How to Quickly Close Your Web Browser

Avoid getting caught slacking off on the job

By
Scott Orgera
Scott Orgera
Scott Orgera
Writer
Scott Orgera is a former Lifewire writer covering tech since 2007. He has 25+ years' experience as a programmer and QA leader, and holds several Microsoft certifications including MCSE, MCP+I, and MOUS. He is also A+ certified.
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Updated on June 26, 2020

You can quickly close any web browser with a key command. Whether you're in a rush or you just like to operate efficiently, keyboard shortcuts are a great time-saver.

NSFW = 'not safe for work' viewing
NSFW = 'not safe for work' viewing. Dimitri Otis / Getty

Here's how to close a web browser with a hotkey.

How to Quickly Close Web Browsers on a Windows Computer

Browser use different keyboard shortcuts:

  • In Chrome and Edge, press Alt+F4 to close the active window.
  • In Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera, press Win+M to minimize all open windows to the taskbar, or press Alt+F4 to quit the active instance of the browser.

Microsoft no longer supports Internet Explorer and recommends that you update to the newer Edge browser. Head to their site to download the newest version.

In Windows 10, the Win+D hotkey toggles the desktop. Press it to minimize all currently open apps (foreground and background) to the taskbar, and reveal the desktop. Press it again to bring those same apps back to the original positions.

How to Quickly Close Web Browsers on Mac OS X and macOS

For all browsers, press Cmd+H to hide all active browser windows or press Cmd+Q to quit the application.

On older Mac keyboards the Command key is the Apple key. On Mac OS X, using Hide is noticeably faster than using Quit.

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