20 Chromebook keyboard shortcuts every student should know

It's not uncommon for keyboard shortcuts to change between programs and systems. If you look at the full list of shortcuts, you'll see that the best Chromebooks have some fairly standard ones.

In order to get what they need to be done quicker and better, I have hit on some tricks that every student should know. You should start with the 10 essential keyboard shortcuts. I learned from school that you have to work smarter, not harder.

General Chromebook keyboard shortcuts

No matter what website or web app you're on, these system-wide shortcut can be used. They can help you lay things out more effectively on your screen, find what you're looking for more quickly, or hide a game window before the teacher arrives.

• Tab shortcuts: Ctrl + T opens a new tab, Ctrl + Shift + T reopens the last closed tab, and Ctrl + W closes the currently selected tab.
• Options menu: Alt + E opens the options menu, the three-dot menu in Google Chrome and Google Files. This shortcut does not work in Android apps.
• Cursor selection and movement: Shift + arrow keys selects text in the direction you move the cursor, and Ctrl + arrow keys moves the cursor one word to the left or right or to the beginning of the line above or below. Using Shift + Ctrl + arrow keys allows you to select larger portions of text quickly.
• Screenshot: Ctrl + Overview (the button that looks like a stack of windows) takes a screenshot of your current full Chromebook screen. Whether you need this for capturing the result you got on a web quiz, how a homework module is misbehaving, or something funny that someone said in a group chat, it's an essential shortcut to know.

• Screen zoom: Ctrl + + zooms in and magnifies the current tab of Chrome, while Ctrl + - zooms out and shrinks the current tab of Chrome. If you want to return quickly to 100% default zoom, you can do so with Ctrl + 0.
• Hide your game/tab: Alt + - will minimize the current window. If you have multiple windows open, then hitting Alt + - again will minimize the next open window. If you only have one window open on your Chromebook, hitting Alt + - again will restore that minimized window once your teacher, little brother, or parent has left and the coast is clear.
• Split-screening windows: Alt + [ pins the current window to the left side of the screen and Alt + ] pins the current window on the right side of the screen, making it far, far easier to reference your notes while you write your history report or write helpful technology articles. Alt + = will make a window full-width again without making it fullscreen, which hides the address bar, tabs, and toolbars.

Google Drive/Docs shortcuts

Users can use a lot of keyboard shortcuts on their websites. These aren't all Chromebooks exclusive, but they are definitely worth knowing.

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There are shortcut keys to the drive on the internet.

• Display all the keyboard shortcuts with: Ctrl + /
• Document creation: Shift + T creates a new Doc, Shift + S creates a new Sheet, and Shift + F creates a new Folder. If you're going to be using Google Drive for all your notes, homework, and random daydreaming stories throughout the year, create folders early and often to keep things organized.
• Rename items: Tapping N pops up the window to rename the currently selected item. Naming screenshots and other randomly named images and downloaded attachments will help keep things better organized and easy to find in your Google Drive.
• Scroll up, down, left, and right with the j k h l keys if you don't want your fingers leaving the keyboard.

There are shortcut ways to use GOOGLE DOCS.

• Clear formatting: Ctrl + will clear any weird formatting off of a website or app. On that note, remember that Ctrl+ Shift + V is the shortcut for pasting text without formatting.
• Formatting lists: Ctrl + Shift + 7 will toggle on a numbered list or format highlighted text into a numbered list. Ctrl + Shift + 8 will do the same with a bulleted list.
• Word count: Ctrl + Shift + C will bring up the word count screen, showing how many pages, words, and characters are in a highlighted section and the full document, so you know how close you are to that absolutely insane 10,000-word count your English teacher assigned.
• Voice typing: Ctrl + Shift + S will start voice typing, allowing you to dictate text to your document without having to type it all out.
• Jump to top or bottom: Ctrl + Search + left arrow will take you to the beginning of your document while Ctrl + Search + right arrow will go to the end.
• Insert links: Ctrl + K will open the insert link window in Google Docs, allowing you to create a new hyperlink for new text or add a hyperlink to the text you had currently highlighted.

Files app shortcuts

There is a Files app on a Chromebooks. It can be used with Chrome Web Store add-ons to remote into other cloud storage systems.

The Files app on a computer is going to be quicker than the website or even the Windows Explorer app if I need to do a lot of things like folder creation, file renaming, and moving large numbers of files.

• Folder creation: Ctrl + E creates a new folder.
• Rename items: Ctrl + Enter to rename the selected item. I find this goes quicker in Files than on the Google Drive site because you don't have to deal with pop-up windows or the window reloading after renaming a file. Ctrl + Enter, type in the new name, tap Enter, then arrow key over to the next item and repeat.
• Delete items: Alt + Backspace to delete an item from a folder. Items deleted from a Google Drive folder in the Files app still go to the Google Drive trash folder, so you can recover them within a number of days if you find you deleted something on accident.

Remapping Chromebook keys

There are a few differences between traditional keyboards and Chromebooks. The "Launcher" key is the most important change for younger users with hands that are too small to reach every letter while holding down the Shift key.

Chromebook users can remap the Launcher key, as well as the other function-related keys, so that they can be what they're used to. How can I get my Caps Lock back?

This is the first thing. The time can be found in the bottom right corner of the screen.

There are two To open settings, tap the gear on the screen.

There are three. Click the keyboard to scroll down and under the device.

There are four. The drop-down menu is to the right of the key.

There are five. To open the Caps Lock, tap it.

Caps Lock is the only major deviation most users will want to correct.

All the shortcuts

You can see all the keyboard shortcut at any time. You can see a list of what you can do with the keys on your screen by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + keys.