What are the most important ChromeOS keyboard shortcuts?

Key ChromeOS shortcuts include Ctrl+Alt+T (open Crosh terminal), Alt+[ and Alt+] (snap windows), Ctrl+Shift+L (lock screen), Ctrl+F5 (screenshot), Alt+Tab (switch windows), and the Launcher key to open the app launcher.

How do I take a screenshot on a Chromebook?

Press Ctrl+F5 (Show Windows key) for a full-screen screenshot, or Ctrl+Shift+F5 to drag-select a region. Screenshots save to the Downloads folder and a notification lets you copy to clipboard or annotate the image.

How do I open Task Manager on ChromeOS?

Press Search+Esc to open the ChromeOS Task Manager, where you can view and end processes for browser tabs, extensions, and apps. You can also access it through the Chrome browser menu → More tools → Task Manager.

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Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts — ChromeOS Cheat Sheet

Chromebook keyboard shortcuts for browser controls, screenshots, windows, the launcher, and ChromeOS system features.

121 shortcuts across 10 categories

Chromebook keyboard shortcuts for browser controls, screenshots, windows, the launcher, and ChromeOS system features.

Editing

Action	Shortcut	Description
Cut	`Ctrl` + `X`	Cut the selected item to the clipboard
Copy	`Ctrl` + `C`	Copy the selected item to the clipboard
Paste	`Ctrl` + `V`	Paste the clipboard contents at the cursor
Paste as Plain Text	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `V`	Paste without any formatting
Undo	`Ctrl` + `Z`	Undo the last action
Redo	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Z`	Redo the previously undone action
Select All	`Ctrl` + `A`	Select all items or text
Delete (Forward)	`Alt` + `Backspace`	Delete the character to the right of the cursor (ChromeOS has no dedicated Delete key)
Bold	`Ctrl` + `B`	Toggle bold formatting
Italic	`Ctrl` + `I`	Toggle italic formatting
Underline	`Ctrl` + `U`	Toggle underline formatting

File Management

Action	Shortcut	Description
Save	`Ctrl` + `S`	Save the current document or webpage
Open File	`Ctrl` + `O`	Open an existing file
New Tab	`Ctrl` + `T`	Open a new browser tab
New Window	`Ctrl` + `N`	Open a new browser window
Close Tab	`Ctrl` + `W`	Close the current browser tab
Reopen Closed Tab	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T`	Reopen the most recently closed tab
Print	`Ctrl` + `P`	Print the current page or document
Open Files App	`Shift` + `Alt` + `M`	Open the ChromeOS Files app
Open Downloads	`Ctrl` + `J`	Open the Downloads manager in Chrome
Delete File	`Alt` + `Backspace`	Delete the selected file in the Files app

Navigation

Action	Shortcut	Description
Find on Page	`Ctrl` + `F`	Open the Find bar to search within the current page
Open Launcher	`Search`	Open the Launcher (equivalent to Start menu / Spotlight)
Switch Apps	`Alt` + `Tab`	Cycle through open application windows
Switch Windows	`Alt` + `~`	Cycle through windows of the same app
Switch Tabs (next)	`Ctrl` + `Tab`	Switch to the next tab in Chrome
Switch Tabs (previous)	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Tab`	Switch to the previous tab in Chrome
Go Back	`Alt` + `Left`	Navigate back in the browser
Go Forward	`Alt` + `Right`	Navigate forward in the browser
Address Bar	`Ctrl` + `L`	Focus the browser address bar
Switch to Desk 1-4	`Search` + `1-4`	Switch to virtual desk 1, 2, 3, or 4
Create New Desk	`Shift` + `Search` + `+`	Create a new virtual desk
Close Current Desk	`Shift` + `Search` + `-`	Close the current virtual desk
Move Window to Next Desk	`Shift` + `Search` + `]`	Move the active window to the next desk

System & Display

Action	Shortcut	Description
Screenshot (Full Screen)	`Ctrl` + `Show Windows`	Take a full-screen screenshot saved to Downloads
Screenshot (Partial)	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Show Windows`	Drag to select a region for a screenshot
Screen Record	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Show Windows`	In the screenshot toolbar, choose the record option
Lock Screen	`Search` + `L`	Lock the screen immediately
Sign Out	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Q`	Sign out of the current ChromeOS account (press twice)
Open Task Manager	`Search` + `Esc`	Open the ChromeOS Task Manager to end processes
Settings	`Alt` + `Shift` + `S`	Open the quick settings panel (clock area)
Toggle Caps Lock	`Search` + `Alt`	Enable Caps Lock (ChromeOS has no dedicated Caps Lock key)
Brightness Up	`Brightness Up`	Increase screen brightness
Brightness Down	`Brightness Down`	Decrease screen brightness
Volume Up	`Volume Up`	Increase the speaker volume
Volume Down	`Volume Down`	Decrease the speaker volume
Mute	`Volume Mute`	Mute or unmute the speaker
Clipboard History	`Search` + `V`	Open the clipboard history panel
Emoji Picker	`Search` + `Shift` + `Space`	Open the emoji picker
Full Screen	`Full Screen`	Toggle full screen mode for the current window

Text Cursor & Selection

Action	Shortcut	Description
Move Word Left	`Ctrl` + `Left`	Move the cursor one word to the left
Move Word Right	`Ctrl` + `Right`	Move the cursor one word to the right
Move to Line Start	`Search` + `Left`	Move cursor to the beginning of the line (ChromeOS has no Home key)
Move to Line End	`Search` + `Right`	Move cursor to the end of the line (ChromeOS has no End key)
Move to Document Start	`Ctrl` + `Search` + `Left`	Move cursor to the very beginning of the document
Move to Document End	`Ctrl` + `Search` + `Right`	Move cursor to the very end of the document
Select Word Left	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Left`	Extend selection one word to the left
Select Word Right	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Right`	Extend selection one word to the right
Select to Line Start	`Search` + `Shift` + `Left`	Extend selection to the beginning of the line
Select to Line End	`Search` + `Shift` + `Right`	Extend selection to the end of the line
Select to Document Start	`Ctrl` + `Search` + `Shift` + `Left`	Extend selection to the top of the document
Select to Document End	`Ctrl` + `Search` + `Shift` + `Right`	Extend selection to the bottom of the document

Chrome Browser

Action	Shortcut	Description
New Tab	`Ctrl` + `T`	Open a new browser tab
New Window	`Ctrl` + `N`	Open a new browser window
New Incognito Window	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `N`	Open a new incognito (private) window
Reopen Closed Tab	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T`	Reopen the most recently closed tab
Go to Tab (1-8)	`Ctrl` + `1-8`	Jump directly to the tab at that position
Go to Last Tab	`Ctrl` + `9`	Jump to the last open tab
Duplicate Tab	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `K`	Duplicate the current tab
Bookmark Page	`Ctrl` + `D`	Bookmark the current page
Bookmark All Tabs	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `D`	Save all open tabs as bookmarks in a new folder
Open Bookmark Manager	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `O`	Open the Chrome Bookmark Manager
Open History	`Ctrl` + `H`	View your browsing history
Focus Address Bar	`Ctrl` + `L`	Focus the address bar and select its text
Hard Reload	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `R`	Reload the page bypassing the cache
Developer Tools	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `I`	Open Chrome Developer Tools
View Page Source	`Ctrl` + `U`	View the source code of the current page
Zoom In	`Ctrl` + `+`	Zoom into the current page
Zoom Out	`Ctrl` + `-`	Zoom out of the current page
Reset Zoom	`Ctrl` + `0`	Reset page zoom to default (100%)

Accessibility

Action	Shortcut	Description
Toggle ChromeVox	`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Z`	Toggle ChromeVox, the built-in screen reader for ChromeOS
ChromeVox Modifier Key	`Search`	ChromeVox uses the Search key as its modifier by default
Zoom In (Display)	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `+`	Increase the display zoom level
Zoom Out (Display)	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `-`	Decrease the display zoom level
Toggle Full Screen Magnifier	`Ctrl` + `Search` + `M`	Toggle the full-screen magnifier
Magnifier Zoom In	`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Brightness Up`	Zoom in with the ChromeOS magnifier
Magnifier Zoom Out	`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Brightness Down`	Zoom out with the ChromeOS magnifier
Toggle High Contrast	`Search` + `Ctrl` + `H`	Enable or disable high contrast mode
Toggle Select to Speak	`Search` + `S`	Enable Select to Speak, then click or select text to have it read aloud
Show Accessibility Menu	`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Z`	Open the ChromeOS accessibility features panel

Linux Terminal (Crostini)

Action	Shortcut	Description
Open Linux Terminal	`Search` + `then type 'Terminal'`	Launch the Linux Development Environment terminal from the Launcher
New Tab	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T`	Open a new tab in the Linux Terminal app
New Window	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `N`	Open a new Linux Terminal window
Close Tab	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `W`	Close the current terminal tab
Copy	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `C`	Copy selected text from the Linux terminal
Paste	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `V`	Paste text into the Linux terminal
Clear Screen	`Ctrl` + `L`	Clear the terminal display (same as running 'clear')
Interrupt / Cancel	`Ctrl` + `C`	Stop the currently running command
End of File / Exit Shell	`Ctrl` + `D`	Send EOF signal — exits the current shell or closes a REPL
Autocomplete	`Tab`	Autocomplete commands, file paths, and arguments
Previous Command	`Up`	Recall the previous command from shell history
Reverse History Search	`Ctrl` + `R`	Interactively search through command history — type to filter
Move to Start of Line	`Ctrl` + `A`	Move cursor to the beginning of the current command
Move to End of Line	`Ctrl` + `E`	Move cursor to the end of the current command
Delete to Start of Line	`Ctrl` + `U`	Delete all text from the cursor to the start of the line
Delete to End of Line	`Ctrl` + `K`	Delete all text from the cursor to the end of the line
Delete Word Left	`Ctrl` + `W`	Delete the word to the left of the cursor
Zoom In (Terminal)	`Ctrl` + `+`	Increase terminal font size
Zoom Out (Terminal)	`Ctrl` + `-`	Decrease terminal font size

Touchpad Gestures

Action	Shortcut	Description
Scroll	`Two-Finger Swipe`	Slide two fingers on the touchpad to scroll up, down, left, or right
Go Back	`Two-Finger Swipe Left`	Swipe two fingers left to navigate back in the browser
Go Forward	`Two-Finger Swipe Right`	Swipe two fingers right to navigate forward in the browser
Open Overview / All Windows	`Three-Finger Swipe Up`	Show all open windows in the Overview (equivalent to pressing the Overview key)
Show All Desks	`Four-Finger Swipe Up`	Display the virtual desks bar at the top of the screen
Switch Between Desks	`Four-Finger Swipe Left/Right`	Swipe horizontally with four fingers to move between virtual desks
Switch Between Recent Apps	`Three-Finger Swipe Left/Right`	Swipe horizontally with three fingers to switch between recent app windows
Right-Click	`Two-Finger Tap`	Tap the touchpad with two fingers simultaneously to open the right-click context menu
Click and Drag	`Press and Slide (one finger)`	Click and hold with one finger while sliding to drag items
Zoom In / Out	`Two-Finger Pinch`	Pinch in or out with two fingers to zoom on web pages and images

Printing

Action	Shortcut	Description
Print	`Ctrl` + `P`	Open the print dialog in Chrome or other apps
Save Page as PDF	`Ctrl` + `P`	In the print dialog, select 'Save as PDF' as the destination

ChromeOS Tips & Tricks

The Search Key is Your Swiss Army Knife: The Search key (where Caps Lock usually is) is the most powerful key on a Chromebook. Combine it with other keys for shortcuts, or press it alone to open the Launcher and search everything.
Virtual Desks: ChromeOS supports up to 8 virtual desks. Press Search + Shift + + to create a new one. Move windows between desks with Shift + Search + ] or [.
Clipboard History: Press Search + V to open your clipboard history and paste any of the last 5 copied items. Handy when you need to paste multiple things in a row.
Linux Development Environment: ChromeOS can run a full Debian Linux environment (Terminal app). Enable it in Settings > Advanced > Developers > Linux development environment. You get access to apt, VS Code, and thousands of Linux apps.
Android Apps: Most Chromebooks support Android apps from the Google Play Store. This greatly expands the software available, including productivity tools, media players, and creative apps.
Offline Mode: Key Google apps like Docs, Sheets, Gmail, and Drive work offline. Enable offline access in Google Drive settings before going offline — changes sync automatically when you reconnect.
No Caps Lock by Default: ChromeOS repurposed the Caps Lock key as the Search key. You can still toggle Caps Lock with Search + Alt. To permanently remap, go to Settings > Device > Keyboard > Customize keyboard keys.

Frequently Asked Questions — ChromeOS

What are the most important ChromeOS keyboard shortcuts?: Key ChromeOS shortcuts include Ctrl+Alt+T (open Crosh terminal), Alt+[ and Alt+] (snap windows), Ctrl+Shift+L (lock screen), Ctrl+F5 (screenshot), Alt+Tab (switch windows), and the Launcher key to open the app launcher.
How do I take a screenshot on a Chromebook?: Press Ctrl+F5 (Show Windows key) for a full-screen screenshot, or Ctrl+Shift+F5 to drag-select a region. Screenshots save to the Downloads folder and a notification lets you copy to clipboard or annotate the image.
How do I open Task Manager on ChromeOS?: Press Search+Esc to open the ChromeOS Task Manager, where you can view and end processes for browser tabs, extensions, and apps. You can also access it through the Chrome browser menu → More tools → Task Manager.

How to Learn Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts

ChromeOS is built around the browser, so the most valuable shortcuts to learn first are the browser navigation ones: Ctrl+T (new tab), Ctrl+W (close tab), Ctrl+Shift+T (reopen closed tab), and Ctrl+Tab/Ctrl+Shift+Tab (move between tabs). These work in every Chrome window and cover the most common tab management actions. ChromeOS's Search key (the key where Caps Lock normally lives) is the gateway to the launcher — press it once to open the launcher and type to search apps, files, and web content, press Search+shortcut for system actions. If you use Caps Lock regularly, you can re-enable it via the keyboard settings.

For power users, ChromeOS's built-in shortcut reference is accessible via Ctrl+Alt+? at any time — it shows every available shortcut organized by category, and it's the best way to discover shortcuts you didn't know existed. Window management shortcuts like Alt+[ and Alt+] snap windows to the left or right side of the screen, and Alt+= or Alt+- resize windows. The Overview mode (Show Windows key, or Shift+Search+M) shows all open windows and virtual desks, similar to Mission Control on macOS or Task View on Windows. ChromeOS's virtual desks feature (accessible via Shift+Search+Plus to create a new desk) is particularly useful for keeping different work contexts separated.