Mastering Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts
Using a Chromebook for the first time can be a rather unpleasant experience especially if your previous daily driver is one running either of the competing platforms.
I can bear witness to this fact having recently transitioned to using a Chromebook. Suffice to say, the platform can be an intimidating experience for first-time users especially considering how the keyboard is laid out in comparison to those of Windows and MACs
The first annoyance that I can’t seem to get over is the particular lack of a caps lock key.
Chromebook keyboards aren’t shipped with a dedicated key to toggle caps lock on/off. In an interesting twist, doing, so, actually requires you to simultaneously press the Search+ alt keys. A process, I find to be particularly time-consuming especially when I’m trying to keep a continuous work flow.
Determined to find a solution to my predicament, I ran a Google search which yielded to some interesting results.
Landing on the Chromebook Help page was like walking into a dojo and within a few minutes, I mastered the exclusive
Since Chrome OS and the Chrome browser are practically cousins, nearly all shortcuts are the same regardless of what platform you’re on.
Note: If aren’t a Chromebook owner but want to use these shortcuts on your Windows or Mac keyboard, use the Windows key or Command key in place of the Search button.
Here is a short list of some of the shortcuts that I found to be particularly useful.
- Take a screenshot: Press Ctrl + switch window (or Ctrl + F5)
- Take a partial screenshot: Press Shift + Ctrl + switch window (or Shift + Ctrl + F5), then click and drag
- Take a screenshot (on tablets): Press Power button + Volume down button
- Turn Caps Lock on or off: Press Search Search + Alt
- Lock your screen: Press Search Search + L
- Sign out of your Google account: Press Shift + Ctrl + q (twice)
On Chromebooks, you can display the entire shortcut list by hitting the Ctrl + Alt + / keys on your keyboard.
