These 5 simple browser tricks make navigating the web 10x faster

If most of what you do on a computer happens inside a web browser, it makes sense to make every click, scroll, and search as efficient as possible. Sure, there are plenty of flashy tips out there—from AI-powered browsers that claim to “think for you” to endless productivity extensions that promise to change your life—but the truth is, you don’t need any of that to browse smarter.

Sometimes, it’s the simple, built-in tricks that have the greatest impact. And the best part is that most of these work across all major browsers, so even if you switch to a new one later, you can still take advantage of them.

5

Add your favorite sites to bookmarks or speed dial

Jump straight into what matters

Your browser’s autofill can make typing URLs quicker, but when you want to open several sites at once, it’s still a bit of a drag. Setting up bookmarks can fix that. You can pin your most-used sites to your bookmarks bar so they’re always one click away. And then there’s Speed Dial, which works in a similar way. It lets you add shortcuts right on your browser’s homepage, so your favorite sites are just a single click away.

While setting these up, you can be clever about the URLs. For instance, instead of bookmarking just gmail.com, you can save a link that takes you straight to a specific Gmail account or folder. Similarly, you could bookmark a particular Trello board, a YouTube playlist, or even a Google Docs document you open every morning.

4

Enable startup tabs or save them for later

Make your browser open with purpose

If you often find yourself reopening the same websites every day, most browsers have a feature that can make your life much easier. You can set specific tabs to open automatically whenever you launch the browser, so everything you need is ready the moment you go online. Or, you can restore tabs from your last session, which is perfect for jumping back to right where you left off after a restart.

And for those times when you stumble upon a goldmine of useful pages, like a list of articles you want to read later, you don’t have to keep them open forever. Instead, simply bookmark all open tabs at once. This saves them neatly in a folder so you can return to them anytime without cluttering your current session.

3

Group tabs to stay organized

Tame tab chaos

Credit: Tashreef Shareef / MakeUseOf

If you’re the kind of person who constantly ends up with 37 open tabs no matter how hard you try to stay organized, tab grouping is going to change your life. The idea is simple. Instead of juggling multiple browser windows or endlessly hunting for that one specific tab buried somewhere in the chaos, you can group related tabs together.

This means you can have all your work tabs in blue, your research in green, and your entertainment in red. You can even collapse entire groups to clearly view tab names and switch between them easily. Finally, since these tab groups sync with your account, you can access them on any of your devices using the same browser.

2

Use profiles

One browser, multiple worlds

Browser profiles might just be one of the most underrated features available. Most people never bother setting them up, but once you do, you’ll realize how useful it is.

You can create separate profiles for different parts of your life—one for work, one for personal stuff, maybe even one for that side hustle you’re quietly building. Each profile acts like a completely separate browser, with its own data, bookmarks, and settings.

Each profile has its own bookmarks, extensions, saved passwords, and even themes. This keeps everything neatly separated, so nothing feels cluttered or slowed down by too many extensions running at once.

1

Master useful keyboard shortcuts

The fastest way to move around the web

Another thing you can do to surf the web quickly is to ditch the mouse (well, mostly) and rely on keyboard shortcuts instead. They’re the secret ingredient to lightning-fast navigation. While each browser has its own unique set, many shortcuts work universally, and learning them can save you a surprising amount of time and effort.

You don’t need fancy extensions or AI to level up your browsing game. The real magic is in using what’s already there. Of course, these are just some of the basics. Most browsers also come with their own unique tools and shortcuts that can push your productivity even further once you start exploring them.