Mozilla Firefox is one of the most popular web browsers out there, no doubt. You may also like it for its extensible features and (relatively) high stability. But how can you make it work better for you? Here, I’ve compiled a short list of tips for using Firefox more efficiently.
Keyboard Shortcuts:
These are some keyboard commands which make it easier to move around with Firefox. Sometimes, using keyboard commands can save you time and hassle.
Commands and Shortcuts
- Back = Alt+Left Arrow, Backspace
- Forward = Alt+Right Arrow, Shift+Backspace
- Home = Alt+Home
- Reload = F5, Ctrl +R
- Reload (override cache) = Ctrl+F5, Ctrl+Shift+R
- Stop Current Page = Esc
- Go to Bottom of Page = End
- Go to Top of Page = Home
- Page Source = Ctrl+U
- Print = Ctrl+P
- Save Page As = Ctrl+S
- Zoom In = Ctrl++
- Zoom Out = Ctrl+-
- Zoom Reset = Ctrl+0
- Redo = Ctrl+Y
- Undo = Ctrl+Z
- Search, Find = Ctrl+F
- Find Again = F3, Ctrl+G
- Find Previous = Shift+F3
- Close a Tab = Ctrl+W, Ctrl+F4
- Close Window = Ctrl+Shift+W, Alt+F4
- New Tab = Ctrl+T
- New Window = Ctrl+N
- Next Tab = Ctrl+Tab, Ctrl+Page Down
- Previous Tab = Ctrl+Shift+Tab, Ctrl+Page Up
- Select Tab {1-8} = Ctrl+{1-8}
- Clear Private Data = Ctrl+Shift+Del
- Full Screen = F11
These are the most useful keyboard shortcuts for all you Firefox fans. Find the full list of keyboard shortcuts here – It’s a long list.
Type Web Addresses faster:
While you are typing any url in the address bar of your Firefox, you need not complete typing out the address. Just type in the domain name (without the extension and www) in the address bar. Then hit Ctrl+Enter. This will turn the address into a www.domain.com. Similarly you can use Shift+Enter to add www and .net, and Ctrl+Shift+Enter to add .org. Less typing for all us lazy bums.
Intelligent Address Bar:
Firefox’s address bar is quite intelligent. If you are not sure of any site’s address, you can just type the name of the site and Firefox will take you to that site (if it is somewhat popular or has the same domain name). So your address bar is now also your search bar now.
Search within a page or source code:
You can easily search for a keyword in a long page or in a page’s source code by Ctrl+F.
View Selection Source:
Trying to understand a page’s coding, but not getting the exact code for a section? Firefox brings you a versatile feature, with which you can view the source code of some section in a page. Just select the section you want the code for, and then right click on it and select “View Selection Source”.
Scroll between Tabs easily:
You can easily scroll between all opened tabs by simply scrolling your mouse over the tabs. It is a fast way to switch between distant tabs.
Open links in different tabs:
You can open different links of a page in different tabs very easily. Just mouseover on the link, press Ctrl and click the link. The link automatically opens in a new tab.
Remember where you were last time:
This is a highly useful feature which can save you a lot of time, especially if your head is jammed up with stuff to remember. Firefox remembers all your open tabs and windows, and takes you to your previous workspace where you left last time.
These might seem like rather simple tips, but by putting them to use, you’ll be better utilizing Firefox nearer to its fullest potential. Especially if you use your web browser everyday, and all the time.