If you use Google Chrome for work, you likely have several extensions installed to help you manage passwords, block advertisements, capture screenshots, or check your grammar. While these extensions are helpful, forcing yourself to move your mouse to the top-right corner of the screen and click a tiny icon every time you want to use one disrupts your workflow.
You can dramatically speed up your browsing by assigning custom keyboard shortcuts to your favourite Chrome extensions. This hidden feature allows you to activate an extension, open its menu, or trigger its main function instantly with a simple keystroke.
How to Access the Shortcuts Menu
Google Chrome has a dedicated settings page exclusively for managing extension shortcuts.
- Open Google Chrome.
- Look at the top-right corner of the window and click the Extensions button (the icon shaped like a jigsaw puzzle piece).
- At the bottom of the dropdown menu, click Manage Extensions. (This will open a new tab displaying a grid of all your installed extensions).
- On the left-hand side of the screen, click the Hamburger menu icon (three horizontal lines).
- Select Keyboard shortcuts from the slide-out menu.
Alternatively, you can skip the menus entirely by typing chrome://extensions/shortcuts directly into your address bar and pressing Enter.
How to Assign a Custom Shortcut
You are now looking at a list of every extension installed on your browser that supports keyboard shortcuts.
- Scroll through the list to find the extension you want to control (e.g., your password manager or a screen capture tool).
- Find the specific action you want to trigger. Most extensions will offer a basic “Activate the extension” action, which simply opens the extension’s pop-up menu as if you had clicked it with your mouse.
- Click the small pencil icon (Edit) next to the empty text box.
- Press the key combination you want to use. You must include either the Ctrl or Alt key (or the Command/Option key on a Mac). For example, press Ctrl + Shift + P.
- Click away from the text box. The shortcut is instantly saved.
Global vs In-Chrome Shortcuts
Look carefully at the drop-down box next to your newly created shortcut. It will say either “In Chrome” or “Global”.
- In Chrome: This is the default setting. The shortcut will only work if the Google Chrome window is currently active and selected on your screen.
- Global: If you change the setting to Global, the shortcut will work no matter what application you are using. For example, if you are typing an email in Microsoft Outlook or working in a dedicated Excel window, pressing your Global shortcut will instantly activate the Chrome extension in the background. This is incredibly useful for password managers and note-taking extensions.
How to Remove a Shortcut
If you accidentally set a shortcut that interferes with another program, or if you simply want to delete it, return to the chrome://extensions/shortcuts page. Find the shortcut you want to delete and click the small trash can icon next to it to immediately remove the keybinding.