Chrome keyboard shortcuts for managing tabs
The Chrome tab shortcuts worth learning, for Windows and Mac, to open, close, find, switch and reopen tabs without touching the mouse.
The most useful Chrome tab shortcuts are Ctrl+T to open a tab, Ctrl+W to close one, Ctrl+Shift+T to reopen the last closed tab, Ctrl+Tab to move to the next tab, Ctrl+1 to 8 to jump to a tab by position, and Ctrl+Shift+A to search your open tabs. On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl. Learn those six and you'll rarely reach for the mouse to manage tabs.
Opening and closing
| What it does | Windows and Linux | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New tab | Ctrl+T | Cmd+T |
| Close tab | Ctrl+W | Cmd+W |
| Reopen last closed tab | Ctrl+Shift+T | Cmd+Shift+T |
| New window | Ctrl+N | Cmd+N |
| New incognito window | Ctrl+Shift+N | Cmd+Shift+N |
| Open link in new background tab | Ctrl+click | Cmd+click |
Ctrl+Shift+T is the one to remember: press it repeatedly to bring back tabs in the order you closed them, including whole windows.
Moving between tabs
| What it does | Windows and Linux | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Next tab | Ctrl+Tab | Cmd+Option+→ |
| Previous tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Cmd+Option+← |
| Go to tab 1 to 8 | Ctrl+1…8 | Cmd+1…8 |
| Go to the last tab | Ctrl+9 | Cmd+9 |
| Search open tabs | Ctrl+Shift+A | Cmd+Shift+A |
Pin your most-used tabs (right-click, Pin) so they always sit in positions 1, 2 and 3, and Ctrl+1 becomes "go to my inbox".
Saving and finding
| What it does | Windows and Linux | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Bookmark this tab | Ctrl+D | Cmd+D |
| Bookmark all tabs | Ctrl+Shift+D | Cmd+Shift+D |
| Show or hide the bookmarks bar | Ctrl+Shift+B | Cmd+Shift+B |
| History | Ctrl+H | Cmd+Y |
TabHue's shortcuts
TabHue adds four shortcuts of its own (use Option for Alt on a Mac):
| What it does | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open TabHue | Alt+Shift+T |
| Focus mode on or off | Alt+Shift+F |
| Collapse every group except the current one | Alt+Shift+C |
| Close duplicate tabs | Alt+Shift+D |
You can also give yourself shortcuts that move the current tab into category 1 to 9; they have no keys by default. Set them at chrome://extensions/shortcuts. Full list in Keyboard shortcuts.
For keeping the tab strip itself tidy, see the Chrome tab groups guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reopen a tab I closed by mistake?
Press Ctrl+Shift+T (Cmd+Shift+T on a Mac). Press it again to reopen earlier ones. Older tabs are in your history under Recently closed.
Can I change Chrome's own shortcuts?
Chrome doesn't let you remap its built-in shortcuts, but you can set and change shortcuts for extensions at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
What's the fastest way to find one tab among dozens?
Tab search: Ctrl+Shift+A, type a few letters of the title, press Enter.
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