Knowing Firefox keyboard shortcuts reduces context switching between keyboard and mouse. Here are the ones that actually save time — not a comprehensive list, just the ones worth memorizing.
Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+L (Win/Linux) / Cmd+L (Mac) |
Focus address bar |
Ctrl+T |
New tab |
Ctrl+W |
Close tab |
Ctrl+Shift+T |
Reopen closed tab |
Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+8
|
Switch to tab by position |
Ctrl+9 |
Switch to last tab |
Ctrl+Tab |
Next tab |
Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
Previous tab |
Alt+Left / Alt+Right
|
Back / Forward |
F5 or Ctrl+R
|
Reload |
Ctrl+Shift+R |
Hard reload (bypass cache) |
Find in Page
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+F |
Open Find toolbar |
Ctrl+G or F3
|
Find next |
Ctrl+Shift+G |
Find previous |
Ctrl+H |
Open History sidebar |
' (apostrophe) |
Quick find — links only |
/ (slash) |
Quick find |
Esc |
Close find bar |
DevTools
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
F12 |
Toggle DevTools |
Ctrl+Shift+I |
Open/focus DevTools |
Ctrl+Shift+C |
Inspector (element picker) |
Ctrl+Shift+K |
Browser Console |
Ctrl+Shift+M |
Responsive Design Mode |
Ctrl+Shift+J |
Browser Console (alternative) |
Ctrl+Shift+E |
Network panel |
Reading and Viewing
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
F9 |
Reader mode (when available) |
Ctrl+Plus / Ctrl+Minus
|
Zoom in/out |
Ctrl+0 |
Reset zoom |
Ctrl+U |
View page source |
Ctrl+A |
Select all text on page |
Ctrl+P |
Print / Print to PDF |
| Space / Shift+Space | Scroll down / up |
F |
Find (same as Ctrl+F — Firefox only) |
Bookmarks and History
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+D |
Bookmark current page |
Ctrl+Shift+B |
Toggle Bookmarks toolbar |
Ctrl+B |
Toggle Bookmarks sidebar |
Ctrl+H |
Toggle History sidebar |
Ctrl+Shift+H |
Library (history + downloads) |
Windows and Panels
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+N |
New window |
Ctrl+Shift+P |
New private window |
Ctrl+Shift+A |
Add-ons manager |
Ctrl+J |
Downloads |
The Address Bar Tricks
The address bar (Ctrl+L) has hidden power:
Search operators: Prefix with @ to search a specific engine:
-
@google query— search Google -
@duckduckgo query— search DuckDuckGo -
@wikipedia query— search Wikipedia
% to search tabs: Type % in the address bar + a term to switch to an open tab matching that term. No more cycling through tabs to find the one you want.
^ to search history: ^ prefix searches browsing history only.
* to search bookmarks: * prefix searches bookmarks only.
# to search by page title: # prefix matches page titles.
Combine them: * firefox searches bookmarks for Firefox-related pages.
Multi-Select Tabs
Hold Ctrl while clicking tabs to select multiple. Then:
- Drag selected tabs to reorder as a group
- Right-click → Bookmark All Tabs → saves all selected to a folder
- Right-click → Close Tabs → closes all selected
Combined with Tab Manager & Session Saver: select the tabs for a project, save them as a named session.
Customizing the Toolbar
Right-click the toolbar → "Customize Toolbar" to:
- Add/remove buttons
- Rearrange elements
- Add flexible spaces
The "New Tab" button, bookmarks button, and other items can all be repositioned.
about: Pages Worth Knowing
These aren't shortcuts but typed URLs worth remembering:
-
about:config— Advanced settings (hidden flags) -
about:policies— Enterprise policies status -
about:memory— Memory usage breakdown -
about:performance— Per-tab energy/memory -
about:support— System info for troubleshooting -
about:telemetry— What data Firefox has collected -
about:debugging— Extension and worker debugging -
about:logins— Password manager -
about:profiles— Firefox profile manager
Session and Tab Shortcuts (With Tab Manager Extension)
If you use Tab Manager & Session Saver:
- The extension adds toolbar button access to all saved sessions
- Quickly save the current window as a named session before switching contexts
- Restore a session in the current window or a new one
Combining native tab shortcuts with session management covers most browser workflow needs without additional tools.
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