Keyboard Shortcut Design

Designing keyboard shortcut systems, key binding conventions, and shortcut discoverability.

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Keyboard Shortcut Design

Conventions to Follow

Action Mac Windows
Save Cmd+S Ctrl+S
Undo Cmd+Z Ctrl+Z
Redo Cmd+Shift+Z Ctrl+Y
Find Cmd+F Ctrl+F
Select all Cmd+A Ctrl+A
Copy/Cut/Paste Cmd+C/X/V Ctrl+C/X/V
Close Cmd+W Ctrl+W

App-Specific Shortcuts

  • Use single letters for frequent actions (in non-text contexts)
  • Modifier + letter for less frequent actions
  • Show shortcuts in tooltips and menus
  • Command palette (Cmd+K) as discovery mechanism

Shortcut Cheat Sheet

  • Accessible via Cmd+/ or ? key
  • Grouped by category
  • Searchable
  • Shows current key bindings

Rules

  1. Never override browser shortcuts without very good reason
  2. Show shortcuts alongside menu items
  3. Allow customization for power users
  4. Document all shortcuts in a discoverable place
  5. Focus states must work perfectly for keyboard users

dragoon0x/everything-design-taste/tree/main/skills/keyboard-shortcut-design commit 0c5edb0666

Frequently asked questions

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