ComboShelf

Claude Desktop keyboard shortcuts

Claude Desktop holds chat, Cowork and Claude Code in one window, and most of the keys Anthropic documents belong to its Code tab of sessions and panes. Anthropic's Code tab reference says to use Ctrl in place of Cmd on Windows; Ctrl+Tab between sessions, the terminal key and the view modes take Ctrl on a Mac as well. Quick entry's keys are defaults you can change in Settings > General.

41 shortcutsWindows and MacChecked 27 September 2026

Checked against Claude Code documentation — Desktop application, Claude Code documentation — Test iOS apps in the simulator, Claude documentation — Claude Desktop changelog, Claude Help Center — Use quick entry with Claude Desktop on Mac and Claude Academy — Navigating the Claude desktop app. Version: Claude Desktop v2.9939.2 (24 September 2026), default shortcuts.

41 shortcuts

The top 16 are the Claude Desktop shortcuts this page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear here. The drill asks the marked ones first too, shuffled. Or tick your own and print those.

The 16 to learn first: the shortcuts the Claude Desktop page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear on it.

Your own sheet: the Claude Desktop shortcuts you ticked.

Around the app

Practise these
Show the list of shortcuts # Lists every shortcut available in the Code tab.WinControl plusSlashMacCommand plusSlash
Show or hide the sidebar # Cmd+full stop, or Ctrl+full stop on Windows, did this too until version 2.9939.2 of 24 September 2026 removed it.WinControl plusBMacCommand plusB
Find in the conversation # The release notes give the Mac key only. It searches the whole transcript, including messages scrolled out of view.WinNot listedMacCommand plusF
Quit the app # The documentation gives the Mac key; for Windows it points to Task Manager instead.WinNot listedMacCommand plusQ
Force the app to quit when it stops responding # These open the system's own tools, Force Quit on a Mac and Task Manager on Windows, where you pick Claude and end it.WinControl plusShift plusEscapeMacOption plusCommand plusEscape

Quick entry and voice

Quick entry is a small Claude window that opens over whatever app you are in, as long as Claude Desktop is running.

Open quick entry from any app # Double-tap Option, type, and press Enter to send. Settings > General can change it to Option+Space or a shortcut of your own. On Windows there is no default: you set the shortcut in Settings.WinNot listedMacOption plusthenOption plus
Start or stop dictating a message # Press again to stop. Off by default because it takes over Caps Lock; turn it on in Settings > General. Mac only, macOS 14 or later.WinNo shortcutMacCaps Lock
End voice mode # In the chat message box.WinEscapeMacEscape

Sending and stopping

Send the message # Sent while Claude is still working, it waits its turn: in the Code tab Claude reads it as soon as the current action finishes, without stopping.WinEnterMacReturn
Send a message straight away, interrupting the reply # While Claude is still replying. The first waiting message also offers a Send now button that does the same.WinControl plusEnterMacCommand plusReturn
Stop Claude's response # Listed for the Code tab.WinEscapeMacEscape
Rewind a cloud session # Cloud sessions in the Code tab. The message menu and the /rewind command do the same.WinEscapethenEscapeMacEscapethenEscape

Sessions in the Code tab

Each session has its own chat history and project folder, and several can run at once.

Start a new session #WinControl plusNMacCommand plusN
Close the session #WinControl plusWMacCommand plusW
Go to the next session # Ctrl+Tab takes Ctrl on a Mac as well; the bracket version takes Cmd.WinControl plusTaborControl plusShift plusRight bracketMacControl plusTaborShift plusCommand plusRight bracket
Go to the previous session #WinControl plusShift plusTaborControl plusShift plusLeft bracketMacControl plusShift plusTaborShift plusCommand plusLeft bracket
Open a second session beside the one you have # On a session in the sidebar. While the split is open, clicking another session replaces whichever pane has focus.WinControl plusclickMacCommand plusclick
Open a side chat # It can read the main thread up to that point without derailing it. Typing /btw in the prompt box does the same.WinControl plusSemicolonMacCommand plusSemicolon

Panes and views

The Code tab arranges chat, diff, browser, terminal and file panes in any layout. The last two rows are for the preview pane in Cowork.

Practise these
Show or hide the terminal # Ctrl on a Mac too. The terminal opens in the session's folder, in local sessions only.WinControl plusBacktickMacControl plusBacktick
Show or hide the Browser pane # A tabbed browser for your running app, documentation or any other site.WinControl plusShift plusBMacShift plusCommand plusB
Select an element in the Browser pane #WinControl plusShift plusSMacShift plusCommand plusS
Close the focused pane # With two sessions side by side, this closes one and goes back to a single session.WinControl plusBackslashMacCommand plusBackslash
Cycle the view modes # Normal, Thinking and Verbose: how much of each tool call and of Claude's thinking the transcript shows.WinControl plusOMacControl plusO
Move focus into the preview page # Tab reaches the Preview page control, and Enter moves focus into the loaded page.WinTabthenEnterMacTabthenReturn
Move focus back out of the preview page #WinF6orControl plusF6MacF6orControl plusF6

Reviewing changes

Practise these
Show or hide the diff pane #WinControl plusShift plusDMacShift plusCommand plusD
Add a comment to a line of the diff # Click the line first to open the comment box.WinEnterMacReturn
Send all your diff comments to Claude # Claude makes the changes you asked for, and they come back as a new diff.WinControl plusEnterMacCommand plusReturn

The iOS Simulator pane

Mac only. The pane takes the same shortcuts as Apple's Simulator app, and you and Claude drive the same device.

Practise these
Press the Home button #WinNo shortcutMacShift plusCommand plusH
Lock the device #WinNo shortcutMacCommand plusL
Turn the volume up #WinNo shortcutMacCommand plusUp arrow
Turn the volume down #WinNo shortcutMacCommand plusDown arrow
Rotate the device a quarter turn clockwise #WinNo shortcutMacCommand plusRight arrow
Save a screenshot of the device # Saved to your Desktop.WinNo shortcutMacCommand plusS
Record the device's screen # Saved to your Desktop.WinNo shortcutMacCommand plusR

Next

Claude Code

This covers Claude Code, the terminal tool, which is where the shortcuts are.

52 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

ChatGPT

Since Codex joined the ChatGPT desktop app in July 2026, one set of keys covers Chat, Work and Codex, and OpenAI publishes the whole set.

76 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

Cursor

Cursor is built on VS Code, so the whole VS Code keymap comes with it and everything on that page still applies.

44 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

macOS

These work in the Finder and, with few exceptions, in every app that follows Apple's conventions.

156 shortcuts · Mac

Claude Desktop keyboard shortcuts — comboshelf.com. Checked 27 September 2026 against Claude Code documentation — Desktop application.