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The mark of a truly advanced computer user is knowing how to use keyboard shortcuts, the quick combos that seem like magic to mouse-dependent, casual typists. But although most techies operate with a full suite of operating system shortcuts in mind, they often neglect the ones built into web browsers. Considering how important the browser is to daily computing life, it’s a shame that most people don’t bother to master it. So here are the nine essential shortcuts for Chrome, IE9, or Firefox that everyone should know.
Ctrl+F
Ctrl+F is the bread-and-butter shortcut of Internet research. Press this combination and you’ll get a search box that finds words and phrases on the current web page. Ctrl+F is particularly useful if your web search returns a forum thread or long article; instead of meticulously hunting for the statement you searched, you can use this shortcut to jump right to it. Ctrl+F is so incredibly powerful that the people who use it regularly are often shocked to find out that not everyone knows it exists.
F5
Now that Firefox and IE9 have moved their “refresh” buttons into the address bar to save space, F5 is handier than ever. Rather than carefully clicking that small, easily-missed icon, you can use a single button press to reload the page. F5 is especially useful if you’re waiting for a site to update, and need to reload it more than once. Lots of software programs also use F5 as their refresh/reload shortcut, so its a good one to memorize.
F11
Toolbars and buttons are fine when you’re browsing around, but once you find the page you want to read or the Google Doc you need to work on, those interface elements are just in the way. Fortunately, your browser includes a one-button path to a no-distraction zen mode. Press F11 and the current page will go into full screen view, pushing the stuff you don’t need out of the way and leaving behind a screen full of pure content.
Home/End
So rarely pressed that most people forget they exist, Home and End are actually a useful pair of keys if you know how they work in a browser. Home automatically jumps to the top of a page, while End takes you straight to the bottom. That functionality may not seem like a big deal, but when you’re wading through an update feed on Twitter or Facebook, pressing Home can save an awful lot of scroll-wheeling.
Ctrl+Mouse Scroll Wheel or +/-
Some websites seem to think that everyone in the world has 20/20 vision, so using dictionary-small text is perfectly acceptable. Fortunately, browsers have a zoom level that can compensate for those tiny fonts, as well as a simple shortcut to adjust it. If both your hands are on the keyboard, hold down Ctrl and reach up to the +/- keys to quickly pan in or out.
