If you know a few secrets, you can usually control any computer program, including
a web browser, faster with keyboard commands than with mouse commands because
the mouse requires
you
to make fine
judgment
calls
about
cursor placement,
but keyboard commands are always the same and the keys stay in the same
place. With just a little practice, you will quickly find you can enter
and invoke multiple browser commands with the old-fashioned keyboard faster
than
with
any other
method, often faster than the program can react. Now that's fast.
Not all web browser commands have equivalent keyboard commands, but most of
the common commands do. Some of
the most well-known and useful commands are listed below:
Keyboard Command
| Description
| Internet
Explorer | Mozilla
Firefox / Netscape |
<Alt><LeftArrow>
| Page
back. | X
| X
|
<Alt><RightArrow>
| Page
forward. | X
| X
|
<Ctrl>-[
| Decrease
text font | |
X |
<Ctrl>-]
| Enlarge
text font | |
X |
<Ctrl>-a
| Select
all of a page, form, or field. | X
| X
|
<Ctrl>-b |
Edit bookmarks
| X
| X
|
<Ctrl>-c |
Copy the selected text.
| X
| X
|
<Ctrl>-d |
Add bookmark |
X |
X |
<Ctrl>-f |
Find a text string.
| X
| X
|
<Ctrl>-h |
Open history file
| X
| X
|
<Ctrl>-i |
Page info. | |
X |
<Ctrl>-n |
New window |
X |
X |
<Ctrl>-r |
Reload / Refresh
| X
| X
|
<Ctrl>-v
| Paste.
| X
| X
|
<Esc>
| Stop
page load. | X
| X
|