Keyboard Shortcut to Open a Website in Chrome (4 Ways)

Chrome has no setting that binds a key to a URL. To open a website with a keyboard shortcut, use a Windows shortcut key or the Mac Shortcuts app for a true hotkey, a site search keyword if typing 2-3 letters is fine, or an extension for many pages.

If you open the same 3-5 pages all day, the first two methods need nothing installed.

How do I set a hotkey without installing anything?

Use the operating system. Both methods open the page in your default browser.

Windows (works even with Chrome closed):

1. Right-click the desktop and choose New, then Shortcut.
2. Paste the address, e.g. https://dashboard.stripe.com/invoices, click Next, name it and click Finish.
3. Right-click the icon, choose Properties, click the Shortcut key field and press I. Windows makes it Ctrl + Alt + I. Click OK.

If your default browser is not Chrome, use More, then Cast, save, and share, then Create shortcut in Chrome, and set the key on that icon.

Mac: open Shortcuts, add the Open URLs action with the address, then choose Add Keyboard Shortcut in the details panel and press e.g. Ctrl + Option + I.

Can I open a site by typing a short keyword?

Yes, with Chrome site search. Edge and Brave have the same feature in their search engine settings.

1. Go to Settings, then Search engine, then Manage search engines and site search.
2. Next to Site search, click Add.
3. Set Shortcut to gh and the URL to https://github.com/search?q=%s, then click Add.

Now type gh, press Tab, type vimium and press Enter. For pages without search, bookmark them with a distinctive title: Ctrl + L, a few letters, Enter.

The chrome://extensions/shortcuts page (edge:// or brave:// in other browsers) sets keys for extension commands only, not URLs. Shortkeys can bind bookmarks to keys; see our keyboard shortcut extension roundup.

How do I give any page a hotkey with SuperCommands?

Save it as a link, then assign a hotkey, a typed command or both. It works in Chrome, Edge and Brave.

1. Open the exact page (the refund queue, not the homepage), press Alt + S, type c link and save it.
2. In Properties, choose Assign Keyboard Shortcut, press Alt + 1 and click Save.
3. Or add a text shortcut such as refunds (letters and numbers only). Type c, Space, refunds in the address bar.

Text commands scale better: you can remember 40 words, not 40 key combinations. The keyboard shortcuts docs show each screen.

• Several sites, one key: a recruiter saves LinkedIn Recruiter, the ATS pipeline, the interview calendar and the scorecard sheet as one link collection with Alt + 9 or c hiring. See how to open multiple URLs at once.
• Shortcut plus a search term: save https://yourcompany.atlassian.net/browse/{query} with trigger jira; c jira PROJ-4512 opens that ticket (Links docs).

Which one should you pick?

• Pick a Windows shortcut key or Mac Shortcuts if you need 2-3 sites, even with the browser closed.
• Pick a site search keyword to search one site fast.
• Pick SuperCommands (free and open source) for hotkeys or typed commands across 5+ pages, or one key that opens a set of tabs.
• For typing saved text rather than opening pages, see how to create text shortcuts in Chrome.

FAQ

Can I assign a keyboard shortcut to a website in Chrome?

Not in Chrome's settings. Use a Windows shortcut key, macOS Shortcuts, a site search keyword, or an extension such as SuperCommands or Shortkeys.

How do I open a website with a key combination on Windows?

Create a desktop shortcut to the URL and set its Shortcut key in Properties. Windows assigns Ctrl + Alt plus your key.

Can one shortcut open multiple websites?

Not with Chrome's built-in tools, apart from startup pages. A SuperCommands link collection opens a saved set of tabs from one hotkey or command.

Where do I change extension keyboard shortcuts in Chrome?

At chrome://extensions/shortcuts. Click the pencil next to a command and press the new keys.