> Source URL: /resources/key-controls.chromebook.guide # Key Controls Guide for Chromebook ## About Your Chromebook Keyboard Chromebook keyboards are a bit different from Mac or Windows keyboards. Here are the key differences: - **Search/Launcher key:** This is where the Caps Lock key usually is on other keyboards. It might have a magnifying glass icon or a circle icon, depending on your Chromebook model. Both work the same way. - **No dedicated F-keys:** The top row has special keys like Back, Reload, Full Screen, and Volume instead of F1-F12. - **Cursor runs in Linux:** Since Cursor runs in a Linux environment on your Chromebook, the keyboard shortcuts inside Cursor use Ctrl (similar to Windows, not Mac). ## General OS-level keyboard shortcuts These shortcuts work anywhere on your Chromebook. - Ctrl + C: Copy - Ctrl + V: Paste - Ctrl + X: Cut - Ctrl + Z: Undo - Ctrl + Shift + Z: Redo - Ctrl + A: Select All - Ctrl + S: Save - Ctrl + O: Open - Ctrl + N: New window - Ctrl + W: Close the current tab - Ctrl + Shift + W: Close the current window - Ctrl + F: Find - Ctrl + P: Print - Search + L: Lock your screen - Ctrl + Alt + /: View all keyboard shortcuts - Ctrl + Show Windows: Take a screenshot (full screen) - Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows: Take a screenshot (select an area) The Show Windows key is in the top row and looks like a rectangle with two lines next to it. See the full list of ChromeOS shortcuts on [Google's support page](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/183101). ## Window management shortcuts These shortcuts help you navigate between apps and manage windows. ### Switching apps and windows - Alt + Tab: Switch between open apps - Alt + Shift + Tab: Switch between apps in reverse order - Search: Open the app launcher - Search + Esc: Open Task Manager ### Window tiling ChromeOS uses different shortcuts for window tiling than Windows: - Alt + [: Snap window to the left half of the screen - Alt + ]: Snap window to the right half of the screen - Alt + =: Maximize the window - Alt + -: Minimize the window ### Full screen - Full Screen key: Toggle full screen mode (the key with a rectangle icon in the top row) - Search + Full Screen key: Toggle full screen in some apps ### Virtual desks ChromeOS has virtual desks, similar to virtual desktops on other systems: - Search + ]: Switch to the next desk - Search + [: Switch to the previous desk - Search + Shift + =: Create a new desk - Overview key: View all desks and windows (the key that looks like a rectangle with lines, or use Search + Show Windows) ## Text editing shortcuts These shortcuts work in most text fields and editors on your Chromebook. ### Navigation - Home: Jump to the beginning of the line (or Search + Left) - End: Jump to the end of the line (or Search + Right) - Ctrl + Left: Jump to the previous word - Ctrl + Right: Jump to the next word - Ctrl + Home: Jump to the beginning of the document (or Ctrl + Search + Left) - Ctrl + End: Jump to the end of the document (or Ctrl + Search + Right) Note: Some Chromebooks don't have Home and End keys. Use the Search key alternatives shown above. ### Selection Add Shift to any navigation shortcut above to select text while moving. For example: - Shift + Home: Select from cursor to the beginning of the line - Shift + End: Select from cursor to the end of the line - Ctrl + Shift + Left: Select the previous word - Ctrl + Shift + Right: Select the next word ### Deleting text - Backspace: Delete the character before the cursor - Search + Backspace: Delete the character after the cursor (forward delete) - Ctrl + Backspace: Delete the word before the cursor ## Code editing shortcuts These shortcuts work in Cursor and other VS Code-based editors. Since Cursor runs in Linux on your Chromebook, it uses Ctrl-based shortcuts (like Windows). ### Essential editing - Ctrl + /: Comment or uncomment the selected lines - Ctrl + Shift + K: Delete the current line - Alt + Up: Move the current line up - Alt + Down: Move the current line down - Shift + Alt + Up: Copy the current line up - Shift + Alt + Down: Copy the current line down ### Find and replace - Ctrl + F: Find in the current file - Ctrl + H: Find and replace in the current file - Ctrl + Shift + F: Search across all files in the workspace - Ctrl + Shift + H: Find and replace across all files ### Multi-cursor and selection - Ctrl + D: Select the next occurrence of the current selection - Ctrl + Shift + L: Select all occurrences of the current selection - Alt + Click: Add a cursor at the clicked location ### Navigation and panels - Ctrl + P: Quick open a file by name - Ctrl + Shift + P: Open the command palette - Ctrl + B: Toggle the sidebar - Ctrl + `: Toggle the integrated terminal - F12: Go to definition (see note below about F-keys) - F2: Rename symbol (see note below about F-keys) ### Using F-keys on Chromebook Chromebooks don't have dedicated F-keys, but you can access them by pressing Search plus a top-row key: | F-Key | Chromebook Shortcut | | ----- | ----------------------------------------------- | | F1 | Search + Back (back arrow key) | | F2 | Search + Reload (circular arrow key) | | F3 | Search + Full Screen | | F4 | Search + Show Windows | | F5 | Search + Brightness Down | | F6 | Search + Brightness Up | | F7 | Search + Volume Mute | | F8 | Search + Volume Down | | F9 | Search + Volume Up | | F10 | Search + 0 (on some models) | So to use "Go to definition" (F12) in Cursor, you would need to look up the F12 mapping for your specific Chromebook model, or use Ctrl + Click on a symbol instead. See a comprehensive, printable list in the [VS Code Linux keyboard shortcuts PDF](https://code.visualstudio.com/shortcuts/keyboard-shortcuts-linux.pdf). ## Cursor-specific shortcuts These shortcuts are specific to Cursor's AI features. ### AI Chat and Composer - Ctrl + L: Open AI Chat - Ctrl + I: Open Composer (multi-file AI edits) - Ctrl + Shift + L: Add selected code to Chat as context ### Inline editing - Ctrl + K: Open inline edit prompt (works in editor and terminal) - Ctrl + Enter: Accept AI-generated changes - Esc: Reject or cancel generation ### AI autocomplete - Tab: Accept the autocomplete suggestion - Ctrl + Right: Accept only the next word of the suggestion See more shortcuts in the [Cursor keyboard shortcuts documentation](https://docs.cursor.com/advanced/keyboard-shortcuts). ## Special Chromebook notes ### Enabling Caps Lock Chromebooks don't have a dedicated Caps Lock key, but you can toggle it: - Search + Alt: Toggle Caps Lock on or off ### Using an external keyboard If you connect a Windows or Mac keyboard to your Chromebook: - The **Windows key** or **Command key** works as the Search/Launcher key - F-keys work normally without needing the Search key modifier ### Keyboard customization You can customize your keyboard in ChromeOS settings: 1. Click the clock in the bottom-right corner 2. Click the gear icon (Settings) 3. Go to **Device** → **Keyboard** 4. Here you can remap keys like Search, Ctrl, and Alt ### Potential shortcut conflicts Some ChromeOS system shortcuts might conflict with Cursor shortcuts. If a shortcut doesn't work in Cursor, try: - Checking if ChromeOS is intercepting it (test in a different app) - Using the Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P) to find alternative ways to run commands - Remapping the shortcut in Cursor's keyboard settings --- ## Backlinks The following sources link to this document: - [Chromebook](/resources/key-controls.guide.llm.md)