Most browsers have add-ons, or extensions, which add new tab pages to the browser. However, not many of them add keyboard keys to the tab page websites. Firefox and Chrome both had addons that allow you to launch speed dial websites using hotkeys. Read on to learn more.

Speed Dial addon for Firefox is one with which you can open tabbed pages with keyboard shortcuts. There is also similar Chrome extensions such as Speed Dial for Google Chrome. We will specifically cover the Firefox version but know that you can do the same thing in Chrome.

Add the Firefox Speed Dial add-on to the browser from this page. Select the + Add to Firefox option and Install Now. Restart the browser, and then select a blank new tab page. Then select Tools from the Menu bar. Click Add – ons and Options under the Speed Dial add-on. That should open the window below.

Click the Load in blank new tab option check-box to add a tick to it. Then click OK, and restart the browser. The previously blank Firefox tab page should now include the Speed Dial page in the shot below.

Now add some websites to the tab boxes. Right-click box one, and select Edit. That opens the window below from where you can input a URL (Universal Resource Locator) into the Location address bar. Select OK and a thumbnail preview of the site should then be added to the tab box.

Now press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + 1. The website in tab box 1 should open. In much the same way you can open other websites in other tab boxes by adding the corresponding number to the keyboard shortcut. For example, tab box two’s shortcut is Ctrl + 2.

You can also select alternative shortcut keys for the pages. Return to the Speed Dial add-on options, and then click on Controls to open the window below. From there select Open in current tab from the Alt or Alt + Shift keyboard shortcut drop-down lists. Then those shortcut keys will also open the tab box pages.

Overall, you can add shortcut keys for nine alternative sites on the Speed Dial tab page; and the add-on also includes additional customization options for the tabs.