As our lives have become increasingly digitized, many of us spend the majority of our day working on computers. Whether you’re a student or a professional, you’re probably familiar with the frustration of having to navigate multiple tabs or windows while working on a project.
So, if you’re looking to speed up your web browsing and increase your productivity, mastering keyboard shortcuts for opening new tabs is a great place to start. By using keyboard shortcuts, you can quickly and easily open new tabs without ever having to take your hands off the keyboard.
In this article, we’ll explore the most common keyboard shortcuts for opening new tabs, as well as a few advanced tab management techniques to help you work more efficiently. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who spends a lot of time online(that’s me), these tips will help you get more done in less time. Without further ado, let’s get the ball rolling.
The Basics: What is a Tab?
Before we dive into the various ways of opening new tabs with your keyboard, it’s important to understand what a tab is and why it’s so useful. Simply put, tabs are a way to have multiple web pages open at once within a single window. This means you can easily switch between pages without having to navigate away from your current page or open multiple windows.
Tabs can be incredibly helpful for tasks like research, where you may need to reference multiple pages at once. But they’re also great for everyday browsing, allowing you to keep multiple pages open without cluttering up your desktop or taskbar.
How to Open New Tab with Keyboard?
Now that we understand the basics of tabs, let’s explore how to open a new tab with your keyboard.
For Windows:
On Windows, the keyboard shortcut for opening a new tab is simple: just press “Ctrl + T”. This will open a new tab in your current browser window, ready for you to start browsing. If you want to open a link in a new tab, you can simply hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on the link.
For Mac:
On a Mac, the process is slightly different. Simply press “Command + T”. This will open a new, blank tab in your web browser or application. This shortcut works in most modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. To open a link in a new tab, simply hold down the Command key while clicking on the link.
Advance Keyboard Shortcuts for Opening Tabs
In addition to the “Ctrl” + “T” shortcut, there are a few other keyboard shortcuts you can use to open tabs:
“Ctrl” + “Shift” + “T” (or “Command” + “Shift” + “T” on a Mac): This shortcut will reopen the last tab you closed. This can be especially useful if you accidentally closed a tab or need to quickly access a page you were just on.
“Ctrl” + “click” (or “Command” + “click” on a Mac): If you’re using a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can hold down the “Ctrl” key (or “Command” on a Mac) and click a link to open it in a new tab. This can be a handy way to quickly open multiple links without having to navigate back and forth between pages.
“Ctrl” + “Shift” + “click” (or “Command” + “Shift” + “click” on a Mac): This shortcut will open a link in a new tab and switch to that tab immediately. This can be useful if you want to quickly view a link without navigating away from your current page.
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts
If you find yourself using tabs frequently, you may want to customize your keyboard shortcuts to make them even more efficient. Most modern web browsers allow you to customize keyboard shortcuts in the settings or preferences menu.
In Google Chrome, for example, you can customize the keyboard shortcut for opening a new tab by going to the Settings menu, clicking on “Advanced”, and then clicking on “Accessibility”. From there, you can click on “Keyboard shortcuts” to view a list of available shortcuts and customize them to your liking.
In Mozilla Firefox, you can customize keyboard shortcuts by going to the Options menu, selecting “Preferences”, and then clicking on “General”. From there, you can click on “Keyboard Shortcuts” to view a list of available shortcuts and customize them as needed.
Experiment with different shortcuts to find the ones that work best for you.
Advanced Tab Management
Once you’ve mastered the basics of opening tabs with your keyboard, you may want to explore more advanced tab management techniques.
For example, many web browsers allow you to group tabs into “windows” or “sessions” to keep your work organized. You can also use extensions or add-ons to enhance your tab management capabilities, such as tab preview or tab grouping tools.
How to Open New Tab with Keyboard: Final Thoughts
Opening a new tab with your keyboard may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in your productivity and workflow. By using the simple keyboard shortcuts we’ve outlined in this article, you can quickly and easily open new tabs and switch between different pages without wasting time.
So, what are you waiting for? Start exploring your browser’s settings and features today and take your web browsing to the next level!
Don’t forget to check out “How to Move Windows with Keyboard“
