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I would like to customize keyboard shortcuts in Google Chrome.

For example, I would like to map the key combination Ctrl+Shift+W to the command "Close Other Tabs" instead of right-clicking on a tab (default command).

Is there any setting in Chrome to set this combination to that command?

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  • 3
    Have you tried searching the Chrome Web Store? If not, here's a link to a shortcuts manager extension - chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/shortkeys/…
    – VenkatH
    Nov 1, 2012 at 9:19
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    @VenkatH Thank you for the hint ! Unfortunately, "Close Other Tabs" is not a command supported by the "Shortkeys" extension, so it does not fill my need.
    – wip
    Nov 2, 2012 at 1:46
  • 3
    Is there a way to remove keyboard shortcuts? I want to use the shortcuts built into Tumblr but it conflicts with the ones already built into chrome and none of the extensions I could find edit already existing ones...
    – Cyberson
    Apr 22, 2015 at 0:14
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    @wil Almost 3 years later, the "Close Other Tabs" command exists now in Shortkeys.
    – Mike Crittenden
    Jul 28, 2015 at 3:32
  • 7
    For Windows users looking for an answer that just works, this is the one: AutoControl Shortcut Manager
    – Tim
    Feb 22, 2020 at 0:09

13 Answers 13

Reset to default
119

If you're on a Mac then you can do this with the Mac System Preferences→Keyboard→Shortcuts. https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/create-keyboard-shortcuts-for-apps-mchlp2271/13.0/mac/13.0

Here are my current settings:

enter image description here

Simplified procedure:

  1. Open System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts tab
  2. From the left, click App Shortcuts.
  3. Click +
  4. Choose 'All Applications' as the app
  5. Choose 'Shut Down...' as the command
  6. Put in whatever shortcut you want.
  7. Restart the app you added the shortcut for
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  • 9
    oh, i get it. u need to know that exact titles from somewhere Oo
    – Zaporozhchenko Oleksandr
    Feb 13, 2019 at 14:32
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    For Windows users, the AutoControl shortcut manager extension let's you customize Chrome's shortcuts as well as create your own shortcuts.
    – GetFree
    Apr 3, 2019 at 17:08
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    Where can I find a full list of these, e.g. to replace Cmd+L?
    – Sinjai
    Apr 30, 2019 at 17:02
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    @Sinjai the list is from the app menu bar.
    – cmcginty
    May 2, 2019 at 3:13
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    Don't have any shortcuts for chrome
    – Bolein95
    Apr 18, 2020 at 5:37
56

Not entirely the answer for general shortcuts, but still relative and somewhat cumbersome to find, chrome://extensions/shortcuts allows you to customize behaviors from a shortcut. I'm sure you could find/make an extension to reroute / transpose all of the shortcuts you want to use to control chrome as you see fit.

enter image description here

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  • 2
    This is pretty light on the "how"; it's more of a suggestion for an area to investigate in order to create a solution. Can you flesh it out? As-is, it would probably be more appropriate as a comment. From review
    – fixer1234
    May 6, 2018 at 2:40
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    This is just for extensions, but it also lets you override built-in shortcuts, like Ctrl + Q.
    – nmrugg
    Aug 20, 2018 at 0:07
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    Be careful and use the exact link: chrome://extensions/shortcuts Without http...
    – Josem
    Mar 4, 2019 at 17:07
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    @JoelAZ I found this answer looking for a way to change uBlock Origin extension shortcuts, so yes this answer is useful
    – golimar
    May 10, 2019 at 10:19
  • During the process of customizing shortcuts, you need to be aware of what shortcuts are already assigned or designated via extensions. This page will give you that oversight.
    – systemaddict
    Aug 4, 2020 at 20:37
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This has been possible for quite some time already, at least on Windows.
There's a new kind of extensions for Chrome called "native extensions" that can customize Chrome shortcuts and other cool things.

AutoControl Shortcut Manager is exactly for this purpose.

There are no restrictions on the shortcuts you can create or customize. You can even disable shortcuts if you assign no action to them.

In the specific case asked in the question, Ctrl+Shift+W for closing "other tabs" looks like this:

enter image description here

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  • 8
    Great extension. However, it's supported from Windows XP to Windows 10. No support for other OSs so far.
    – Mercalli
    Jun 11, 2019 at 7:57
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    AutoControl Shortcut Manager requires a separate Windows executable installation. VirustTotal flags that executable as Adware. No thanks.
    – Lester Buck
    May 17, 2020 at 15:41
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    @LesterBuck, I've just checked VirusTotal and it says 6 out 72 engines detected the file. And none of those 6 engines are prominent antivirus solutions. Can you share a link to the VT results you saw?
    – Richt
    May 19, 2020 at 11:01
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    @Richt 5/68 now: virustotal.com/gui/file/…
    – Cees Timmerman
    Sep 6, 2020 at 13:53
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    This should be marked as the answer, at least for Windows users. Finally, I don't have to reach around to press Ctrl+W to close a tab with my right ('navigation') hand (I've added Ctrl+/).
    – Dade McDade
    Feb 7, 2021 at 10:06
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Looks like this feature is 'on the way' but not in the main release cycle yet. Found an article that describes the feature being implemented in the development build, #22. Or at least partially to allow some features to be shortcut-ed Ref: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2012/08/create-keyboard-shortcuts-for-chrome.html

That post mentions an experimental API for more types of actions linked to shortcuts which can be found.. here: http://developer.chrome.com/extensions/experimental.commands.html

Of course that's all in the development stage still.

Edit (2018): This is partially possible with the commands api which has been out for a couple years. http://developer.chrome.com/trunk/apps/commands.html

It's pretty restricted still since you cant replace the ones that are supplied by the browser and im not sure how much is exposed there for things like dev tooling.

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    @wil update: this has been in Chrome for some time, just scroll down in the extensions page and click "Keyboard Shortcuts"
    – skeggse
    Jun 21, 2014 at 1:06
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    @distilledchaos: That link only allows you to set keyboard shortcuts for apps and extensions, not for the browser in general.
    – bergie3000
    Aug 27, 2014 at 18:35
  • Going with cVim extension, I guess - I realize that isn't going to be an option for many people, but...it is for me!
    – dsummersl
    Aug 25, 2017 at 16:17
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    @MikeyE, This is now finally possible through something called "native extensions". Here is one such extension that can customize Chrome's shortcuts once and for all: AutoControl Shortcut Manager
    – GetFree
    Apr 5, 2019 at 20:33
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    (how long will it take Google to provide the trivial feature of customizeable keyboard shortcuts...)
    – sam boosalis
    Jun 21, 2019 at 20:47
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Update: As of Feb 2017, this plugin is no longer available.

There is a Chrome plugin called Shortcut Manager which can do this.

I just used it to create shortkeys for j and k to scroll up and down. It also has 'close other windows' available to map to a short-key.

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  • I installed the plugin, unfortunately for some reason it is impossible to set the combination I want "Ctrl+Shift+W" into the input box (when I try to, the pop-up asking me if I want to leave the page appears).
    – wip
    Apr 10, 2013 at 2:13
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    This doesn't seem to override the default functionality. I am trying to add a ALT+ENTER ".com" shortcut for the URL bar (for subdomains) and it still uses the default functionality of doing a search.
    – Gaʀʀʏ
    Jun 21, 2014 at 13:22
  • I added Ctrl+G to open favorite page , earlier it seemed not working but after restarting chrome it started working. Ctrl+G has default function of searching next in chrome , this extension overrides it.
    – Vins
    Feb 27, 2015 at 7:20
  • This doesn't work for Mac when I try to set "Ctrl+Page Up" to go to the previous tab. (Actually Cmd+Page Up since I switched those two keys)
    – andrewtweber
    Apr 3, 2015 at 19:45
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    The plugin link is 404 now.
    – Eric
    May 20, 2019 at 10:44
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Go to this website: https://www.autocontrol.app/

And download and install their chrome extension, everything is done automatically.

DEAD Simple to add any custom shortcuts from keyboard to mouse.

All u do is add a new function, then click a button, then you tell what this button does on chrome.

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    This is currently for Windows only.
    – P A N
    Jun 26, 2020 at 10:24
4

As described in the comments of another answer, I am also wanting to disable the "Cmd+Shift+W" shortcut for close window, and incidentally the similar shortcut that appears when I disable the first, which now stands for "Close All".

  • I simply went to the Mac's Keyboard preference pane, in the "Shortcuts" tab, in "App Shortcuts" section, and went to create new shortcut mappings.
  • I made these for Google Chrome and chose that as the first parameter, but I guess you could fix a similar problem in any other application by selecting the one you want instead.
  • I then proceeded to name the menu entry that I wanted to replace, such as those I mentioned above.
  • Lastly, I assigned it a complex key combination, one that I would hopefully never accidentally press in the future.

It's not the best approach, and I am currently reading into another question and answer "How to disable keyboard shortcuts in mac os x" which may remove the shortcut completely, but it works well enough through the existing system interface without having to install any additional software as a limited Google Chrome Web Extension or system application.

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4

The extension in Charley Ramm's answer no longer exists, but I found a different one: Shortkeys

Add to Chrome, press options. I'm using it to bind forward/backwards keys to my Naga Hex V2, which is not supported on linux at the moment. The reviews suggest that some people have problems using it. It works fine for me, Linux Mint 18 + Dell multimedia keyboard.

Restart Chrome after changing the keybindings.

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  • Shortkeys is nice, but it doesn't work on the new tab page, or when the address bar is in focus
    – Casebash
    Mar 19, 2018 at 0:06
  • Shortkeys is discontinued (today being 2021.02.17)
    – Dade McDade
    Feb 7, 2021 at 9:55
  • @DadeMcDade do you have a source for this? The website is still up and the extension available to install. I no longer use Chrome nor the extension so I can't check for myself. I would edit my answer if this is true.
    – marts
    Jul 18, 2021 at 22:27
  • I can't say that I remember. But you're right - I just checked, and it's available.
    – Dade McDade
    Jul 20, 2021 at 8:50
  • Just installed Shortkeys and it works with NixOS 21.05 and Gnome 4. It also allows to create new tabs, or change the previous tab and next tab shortcuts. To do that, go to: chrome://extensions/shortcuts and Shortkeys will have added a bunch of options that can be remapped.
    – jun
    Sep 22, 2021 at 17:52
4

I use BetterTouchTool on macOS:

enter image description here

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    Welcome to Super User. Please read How to Recommend Software then edit your answer to include at least the minimum required information (the items in bold). Posts without this information may be subject to deletion. Thanks for contributing.
    – I say Reinstate Monica
    May 2, 2019 at 9:34
1

I found a couple ones working on my Mac:

Simple one: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab-manager-shortcuts/oofoadncochbkbpebpbndghocapamchi

More options: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/keyboard-shortcuts/lplcmnhgijkkmflbmhabnccgelffpnog

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  • simple and do not need any permission, this rocks and should be the accepted answer, most of the other extensions ask for 1000 permission to change the shortcuts!!!
    – Badr Elmers
    May 27 at 13:42
1

if you wanna some High Frequency chrome shortcut using by keyboard, I really recommend you VimiumC, it is an improved version of Vimium.

install here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vimium-c-all-by-keyboard/hfjbmagddngcpeloejdejnfgbamkjaeg

source and issue here: https://github.com/gdh1995/vimium-c

Vimium C Options

  • it is so easy to set shortcut to control your chrome, like map <c-w> closeOtherTabs combination Ctrl+W to the command "Close Other Tabs"
  • and key "z" and "c" made by myself for go left and right tab
  • and key "s" also made by myself for selected words on webpage for Google search in another tab
  • VimiumC already set key "x" as close tab and "X" as re-open closed tab by default

So convenient, simple and fast, all in your fingers

but, the bad part is, VimiumC can not run on chrome safe page, like "chrome://" and "https://chrome.google.com/" or blank page and unloaded pages which need javascript

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0

While I know this isn't the exact solution you were looking for it may be helpful to some as it was to me. This Chrome extension make many advanced shortcuts possible via the use of mouse gestures: CrxMouse Chrome™ Gestures

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    Hi user, welcome to Super User! Questions that are essentially links are discouraged. Can you explain why that is the solution, maybe include screen shots of it in action, etc?
    – Canadian Luke
    Dec 14, 2018 at 20:18
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For Windows you can remap keys for specific applications (e.g. Chrome) using Microsoft PowerToys - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/

e.g. I swapped my Alt and Ctrl keys for all applications, which broke the Alt+D shortcut in Chrome, so remapped it to Ctrl+L to select the address bar url -

shot

shot2

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