Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Complete guide to all keyboard shortcuts for power users.

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Quick Reference

Most Used Shortcuts:

• Cmd/Ctrl + F - Open search
• Cmd/Ctrl + K - Open the command palette
• Shift + K - Open the keyboard shortcuts panel
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + E - Toggle Read/Edit mode
• Cmd/Ctrl + Z - Undo
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z - Redo
• / - Open slash menu
• Enter - New block below
• Backspace - Delete empty block

The three you actually need

Cmd/Ctrl + F finds things, Cmd/Ctrl + K does things, Shift + K reminds you of the rest. See The command palette and search for which to reach for.

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Platform Keys

Throughout this guide:

Mac:

• Cmd = Command key (⌘)
• Opt = Option key (⌥)
• Ctrl = Control key

Windows/Linux:

• Ctrl = Control key
• Alt = Alt key

When we say "Cmd/Ctrl": Use Cmd on Mac, Ctrl on Windows/Linux

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View Mode

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Toggle Read/Edit	Cmd + Shift + E	Ctrl + Shift + E

Usage: Switch between Read and Edit modes instantly

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Text Editing

Basic Formatting

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Bold	Cmd + B	Ctrl + B
Italic	Cmd + I	Ctrl + I
Underline	Cmd + U	Ctrl + U

Note: You can also use markdown: **bold**, *italic*, __underline__

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Selection

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Select all	Cmd + A	Ctrl + A
Select word	Double-click	Double-click
Select line	Triple-click	Triple-click
Extend selection	Shift + Arrow	Shift + Arrow

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Copy, Cut, Paste

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Copy	Cmd + C	Ctrl + C
Cut	Cmd + X	Ctrl + X
Paste	Cmd + V	Ctrl + V
Paste plain text	Cmd + Shift + V	Ctrl + Shift + V

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Undo & Redo

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Undo	Cmd + Z	Ctrl + Z
Redo	Cmd + Shift + Z	Ctrl + Shift + Z

Important:

• Undo/redo works per session
• Last 20 states stored in memory
• Lost on page refresh (database history remains)

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Blocks

Creating Blocks

Action	Shortcut	Notes
New block below	Enter	At end of block
Open slash menu	/	In empty block
Heading 1	# + Space	At line start
Heading 2	## + Space	At line start
Heading 3	### + Space	At line start
Bulleted list	- + Space	At line start
Numbered list	1. + Space	At line start
Todo checkbox	[] + Space	At line start
Quote	> + Space	At line start
Code block	``` `` +Space`	At line start
Divider	--- + Enter	On empty line

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Navigating Blocks

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Move to previous block	↑	↑
Move to next block	↓	↓
Jump to start of block	Cmd + ↑ or Home	Ctrl + Home or Home
Jump to end of block	Cmd + ↓ or End	Ctrl + End or End

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Reordering Blocks

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Move block up	Cmd + Shift + ↑	Ctrl + Shift + ↑
Move block down	Cmd + Shift + ↓	Ctrl + Shift + ↓

Alternative: Drag & drop using ⋮⋮ handle

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Deleting Blocks

Action	Shortcut	Notes
Delete empty block	Backspace	Cursor at start
Force delete block	Cmd/Ctrl + Backspace	Deletes even with content

Warning: Deleted blocks can only be recovered with Undo!

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Slash Menu

Action	Shortcut
Open menu	/
Navigate up	↑
Navigate down	↓
Select option	Enter
Close menu	Esc
Filter by typing	Type while menu open

Tip: Type /h to filter to headings, /todo for todos, etc.

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Markdown Shortcuts

These require Space after typing:

Type	Result	Example
#	H1	# Title → Heading 1
##	H2	## Section → Heading 2
###	H3	### Sub → Heading 3
-	Bullet	- Item → • Item
*	Bullet	* Item → • Item
1.	Numbered	1. Step → 1. Step
[]	Todo	[] Task → ☐ Task
[x]	Todo (checked)	[x] Done → ☑ Done
>	Quote	> Text → Quote block
``` ` ``	Code	``` code → Code block
---	Divider	--- → Horizontal rule

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Inline Formatting

Type these anywhere in text:

Type	Result	Example
**text**	Bold	**hello** → hello
*text*	Italic	*hello* → hello
__text__	Underline	__hello__ → hello
~~text~~	Strikethrough	~~hello~~ → hello
`text`	Inline code	`hello` → hello

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Navigation

Page Navigation

Action	Method	Notes
Open search	Cmd/Ctrl + F	Searches everything, not just this page
Open the command palette	Cmd/Ctrl + K	Jump somewhere or run an action
Go to Pages	Click "Pages" in sidebar	Or navigate via URL
Open page	Click page in tree	Or click breadcrumb
Navigate up hierarchy	Click breadcrumb	Click any parent
Go to parent	Click first breadcrumb level	Quick parent access

No keyboard shortcuts yet for page navigation

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Within Page

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Scroll up	↑ or Page Up	↑ or Page Up
Scroll down	↓ or Page Down	↓ or Page Down
Jump to top	Cmd + Home	Ctrl + Home
Jump to bottom	Cmd + End	Ctrl + End

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Browser Standard Shortcuts

These work in all modern browsers:

Action	Mac	Windows/Linux
Reload page	Cmd + R	Ctrl + R
Hard reload	Cmd + Shift + R	Ctrl + Shift + R
New tab	Cmd + T	Ctrl + T
Close tab	Cmd + W	Ctrl + W
Zoom in	Cmd + +	Ctrl + +
Zoom out	Cmd + -	Ctrl + -
Reset zoom	Cmd + 0	Ctrl + 0

Cmd/Ctrl + F is not find-in-page here

Optivation takes Cmd/Ctrl + F for its own search, which looks across pages, databases, contacts and inbox rather than the text on screen. The browser's find-in-page does not open.

To search the visible page instead, use your browser's menu — Edit → Find on Mac, or the ⋮ menu → Find on Windows.

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Tags

Action	Shortcut	Notes
Add tag	Type + Enter	In tag input
Remove last tag	Backspace	In empty tag input
Navigate suggestions	↑ ↓	In autocomplete
Select suggestion	Enter	From autocomplete
Cancel	Esc	Close autocomplete

No special shortcuts - just type and press Enter!

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Code Blocks

Action	Method	Notes
Copy code	Click "Copy" button	In code block
Set language	Type in language field	E.g., "typescript"
Create code block	``` `` +Space`	Or /code

Note: Tab key for indentation works normally in code blocks

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Database Tables

Cell Navigation

Action	Shortcut	Notes
Move up	↑	Move to cell above
Move down	↓	Move to cell below
Move left	← or Shift + Tab	Move to previous cell
Move right	→ or Tab	Move to next cell

Cell Editing

Action	Shortcut	Notes
Start editing	Enter or double-click	On selected cell
Save and move down	Enter	While editing
Cancel edit	Escape	Discard changes
Delete cell content	Delete or Backspace	On selected cell

Multi-line Text (Wrap Content enabled)

Action	Shortcut	Notes
New line in cell	Enter	Adds line break
Save and move down	Ctrl/Cmd + Enter	Commits edit

Row Operations

Action	Method	Notes
Add new row	Click "+ New" footer	Or Enter in last row
Select row	Click checkbox	Left side of row
Select range	Shift + Click	After selecting first row
Multi-select	Ctrl/Cmd + Click	Toggle individual rows

Column Operations

Action	Method	Notes
Resize column	Drag column edge	Right edge of header
Reorder column	Drag column header	Drop at new position
Open column menu	Click column header	Shows property options

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Tips for Keyboard Efficiency

Learn Progressively

Week 1: Master these 5

1. Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + E (Toggle mode)
2. Cmd/Ctrl + Z (Undo)
3. / (Slash menu)
4. Enter (New block)
5. Backspace (Delete block)

Week 2: Add these 5

1. ## + Space (H2 heading)
2. - + Space (Bullet list)
3. [] + Space (Todo)
4. Cmd/Ctrl + B (Bold)
5. ``` `` +Space` (Code block)

Week 3: Master the rest as needed

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Create Muscle Memory

Practice routine:

1. Use shortcuts deliberately for 1 week
2. Resist clicking buttons
3. Look up shortcut when you forget
4. Reference this guide often

After 2 weeks: Shortcuts become automatic!

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Combine Shortcuts

Power workflows:

Fast document creation:

# + Space → H1
Type title + Enter
Type intro + Enter
## + Space → H2
Type content + Enter
- + Space → Bullet
Type item 1 + Enter
Type item 2 + Enter

Quick editing:

Cmd/Ctrl + A → Select all
Cmd/Ctrl + C → Copy
Cmd/Ctrl + V → Paste
Cmd/Ctrl + Z → Undo

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Keep Hands on Keyboard

Replace these mouse actions: ❌ Click "New block" → Enter ❌ Click "H2" button → ## + Space ❌ Click "Bullet" button → - + Space ❌ Click "Undo" button → Cmd/Ctrl + Z ❌ Click "Toggle mode" → Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + E

Result: 10x faster writing!

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Printable Cheat Sheet

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MOST USED (Learn these first!)
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Cmd/Ctrl + F          Open search
Cmd/Ctrl + K          Command palette
Shift + K             Keyboard shortcuts panel
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + E  Toggle Read/Edit
Cmd/Ctrl + Z          Undo
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z  Redo
/                     Slash menu
Enter                 New block
Backspace             Delete empty block

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MARKDOWN SHORTCUTS (+ Space after)
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#      H1          -     Bullet
##     H2          1.    Numbered
###    H3          []    Todo
>      Quote       ```   Code
---    Divider

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INLINE FORMATTING
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**bold**    *italic*    __underline__
~~strike~~  `code`

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TEXT EDITING
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Cmd/Ctrl + B         Bold
Cmd/Ctrl + I         Italic
Cmd/Ctrl + U         Underline
Cmd/Ctrl + A         Select all
Cmd/Ctrl + C/X/V     Copy/Cut/Paste

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BLOCK OPERATIONS
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Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ↑  Move block up
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ↓  Move block down
Cmd/Ctrl + Backspace  Force delete

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SLASH MENU
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/          Open menu
↑ ↓        Navigate
Enter      Select
Esc        Close

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DATABASE TABLES
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↑ ↓ ← →            Navigate cells
Enter              Edit cell / Save
Escape             Cancel edit
Tab                Next cell
Shift + Tab        Previous cell
Ctrl/Cmd + Enter   Save (wrap mode)

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Platform-Specific Notes

Mac

• Cmd key is primary modifier (not Ctrl)
• Option/Alt used for special characters
• Control rarely used in our shortcuts
• Fn key may be needed for Home/End (depends on keyboard)

Windows

• Ctrl key is primary modifier
• Alt for application shortcuts
• Windows key not used in our shortcuts
• Home/End/PgUp/PgDn readily available

Linux

• Same as Windows (Ctrl-based)
• May vary by desktop environment
• Most shortcuts work identically

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Troubleshooting

Shortcut not working?

The most common cause: your cursor is in a text field. Single-key shortcuts — Shift + K, /, and the inbox and form letter keys — are deliberately switched off while you are typing, so that typing "k" writes a k rather than opening a panel. Click on empty space, or press Esc, then try again.

Also check:

• Correct mode (Edit vs Read)?
• Browser not intercepting? (some shortcuts are reserved by the browser)
• Correct key combination?
• Platform (Mac vs Windows)?

Try:

• Click in the editor first (ensure focus)
• Use the alternative method (mouse/menu)
• Check the browser console for errors

Conflict with browser shortcut?

Some shortcuts reserved by browser:

• Cmd/Ctrl + T (new tab)
• Cmd/Ctrl + W (close tab)
• Cmd/Ctrl + N (new window)

Solution: These will always do browser action, not app action

Keys not responding?

Check:

• Cursor in correct field?
• Page fully loaded?
• JavaScript enabled?
• Not in Read mode? (most shortcuts need Edit mode)

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Related Guides:

• Read vs Edit Mode
• Markdown Shortcuts & Slash Menu
• Working with Blocks
• Text Formatting
• Databases Guide