tabs Archives

Time-saving tricks using your keyboard

I spend hours and hours (and hours) online every week looking for the latest in tech for my national radio show, podcasts and, of course, newsletter.

I rounded up eight browser keyboard shortcuts I use so you can spend less time clicking around for the right button, too.

4 if you’re always in Word or Google Docs

These tricks make work (or writing the novel you always wanted to get to) so much faster and easier.

Just the text: Drop in text from somewhere else — without all the formatting coming with it. Use Ctrl + Shift + V to paste in whatever text you’ve copied, stripped completely of the source formatting.
Swift selections: Make sure your cursor is before (or after) the text you’d like to select, then hold down Shift and use the left or right arrows to expand your selection, one character at a time. Ctrl + Shift + the left or right arrows will allow you to select the remainder of a line.
Get in the mode: Need to track your changes? Switch between editing modes by holding down Ctrl + Shift + Alt, then tap X to suggest changes, Z to edit directly or C to just view the document, not edit it.
Do it in style: Easily change your text formatting by holding down Ctrl + B for bold, Ctrl + I for italics and Ctrl + U for underlining. You already knew that? OK, but what about holding down Shift + X for strikethrough text, Shift + . (period) to superscript something and Shift + , (comma) for subscripting? I thought so!

3 tricks for tabs

These genuine timesavers work in most popular browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.

Closing time: Hit Ctrl + W (Windows) or Cmd + W (macOS) to shut down the browser tab you’re currently looking at. If you close a tab by accident, use Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + T (macOS) to bring it back.
Tab cycling: On Windows and macOS, you can use Ctrl + Tab to scroll through open tabs (yeah, all 200 of them). Hold down Shift as well to go in the opposite direction.
Turn over a new tab: Hit Ctrl + T (Windows) or Cmd + T (macOS) on your keyboard to open a new tab and jump straight to it. If you want a new window, use Ctrl + N (Windows) or Cmd + N (macOS).

2 ways to stay in the flow

Keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling: Engrossed in something online? Tap the spacebar to scroll down the page and keep reading without looking away. Shift + spacebar takes you back in the other direction.
Eyes on the prize: Follow an interesting link without losing focus while reading. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (macOS) when you click on a web link to open it in a new tab while you stay on your current tab. Add the Shift key to open a link in a new tab and jump straight to it.

2 ways to re-trace your steps

Follow the breadcrumbs: You know those “back” and “forward” buttons in your browser? You can do the same with your keyboard, no clicking required — hold down Alt (Windows) or Cmd (macOS), then tap the left or right arrow button to explore your browsing history in the current tab.
Save your page: Press Ctrl + D (Windows) or Cmd + D (macOS) to bookmark the current webpage so you can get back to it later. Your browser will throw up a dialog box you can use to sort the bookmark into a folder.

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The best browser setting you’ve never checked

Every day is full of choices. I’m not sure we need 30 flavors of chips lining grocery store aisles, but it’s nice to have options when it comes to tech. The trick is knowing what you can customize.

Take your browser and all those tabs. Whether you hate clutter and want to start fresh each time, or you like everything exactly where you left it and want all your tabs to reopen when you turn on your computer … both are possible.

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🧽 Scrub-a-dub-dub

By popular demand, the cleaning products that shortcut tasks you forget to do. Grab ‘em all, blast the music and have a cleaning party with yourself.

Espresso machines need to be descaled. Don’t ignore this one or you’re in for a bad morning.
Use a Keurig, Ninja or other coffee pod machine? These tabs clean out the gunk so your java is perfect every morning.
When was the last time you cleaned your dishwasher? Pop in one of these tabs and run a cycle. Easy-peasy.
Next up, the garbage disposal. I know you’ve been ignoring that one, and it stinks.
While you’re at it, give the spa or hot tub a good cleaning, too.
I’m over laundry pods. I switched to laundry sheets. So easy!

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

What is that? Right-click on a tab in your browser and select Mute Tab or Mute Site. In some browsers, you can also click the microphone on a tab playing noise to stop it. Ah, silence.

How tracking your moods can unlock a happier you

Open/download audio

Are you keeping tabs on the health of your mind? Here’s how your smartwatch can help, in one minute.

7,470 Firefox tabs take up just 70MB of memory

That’s the buzz after one woman lost (and then found) the tabs in her Firefox Profile cache with help from X users. She said it took just seconds to restore them all. Firefox: The browser for tab hoarders.

7 quick ways to get more out of Chrome on your Android phone

Chrome is the dominant browser on your Android phone. It’s designed to be simple, but Chrome includes some surprisingly helpful tools to enhance your browsing experience when you get under the surface.

From constant security updates to excellent speed on both desktop and mobile, Chrome covers everything you could want in a browser. Tap or click here for 10 tips to keep Google’s Chrome browser secure.

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🧽 Scrub-a-dub-dub

Weird fact about me: I find cleaning relaxing. I especially love getting to those spots we all ignore for way too long. It’s OK — there are products that make it easy!

News flash: Espresso machines need to be descaled. Don’t let your pricey investment break down.
Use a Keurig, Ninja or other pod coffee machine? These tabs clean out the gunk so your coffee is perfect every morning.
When’s the last time you cleaned your dishwasher? Pop a tab in and run a cycle. Easy-peasy.
Next up, the garbage disposal. I know you’ve been ignoring that one, and it stinks.
While you’re at it, give the spa or hot tub a good cleaning, too.
I’m so over laundry pods and heavy detergent. I switched to laundry sheets. So easy!

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Add these to your shortcut repertoire: Use Ctrl + T (Windows) or Cmd + T (Mac) to open a new tab and Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + T (Mac) to reopen a recently closed tab. Hit Ctrl + Tab (Windows) or Cmd + Option + right arrow (Mac) to quickly switch between open tabs. Sweet.

🖱️ Click-clack: Hover over a hyperlink and click the wheel of your mouse. This automatically opens that link in a new tab, keeping you on your current screen. I use this shortcut all the time.

🔇 Too many tabs and too much noise? Right-click on a tab in your browser and select Mute Tab or Mute Site. In some browsers, you can also click the microphone on a tab playing noise to stop it.

When you get a pop-up that won’t close: On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Click the Processes tab. Shut down all your browser tabs. On a Mac, hold down Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search, then type Activity Monitor and press Enter.

“Come on!” We all have that feeling when we close the wrong browser tab. Get it back faster than navigating the history menu. On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + T to reopen your last tab. On a Mac, it’s Cmd + Shift + T. (You can use it multiple times to get back old tabs.)

So many tabs: Handy trick when you want to close some but not all of your open tabs. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and click on the tabs you want to close. Now hit Ctrl + W or Cmd + W to make them all vanish.

Put it on the tab(s): Windows File Explorer can use tabs, just like your web browser. Click the + (plus) on the toolbar at the top to create a new tab. You can also right-click on folders and pick Open in new tab. Nice.

🔖 Easier than bookmarks: Set all your tabs to open when you start your browser. In Chrome, click the three vertical dots, then Settings. Click On startup > Continue where you left off. Steps for Safari, Firefox and Edge here. Power move!

Shhhhh: You’re in a meeting and one of your browser tabs starts playing a video. Right-click on it and select Mute. Yep, you don’t even need to open the tab.

It’s not just your computer: You need to close all the tabs in your phone’s browser, too. On iPhone, open Safari, and tap and hold the icon that looks like two overlapping squares. From the pop-up, choose Close All Tabs. Done! On Android, say, “Hey, Google, close all tabs.”

I’m feelin’ the keyboard shortcuts lately: Here’s a faster way to navigate when you have lots of tabs open. In Windows, hit Ctrl + 1 (or 2 or 3 and so on) to go to that tab number. On Mac, it’s Cmd + [number]. To cycle through your open tabs, hit Ctrl + Tab (Windows) or Cmd + Tab (Mac).

Tip-tap tab: Move through your open tabs with just your keyboard. Press Ctrl + Tab on Windows or Cmd + Tab on a Mac to cycle. To quickly close your active tab, hit Ctrl + W on Windows or, on your Mac, Cmd + W.