How To Reclaim The ‘Backspace To Go Back A Page’ Feature In Chrome

You used to be able to hit backspace to go back to a previous webpage in Chrome but a month ago, Google indicated that it will be removing this feature in a future update for the web browser. The backspace hotkey was omitted from the Canary release of Chrome and now it has been taken out of the Beta version of the latest update. The end is nigh for users (like myself) who do take advantage of the backspace to return to previous page function. The good news is there is a way to keep it with a Chrome extension, aptly named Back To Backspace. Here are the details.

Using Backspace to go back to a previous webpage is a legacy left behind by older internet browsers like Internet Explorer. It’s one of those things you either love or hate; some users may find it frustrating when they’re filling out an online form and lose all the information when they accidentally hit the backspace button at the wrong time. Others, namely programmers and individuals who are familiar with keyboard shortcuts would miss this feature terribly.

The removal of this feature in the Beta release of Chrome means that it won’t be long before it hits the newest stable version of the browser. If you are a fan of the Backspace to go back shortcut, you can install a Chrome extension called Back To Backspace. Here’s the brief description for the extension:

Miss being able to use backspace to go back a page? This extension restores that ability. Just press the backspace key on any page and you’ll go back to the previous page you were looking at. Note that this will not happen if you are currently filling out a form or typing into a text area or input box.

So at least you have an option now to keep that precious backspace hotkey. Alternatively, you can use the new shortcut for going back a page that Chrome has introduced: Alt + Back Arrow.

You can get the Back To Backspace extension at the Google Chrome Store.