One shortcut. A work screen. Same shortcut, you’re back.
The LookingBusy extension puts an offline simulated work screen on top of whatever you are doing in your browser, and the same gesture takes it away again. It is the website’s Boss Mode, without needing the website open first.
Want it now? The same screens are on the website — see using it without the extension.
This is the actual screen
The extension bundles these five screens and draws them without a network connection. Pick one and type — it reacts the way it does in the extension.
How it works
- 1Press the shortcut
Ctrl+Shift+Space by default (⌘+Shift+Space on a Mac), or click the toolbar button.
- 2A work screen covers the browser
Fullscreen by default, with a believable window title in your taskbar. You choose which screen in the extension’s options.
- 3Press it again
The screen closes and you are back in the window you left. If that window has since been closed, it simply does not come back.
What it does not do
Worth knowing before you rely on it:
- It is a browser shortcut, not a system-wide one. It fires while Chrome is the active application. If you are in Excel, Slack or a video call, it will not respond — that is a browser limit, not a setting.
- It moves a window. That is all. It does not hide anything from monitoring software, screen sharing, screenshots, your browser history or IT device management. It is a joke you can see, not a way to deceive anyone watching your machine.
- The shortcut may need setting once. Chrome declines the default when another extension already holds it. The options page shows the shortcut actually assigned and lets you test it.
- Esc leaves fullscreen first. In fullscreen, Chrome takes the first Esc for itself. The shortcut is the reliable way out.
It asks for one permission
storageRemembers which work screen you picked and whether it opens fullscreen. Those two settings stay on this computer unless you switch on sync.
- Reads or changes the pages you visit.
- Makes a network request. The screens are bundled with it.
- Asks for an account, or collects analytics.
- Only your screen choice and window style go into your browser account, the same place your bookmarks go.
- Sync is off by default. Switch it off and we remove them.
Supported browsers
- Chrome — coming soon to the Chrome Web Store.
- Microsoft Edge — tested from the same build; the Edge Add-ons listing follows Chrome.
- Brave, Opera, Arc and other Chromium browsers can usually install from the Chrome Web Store. We do not test them.
- Firefox and Safari — not supported. Use the website.
Using it without the extension
Many work browsers are managed by IT and block installing extensions. If yours is, do not try to get around that — the website does the same job in a tab. Open lookingbusy.com, press \ or Esc to switch Boss Mode on and off, and F11 for fullscreen. Same five screens, no install.