The Internet is the most frequently accessed medium for information and communication and with the development of new operating systems there are a number of web browsers that are used to surf the net. Frank Johnson offers some tips, tricks and time saving keyboard short cuts for more efficient use of browsers

When Internet browsing was in its nascent stage, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was the most popular browser for majority of users. However, with seamless development of new operating systems and devices for accessing the net, the number of browsers increased. Besides Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera are some of the common browsers that people use everyday to surf the World Wide Web. Some other web browsers include the likes of SeaMonkey, Netscape, Phoenix, and Maxthon.

Among other things, the speed and efficiency of our online activities depends on the web browser being used. Thankfully, there are ways to speed up browsing without having to click the mouse again and again. You can use keyboard shortcuts to pull up the sites that you visit often, open more tabs, or auto complete forms faster if you start using certain tips and tricks for web browsers. Here are a few useful ones:

1) Keyboard short cuts for Google Chrome

To use one of the most popular browsers more effectively, you can employ the following short cuts

• CTRL+N: To open a new window
• CTRL+SHIFT+N: To open a new window in Incognito Mode
• CTRL+ <link>: To open a link in a new tab
• SHIFT+ <link>: To open a link in a new window
• CTRL + T: To open a new tab
• CTRL+SHIFT+T: To open the last tab that was closed by you
• CTRL + 1: To switch to the first tab on the tab strip
• CTRL+ 2: To switch to the second tab on the tab strip
• CTRL+9: To switch to the ninth tab on the tab strip
• (Similar key board short cuts can be used for third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eight tabs)
•  CTRL+H: To check the browsing history
•  CTRL+ plus sign: To make the text on the webpage larger
•  CTRL+ minus sign: To make the text on the webpage smaller

2) Keyboard short cuts for Safari

Use Mac for surfing the net? Here are a few keyboard tips for the Safari

• Option + Arrow: To scroll page by a screenful without a little overlap
• Command + Up Arrow: To scroll to left corner on the top of a web page
• Command + Down Arrow: To scroll to the left corner on the bottom of a web page
•  Page Up: To scroll page up by a screenful without a little overlap.
• Page Down: To scroll page down by a screenful without a little overlap.
•  Command + Home: To go to your chosen Homepage.
•  END: To scroll to the left corner at the bottom of a page.
•  SPACEBAR: To scroll page down by a screenful without a little overlap.
•   DELETE: To move back
•   SHIFT+DELETE: To move forward
•   Command + Link on a webpage: To open the chosen link in a new window.
•   Command + Shift + Link on webpage: To open the chosen link in a new window, behind the current window
•   Command + D: To add a bookmark
•   Command + R: To reload a page

3) Terminating unresponsive tasks in Google Chrome

When you use the Chrome, you can terminate those stuck or problematic tabs without disturbing the rest of you browsing session. There is no need to go to Windows Task Manager to look for and terminate unresponsive tabs. Google Chrome is devised to treat each tab as a separate task in Windows and so the browser has its own Task Manager with a Windows like layout. Simply use SHIFT+ESC to activate it and from here you will be able to see which tabs and extensions take up resources and terminate the ones that are slowing down your system.

4) Hiding Firefox browser quickly
You can easily hide all browser windows on your Mac (including Firefox window from your dock by hitting Command + H and you can quit Firefox (it will exit the browser application completely) with Command + Q

5) Keyboard shortcuts for Opera

You can use these for Opera 9.x in Windows

• CTRL+O: To open a file using Opera
• CTRL+S: To save a copy of current webpage
• CTRL+SHIFT+P: To toggle for print preview
• CTRL+P: To print the current webpage
• CTRL+Q: To shut down the browser
• CTRL+W: To close the tab being currently used

6) Keyboard shortcuts for Internet Explorer
Microsoft’s IE is still used by several surfers. Here are a few shortcuts to go about it:

• F1: To activate Internet Explorer Help
• TAB: To move forward through items open on a page or the Address box
• ALT+HOME: To go to your chosen homepage
• ALT+ Right Arrow: To go to next webpage
• Backspace / ALT+ Left Arrow: To go to previous webpage
• F5: To refresh the current webpage

7) Searching with Internet Explorer

It is easy to search the net from the address bar of IE – just enter a question mark, a blank space and the search word in the address field.

8) Changing size of text on webpage – Safari

Command + +:   To increase the text size, simultaneously press and hold the command key and the key with plus sign.

Command + 0: To return to original text size, simultaneously press and hold the command key and the ‘zero’ number key.

Command + -: To decrease the text size, simultaneously press and hold the command key and the key with minus sign.

9) Use pop up blockers

All web browsers have an option for blocking pop ups. Along with this you can also use an ‘ad blocker’ to terminate all those annoying banner ads before they eat up space on your screen and interrupt with your work.

10) Organize bookmarks

Use the bookmark feature in your browser to maintain a list of web pages that you frequently refer to. This helps is cutting down on time spent in looking for URLs.

With these tips and tricks for browsers, you can really speed up your work on the Internet!

About the Author:Frank Johnson is a regular editorial contributor on technology products and services and business operation tips that help small to mid size enterprises.  To know about using web browsers effectively, you may interact with him here

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