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Using keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Edge—the default web browser for Windows computers—can significantly improve your web experience and save you lots of time. Indeed, once you get to know the most useful shortcuts, you can do everything you need to without touching your mouse.
The keyboard shortcuts in this article apply to Windows computers. However, if you’re using Edge on a Mac, the keyboard shortcuts often follow the same principle, though the Alt key on a Windows keyboard is often replaced by the Options key on a Mac, and the Windows Ctrl key can be substituted for a Mac’s Cmd key.
Working With Tabs and the Microsoft Edge Window
One way to improve your experience when browsing the web in Microsoft Edge is to use the web page tabs, which sit at the very top of the Edge window. They are designed to save you from having to open new windows if you want to have multiple web pages open at the same time. Here are some essential keyboard shortcuts to help you organize both the individual tabs and the Edge window as a whole:
Open a new tab (and jump to its address bar)
Ctrl+T
Duplicate the current tab (and jump to the duplicate’s address bar)
Close the current tab
Ctrl+W (closes window if one tab open)
Close all tabs (and, thus, the Microsoft Edge window)
Jump to a specific tab
Ctrl+[1-9] (tabs numbered from left to right)
Jump to the next tab
Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+Page Down
Jump to the previous tab
Ctrl+Shift+Tab or Ctrl+Page Up
Reopen the last tab you closed as a new tab
Open a new Microsoft Edge window
Jump between panes and areas in the Microsoft Edge window
F6 (next) and Shift+F6 (previous)
Working With the Current Web Page in Microsoft Edge
Once you land on a web page, these keyboard shortcuts will help you find your way around:
Ctrl+R or F5
Perform a hard refresh (ignoring cached data)
Ctrl+Shift+R or Shift+F5
Save the web page to your computer
Activate or stop the Read Aloud tool
Move focus from another pane to the web page pane
Stop loading the web page
Close the active dialog box or pop-up
Scroll down one screen length
Spacebar or Page Down
Scroll up one screen length
Shift+Spacebar or Page Up
Jump to the top of a web page
Jump to the bottom of a web page
Open the Find tool
Ctrl+F (then, type the query)
Jump between Find results
Enter (next result); Ctrl+Shift+G (previous result)
Mute all sounds on the current page (handy for websites with autoplaying videos)
Zoom in
Zoom out
Go to the previous web page
Alt+Left
Go to the next page (if you jumped to the previous page)
Alt+Right
Using Caret Browsing
One way to navigate web pages without using a mouse is by activating caret browsing. As well as making it easier to move to different sections of a web page, caret browsing also allows you to select text using only your keyboard.
The easiest way to understand how caret browsing works is by imagining that a web page is a Word document. After pressingF7+Enter, you’ll see a blinking cursor, usually in the first element of the web page in the top-left corner. In this example, after activating caret browsing, the flashing cursor is positioned before the first item on the website’s menu bar:
With caret browsing turned on, you can use the following keyboard commands to complete the following actions:
Jump between elements on a web page
Tab or Shift+Tab
Open a link when the caret is over a URL or website menu item
Enter
Select text in the element where the caret is currently placed
Shift+Left and Right Arrows
Copy the selected text
Press F7+Enter to turn caret browsing off again.
Using the Microsoft Edge Favorites Bar
The Favorites Bar in Microsoft Edge is where you can store quick links to the sites you visit the most. These keyboard shortcuts will help you speed up this process even more:
Show or hide the favorites bar in all Edge windows
Jump to the first icon on the favorites bar
Move between icons on the favorites bar
Left and Right Arrows
Add the current web page to the favorites bar
Ctrl+D
Open the window that lets you save all open tabs into a favorites folder
Open the favorites drop-down menu
Ctrl+Shift+O
Remove a web page from the favorites bar
Ctrl+Shift+O > Up and Down Arrows > Application key > D
Using Microsoft Edge’s Sidebar
Microsoft Edge’s sidebar is very useful if you’re a multitasker, as it lets you access the tools and apps you use the most without breaking your workflow or exiting the current web page. Here are the keyboard shortcuts you need to navigate this handy feature:
Open the search field in the sidebar
Ctrl+Shift+E
Jump between apps and tools in the sidebar
Ctrl+Shift+E, then tab until the relevant app or tool is selected
Open a selected app or tool in the sidebar
Collapse the opened sidebar pane, but leave the sidebar showing
Ctrl+Shift+/ x 2
Hide or show the sidebar
Ctrl+Shift+/
Using the Address Bar in Microsoft Edge
The Microsoft Edge address bar—also known as the URL bar—is the text field at the top of the window that holds the web address of the current page. It’s also where you can type the address of a different site you want to visit or the keywords for a search you want to perform. Using the address bar is straightforward, so here are just four keyboard shortcuts that you need to know:
Select all text in the address bar
Alt+D or Ctrl+L
Begin a search in the address bar
Ctrl+E or Ctrl+K
Paste copied text or URL into the address bar
Ctrl+Shift+L If the pasted item is a URL, the web page will be launched. If the pasted item is not a URL, a search will be launched. This overrides the current website you have open in that tab.
Add “www.” and “.com” to text in the address bar, and go to that website
Ctrl+Enter
Using Microsoft Edge as a PDF Reader
As well as being a web browser, Microsoft Edge doubles as a PDF reader. So, here are some useful keyboard shortcuts for working with PDFs:
Rotate PDF 90° clockwise
Rotate PDF 90° counter-clockwise
Scroll up and down on the current page
Up and Down Arrows
Jump to the next page
Jump to the previous page
Move to the end of the PDF
Move to the start of the PDF
Home
Other Useful Microsoft Edge Keyboard Shortcuts
Whether you’re viewing a website or a PDF, here are some final keyboard shortcuts that will speed up your work in Microsoft Edge.
Action
Shortcut
Open the “Settings And More” menu (the three dots in the top right corner)
Alt+E or Alt+F
Open the History drop-down menu
Ctrl+H (then, type a search query or use the Up and Down Arrows)
Open the Developer tools
View the source in a new tab
Open the Downloads menu
Ctrl+J (then use the Up and Down Arrows to navigate)
Print the current page
Ctrl+P or Ctrl+Shift+P
Open options for clearing browsing history
Open your home page in the current tab
Switch to full screen mode (and exit full screen mode)
F11
As well as having a user-friendly interface that makes using keyboard shortcuts easy, the web browser hasmany other tools and featuresthat save me fromswitching to an alternative browser, including the ability totake screenshots within the app,get automatic shopping discounts and coupons, andsend files between devices with Drop.
