(Very) Basic Textbox Keyboard Shortcuts

Everyone knows how to use the arrow keys to navigate within textboxes. But not many people know there are a slew of handy keyboard shortcuts for editing text in textboxes. And these keyboard shortcuts work everywhere, even in the most basic input areas – including vanilla HTML forms, such as the Wikipedia edit box.

(Note that on a Mac you may need to substitute Cmd for Ctrl.)

Moving the Cursor

Ctrl+
Move cursor to next word

Ctrl+
Move cursor to previous word

Ctrl+
Scroll text area up (only works in some apps)

Ctrl+
Scroll text area down (only works in some apps)

End
Move cursor to end of line

Home
Move cursor to start of line

Ctrl+Home
Move cursor to beginning of text

Ctrl+End
Move cursor to end of text

Cut, Paste, and Undo

Ctrl+X, or Shift+Del
Cut selected text

Ctrl+C, or Ctrl+Ins
Copy selected text

Ctrl+V, or Shift+Ins
Paste selected text

Ctrl+Z
Undo last edit

Ctrl+Y
Redo last edit

Deleting Text

Ctrl+Del
Delete forward to word break

Ctrl+Backspace
Delete back to word break

Selecting Text

Ctrl+A
Select all text

Shift+
Extend selection one character to the right

Shift+
Extend selection one character to the left

Shift+
Extend selection down one line

Shift+
Extend selection up one line

Shift+Home
Extend selection to beginning of line

Shift+End
Extend selection to end of line

Shift+Ctrl+
Extend selection to next word break

Shift+Ctrl+
Extend selection to previous word break

Shift+Ctrl+
Extend selection to below paragraph

Shift+Ctrl+
Extend selection to above paragraph

Shift+Ctrl+Home
Extend selection to top of text

Shift+Ctrl+End
Extend selection to bottom of text

Navigation

Tab
Move to next input area on form

Shift+Tab
Move to previous input area on form

Other

Shift+Enter
Add a manual line break

Ctrl+Enter
Submit form (if textarea is part of a form and has support)

All of these shortcuts work in any standard textbox, like the ones on every web page and in most apps for your operating system. Try them out!

Related posts

The Five Browser Shortcuts Everyone Should Know

Nobody has time to memorize a complete list of web browser keyboard shortcuts, and really, why should they? I only know a handful of web browser keyboard shortcuts, myself, and I probably use the same five shortcuts a hundred times a day. But not everyone knows about these five essential

By Jeff Atwood ·
Comments

Going Commando - Put Down The Mouse

One of the quickest ways to increase your productivity on the computer is to go commando: stop using the mouse. When you stop relying on the mouse for everything, you're forced to learn the keyboard shortcuts. Jeremy Miller calls this the first step to coding faster. I agree.

By Jeff Atwood ·
Comments

Standard Browser Keyboard Shortcuts

All modern browsers have extensive keyboard shortcuts: * Internet Explorer * Firefox * Chrome * Safari I tested every shortcut, and here's my list of keyboard shortcuts that work in all browsers – or, for the rare keyboard shortcuts I found especially useful, those that work in at least two of the above

By Jeff Atwood ·
Comments

Keyboarding

Like Scott Hanselman, I view the mouse as an optional computer accessory.* Manly coders love the smell of compilation in the morning and we know that speed = keyboard. A mouse? C’mon. That’s so teenage girls can pick emoticons in AOL Instant Messenger. And for flash “developers.” Us tough

By Jeff Atwood ·
Comments

Recent Posts

Stay Gold, America

Stay Gold, America

We are at an unprecedented point in American history, and I'm concerned we may lose sight of the American Dream.

By Jeff Atwood ·
Comments
The Great Filter Comes For Us All

The Great Filter Comes For Us All

With a 13 billion year head start on evolution, why haven’t any other forms of life in the universe contacted us by now? (Arrival is a fantastic movie. Watch it, but don’t stop there – read the Story of Your Life novella it was based on for so much

By Jeff Atwood ·
Comments
I Fight For The Users

I Fight For The Users

If you haven’t been able to keep up with my blistering pace of one blog post per year, I don’t blame you. There’s a lot going on right now. It’s a busy time. But let’s pause and take a moment to celebrate that Elon Musk

By Jeff Atwood ·
Comments
The 2030 Self-Driving Car Bet

The 2030 Self-Driving Car Bet

It’s my honor to announce that John Carmack and I have initiated a friendly bet of $10,000* to the 501(c)(3) charity of the winner’s choice: By January 1st, 2030, completely autonomous self-driving cars meeting SAE J3016 level 5 will be commercially available for passenger use

By Jeff Atwood ·
Comments