Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts for Students: A Printable Classroom List
The Chromebook shortcuts that save students the most time are the editing basics (Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Ctrl + Z), Caps Lock (Search or Launcher + Alt), screenshots (Ctrl + Show windows) and tab navigation (Ctrl + Tab, Ctrl + Shift + T). Every shortcut in this list appears on Google's Chromebook keyboard shortcuts help page.
One note before you print: on Chromebooks the key where other computers have Caps Lock is the Search key, and on newer models it is called the Launcher key. Google's help page lists both names, so this article does too. If a shortcut behaves differently on your device, press Ctrl + Search + S to open the full list of shortcuts on that Chromebook.
Why are Chromebook shortcuts different from Windows and Mac?
Students who switch between a Chromebook at school and a Windows PC or Mac at home often get confused, because the Chromebook keyboard is laid out differently. There is no Caps Lock key: its place is taken by the Search or Launcher key, and capitals are turned on with a combination. There are no Home, End, Page Up, Page Down or Delete keys either, so the start and end of a line are reached with the Search or Launcher key plus the arrows. And the top row carries special keys, such as Show windows, which doubles as the screenshot key (some newer models also have a dedicated screen capture key).
If you are also thinking about how students sit and hold their hands at these small keyboards, our guide to ergonomics on school Chromebooks covers posture, screen height and breaks. This article focuses only on shortcuts.
Which Chromebook shortcuts should students learn? (printable table)
Print this table or project it in class. It is grouped by what students are trying to do, not alphabetically.
Editing text
| What it does | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Copy | Ctrl + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V |
| Paste as plain text (no formatting) | Ctrl + Shift + V |
| Open the clipboard (recent copied items) | Search or Launcher + V |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z |
| Select everything | Ctrl + A |
| Delete the previous word | Ctrl + Backspace |
| Delete the next letter (forward delete) | Search or Launcher + Backspace; on some devices Alt + Backspace, depending on keyboard settings |
| Turn Caps Lock on or off | Search or Launcher + Alt |
| Open the emoji and symbol picker | Search or Launcher + Shift + Space |
Moving around a document
| What it does | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Go to the beginning of the line | Search or Launcher + Left arrow |
| Go to the end of the line | Search or Launcher + Right arrow |
| Go to the beginning of the document | Search or Launcher + Ctrl + Left arrow |
| Go to the end of the document | Search or Launcher + Ctrl + Right arrow |
| Find text on the page | Ctrl + F |
Tabs, windows and the browser
| What it does | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open a new tab | Ctrl + T |
| Close the current tab | Ctrl + W |
| Reopen the last tab or window you closed | Ctrl + Shift + T |
| Go to the next tab | Ctrl + Tab |
| Go to the previous tab | Ctrl + Shift + Tab |
| Jump to the address bar | Ctrl + L |
| Go back to the previous page | Alt + Left arrow |
| Open a new window | Ctrl + N |
| Open an Incognito window | Ctrl + Shift + N |
| Switch between open windows | Hold Alt, tap Tab |
| Dock a window on the left / right half of the screen | Alt + [ / Alt + ] |
| Zoom in / zoom out | Ctrl + + / Ctrl + - |
| Reset zoom | Ctrl + 0 |
Screenshots and system
| What it does | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Take a full screenshot | Ctrl + Show windows |
| Take a partial screenshot (select and drag) | Ctrl + Shift + Show windows |
| Lock the screen | Search or Launcher + L |
| Sign out | Ctrl + Shift + Q (press twice) |
| See all keyboard shortcuts | Ctrl + Search + S |
Some school Chromebooks are managed by the district, and administrators can restrict certain features, such as Incognito mode. If a shortcut does nothing on a school device, that may be a policy setting rather than a mistake.
How can teachers introduce Chromebook shortcuts? A 3-a-week plan
Handing students a list of 30 shortcuts rarely works. Three new shortcuts a week, practiced in real tasks, is easier to remember and fits into a few minutes of class time. Here is a six-week sequence that starts with what students need most often.
- Week 1, editing basics: copy, paste and undo. Practice by having students move a sentence from one paragraph to another in a shared document.
- Week 2, fixing mistakes: redo, delete the previous word and select all. Ask students to fix a short paragraph full of errors without using the touchpad.
- Week 3, capitals and moving the cursor: Caps Lock, beginning of line and end of line. Use a title-writing exercise where they must jump to the start of each line.
- Week 4, tabs: new tab, close tab and reopen closed tab. The last one is often a favorite once students learn they can rescue a tab they closed by accident.
- Week 5, research: find on page, jump to the address bar and paste as plain text. Run a short research hunt where they copy facts into a document without bringing in web formatting.
- Week 6, screens and safety: screenshot, partial screenshot and lock screen. Teach locking the screen as a habit for when they step away from the device.
The plan sticks better with a few simple habits. Post the three shortcuts of the week on the board and point to them every time the action comes up in class, then open the following week with a one-minute review of the previous three. Tie each week to your normal assignments, because shortcuts learned during real work last longer than shortcuts drilled in isolation. And show students Ctrl + Search + S early, so they can look up anything they forget.
For age-appropriate expectations on when to introduce these skills, see our guide to keyboarding skills by grade.
Why do shortcuts work best with touch typing?
Shortcuts are only fast if you can press them without looking. A student who hunts for the Ctrl key, then searches for Z, then looks back at the screen often saves no time compared with reaching for the touchpad. Touch typing changes that. With fingers resting on the home row, the left pinky is already next to Ctrl and Shift and most shortcut letters are within reach, so the hands never leave the keyboard. The eyes stay on the screen, where students see the result of each shortcut immediately and can correct course without losing their place. And because the keys are automatic, attention stays on what they are writing or researching rather than on the keyboard itself.
The reverse is also true: shortcuts give students a reason to keep their hands in position. Once they are used to Ctrl + Backspace to delete a word, reaching for the touchpad starts to feel slow. For general shortcuts on Windows and Mac computers, see our article on keyboard shortcuts.
Where Kluppy fits
If your students still look at their hands, touch typing practice is the step before shortcuts. Kluppy is one option built for school Chromebooks: it runs in the browser, there is nothing to install and there are no ads. Students can take a free typing test (1, 3 or 5 minutes) or try free typing exercises without signing up, and a free account includes the finger-placement level and levels 1 to 7, as outlined in the free typing course. Paid levels, from level 8, add AI-generated exercises built from each student's errors. For whole classes, school licenses include a teacher panel, per-student reports on speed, accuracy and practice time, and class import from Google Classroom/Workspace or Microsoft 365 Education. Kluppy is not affiliated with Google.
Frequently asked questions
How do you turn on Caps Lock on a Chromebook?
Press Search + Alt, or Launcher + Alt on newer keyboards. Press the same combination again to turn it off. For a single capital letter, holding Shift is usually faster.
How do you take a screenshot on a Chromebook?
Press Ctrl + Show windows for the whole screen. For only part of the screen, press Ctrl + Shift + Show windows, then click and drag to select the area.
How can students see every shortcut on their Chromebook?
Press Ctrl + Search + S to open the list of keyboard shortcuts on the device.
Why doesn't a shortcut work on my school Chromebook?
Shortcuts can vary by keyboard model and ChromeOS version, and school-managed devices may have some features turned off by the district. Check the device's own shortcut list first, then ask your school's technology team if something seems blocked.