51 Technology Tips for Teachers You’ll Wish You Knew Earlier

Discover 51 technology tips for teachers to save time, work smarter, and make the most of YouTube, Google, and everyday classroom technology.

Technology can make a teacher’s life much easier, but only if you know the right tricks.

There are countless useful features hidden inside the websites, browsers, and apps teachers use every day. Some can save you a few seconds, while others can completely change the way you use technology in the classroom.

The best part is that you don’t need to be particularly tech-savvy to use them.

From YouTube tricks and hidden keyboard shortcuts to better Google searches and time-saving Google Docs features, we’ve put together 51 technology tips for teachers that are simple, practical, and worth knowing.

You may not need all of them, but there’s a good chance you’ll find a few that make you wonder, “Why didn’t I know about this sooner?”

Here are 51 technology tips every teacher should know.

YouTube Tips and Tricks for Teachers

YouTube is a classroom staple, but there are plenty of features and shortcuts you may not know about. These tricks can make showing and sharing videos quicker and easier.

1. Share a YouTube Video From the Exact Moment You Need

If the useful part of a 20-minute video doesn’t begin until seven minutes in, don’t make everyone sit through the beginning.

YouTube’s Share feature allows you to create a link that starts at a particular time when that option is available.

It’s perfect for assigning or sharing a specific section of a longer video.

2. Use J, K, and L to Control YouTube Videos

YouTube has some excellent keyboard controls:

J: Go backward 10 seconds
K: Play or pause
L: Go forward 10 seconds

Think of them as a little control panel sitting next to each other on your keyboard.

They’re extremely useful when you need to replay something students missed.

3. Jump Through a YouTube Video With the Number Keys

YouTube’s number keys can jump to different percentages of a video.

0 takes you to the beginning.
5 takes you to around 50%.
9 takes you to around 90%.

The other number keys work in the same way. For example, 2 takes you to around 20% and 7 to around 70%.

This is particularly useful when you’re navigating a long video during a lesson.

4. Turn YouTube Captions On and Off With One Key

Press:

C

while using YouTube’s player to toggle captions when captions are available.

Captions can make classroom videos easier to follow, particularly when audio quality isn’t ideal or you’re supporting different learning needs.

5. Learn YouTube’s Other Useful Classroom Shortcuts

A few more worth remembering:

F: Full screen
M: Mute/unmute
Left Arrow: Move backward
Right Arrow: Move forward
Spacebar: Play/pause in appropriate player contexts

You don’t need to memorize all of them. Learn the two or three you use most often.

6. Change YouTube Playback Speed From the Keyboard

YouTube supports keyboard shortcuts for adjusting playback speed.

When the player has focus, Shift + > and Shift + < can increase or decrease playback speed.

This can be useful when you need to move through a slow section more quickly or slow down a demonstration for students.

7. Add a Hyphen to a YouTube URL to Watch Videos Without the Usual Distractions

Here’s a surprisingly simple YouTube trick you may not have come across before.

Take the URL of the YouTube video you want to show and add a hyphen between the “t” and “u” in YouTube.

For example:

youtube.com → yout-ube.com

The third-party service at yout-ube.com opens the requested video using YouTube’s player in a stripped-down viewing experience designed to remove many of the usual distractions.

This can be particularly useful in the classroom when you want to show students a video without navigating around the regular YouTube interface.

However, there is an important distinction to make: yout-ube.com is not an official YouTube service. It’s a third-party website, so teachers should check that their school or district allows access to third-party services before using it in class.

It’s also worth checking that it works on your school network before relying on it during a lesson, as third-party services and school filtering policies can change.

Browser and Computer Shortcuts for Teachers

A few simple keyboard and browser shortcuts can save you countless clicks throughout the school year. Here are some of the most useful ones to learn.

8. Reopen a Tab You Accidentally Closed

We’ve all done it. You finally find the resource you need and then accidentally close the tab.

Instead of searching for it again, press:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + Shift + T
Mac: Command + Shift + T

Your most recently closed browser tab should immediately reopen.

Keep pressing the shortcut and you can work backward through multiple recently closed tabs.

9. Jump Between Browser Tabs Without Using Your Mouse

If you have several resources open during a lesson, you don’t need to keep clicking between tabs.

Press:

Ctrl + Tab

to move to the next tab.

Use:

Ctrl + Shift + Tab

to move in the opposite direction.

Once you get used to it, switching between your presentation, attendance system, lesson resources, and other tabs becomes much quicker.

10. Jump Straight to a Specific Browser Tab

Here’s another useful shortcut for teachers who regularly have far too many tabs open.

In Chrome and several other browsers:

• Ctrl + 1 takes you to your first tab.
• Ctrl + 2 takes you to your second tab.
• Ctrl + 3 takes you to your third tab.

And so on.

There’s an especially useful one:

Ctrl + 9

jumps straight to the last tab, even if you have far more than nine open.

11. Close a Browser Tab Without Reaching for the X

Press:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + W
Mac: Command + W

to close your current browser tab.

And remember, if you close the wrong one, Ctrl + Shift + T can bring it straight back.

12. Open a Link Without Leaving Your Current Page

When researching a lesson, you may want to open several promising results without constantly navigating backward.

On Windows or Chromebook, hold Ctrl while clicking a link.

On Mac, hold Command while clicking.

The link opens in another tab while your original page remains open.

If you’re using a mouse with a clickable scroll wheel, middle-clicking a link can also open it in a new tab.

13. Middle-Click a Tab to Close It

A clickable scroll wheel has another useful trick.

Middle-click directly on a browser tab and you can close it without moving your cursor over to the tiny X.

It’s particularly useful when you’re cleaning up the 27 tabs you’ve somehow accumulated during one planning period.

14. Jump Straight to Your Browser’s Address Bar

Press:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + L
Mac: Command + L

Your browser immediately selects the address bar.

Start typing your search or web address and press Enter.

It only saves a second or two each time, but those seconds add up.

15. Bookmark a Useful Resource Instantly

Found a resource you want to keep?

Press:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + D
Mac: Command + D

Your browser will open the option to bookmark the current page.

It’s much quicker than trying to find the same resource again three months later.

16. Turn Your Bookmarks Bar Into a Teacher Dashboard

If you visit the same websites every school day, keep your most-used resources on your browser’s bookmarks bar.

You can also shorten their names so more fit across the screen.

Instead of long website titles, use simple labels such as:

Grades
Email
Calendar
Resources

Your bookmarks bar can effectively become a personalized teacher dashboard.

17. Pin the Tabs You Use All Day

If your browser is constantly full of tabs, pin the important ones.

In Chrome, right-click a tab and choose Pin.

The tab becomes smaller and stays toward the left side of your tab bar.

Email, your learning management system, attendance, calendar, and other everyday resources are good candidates.

18. Duplicate a Browser Tab

Need the same webpage open twice?

In Chrome and many other browsers, right-click the tab and choose Duplicate.

You’ll immediately have a second copy.

This is useful when comparing different sections of a website or keeping one page visible while working from another.

19. Drag a Browser Tab Into Its Own Window

Click a browser tab and drag it away from your existing browser window.

It becomes a separate window.

This is particularly useful when using a projector or second display because you can put student-facing content on one screen while keeping your other resources separate.

20. Zoom In Before Showing a Webpage to Your Class

A webpage that looks perfectly readable on your laptop may be impossible to read from the back of the classroom.

Use:

Ctrl/Command + + to zoom in
Ctrl/Command + – to zoom out
Ctrl/Command + 0 to return to the normal zoom level

This is one of the simplest ways to make projected web content easier for students to see.

21. Use Split Screen Instead of Constantly Switching Windows

On Windows, press:

Windows key + Left Arrow

or:

Windows key + Right Arrow

to position your active window on one side of the screen.

You can then place another window alongside it.

Mac also provides built-in window tiling options.

This is useful when entering grades while referring to another document, creating resources from source material, or planning while viewing curriculum requirements.

22. Screenshot Only the Part of the Screen You Need

On Windows, press:

Windows + Shift + S

and select the area you want.

On Mac, use:

Command + Shift + 4

It’s much cleaner than taking a screenshot of your entire desktop and cropping it afterward.

23. Use Ctrl + P to Save Something as a PDF

The print shortcut isn’t necessarily just for printing.

Press:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + P
Mac: Command + P

Depending on your browser and operating system, the print dialog may give you an option to Save as PDF.

This can be useful for preserving appropriate webpages or documents for later use.

Remember that saving something as a PDF doesn’t change its copyright or give you permission to redistribute it.

24. Jump to the Beginning or End of a Long Document

Instead of scrolling forever, try:

Ctrl + Home to jump toward the beginning
Ctrl + End to jump toward the end

On a Mac, equivalent navigation shortcuts can vary by application.

This is particularly useful with long curriculum documents, reports, and planning files.

25. Delete an Entire Word at Once

Instead of repeatedly pressing Backspace, use:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + Backspace

to delete the previous word.

Mac users can commonly use:

Option + Delete

Once this becomes muscle memory, ordinary backspacing suddenly feels very slow.

26. Create a QR Code Instead of Asking Students to Type a Long URL

If you’re sharing a long webpage address with a class, don’t write the entire thing on the board.

Chrome provides a way to create a QR code for a webpage through its sharing features.

Display the QR code and students using compatible devices can scan it to open the resource directly.

QR codes can be particularly useful for:

• Exit tickets
• Classroom surveys
• Research resources
• Digital assignments
• Extension activities
• Parent information
• Stations around the classroom

It’s one of those simple technology tricks that can remove a surprisingly common classroom frustration.

Google Search Tricks for Teachers

Knowing how to search Google properly can help you find better teaching resources in less time. These simple search tricks can make a surprisingly big difference.

27. Find Any Word on a Webpage in Seconds

Press:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + F
Mac: Command + F

Then type the word or phrase you need.

Your browser highlights matches and lets you jump between them.

This is invaluable when searching long articles, school policies, curriculum documents, and research.

28. Search Google for PDFs Only

Add:

filetype

to your Google search.

For example:

fractions worksheet filetype

This tells Google to focus on PDF files.

It’s particularly useful when looking for reports, printable resources, academic material, and guides.

Always check usage rights before reproducing or distributing resources you find.

29. Search for an Exact Phrase

Put quotation marks around a phrase:

“parts of a plant worksheet”

Google will look for that particular sequence of words rather than simply treating each word independently.

This is useful for quotes, titles, distinctive phrases, and specific teaching resources.

30. Search One Specific Website

Google can sometimes search a website more effectively than the website’s own search box.

Use:

site.gov solar system

Google will focus the results on that domain.

This is particularly useful when searching large government, university, museum, or educational websites.

31. Exclude a Word From Your Search

Put a minus sign immediately before a word you don’t want.

For example:

jaguar -car

This can help remove irrelevant meanings of ambiguous words and narrow down your teaching resources.

32. Search for Either of Two Things With OR

Suppose you’re happy with resources using either of two terms.

Search:

“classroom management” OR “behavior management”

Using OR tells Google that results can match either alternative.

33. Search for Resources Published Within a Particular Time Period

Google supports date-based search operators such as before: and after:.

For example:

classroom technology after:2025-01-01

can help you focus on newer results.

This can be particularly helpful for technology, legislation, statistics, research, and other topics where older information may no longer be accurate.

34. Combine Google Search Operators for Much Better Results

The real power comes when you combine search operators.

For example:

site:.edu “executive function” filetype

This narrows the search significantly by combining a domain restriction, an exact phrase, and a file type.

Once you understand a few search operators, you can often find much more specific teaching resources.

35. Get a Quick Definition From Google

Need a definition quickly?

Try:

define

Google can display dictionary information directly in the results.

It’s useful when preparing lessons or quickly checking terminology.

36. Use Google for Quick Conversions

Google can handle many everyday conversions directly from the search box.

Try searches such as:

10 miles in km

or:

75 Fahrenheit in Celsius

This is useful in science, math, geography, and any classroom where you’re working between different measurement systems.

37. Use Google’s Built-In Timer, Dice, and Coin

Google has several useful tools hiding inside Search.

Try:

5 minute timer

roll a die

or:

flip a coin

These can be handy for transitions, classroom games, timed activities, random decisions, and quick demonstrations.

Google Docs and Digital Work Tips for Teachers

If you use Google Docs for planning, creating resources, or providing feedback, these shortcuts and hidden features can help you work faster and more efficiently.

38. Paste Text Without Bringing the Formatting With It

Copying text from a webpage can bring unwanted fonts, colors, sizes, and formatting.

Instead use:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + Shift + V
Mac: Command + Shift + V

In Google Docs and many other applications, this pastes the text without its original formatting.

39. Select Everything at Once

Press:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + A
Mac: Command + A

to select everything in the active document or field.

You can then copy it using Ctrl/Command + C.

40. Double-Click and Triple-Click to Select Text Faster

Double-click a word to select the whole word.

In many applications, triple-clicking selects a larger block of text, often a paragraph.

It’s much quicker than carefully dragging your cursor across text.

41. Select Text More Precisely With Your Keyboard

Hold Shift while using the arrow keys to select text.

You can often combine this with Ctrl on Windows or Option on Mac to move through text in larger increments.

This is especially useful when editing without constantly reaching for the mouse.

42. Insert a Hyperlink With Ctrl + K

Highlight the words you want to turn into a link and press:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + K
Mac: Command + K

Then enter or paste your URL.

This shortcut works in many document editors, email services, and other applications.

43. Insert a Page Break Instead of Pressing Enter Repeatedly

If you want the next section of a document to begin on a fresh page, don’t hit Enter over and over.

In Google Docs, use:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + Enter
Mac: Command + Enter

This inserts a proper page break and keeps the document much easier to edit later.

44. Use Find and Replace for Repetitive Editing

If the same word, name, date, or phrase appears throughout a document, don’t manually change every occurrence.

Use Find and replace to locate the text and replace multiple instances.

It’s especially useful when adapting old worksheets and lesson materials for a new class or school year.

45. Use the @ Menu in Google Docs

Type:

@

inside a Google Doc to access useful features.

You can quickly insert things such as people, files, dates, calendar events, and other smart chips and building blocks.

For example, @today can quickly insert today’s date as a date chip.

46. Add a Google Docs Comment With a Keyboard Shortcut

Teachers who provide digital feedback should know this one.

Highlight the relevant text and use:

Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl + Alt + M
Mac: Command + Option + M

to add a comment.

If you leave lots of feedback in student documents, this can save a significant amount of clicking.

47. Use Voice Typing in Google Docs

Google Docs includes Voice typing under the Tools menu in supported browsers.

Turn it on, click the microphone, and speak instead of typing.

It can be useful for getting lesson ideas down quickly, drafting notes, or demonstrating speech-to-text technology.

Always proofread the result, particularly names, punctuation, and subject-specific vocabulary.

48. Recover an Earlier Version of a Google Doc

Google Docs keeps a version history.

Go to:

File → Version history → See version history

You can inspect earlier versions and, when necessary, restore one.

This is especially valuable when several students or colleagues are collaborating on the same document.

49. Keep a Clean Master Copy of Reusable Resources

If you have a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slides file that you reuse, make a copy before editing it.

Go to:

File → Make a copy

Keep an untouched master and create a fresh copy for each class, unit, or school year.

It prevents the painful realization that you’ve accidentally edited your original template.

50. Use Proper Headings to Navigate Long Google Docs

For long lesson plans, curriculum documents, unit plans, and teaching resources, use Google’s heading styles rather than simply making headings bold.

Google Docs can then use those headings to create a document outline that lets you jump between sections.

As a bonus, properly structured headings also improve document accessibility.

51. Undo and Redo Your Mistakes

Most people know:

Ctrl/Command + Z

will undo the previous action.

But you can usually keep pressing it to work backward through several actions.

If you undo something you wanted to keep, use the application’s Redo command to move forward again.

Final Thoughts

Teachers already have enough competing for their time. Technology should reduce that workload, not add to it.

And that’s really the point of these 51 technology tips for teachers. You don’t need to completely change the way you teach or master another complicated piece of software. Sometimes a tiny shortcut can remove a repetitive task you’ve been doing the slow way for years.

You probably won’t use all 51 tips. Instead, pick two or three that solve problems you regularly encounter and start there.

Once those become automatic, come back and try a few more.

When a shortcut saves only five or ten seconds, it might not seem significant. But when you perform the same digital tasks hundreds of times throughout a school year, those seconds start to add up.

And if you know a technology trick that every teacher should know, share it with another teacher. The best tips are often the tiny ones you wish somebody had shown you years ago.