Intro

In this post I want to share some of the tricks I use to control my Windows-machine with the keyboard and how a browser-plugin has increased my browsing-speed as well.

Working faster with the keyboard

I am a keyboard-guy. This means I usually like to keep my hands on the keyboard. I consider moving back and forth from mouse to keyboard a waste of time. (I would even go so far as to say that moving my hands from the main typing row to the cursor keys is a waste of time!)

• I use the windows-key to open the Windows start-menu and (partially) type the name of a program to start it
• I use ALT-TAB and ALT-SHIFT-TAB to change between running programs
• I use WIN-E to quickly start a file explorer
• I have even attached shortcuts to start some of my most used programs :
  • ALT+numericalblock_+ to open a dos shell (I use ConsoleZ)
  • ALT+numericalblock_/ to open FAR MANAGER (my favorite 2 panel file explorer)
  • ALT+numericalblock_* to open a web browser

For more info about windows shortcuts, check https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/126449.
To add launch-shortcuts to your own favorite programs, right-click on a program on your start-menu, pin it to the taskbar and edit the properties.

Keyboard shortcuts in the browser

The first step to faster web-browsing (and perhaps the only step you are willing to take) is to learn the default shortcuts of your webbrowser.

I hope you know about CTRL-T and CTRL-W to open and close a tab. But there's a lot more you can do, like CTRL-SHIFT-N to open an incognito-window or even ALT-1 to jump to the first open tab. Check https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/157179?hl=en and find yourself a few useful ones.

I constantly seem to use CTRL-TAB and CTRL-SHIFT-TAB to switch between tabs.

I also use PageUp and PageDown, or simply SPACE to scroll down a page.

Vi-shortcuts in the browser

But to get the biggest advantage over people who are constantly switching between their keyboard and mouse, you should install this extension:

• for Chrome : Vimium - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vimium/dbepggeogbaibhgnhhndojpepiihcmeb
• for Firefox : VimFx - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/vimfx/

You get a couple of crazy shortcuts with this. I will mention a few I use the most.
(People who know the vi-text-editor will certainly recognize some of these!)

• The j- and k-keys replace the cursor-up and cursor-down keys. I find it a huge time-saver that I can keep my fingers on the main row of my keyboard, to scroll a webpage up or down. (d and u allow you to scroll a half page up or down - something which isn't possible with the default shortcuts)
• The t- and x-shortcut open and close tabs. This saves pressing CTRL which in time will hopefully protect me better against developing RSI.
• Most of all: the f-shortcut allows me to jump to links in a rather ingenious way. As soon as I press this key, every link on the page gets its own keyboard-shortcut which I then simply have to type to go to that page. A picture is better than a 1000 words :
• Equally useful is the F (capital f) which does exactly the same, except open the link in a new tab.

When I open a new web browser-window (or switch to an existing one with ALT-TAB) I usually press ALT-D to put my cursor in the address bar so I can immediately start typing an address (in Chrome) or after one press of TAB(in Firefox) I am in the search-box.

All these combined, make that I seldom need my mouse to browse the web. I find it also very handy for working on (small) laptops, like my Chromebook, especially when I'm in a position (sitting/laying) where the mousepad is not very reachable.

One warning though: some websites have already keyboard-shortcuts defined (google and github come to mind) : if you prefer their shortcuts, you will have to add an exception for these websites. Also: sometimes I use the keyboard to select the first letter of something in a long drop-down-list. If I am not careful and the focus was not really in the drop-down-box, some unexpected action gets executed. But these are really the only 2 downsides I ever experienced.

Conclusion

Of course, web-browsing with the keyboard isn't something you always do. Sometimes having one hand on the mouse and just clicking around is the easiest thing to do. But when you happen to be typing, the move to the mouse can be a disruption in your flow!

I advice you to try it out! If you're like me, you'll like at first, but you will be a bit put off by the completely different browsing-experience you have become used to. So you might switch it off again... But if you do a lot of typing work I can guarantee you: there will come a day, when you are busily working on your keyboard and need to look up many things in between, when you will realize just how much cumulative time you are wasting by reaching out for that mouse every time!

Happy keyboard-browsing!