21 shortcuts for Microsoft Edge you need to know
Get an edge with Edge.
By employing only a fraction of these shortcuts, you can become a better Edge browser.
Tab and window management
1. Jump to next or previous tab
Use Ctrl-Tab to jump one tab to the right and use Control-Shift-Tab to jump one tab to the left.
2. Jump to specific tab
To jump to a specific tab of the many you have open, press Ctrl and a number key between 1 and 9. Ctrl-1 jumps you to your first (left-most) tab. Ctrl-5, for example, jumps you to the fifth tab from the left. Ctrl-9 jumps you to the right-most tab, so this keyboard shortcut is really only useful if your open tabs number in the single digits.
3. Open link in new tab
Some links are coded to open in the current tab while others open in a new tab. To take control of this behavior, press Ctrl when you click a link to stay on your current page while opening the link in a new tab in the background. Likewise, use Ctrl-Shift-click to open link in new tab and switch to it. Also, Shift-click to open a link in a new window.
If you use a mouse, click the mouse wheel or middle mouse button to open a link in a new tab. And Shift-middle click opens a link in a new window.
4. Close current tab
Instead of clicking the little X to close a tab, just hit Ctrl-W. If you did that by accident, hit Ctrl-Shift-T to open a previously closed tab.
5. Move tab to new window
Hit Ctrl-Shift-N to open your current tab in a new window.
6. A tab so nice you need it twice
To open a replica of your current tab, hit Ctrl-K to duplicate it in a new tab.
7. Drag tabs
Like most modern browsers, Edge is quite flexible when it comes to moving your tabs around. You can click and drag a tab to move it to another spot among your row open tabs in the current window. You can also drag a tab out of the current window and start a new window or drag it from one window to another window.
8. See the sidebar
Edge has a handy sidebar (Microsoft calls it the Hub) hiding along its right edge that contains your Favorites, Reading List, History and Downloads. There is a keyboard shortcut to call up each view of the sidebar and they are:
- Ctrl-I -- Favorites
- Ctrl-M -- Reading List
- Ctrl-H -- History
- Ctrl-J -- Downloads
Hit Esc to close the sidebar.
Lastly, to save your current page to your Favorites or Reading List, hit Ctrl-D.
9. Private window
Hit Ctrl-Shift-P to open a Browsing InPrivate window.
10. Minimize window
Hit Alt-spacebar-N to minimize Edge.
11. Move or resize
You can move or resize your Edge window without needing to click-and-drag from its edges. Hit Alt-spacebar-M and then you can move your Edge window with the arrow keys or using your mouse or touchpad. Likewise, hit Alt-spacebar-S to resize your window with your arrow keys.
Page navigation
12. Move back or forward a page
Hit Alt-left arrow to move back a page on your current tab and Alt-right arrow to move forward.
13. Gain control of the URL bar
Instead of clicking into the URL bar, you can hit Ctrl-E to move your cursor to URL bar and highlight all text in it.
14. Search with copied text
Hit Ctrl-Shift-L to start a Bing search of any text you have copied to the clipboard. The results will open in the current tab.
15. Find bar
Hit Crtl-F to open the Find on page panel to search for a keyword or phrase on the page. Hit Enter to move to the next instance of your search term and Shift-Enter to move to the previous instance.
16. Move to top or bottom
To jump to the bottom of a page, hit the End key. You can then return to the top of the page by hitting the Home key.
17. Page up and down
When you are viewing a page (and not filling out a form, using Google Docs or otherwise engaging your cursor in Edge), hit the spacebar to page down on a page and Shift-spacebar to page up.
18. Zoom controls
If you have trouble reading a small font on a page, hit Ctrl-[equals sign] to zoom in. To zoom out, use Ctrl-[minus sign] to zoom out. To return to the default zoom level, hit Ctrl-0 (zero).
19. Reading mode
Hit Ctrl-Shift-R to enter reading mode for a clean, clutter-free version of the page you are viewing.
20. Stop or reload a page
Hit Esc to stop a page from loading and Ctrl-R or F5 to reload the page.
21. Go home
No matter where your internet wanderings take you, you can always click your heels and return home. But instead of clicking your heels, just hit Alt-Home to return to your home page.
If Edge isn't your jam, I've got shortcuts for Chrome, Firefox and Safari.