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MongoDB Compass and mongosh keyboard shortcuts

Compass has keys for its tabs, its aggregation focus mode and the shell built into it, and mongosh, MongoDB's command-line shell, has a handful of its own. Where MongoDB's shortcuts page and the shipping app disagree, the keys here are the ones Compass 1.51 uses and shows, and the notes say which. mongosh runs in a terminal, so its keys are the same on Windows and a Mac.

48 shortcutsWindows and MacChecked 27 September 2026

Checked against MongoDB Docs — Compass: Keyboard Shortcuts, MongoDB Docs — Compass release notes, Compass repository, v1.51.0 — application menu, Compass repository, v1.51.0 — workspace tab keys, Compass repository, v1.51.0 — aggregation focus mode keys, Compass repository, v1.51.0 — the embedded shell's keyboard shortcuts list, Compass repository, v1.51.0 — editor keys, MongoDB Docs — mongosh: Run Commands, MongoDB Docs — mongosh: Use an Editor for Commands and MongoDB Docs — mongosh: Configure Settings. Version: MongoDB Compass 1.51.0 and mongosh 2.12.0, default keys.

48 shortcuts

The top 16 are the MongoDB 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 MongoDB page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear on it.

Your own sheet: the MongoDB shortcuts you ticked.

Compass: windows, views and settings

Practise these
Open the online help #WinF1MacF1
Open Compass settings #WinControl plusCommaMacCommand plusComma
Open a new Compass window #WinControl plusNMacCommand plusN
Reload the data # Fetches the data again. Ctrl+Shift+R, Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac, reloads the whole screen instead.WinControl plusRMacCommand plusR
Reload the screen #WinControl plusShift plusRMacShift plusCommand plusR
Find text on the page # In the find bar, Enter goes to the next match, Shift+Enter to the previous one, and Esc closes it.WinControl plusFMacCommand plusF
Zoom in #WinControl plusEqualsMacCommand plusEquals
Zoom out #WinControl plusMinusMacCommand plusMinus
Reset the zoom #WinControl plus0MacCommand plus0
Share the schema as JSON # With a collection open. The Collection menu now calls it Share Schema as JSON (Legacy).WinControl plusAlt plusSMacOption plusCommand plusS
Open or close the developer tools # Only when the developer tools are turned on in Compass settings.WinControl plusAlt plusIMacOption plusCommand plusI
Quit Compass # Compass asks first, unless you ticked "Do not ask me again" last time.WinControl plusQMacCommand plusQ

Compass tabs

Open a new tab #WinControl plusTMacCommand plusT
Close the tab # MongoDB's shortcuts page gives Ctrl+Shift+W, but Compass closes the tab with Ctrl+W, Cmd+W on a Mac. Since Compass 1.43.1, Cmd+Shift+W on a Mac closes the whole window.WinControl plusWMacCommand plusW
Go to the next tab # Ctrl+Tab is Ctrl on a Mac too. It arrived in Compass 1.38.1.WinControl plusShift plusRight bracketorControl plusTabMacShift plusCommand plusRight bracketorControl plusTab
Go to the previous tab #WinControl plusShift plusLeft bracketorControl plusShift plusTabMacShift plusCommand plusLeft bracketorControl plusShift plusTab
Open a collection in a new tab # On a collection's name in the sidebar. Added in Compass 1.38.0.WinControl plusclickMacCommand plusclick
Move to the tab on the left or right # With the tab bar focused. Home and End go to the first and last tab.WinLeft arroworRight arrowMacLeft arroworRight arrow

Queries, pipelines and focus mode

The four focus-mode keys work while an aggregation stage is open in focus mode, and Compass shows each one beside its button.

Practise these
Run the query # From the query bar.WinEnterMacReturn
Prettify the code # In every Compass text editor. Ctrl on a Mac too.WinControl plusShift plusBMacControl plusShift plusB
Comment out the code # In the pipeline text editor.WinControl plusSlashMacCommand plusSlash
Copy everything in the editor # Copies the whole editor to the clipboard. Ctrl on a Mac too.WinControl plusShift plusCMacControl plusShift plusC
Go to the previous stage # MongoDB's shortcuts page swaps the four focus-mode keys: it gives 0 for previous, 9 for next, B for after and A for before. These are the keys Compass 1.51 uses.WinControl plusShift plus9MacShift plusCommand plus9
Go to the next stage #WinControl plusShift plus0MacShift plusCommand plus0
Add a stage after the current one #WinControl plusShift plusAMacShift plusCommand plusA
Add a stage before the current one #WinControl plusShift plusBMacShift plusCommand plusB

The shell inside Compass

Compass has mongosh built in. These are the editing keys its own shell help lists; Ctrl stays Ctrl on a Mac except for clearing the screen.

Practise these
Stop the command that is running #WinControl plusCMacControl plusC
Clear the screen # Like the clear command.WinControl plusLMacCommand plusL
Go back through earlier commands #WinUp arrowMacUp arrow
Go forward through earlier commands #WinDown arrowMacDown arrow
Move the cursor to the start of the line #WinControl plusAMacControl plusA
Move the cursor to the end of the line #WinControl plusEMacControl plusE
Move the cursor back one character #WinControl plusBMacControl plusB
Move the cursor forward one character #WinControl plusFMacControl plusF
Delete the next character #WinControl plusDMacControl plusD
Delete the character before the cursor # Like Backspace. MongoDB's shortcuts page gives Cmd+H on a Mac, but Compass's own shell help gives Ctrl+H, and Cmd+H is Hide in the Compass menu.WinControl plusHMacControl plusH
Swap the two characters before the cursor #WinControl plusTMacControl plusT
Change the line to upper case #WinControl plusUMacControl plusU

mongosh in a terminal

The MongoDB Shell on its own, in any terminal. Ctrl is Ctrl on a Mac.

Practise these
Stop the running command or query # It also tries to stop the operation on the server. It cannot stop asynchronous code such as setTimeout.WinControl plusCMacControl plusC
Exit mongosh # One press does not exit.WinControl plusCthenControl plusCMacControl plusCthenControl plusC
Clear the console # The cls command and console.clear() do the same.WinControl plusLMacControl plusL
Step through the command history # The redactHistory setting decides what the history keeps. By default it drops lines with sensitive commands such as db.auth().WinUp arroworDown arrowMacUp arroworDown arrow
Search the command history #WinControl plusRMacControl plusR
Complete the name you are typing # Suggestions use a sample of your database schema, unless disableSchemaSampling is set to true.WinTabMacTab
Open the built-in multi-line editor # Type it at the prompt. Anything you declare in it stays in the global scope afterwards..editor
Leave the editor and run the code # In .editor mode.WinControl plusDMacControl plusD
Leave the editor without running the code # In .editor mode.WinControl plusCMacControl plusC
Open your external editor # Uses the editor setting, or the EDITOR variable. When you close the editor the statement waits on the input line: Enter runs it and Ctrl+C cancels it.edit

Next

Terminal

Almost everything here comes from readline, the line editor that bash and zsh both use.

73 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

VS Code

VS Code has more shortcuts than anyone can hold in their head, so this page is ordered by how often you would actually reach for one.

82 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

Jupyter

A Jupyter notebook has two modes: in edit mode your keys type into a cell, and in command mode single letters such as A, B and D then D act on whole cells.

106 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

RStudio

In RStudio the keys that matter most send code to R: a line, a chunk, a section or the whole file, each with its own shortcut.

163 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

MongoDB Compass and mongosh keyboard shortcuts — comboshelf.com. Checked 27 September 2026 against MongoDB Docs — Compass: Keyboard Shortcuts.