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Browser "back" button and Google Docs Feb07 '07
This has happened to me one too many times, so I am officially writing about it.
It's ironic because I was just writing something good about Google Docs & Spreadsheets, and it goes and bombs out on me again.
If you're using Firefox on a Mac to edit your Google docs, never hit Command + Left Arrow, while in edit mode! This keyboard combination is equivalent to hitting the browser's back button, which lets you navigate your browser viewing history.
It's a handy keyboard shortcut, but it can cause your entire Google doc to be wiped out! By "wiped out," I mean totally blank - no text at all.
While editing a Google doc, the "back" button is disabled, but the keyboard combination still works.
Several times after committing this mistake, I've checked my document Revisions, and was able to recover the lost text.
But occasionally, the Revisions section goes "wacky" - and doesn't store each consecutive "Save."
To be safe, never hit the keyboard combination for "back," while editing a Google doc.
"Back" keyboard combination in other browsers:
| Safari | Command + Left Arrow |
|---|---|
| Firefox (Windows) | Alt + Left Arrow; OR Backspace |
| Internet Explorer (Windows) | Alt + Left Arrow; OR Backspace |
Categories: Browsers 
, Bugs , Google
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Thanks so much. This is handy. ... Read more.
is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from Chicago.
Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.
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I'd file a bug to Google. they should be catching an event that is generated either from mouse or keyboard input. BTW- your handy "Alt + B" for s ... Read more.