Keyboard Shortcuts for Browsing on a Mac
Nemo · · 4 min read
You can browse a whole day on a Mac without touching the trackpad once you know about twenty shortcuts. Almost all of them are the same in Safari, Chrome and Firefox, because they follow macOS conventions. Here they are, grouped by what you’re doing, with the few places where browsers differ.
Going somewhere
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd+L | Jump to the address field, with the current address selected |
| Cmd+T | New tab |
| Cmd+N | New window |
| Cmd+Shift+N | New private window (Chrome, Safari); Firefox uses Cmd+Shift+P |
| Return | Go to what you typed |
Cmd+L is the one to learn first. It works in every Mac browser and it is what the Magic Bar in Monok is built around.
Moving between tabs
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Next / previous tab, in every browser |
| Cmd+Option+Right / Left | Next / previous tab in Chrome and Firefox |
| Cmd+Shift+] / [ | Next / previous tab in Safari |
| Cmd+1 to Cmd+8 | Jump to tab 1 to 8 (Chrome, Firefox); Safari has a setting for it |
| Cmd+9 | Jump to the last tab (Chrome, Firefox) |
| Cmd+W | Close the tab |
| Cmd+Shift+T | Reopen the last closed tab |
History and the page
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd+[ / Cmd+] | Back / forward |
| Cmd+R | Reload |
| Cmd+F | Find on the page |
| Cmd+G / Cmd+Shift+G | Next / previous match |
| Cmd+D | Bookmark the page |
| Cmd+Plus / Cmd+Minus / Cmd+0 | Zoom in / out / reset |
Scrolling without the trackpad
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space / Shift+Space | Down / up one screen |
| Down / Up arrows | Scroll a little |
| Cmd+Down / Cmd+Up | Bottom / top of the page |
| Tab / Shift+Tab | Next / previous link or field |
In Safari, Tab skips links by default; turn on “Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage” in Safari’s Advanced settings, or use Option+Tab.
How do you make the habit stick?
Pick three shortcuts a week. Start with Cmd+L, Cmd+W and Cmd+Shift+T, which cover going somewhere, closing and undoing a close. Next week add the tab moves. When you reach for the trackpad, stop and use the key instead, even if it’s slower the first few times.
The second trick is to remove reasons to use the mouse. A browser with fewer buttons on screen leaves fewer things to click, which is part of why Monok has no permanent address bar and a tab strip that only appears with two or more tabs.
Which shortcuts does Monok use?
The standard Mac shortcuts above work as you expect, with a few changes for the Magic Bar and panes. Every one is a menu key equivalent, so it works while a page has the keyboard.
| Shortcut | What it does in Monok |
|---|---|
| Cmd+L | Opens the Magic Bar over the page with the current address |
| Cmd+N | Opens an empty Magic Bar instead of a new window |
| Cmd+T / Cmd+Shift+T | New tab / reopen the last closed tab |
| Ctrl+Tab, Cmd+Shift+] / [ , Cmd+1 to Cmd+9 | Move between tabs, as in Safari and Chrome |
| Cmd+W / Option+Cmd+W | Close the pane / close the whole tab |
| Cmd+B | Add the page to favorites (asks for the name and folder) |
| Option+Cmd+B, Cmd+Y, Option+Cmd+L | Bookmarks, history, downloads |
| Cmd+D / Shift+Cmd+D | Split the tab right / down into a new pane |
| Option+Cmd+arrows | Move the focus between panes |
| Ctrl+` | Open a terminal pane under the page |
Cmd+D is the one that differs from other browsers: it splits a pane instead of bookmarking, and Cmd+B saves a favorite. Find, zoom, back and forward use the standard keys from the tables above. You can try them all in the current release, and the terminal post covers the pane and terminal keys in more detail.
FAQ
What is the most useful browser shortcut on a Mac?
Cmd+L. It puts you in the address field from anywhere, ready to type an address or a search.
How do I reopen a tab I closed by accident?
Press Cmd+Shift+T. Press it again to keep going back through closed tabs.
Why doesn’t Tab move between links in Safari?
Safari only moves between form fields by default. Enable “Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage” in Safari’s Advanced settings, or hold Option while pressing Tab.