshot. This is where you select a portion of the screen to capture.
However, to take a whole screen screenshot with a single key press, simply use Ctrl+Show Windows. This will capture the entire screen immediately, save it to a file, and copy it to the clipboard all at the same time.
Capturing a screenshot like this is extremely efficient if you don’t need to crop it, and is definitely my preferred way to take screenshots now that I’ve found it.
6Search+Esc: Open the Task Manager to Kill Frozen Apps
It’s inevitable that you’ll eventually have a website or app hang on your Chromebook—it happens to all of us. Thankfully, there’s a quick and easy remedy for that: opening up the ChromeOS task manager.
This is done by simply clicking the Search+Esc keys at the same time. If you’re not sure what the Search key is, it’s typically where a caps lock key would be.
Within the ChromeOS task manager, you’ll see every task that’s running on your system. Shown is the memory footprint (how much RAM that task is using), the percentage of CPU that’s being used by that task, and what network traffic it’s taking up. There’s also the process ID there if you need it.
To kill a process, just click on the specific task you’re after and click “End process” at the bottom right of the window. No matter if an app is native to ChromeOS, running in Linux, or a Play Store app, it’ll be visible here.
5Alt+Brackets: Snap Windows Side-by-Side for Multitasking
ChromeOS has window snapping similar to Windows does, and it’s actually available with a few quick keystrokes. Alt+[ (left bracket) will snap the currently active window to the left, and Alt+] (right bracket) will snap the active window to the right.
This is great to have memorized, as you’ll be able to quickly put two windows side-by-side without having to click or drag anything.
While I won’t be using these shortcuts all that often, it’s nice to know that they’re there. For me, the biggest use of snapping windows is moving files or folders. However, dragging a file into Slack, Google Drive, or anywhere else would also be great for something like this.
4Search+L: Lock Your Chromebook Fast
While Chromebooks can be set to auto lock after a specific amount of time, but sometimes you need to immediately lock the computer before walking away. That’s where the Search+L keyboard shortcut comes in.
With this quick key combo, you’ll immediately lock your Chromebook, requiring a PIN or password to enter it again.
3Ctrl+R: Refresh a Page Without Reaching for the Mouse
If we go back to yesteryear, F5 was the default way to refresh a web page. These days, however, Ctrl+R is the go-to method for getting new content in your browser.
This is actually a universal keyboard shortcut across almost all operating systems. Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS share the Ctrl+R shortcut, while macOS uses Cmd+R to refresh a page.
Add in Shift (as in Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) and you refresh the page while flushing cache (and keeping cookies intact). Both of these keyboard shortcuts should become a permanent addition to your computer usage.
I use either of these shortcuts many times per day, and I think you will too once it becomes a part of your routine.
2Search: Find Stuff on Your Chromebook or the Web Instantly
One of the best parts of ChromeOS is that it’s simply a more powerful version of the Chrome browser. This means that everything is centered around the internet whenever you have an active wireless connection.
As such, you can use the Search key to open your Chromebook’s launcher and begin typing to search both locally and the web. Typing in something like “Bluetooth” will bring up your Chromebook’s settings, and “Chromebook keyboard shortcuts” might result in a Google search showing you this article.
A quick search method is something every operating system should offer. It’s nice that on ChromeOS it just launches the Chrome browser to show you the results.
1Ctrl+Shift+T: Reopen the Last Closed Tab (Even by Accident)
Besides refreshing a page, reopening the last closed tab is my most used keyboard shortcut on any operating system. While Ctrl+T opens a new tab, Ctrl+Shift+T will reopen any tab that you recently closed.
With ChromeOS, this actually extends to PWAs as well. I had Photoshop for Web open and recently closed it. Using the Ctrl+Shift+T shortcut re-opened Photoshop for Web’s PWA, which was both intriguing and nice to know.
So, no matter what app or website you had opened last, use Ctrl+Shift+T to open it again if you accidentally close it.
Now that you’ve got these keyboard shortcuts under your belt, why not try something a bit more advanced on your Chromebook? ChromeOS natively supportsinstalling Linux applicationsnow, and I’ve found thenine best Linux apps for your Chromebook.
From Obsidian to Firefox (yes, there are many reasons to have Firefox on your Chromebook), I’ve got some of my favorite Linux apps outlined for you to try on your Chromebook.
