📝 Workflow Shortcuts that are a Lifesaver!

Author: Marshall Beyer | Read Time: ~ 7 minutes | Publish Date: Mon, February 1, 2021

So if there is one thing that I love, I really enjoy being able to cut time out of my workflow. Even if it is a few seconds, by simply using a keyboard shortcut. Today, I am going to run through a list of my favorite and ones that I use on a daily basis. Since I am living that multi-platform lifestyle, I will be cover keyboard shortcuts for both Mac and Windows.

Daily Bookmark Folder

So I have a group of websites that I visit on a regular basis. So, instead of opening a new tab, clicking the bookmark for every page, I let the computer do the work for me. First, I put all of my regularly-visited sites in one bookmark folder. From there, I simply right-click on the folder and choose “Open All 6” (the number will vary depending on how many bookmarks you have saved in the folder).

Then, Chrome opens all 6 of the bookmarks I have saved in that folder for me. Each site will open in their own tab.

Google Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts

At work, I primarily work out of Chrome. This is mostly due to the fact that we are a GSuite for EDU district. The following keyboard shortcuts work in Chrome:

Open Recently Closed Tab

So if you are like me, you are always closing tabs that you did not mean to close. I hav used this keyboard shortcut more than I would like to admit. If you close a tab that you did not mean to, simply use the shortcut ctrl + Shift + T to reopen the tab. Keep pressing T to open the tab you close before the first one, and so on. On a Mac, you would use Command + Shift + T to open a recently closed tab in Safari.

Highlight URL

Sometime when I am typing out an email, I want to reference a website and send the link to my recipient. Instead of opening my web-browser, double clicking on the url, then right-clicking and choosing copy, then coming back to my email, right-clicking and choose paste. I use a series of keyboard shortcuts. First, while having the website open, simply click ctrl + L (command + L on Mac) and it will instantly highlight the url. From there, simply use the keyboard shortcut ctrl + C (command + C on Mac) to copy the url, and then ctrl + V (command + V on Mac) to paste it wherever you need to.

Paste and Match Style

So this is a keyboard I use on a daily basis. This one is a little more specific to GSuite. So there are times when I am pulling text from one document and pasting it into another. The chances that the font and size of the text are the same on both documents is highly unlikely. That is where this keyboard shortcut comes into play. I can copy text from one document, and when I paste it into the other, instead of simply using Ctrl + V, I am going to use Ctrl + Shift + V if I am on a Windows device or Command (⌘) + Option + Shift + V if I am on a Mac. This works on Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drawings.

Go Incognito Mode

This is a shortcut I use a lot when I am wanting to test something out and act like I am a random person trying to access my website or Google Form. To quickly go into Incognito Mode which is just a fancy way of saying quickly open an Incognito Window, on a Windows device, you are going to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + N. If you are on a Mac, you are going to use Command (⌘) + Shift + N.

Minimize the Active Window

Here is a good keyboard shortcut for when you just simply want to minimize the window you are currently working in. Yes, you could grab your mouse, navigate to the minimize button on your window, but that take time and precision. You could easily and more efficiently just simply use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + N on a Windows device or Command (⌘) + Shift + N on a Mac. What this will do is it will minimize the window you are currently working in. That way you can either just see your desktop or any other window you have open on your computer.

URL Shortcuts

Create New Google Drive Documents

If you are wanting to quickly create a new Google Doc, Slides, Sheets, Site, or Form, usually what you would have to do is go to your Drive, click on the New button and choose what you are wanting to create. You could also go to the document’s type website directly (ex. docs.google.com) to see all of your Google Docs and then choose to create a new one from there. But what if I told you there was a faster way. If you are wanting to create a new Google Drive document, simply type the name of the application followed by .new to create a new document/Slides/Forms/Sheets/etc. Here’s a full list of the new shortcuts:

Docs: doc.new, docs.new, document.new

Forms: form.new, forms.new

Sheets: sheet.new, sheets.new, spreadsheet.new

Sites: site.new, sites.new, website.new

Slides: slides.new, deck.new, presentation.new

Copy and Template Preview Mode

In the URL of a Google Doc/Slides/Sheets/etc., you can replace edit and everything after in the URL with copy.

This will force the person who received this url to make a copy of the document before they even view it.

Also in URL, replace edit with template/preview to allow visitors to view your template document and then if they want to make a copy, they can click on “Use Template”.

Play YouTube Videos Ad-Free

Okay so this one I just recently came across and as an educator who has played YouTube videos in his classroom in-front of 10 year olds, the fear of something inappropriate coming up in an ad is like no other fear you have had. I wish I knew about this URL trick back then. Before learning this trick, you would open up and play a Youtube video and you would see something like this. You would have the video and then all the suggested videos on the right-hand side. There is also the possibility that an ad will play prior to the video playing.

If you want to play a YouTube video ad-free which means that there will not be an ad that plays before the video starts and there will not be any of those suggested videos on the side, simply put a dash (-) right after the T in YouTube in the url of the video you are wanting to show.

The video will open in full screen mode. Chrome calls this “No Cookie Mode”. This is great for not only show videos in the classroom, but also sharing videos with students in something like Google Classroom.

Resources

The 9 Most Useful Google Chrome Shortcuts You’ll Ever Need

A .new trick for starting Google docs, slides, sheets, and forms — Quartz at Work