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A new browser extension called Omni gives you tab and history search, quick commands, and more.

If you’re a fan of getting stuff done with keyboard shortcuts, check out Omni, a new Chrome and Firefox extension for quickly navigating by keyboard. (The Chrome version also works with other Chromium-based browsers, such as Microsoft Edge and Brave.)

Once installed, press Ctrl+Shift+K (or Cmd+Shift+K on a Mac) to bring up Omni’s action bar, then start typing to search through all your open browser tabs. Selecting a tab from the list will take you straight to it.

But Omni doesn’t stop there. Typing /h in the action bar lets you search your browsing history, and typing /b searches your bookmarks. You can also type /a to see a master list of commands, including things like pinning a tab, creating a new Google Doc, or clearing your browser cache. Omni even helps you learn your browser’s built-in keyboard shortcuts by listing them in its search results.

I’ve previously recommended Hare for searching through browser tabs, and it still works well if a simple tab search tool is all you need. Chrome also has a built-in tab search tool, accessible by pressing Ctrl+Shift+A (or Cmd+Shift+A) on a Mac.

Still, I like that Omni packs more search tools and commands into one place, and it’s completely free with no sign-ins or creepy data collection.


This story first appeared in Jared’s Advisorator newsletter. Sign up to get a tech tip in your inbox every Tuesday.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jared has been a freelance technology journalist for more than 15 years and is a regular contributor to Fast Company, PCWorld, and TechHive. His Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter has more than 30,000 subscribers, and his Advisorator tech advice newsletter is read by nearly 10,000 people each week More


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