<info> <name>Michael Hill</name> <email>mdhillca@gmail.com</email> <name>Julita Inca</name> <email>yrazes@gmail.com</email> <name>Shaun McCance</name> <email>shaunm@gnome.org</email> <years>2012</years> <desc>Use applications and the desktop without a mouse.</desc> </info> <comment> Shaun McCance

Do NOT use `ui:expanded` on this page. I know it's tempting, but the target audience for this page is people who cannot use a mouse, and having to expand sections when you're just figuring out how to drive things with the keyboard is a burden.

</comment>

This page details keyboard navigation for people who cannot use a mouse or other pointing device, or who want to use a keyboard as much as possible. For keyboard shortcuts that are useful to all users, see instead.

If you cannot use a pointing device like a mouse, you can control the mouse pointer using the numeric keypad on your keyboard. See for details.

Navigate user interfaces

<key>Tab</key> and <keyseq><key>Ctrl</key><key>Tab</key></keyseq>

Move keyboard focus between different controls. <keyseq><key>Ctrl</key> <key>Tab</key></keyseq> moves between groups of controls, such as from a sidebar to the main content. <keyseq><key>Ctrl</key><key>Tab</key></keyseq> can also break out of a control that uses <key>Tab</key> itself, such as a text area.

Hold down <key>Shift</key> to move focus in reverse order.

Arrow keys | Move selection between items in a single control, or among a set of related controls. Use the arrow keys to focus buttons in a toolbar, select items in a list or icon view, or select a radio button from a group. In a tree view, use the left and right arrow keys to collapse and expand items with children.
<keyseq><key>Ctrl</key>Arrow keys</keyseq> | In a list or icon view, move the keyboard focus to another item without changing which item is selected.
<keyseq><key>Shift</key>Arrow keys</keyseq> | In a list or icon view, select all items from the currently selected item to the newly focused item.
<key>Space</key> | Activate a focused item such as a button, check box, or list item.
<keyseq><key>Ctrl</key><key>Space</key></keyseq> | In a list or icon view, select or deselect the focused item without deselecting other items.
<key>Alt</key> | Hold down the <key>Alt</key> key to reveal accelerators: underlined letters on menu items, buttons, and other controls. Press <key>Alt</key> plus the underlined letter to activate a control, just as if you had clicked on it.
<key>Esc</key> | Exit a menu, popup, switcher, or dialog window.
<key>F10</key> | Open the first menu on the menubar of a window. Use the arrow keys to navigate the menus.
<keyseq>Super<key>F10</keyseq> | Open the application menu on the top bar.
<keyseq><key>Shift<key>F10</keyseq> or the Menu key | Pop up the context menu for the current selection, as if you had right-clicked.
<keyseq><key>Ctrl<key>F10</keyseq> | In the file manager, pop up the context menu for the current folder, as if you had right-clicked on the background and not on any item.
<keyseq><key>Ctrl<key>PageUp</keyseq> and <keyseq><key>Ctrl<key>PageDown</keyseq> | In a tabbed interface, switch to the tab to the left or right.

Navigate the desktop
<keyseq><key>Alt<key>F6</keyseq> | Cycle through windows in the same application. Hold down the <key>Alt key and press <key>F6 until the window you want is highlighted, then release <key>Alt. This is similar to the <keyseq><key>Alt<key>`</keyseq> feature.
<keyseq><key>Alt<key>Esc</keyseq> | Cycle through all open windows on a workspace.
<keyseq>Super<key>M</keyseq> | Open the message tray. Press <key>Esc to close.

Navigate windows
<keyseq><key>Alt<key>F4</keyseq> | Close the current window.
<keyseq><key>Alt<key>F5</keyseq> or <keyseq>Super<key>↓</keyseq> | Restore a maximized window to its original size. Use <keyseq><key>Alt <key>F10</keyseq> to maximize. <keyseq><key>Alt<key>F10</keyseq> both maximizes and restores.
<keyseq><key>Alt<key>F7</keyseq> | Move the current window. Press <keyseq><key>Alt<key>F7</keyseq>, then use the arrow keys to move the window. Press <key>Enter to finish moving the window, or <key>Esc to return it to its original place.
<keyseq><key>Alt<key>F8</keyseq> | Resize the current window. Press <keyseq><key>Alt<key>F8</keyseq>, then use the arrow keys to resize the window. Press <key>Enter to finish resizing the window, or <key>Esc to return it to its original size.
<keyseq><key>Alt<key>F10</keyseq> or <keyseq>Super<key>↑</keyseq> | Maximize a window. Press <keyseq><key>Alt<key>F10</keyseq> again to restore a maximized window to its original size.
<keyseq>Super<key>←</keyseq> | Maximize a window vertically along the left side of the screen. Press again to restore the window to its previous size. Press <keyseq>Super<key>→</keyseq> to switch sides.
<keyseq>Super<key>→</keyseq> | Maximize a window vertically along the right side of the screen. Press again to restore the window to its previous size. Press <keyseq>Super<key>←</keyseq> to switch sides.
<keyseq><key>Alt<key>Space</keyseq> | Pop up the window menu, as if you had right-clicked on the titlebar.