Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Chromebook-Specific Shortcuts

    Ctrl + Shift + L – Lock your Chromebook’s screen.

    Ctrl + Shift + Q – Log out of your Chromebook. Press the key combination twice to quit.

    chromebook-log-out-shortcut

    Alt + E – Open the Chrome browser’s menu. This only works if a Chrome browser window is open and focused.

    Alt + 1-8 – Launch applications located on Chrome OS’s “shelf,” or taskbar. For example, Alt + 1 will launch the first application shortcut from the left.

    chromebook-app-shelf-shortcuts

    Alt + [ – Dock a window to the left side of your screen.

    Alt + ]  – Dock a window to the right side of your screen.

    chromebook-dock-window-shortcut 

    Ctrl + Switcher/F5 – Take a screenshot and save it to your Downloads folder The Switcher key is located in place of the F5 key on a standard keyboard.

    Ctrl + Shift + Switcher/F5 – Take a screenshot of part of the screen. Use the cursor to select the part of the screen you want to save.

    Alt + Search – Toggle Caps Lock. The Search key has a magnifying glass on it and is in place of the Caps Lock key on typical keyboards.

    Shift + Esc – Launch the Task Manager.

    chromebook-task-manager-shortcut

    Display Settings

    Ctrl + Shift and + – Increase screen scale, making items appear larger on your screen.

    Ctrl + Shift and – – Decrease screen scale, making items appear smaller on your screen.

    Ctrl + Shift and ) – Reset screen scale to the default setting.

    Ctrl + Shift + Refresh/F3 – Rotate your screen 90 degrees. The Refresh key is located where the F3 key would be located on typical keyboards.

    Ctrl + Immersive Mode/F4 – Configure display settings when an external monitor is connected. The Immersive Mode key is located where the F4 key would be located on typical keyboards.

    chromebook-screen-scaling-shortcut

    Web Browser & Text-Editing Shortcuts

    Chromebooks support all the standard web browser keyboard shortcuts you can use in Chrome or other browsers on other operating systems. For example, Ctrl + 1 activates the first tab in the current window, while Ctrl + 2 activates the second tab. Ctrl + T will open a new tab, while Ctrl + W will close the current tab. Ctrl + L will focus the location bar so you can immediately start typing a new search or website address. Read our in-depth guide to shared web browser keyboard shortcuts for many more shortcuts.

    Chrome OS also supports standard text-editing keyboard shortcuts other operating systems support. For example, you can press Ctrl+Backspace to delete the previous word, use Ctrl + Z to undo, and use the standard Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V shortcuts to Cut, Copy and Paste. Consult our in-depth guide to text-editing keyboard shortcuts for more shortcuts.

    RELATED: 47 Keyboard Shortcuts That Work in All Web Browsers

    The Ultimate Keyboard Shortcut

    RELATED: Seven Useful Chromebook Tricks You Should Know About

    Press Ctrl + Alt + ? (or Ctrl + Alt + / ) to open a keyboard shortcut cheat sheet at any time. This cheat sheet allows you to view all your Chromebook’s keyboard shortcuts. Whether you’re looking up a keyboard shortcut you forgot, you want to master all the keyboard shortcuts, or you’re just curious, this overlay will help you master those keyboard shortcuts.

    chrome-os-keyboard-shortcut-cheat-sheet