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How to Set a Keyboard Shortcut for any Chrome Extension

Easily add keyboard shortcuts for your Chrome extension to quickly launch your most used extensions.

Easily add keyboard shortcuts for your Chrome extension to quickly launch your most used extensions.

by Kazim Ali Alvi

Assigning keyboard shortcuts to your Chrome extensions allows for quicker access and streamlined browsing. While Chrome has built-in shortcuts for various actions, setting up custom shortcuts for extensions can further enhance your productivity.

With Chrome’s built-in settings, you can easily assign keyboard shortcuts to any installed extension. This not only allows you to open extensions swiftly without relying on your mouse or touchpad but also helps declutter the toolbar by eliminating the need to pin extensions beside the address bar.

Adding a keyboard shortcut for a Chrome extension

Open Google Chrome and access the extensions page. Click on the three vertical dots (ellipsis) in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, hover over More tools and then select Extensions.
On the Extensions page, click on the main menu icon (three horizontal lines) located at the top-left corner to reveal additional options.
From the expanded menu, select Keyboard shortcuts, which is positioned towards the bottom of the menu.
A list of all the extensions installed on your Chrome browser will appear. To assign a keyboard shortcut, click on the pencil icon next to the extension’s shortcut field.
After clicking the pencil icon, the shortcut field becomes editable. Press the desired key combination by holding down Ctrl, Shift, or both, along with any other key. Chrome will automatically record this combination as the new shortcut for the extension.

Once you have assigned the shortcut, it will display in the field next to the extension. It’s advisable to choose a shortcut that’s easy to remember and relevant to the extension. For example, you might use Ctrl + B for the Bitmoji extension or Ctrl + G for Grammarly. This approach allows you to efficiently access your most frequently used extensions.

Removing a keyboard shortcut for a Chrome extension

If you need to remove a shortcut—perhaps because you no longer use the extension or want to reassign the shortcut—the process is straightforward.

Navigate back to the Keyboard shortcuts page in the Extensions settings. Click on the pencil icon next to the shortcut you wish to remove. This action will clear the existing shortcut, allowing you to leave it blank or assign a new one.

Unpinning the extension from the Chrome toolbar

After assigning keyboard shortcuts, you might find that you no longer need quick access to the extension icons on your toolbar. Unpinning extensions can declutter your browser interface.

To unpin an extension from the toolbar, right-click on the extension icon you wish to remove. From the context menu, select Unpin.

The extension icon will be removed from the toolbar, giving you a cleaner browsing experience.

By setting up keyboard shortcuts for your Chrome extensions, you can improve both efficiency and accessibility while browsing.

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