Chrome browser: Shortcut F6 behavior change after update to ver. 72

today I update to Chrome browser ver. 72.

Before update behavior of keyboard shortcut F6 was same as CTRL+L or ALT+D - it focused to address bar (selected all text in address bar).

After update it changes - now it focus to first tab.

Please how to change the behavior of F6 back?

Thanks, Jiri

Jiří Poláček

Posted 2019-02-01T09:08:41.133

Reputation: 251

1Just updated to 72, it works but have to hit F6 several times now. – Moab – 2019-02-01T14:35:18.807

Seems Chrome is now cycling the focus through different stuff. First press is focus on the tabs (first tab always gets the focus), second sets the focus to the address bar (as pre v72), third sets the focus to the bookmark bar and fourth to the page. Then the cycle starts again. – bugybunny – 2019-02-05T08:43:42.267

Reading other superuser questions seems to indicate that the cycle order was just different before (https://superuser.com/a/691608). I just browsed through the commits for v72 (https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+log/71.0.3578.98..72.0.3626.81?pretty=fuller&n=10000 )and couldn’t quickly find a commit that seemed to have changed that. Most relevant seeming I could find was https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/c3f17639c61f68ee33f918691a5eba2b1b11ae2d%5E%21/#F1. Maybe ask the devs if this change was intentional or not, might have been an accident by changing smth else

– bugybunny – 2019-02-05T08:44:44.793

Didn't even know I had those alternatives. Good workaround. – Attacktive – 2019-04-01T01:36:47.197

Answers

There's no option to change F6 back to the previous behaviour. The good news is that it looks like they are likely to change the behaviour back: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=927004

Update: they have reverted the behaviour change in the source code, so in a new version, F6 will again focus the address bar (omnibox) first. https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/c/chromium/src/+/1460996

Update 2: it will be fixed in Chrome 73 74, which is estimated to be released ~~March 12~~ April 23.

Until then, your options are:

Use a different keyboard shortcut (F6 F6, Ctrl+L, Alt+D, or Shift+F6 if you have no bookmarks bar)
Downgrade to Chrome 71 or older for the time being.
Use something like AutoHotKey to remap F6 to Ctrl+L or another shortcut.
Use any other browser, because currently all the major other browsers have F6 select the address bar.

Joel May

Posted 2019-02-01T09:08:41.133

Reputation: 341

Press F6 twice. It will focus first tab on first press, and it will focus address bar on second press.

superjase

Posted 2019-02-01T09:08:41.133

Reputation: 31