10 Useful Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts

Odds are you use Google Chrome as it is the most poplular browser on the planet.  If you do, keyboard shortcuts can dramatically help speed up some of the most frequently used tasks you do while browsing that will allow you to keep your hands on the keyboard and stop reaching for the mouse.

The shortucts we have listed in this article are for Windows users only, and are some of our favorites.  It should be noted that keyboard shortcuts are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users.  For a full listing of all shortucts available head on over to the official Chrome Shorcuts Page.  OK, lets dig in!

Reopen previously closed tabs  – Ctrl+Shift+t
This shortuct re-opens previously closed tabs in the order that they were closed.  This is helpful in case you accidentally close a tab, or just want to bring back a recently closed tab.  This will also restore your entire browsing session if you left Chrome open and the computer rebooted for any reason.

Open a new tab in Icognito Mode – Ctrl+Shift+n
This shortuct opens a new window in Icognito Mode.  Incognito Mode is a special mode that prevents Chrome from saving cookies that contain your IP address, login details, and other browsing information.  Websites visited in this mode will not show up in you browsing history.  Incognito Mode is also very useful is when you want to visit sites that want you to subscribe to their content, or have an article limit before you need to subscribe (i.e. newspaper sites).  Going incognito usually lets you read for free, especially if you click on a link from a social media site.

Move to the next open tab – Ctrl+Tab
This shortcut will move you to the next open tab to the right.  If you have many open tabs and are on the last one, using this shortuct will bring you to the first tab open.

Move to the next tab to the left – Ctrl+Pg Up
This shortcut will move you to the next open tab to the left.  If you have many open tabs and are on the first one, using this shortuct will bring you to the last tab open.

Open a new tab – Ctrl+t
This shortcut will open a new tab, and jump to it with the cursor in the address bar.

Jump to the address bar – Ctrl+l (that is a lowercase L not an i)
This shortcut will move your cursor to the address bar on the current page that you are viewing.

Bookmark the current page – Ctrl+d
This shortuct will save the current page in your bookmarks.

Print the current page – Ctrl+p
This shortcut will bring up your print dialog box that will allow you to either print the page or save it as a PDF.

Close the active tab – Ctrl+w
This shorcut will close the active tab (the one you are viewing).

Close the current window – Ctrl+Shift+w
This shortcut will close the current window and all of the tabs you have open in it.

Hopefully these shortcuts will make your browsing a bit easier!  If you found these helpful and would lilke additional shortcuts please don’t forget to vist the Chrome Shortcuts Page.

If you are running Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 the picture above should be a very familiar sight. Microsoft REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wants you to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. We get calls daily at the shop asking us our opinion about whether to upgrade or not.

Windows 10 is actually a good Operating System, as it blends the best of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 plus it offers some really cool new features such as the integrated Cortana digital assistant, a revamped Start Menu, the Edge Web Browser, the ability to run Multiple Desktops, and more. But the purpose of this article is not to review the new features of Windows 10, but rather to answer the upgrade question. To cut to the quick, our answer is a resounding NO.

The overwhelming majority of issues we see regarding Windows 10 computers that are brought to our shop are systems that have been upgraded from a previous version of Windows. When Windows 10 comes pre-installed from the factory as the default Operating System, there are very few problems. The computer is fast and stable, and most of the issues are either end user caused, or due to software incompatibility.

Computers today have a lifespan of about 3-4 years. If you have an older version of Windows, odds are your system is nearing or past that mark. Continue to use the system as long as it is running and Microsoft is supporting it (Windows 8 has already been retired), but don’t think you can breathe new life in to it by upgrading your old hardware to Windows 10.

If you really want to try Windows 10 our best recommendation is to buy a new computer with it already installed. If you do try to upgrade your current system to Windows 10, make sure you have an image based backup in case you want to revert back to the way your computer was before the upgrade.

Many of the computers that we service are plugged in to a power strip with a surge suppressor. While a battery back up unit is the best form of surge protection, a surge protected power strip is also better than a power strip without surge protection.  But did you know that the surge protection can actually wear out? On average, you should replace your surge protectors about every 2-3 years.

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Here we rate some of the various anti-spyware programs available on the market today. While there is no possible way for us to rate every single application available, we have reviewed some of the more popular utilities currently in use.

Anti-Spyware programs can be broken into two separate types:
– Free (downloadable)
– Paid

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