Help:VisualEditor/Keyboard shortcuts

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• Feedback at MediaWiki
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About

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• Documentation:
  • Introductory tutorial
  • User guide
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Frequently Asked Questions (or at MediaWiki)
• Development:
  • Roadmap up to 2017
  • Updates (2013–2023)
  • Weekly status reports (2015–2016)

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Help out

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• Update the help pages
• Add template data (Tutorial)
• Translate and localize documentation

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Research

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• Main research page

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Other

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• Why are the developers building this? (2013)
  • User Test Data (2013)
• Customization
• Known problems
• Requests for Comments (RfCs): Jul 2013 a, Jul 2013 b, Jul 2015, Sep 2015, Jul 2026

This page outlines the various mouse and keyboard commands supported by the VisualEditor. If you have ideas for new useful commands, or have noticed problems with the existing ones, please let us know on the Feedback page.

You can also see a list of shortcuts while using the VisualEditor by pressing Ctrl+/ or ⌘ Cmd+/.

Commonly used shortcuts

General shortcuts

• Ctrl+X / ⌘ Cmd+X — Cut
• Ctrl+C / ⌘ Cmd+C — Copy
• Ctrl+V / ⌘ Cmd+V — Paste
• Ctrl+Z / ⌘ Cmd+Z — Undo
• Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Z / ⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+Z — Redo

Editor shortcuts

• Ctrl+K / ⌘ Cmd+K — insert link
• Tab ↹ — indent list (later, paragraph)
• ⇧ Shift+Tab ↹ — outdent list (later, paragraph)

Fuller list of mouse and keyboard interactions

Feature	Keyboard action	Mouse action
Move text cursor	Direction keys (↑, ↓, ←, →, Home, End, PageUp and PageDown)	Clicking
Select content	⇧ Shift + (Direction keys)	Dragging
Select word		Double click word
Select paragraph		Triple click paragraph
Adjust selection	⇧ Shift + (Direction keys)	⇧ Shift + Click
Load insertion formatting from content	Move cursor
Insert text	Character and number keys
Insert special characters	Multiple character or number keys using an Input method editor
Delete text	← Backspace and Delete keys
Delete to beginning of word	(⌥ Option or Ctrl) + ← Backspace
Delete to end of word	(⌥ Option or Ctrl) + Delete
Delete line	⌘ Cmd + (← Backspace or Delete)
Undo	(⌘ Cmd or Ctrl) + Z
Redo	(⌘ Cmd or Ctrl) + ⇧ Shift + Z
Copy selection	(⌘ Cmd or Ctrl) + C	"Copy" in context or browser menu
Cut selection	(⌘ Cmd or Ctrl) + X	"Cut" in context or browser menu
Paste selection	(⌘ Cmd or Ctrl) + V	"Paste" in context or browser menu
Add a link to selection or current word	(⌘ Cmd or Ctrl) + K
Highlight object		Click the object
Toggle bold on selected content and in insertion formatting	(⌘ Cmd or Ctrl) + B	Click bold tool in toolbar
Toggle italic on selected content and in insertion formatting	(⌘ Cmd or Ctrl) + I	Click italic tool in toolbar
Split paragraph	↵ Enter
Merge paragraphs	← Backspace at beginning of paragraph or Delete at end of paragraph
Format as heading	Two or more = in beginning of paragraph
Start a bulleted list	* followed by Space in beginning of paragraph
Start a numbered list	# followed by Space in beginning of paragraph
Indent item in list	Tab ↹
Unindent item in list	⇧ Shift+Tab ↹
Format as block quote	: in beginning of paragraph
Open the "Add a link" dialog	Type [[
Open the "Add a template" (transclusion) dialog	Type {{
Open the "Preformatted text" dialog	Type <pre
Open the "Reference" dialog	(⌘ Cmd/Ctrl)+⇧ Shift+K or type <ref
Search toolbar functions	(⌘ Cmd/Ctrl)+⇧ Shift+P or type \