Logbook

Prevent Chrome from closing tabs with Command-W

I’m experimenting with running Google Chrome as my default browser, full screen in Mac OS X Lion. I use a couple of different windows to separate tasks, like mail, project management and general web surfing. Getting annoyed with accidental tab and window closing (closing the last tab closes the window) I searched for an extension to prevent it, with no luck.

My hackish solution was to remap the Command-W close window command to Option-Command-W so it’s not so automatic to close tabs by accident or habit.

System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Application Shortcuts:

Click the plus sign (+) to add an application shortcut, select Google Chrome, enter Close Window as the Menu Title and enter your new mapping. Done. No more accidental keyboard shortcut induced window/tab closures.

Now I just have to click the “x” in the tab title area when I really want it closed.