Power BI keyboard shortcuts
Power BI Desktop runs on Windows only, and its keys reach past the report canvas into visuals, table cells, the model diagram and the DAX formula bar. Microsoft gives the same Windows keys for reading a report in the Power BI service in a browser, and publishes no Mac set, so every key here is a Windows key. The Power Query editor is left out: Microsoft lists keys only for Power Query Online, not for the editor inside Power BI Desktop.
Checked against Microsoft Learn — Keyboard shortcuts in Power BI Desktop, Microsoft Learn — Consume Power BI reports by using accessibility features, Microsoft Learn — Create accessible reports in Power BI Desktop, Microsoft Learn — Formula editor in Power BI Desktop, Microsoft Learn — Work with DAX query view and Microsoft Learn — Work with TMDL view. Version: Power BI Desktop for Windows, current release; the report-reading keys also apply in the Power BI service.
133 shortcuts
The top 20 are the Power BI 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 20 to learn first: the shortcuts the Power BI page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear on it.
Your own sheet: the Power BI shortcuts you ticked.
Getting around a report
Enter to select or go in, Esc to come out: the pattern Microsoft describes for all of Power BI.
Practise theseShow the keyboard shortcuts dialog # Microsoft's Power BI Desktop page writes it as Shift+?. The dialog lists the most used keys and links to the full list. Works in the Power BI service too.?
Move focus between the main areas of the window # In Power BI Desktop the order runs from the objects on the canvas to the page tabs, each open pane, the view navigator, the footer, sign-in and any warning bar.Control plusF6
Move focus forward within an area # On a report page, Tab visits every object: text boxes, images, shapes and charts.Tab
Move focus back within an area #Shift plusTab
Select an object, or clear its selection #EnterorSpace bar
Select several objects #Control plusSpace bar
Show the ribbon KeyTips # Then press the letter shown over a command, M for the Modeling tab for example. Esc steps back one set of KeyTips; Alt again hides them.Alt plus
Open the report page whose tab has focus # Move between the page tabs with Tab or the arrow keys first. Works in the Power BI service too.EnterorSpace bar
Switch the report's visuals to tables, or back # Show visuals as tables, a preview in Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service. It applies to the current report only, not to dashboards, slicers, cards and a few other visuals.Control plusShift plusF11
Inside a visual
A visual has three levels: the visual itself, its main areas (the plot area, the axis categories, the legend), and the data points or labels inside each area.
Practise theseEnter the visual that has focus # Tab then cycles through the plot area, the axis categories and the legend. Works in the Power BI service too.Control plusRight arrow
Go into the area that has focus # In the legend, Tab moves between categories and Enter selects that whole series.Enter
Leave the area, or the visual #Escape
Select a data point, or clear its selection #EnterorSpace bar
Select several data points #Control plusEnterorControl plusSpace bar
Jump to the data points of another series # In the plot area of a visual with more than one series.Up arroworDown arrow
Clear the selection #Control plusShift plusC
Show or hide the tooltip #Control plusH
Move focus to the visual header # The header holds sorting, exporting the data and focus mode, depending on what the report author shows.Alt plusShift plusF10
Show the visual's data as a table a screen reader can read # Show data, as an HTML table. Opened from the visual header instead, the table is not screen reader compatible. Esc returns to the report.Alt plusShift plusF11
Slicers
Practise theseStart using a slicer #Enter
Move through a slicer's controls # The first press lands on the eraser, where Space clears every value in the slicer. Tab then moves on to the dropdown button.Control plusRight arrow
Move between the slicer's items #Up arroworDown arrow
Go to the first item #Home
Go to the last item #End
Select a run of items #Shift plusUp arroworShift plusDown arrow
Tables and matrices
Practise theseMove one cell # Across all the cells in every area of the table.Up arroworDown arroworLeft arroworRight arrow
Go to the last cell in the row #Control plusRight arroworEnd
Go to the first cell in the row #Control plusLeft arroworHome
Go to the last cell in the column #Control plusDown arrow
Go to the first cell in the column #Control plusUp arrow
Go to the top-left cell of the table #Control plusHome
Go to the bottom-right cell of the table #Control plusEnd
Go to the last row shown in this column #Page Down
Go to the first row shown in this column #Page Up
Select rows that are not next to each other #Control plusEnterorControl plusSpace bar
Select a run of rows #Shift plusDown arroworShift plusUp arrow
Clear the selected rows #Control plusShift plusC
Open a URL link in the table #Control plusAlt plusOorAlt plusShift plusO
Expand the matrix # Matrix visuals only.Shift plusRight arrow
Collapse the matrix # Matrix visuals only.Shift plusLeft arrow
Nudge a visual # Editing mode only.Up arroworDown arroworLeft arroworRight arrow
Move a visual further # Editing mode only.Shift plusUp arroworShift plusDown arroworShift plusLeft arroworShift plusRight arrow
Resize a visual # Editing mode only. Microsoft gives the arrow keys for resizing as well as for moving.Up arroworDown arroworLeft arroworRight arrow
Keep the aspect ratio while resizing # Drag a resize handle. Editing mode only.Shift plusdrag
Group the selected visuals # Select the visuals first. Editing mode only.Control plusG
Zoom in on the canvas # Scrolling the wheel forward.Control plusPlusorControl plusscroll
Zoom out # Scrolling the wheel back.Control plusMinusorControl plusscroll
Scroll the canvas up #Page Up
Scroll the canvas down #Page Down
Scroll the canvas left #Alt plusPage Up
Scroll the canvas right #Alt plusPage Down
The Data and Selection panes
Practise theseExpand a table in the Data pane #Right arrow
Collapse a table in the Data pane #Left arrow
Expand every table # In the Data pane. A screen reader announces whether a table opened or closed.Alt plusShift plus9
Collapse every table # In the Data pane.Alt plusShift plus1
Select several items in a pane #Control plusSpace bar
Activate the Selection pane's list of objects # Once the pane's focus reaches the objects. Up and Down then move between them.F6
Move the object up a layer #Control plusShift plusF
Move the object down a layer #Control plusShift plusB
Hide or show the object #Control plusShift plusS
Leave the editable grid # In the Enter data dialog.Control plusTab
Model view
The relationship diagram: cards for tables, lines for the relationships between them.
Practise theseMove focus to the first card in the diagram #Tab
Move focus to the next card #TaborRight arroworDown arrow
Move focus to the previous card #Shift plusTaborLeft arroworUp arrow
Move focus to a relationship line on this card # With a card focused.Control plusAlt plusR
Move focus to the first field on the card #Enter
Move focus to the next item on the card #Tab
Move focus to the next field #Right arroworDown arrow
Move focus to the previous field #Up arroworLeft arrow
Move focus back to the whole card #Escape
Move focus to the next card on this relationship # With a relationship line focused. The same keys go from a card to its lines.Control plusAlt plusR
Move focus back to the card you came from # With a relationship line focused.Alt plusShift plusR
Move focus to the card's next relationship line #TaborRight arroworDown arrow
Move focus to the card's previous relationship line #Shift plusTaborLeft arroworUp arrow
Open the relationship's properties pane # Microsoft's table also gives Enter for selecting the relationship that has focus.Enter
Commit the formula #Control plusEnterorEnter
Show suggestions #Control plusSpace bar
Close suggestions, a widget or a dialog # Microsoft's list says it also closes the DAX formula bar.Escape
Expand or collapse the DAX formula bar #Control plusJ
Make Tab move focus out of the formula bar # Microsoft's formula editor page calls it Toggle Tab moves focus.Control plusM
Insert a line below #Shift plusEnterorAlt plusEnter
Insert a line above #Control plusShift plusEnter
Move the line up or down #Alt plusUp arroworAlt plusDown arrow
Copy the line up or down #Alt plusShift plusUp arroworAlt plusShift plusDown arrow
Copy the whole line # With nothing selected.Control plusC
Cut the whole line # With nothing selected.Control plusX
Delete the selected lines #Control plusShift plusK
Delete the selected word #Control plusDelete
Indent the line #Control plusRight bracket
Outdent the line #Control plusLeft bracket
Comment out a line # Microsoft lists Ctrl+/ for commenting and uncommenting alike, and writes the other as Ctrl+K+C: hold Ctrl, then press K and C.Control plusSlashorControl plusKthenControl plusC
Uncomment a line # Microsoft writes the second as Ctrl+K+U: hold Ctrl, then press K and U.Control plusSlashorControl plusKthenControl plusU
Go to a line number #Control plusG
Jump to the matching bracket #Control plusShift plusBackslash
Go to the start of the line #Home
Go to the end of the line #End
Go to the start of the formula # Microsoft's two pages differ: the formula editor page says the beginning of the file, the keyboard shortcuts page the start of a line of code.Control plusHome
Go to the end of the formula # Microsoft's two pages differ: the formula editor page says the end of the file, the keyboard shortcuts page the end of a line of code.Control plusEnd
Scroll up or down a line #Control plusUp arroworControl plusDown arrow
Scroll up or down a page #Alt plusPage UporAlt plusPage Down
Make the text larger # Microsoft also lists scrolling up.Control plusPlus
Make the text smaller # Microsoft also lists scrolling down.Control plusMinus
Show or hide the Read more tooltips #Control plusI
Show the accessibility help # Microsoft calls it the accessibility widget.Alt plusF1
Select the current line #Control plusL
Extend the selection up a line #Shift plusUp arrow
Extend the selection down a line #Shift plusDown arrow
Expand the selection #Alt plusShift plusRight arrow
Shrink the selection #Alt plusShift plusLeft arrow
Select the next occurrence of the selection #Control plusD
Select every occurrence of the selection #Control plusShift plusL
Select every occurrence of the current word #Control plusF2
Add a cursor where you click #Alt plusclick
Add a cursor on the line above or below # For typing on several lines at once.Control plusAlt plusUp arroworControl plusAlt plusDown arrow
Add a cursor at the end of each selected line #Alt plusShift plusI
Undo the last cursor operation #Control plusU
Select a column of text # Microsoft calls it box selection.Control plusAlt plusShift plusUp arroworControl plusAlt plusShift plusDown arroworControl plusAlt plusShift plusLeft arroworControl plusAlt plusShift plusRight arrow
Select a column of text with the mouse #Alt plusShift plusdrag
Extend a column selection by a page #Control plusAlt plusShift plusPage UporControl plusAlt plusShift plusPage Down
DAX query view and TMDL view
The two code views. Microsoft documents a handful of keys for each; the command palette in DAX query view lists the rest.
Practise theseFormat the query or script # In DAX query view and TMDL view. In DAX query view it also puts DAX functions in upper case and indents with tabs.Alt plusShift plusF
Open the command palette # DAX query view. Search it for the other editor actions and the keys they use.Control plusAlt plusP
Comment or uncomment the selected lines # DAX query view.Control plusSlash
Find text in the editor # DAX query view and TMDL view. Match case, whole word and regular expressions are options, and in TMDL view Ctrl+F opens find and replace.Control plusF
Find and replace in DAX query view #Control plusH
Show autocomplete anywhere # TMDL view.Control plusSpace bar
Accept the highlighted IntelliSense suggestion # DAX query view.EnterorTab
Start a new line without taking the suggestion # DAX query view.Shift plusEnterorAlt plusEnter
Close any overlay # DAX query view.Escape
Next
Excel
Excel rewards the keyboard more than any other program on this site: the difference between a competent user and a fast one is almost entirely in this list.
SSMS
SQL Server Management Studio takes most of its editing keys from Visual Studio, then adds its own for running queries, execution plans and the results pane.
Report Builder
Report Builder moves and sizes report items with the arrow keys, and inserts tables, charts and maps with a run of ribbon letters starting at Alt+I.
Windows
These are the system shortcuts: they work on the desktop and inside almost any app, because Windows handles them before the app ever sees the key press.
Power BI keyboard shortcuts — comboshelf.com. Checked 27 September 2026 against Microsoft Learn — Keyboard shortcuts in Power BI Desktop.