The Daily Tip: Use Spacebar to Scroll Down

Updated December 1st, 2015.

Here’s a tip that makes web browsing on a Mac a whole lot easier. It works in Safari, Firefox, and Chrome, so you can learn it once and use it everywhere. It’s a simple, one-step procedure that could not be easier. Just remember: this is for Macs, not for iPhones and iPads.

Ready for it? Good. All you do is press the spacebar to scroll down, in Safari, Firefox, or Chrome. When you do that the page scrolls down exactly the right amount, so what was on the bottom of the page has now moved up to the top. It always scrolls exactly the right amount. And if you hold the Shift key while pressing the spacebar the page scrolls back up.

If you spend a lot of time reading web pages this is going to help you a ton. It’s especially handy for when you have a cup of coffee in your dominant hand because it’s easy to hit the spacebar with your other hand, seeing how the spacebar is the biggest button on the keyboard. No need to put down the coffee (or the phone, or your pen, or whatever). Use your other hand and press that spacebar.

BONUS: this also works in Mail.

Of course if your keyboard has Page Down and Page Up buttons you can use those to scroll down and up too, but nothing’s easier than tapping the spacebar due to its size and location. One try and you’re hooked. So try it. And after you’ve tried it, tell a friend. You can share this article using the “Share” button at the bottom of this (and every) post. Your friends will thank you and so will I.

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