If you are a Firefox user, today we will tell you how to browse without the mouse. Here are few keys and combinations that can help you enhance your browsing speed and do a lot more. Not all of these are popular so no harm in taking a look even if you consider yourself a shortcuts expert.
Focus the Cursor on the Address Bar
This would be your first requirement. You can use Alt + D or Ctrl + L to navigate to the address bar of Firefox easily. Now, Alt+D might be well known but Ctrl + L deserves more attention, simply because at times – like when you use Firefox on a Mac – Alt + D wouldn’t do the job. Ctrl + L (in Mac it’ll be Command+L) will still work.
Focus the Cursor on the Search Bar
If you use Firefox’s integrated search bar at the top, you will find it easy to navigate to the search bar using the combination Ctrl + K.
Automatically Complete Addresses
Most of us know that Ctrl + Enter completes a web address for .com domain. For example, if you type guidingtech and hit Ctrl + Enter, your browser will open www.guidingtech.com. Similarly, using Shift + Enter and Ctrl + Shift + Enter completes an address on .net and .org domains respectively.
Quickly Delete Auto-complete Terms
If you intend to remove a result that appears in the auto-complete results in the address bar, or even in the search bar, you could just highlight that and use the Delete key (Shift+Delete in Mac) to remove it from the results.
Alt + [Home, Left Arrow, Right Arrow]
Alt + Home is the simplest way to launch your homepage on the current tab. Alt + Left and Alt + Right can be used to go one page back (Backspace also does the same) and one page forward as per your history. This shortcut should also work on other browsers.
Ctrl + T and Ctrl + N
While Ctrl + T is handy to open a new tab you may use Ctrl + N to launch a new browser Window. Helpful when you want a new session altogether.
Ctrl + Shift + T
At times we accidently close a browser tab and then start wondering how we had got there. If you use this combination you will see that that the last closed tab reopens.
Alt + Enter
When you start typing an address your browser shows suggestions bases on your browsing history. If you select any one and hit Enter the site opens but if you hit Alt +Enter it opens in a new tab without disturbing your current tab.
Ctrl + [-, +]
These provide zoom options on your browser. Holding Ctrl and pressing + increases the font or page size while pressing – does the reverse. Our readers will have noted that the image (above) is larger than normal. This was the result of Ctrl + on our homepage.
Ctrl + [Tab, 1,2….8,9]
Ctrl + Tab helps you navigate, toggle and alternate among all open tabs. However, if you have a lot of them open you can you may use Ctrl + N (where N is a number from 1 to 9) to navigate to the Nth tab.
Function Keys
F3 brings up the Quick Find bar (towards the bottom) to look for text on the current page.F5, as we all now refreshes or reloads the current tab.F11 switches to full screen mode.
To learn more about Function keys, refer to our guide on The Best (& Default) Uses Of Function Keys (F1 to F12) in Windows.
Alt + F4 and Ctrl + F4 or Ctrl + W
The most common and not just limited to browsers, Alt + F4 closes the application (in this case browser). Amazingly, Ctrl + F4 or Ctrl + W has the ability to close the highlighted tab.
Spacebar and Shift + Spacebar
These are equivalent to Page Down and Page Up respectively which means they require no more explanation.
End and Home
It is a quick way to navigate to the end of a webpage or to the beginning of it. Very useful on lengthy pages!
Ctrl + [B, D, J, P]
Stated below are their functions in order:-
Show the Bookmark section as left pane of the browser.Add a bookmark for the current page.Show the download window.Print the webpage
Bonus: Holding Ctrl while clicking on a link opens it in a new tab.
Conclusion
We tried to put together all we had in mind. Let us know if you think if have missed something. We would be more than glad to expand the list. (Top Image Credit: Lordcolus) The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
