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It’s just not true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. When it comes to Chromebooks and ChromeOS, I’m nearly as old of a dog as there is, and today I learned a new trackpad shortcut that I’m sure has been around for quite some time. As a matter of fact, the more I look, the more I’m convinced that this feature may have been around as early as 2016, but I’m not completely certain of that.
Regardless, this shortcut is one of those that I’m ready to commit to muscle memory and begin using right now. As I complete this post and go through all the requisite steps to get it on the web, I will end up using this handy shortcut numerous times, and I’m hopeful I’ll develop a nice habit around it in no time.
3-finger click to open in new tab
The shortcut in question is a 3-finger click that opens any link in a new tab. Simple, right? But as it stands right now, when I want to do this, my muscle memory habit is to hold the CRTL key and click the link. Doing so opens any link in a new tab with no issue, but it does require a two-handed action.
Similarly, you can two-finger click on the link, bring up the context menu, and select “open link in new tab”, but that’s a bunch of extra work for something I can accomplish now in a couple simpler, quicker ways.
As soon as I saw this in some reference material for a new accessory, I immediately gave it a try and I couldn’t believe I’ve missed out on this feature for so long. I open links in a new tab constantly, and having a one-click method to now do this is a game changer when I am not using my external mouse (which does the same thing by clicking the button contained in the scroll wheel).
Hopefully this helps some of you out there be a tad bit more productive on a daily basis. I know it will be a big and helpful change for me. Small, time-saving tricks like this are what make Chromebooks so fun to use, and if you are like me, I’m sure you’ll be adding this one to your arsenal right away.
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