computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, hardware and softw ...

, a

keyboard shortcut In computing, a keyboard shortcut (also hotkey/hot key or key binding) is a software-based assignment of an action to one or more keys on a computer keyboard. Most Operating system, operating systems and Application software, applications come ...

is a sequence or combination of keystrokes on a

computer keyboard A computer keyboard is a built-in or peripheral input device modeled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or Push-button, keys to act as Mechanical keyboard, mechanical levers or Electronic switching system, electro ...

which invokes commands in

software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

. Most keyboard shortcuts require the user to press a single key or a sequence of keys one after the other. Other keyboard shortcuts require pressing and holding several keys simultaneously (indicated in the tables below by the ''+'' sign). Keyboard shortcuts may depend on the keyboard layout.

Comparison of keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are a common aspect of most modern operating systems and associated software applications. Their use is pervasive enough that some users consider them an important element of their routine interactions with a computer. Whether used as a matter of personal preference or for adaptive technology, the pervasiveness of common conventions means that a meaningful comparison of keyboard shortcuts can be made across various widely used operating systems.

General shortcuts

Many shortcuts (such as , , etc.) are just common conventions and are not handled by the operating system. Whether such commands are implemented (or not) depends on how an actual application program (such as an editor) is written and the frameworks used. Not all applications/frameworks follow (all of) these conventions, so if it doesn't work, it isn't compatible. Some of the combinations are not true for localized versions of operating systems. For example, in a non-English version of

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

, the Edit menu is not always bound to the shortcut. Some software (such as

KDE KDE is an international free software community that develops free and open-source software. As a central development hub, it provides tools and resources that enable collaborative work on its projects. Its products include the KDE Plasma gra ...

) allow their shortcuts to be changed, and the below list contains the defaults.

System navigation

Power management

Screenshots

Text editing

Many of these commands may be combined with to select a region of text. In macOS, holding while dragging mouse can be used to invert selection, and holding can be used to select by rectangular area in some apps. (These two functionalities may be combined). In macOS, the default text editing keyboard shortcuts in Cocoa text views can be overridden and new custom shortcuts can be created, by creating and editing related configuration files.

Text formatting

Browsers / Go menu

Web browsers

Tab management

Window management

User interface navigation (widgets and controls)

Command line shortcuts

Below is a list of common keyboard shortcuts that are used in a command line environment. Bash and Z shell keybindings are derived from Emacs text editing bindings.

Accessibility

* In Windows, it is possible to disable these shortcuts using the Accessibility or Ease of Access control panel. * In GNOME, these shortcuts are possible, if Universal Access is enabled on the system.

Notes

References

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

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GNOME A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

) *
Useful Keyboard Shortcuts
*

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{dead, date=February 2025 *

{dead, date=February 2025 *
help.gnome.org for the latest documentation of unstable
{dead, date=February 2025 * Linux (

) *
KDE Fundamentals: Common Keyboard Shortcuts
*
KDE Community Wiki: KDE Visual Design Group/HIG/Keyboard Shortcuts
*

Office Suite Productivity software (also called personal productivity software or office productivity software) is application software used for producing information (such as documents, presentations, worksheets, databases, charts, graphs, digital paintin ...

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Apache OpenOffice Apache OpenOffice (AOO) is an open-source software, open-source office suite, office productivity software suite. It is one of the successor projects of OpenOffice.org and the designated successor of IBM Lotus Symphony. It was a close cousin of ...

LibreOffice LibreOffice () is a free and open-source office productivity software suite developed by The Document Foundation (TDF). It was created in 2010 as a fork of OpenOffice.org, itself a successor to StarOffice. The suite includes applications ...

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OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice keyboard shortcuts
from LinuxMint community *

Web Browser A web browser, often shortened to browser, is an application for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's scr ...

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Chromium Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium ...

Google Chrome keyboard shortcuts
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Firefox Mozilla Firefox, or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. It uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages, which implements curr ...

Firefox browser keyboard shortcuts
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Opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Opera browser keyboard shortcuts
User interface techniques