--- title: Keyboard shortcuts description: Every keyboard shortcut in Polaris, and how to change them. --- Polaris's most useful shortcut is Cmd+K (Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux): it opens [Search](/docs/search), where you can jump to any Session or run any action by typing its name. On a computer, each action there shows its shortcut. To see every shortcut, press Cmd+/ (Ctrl+/). Hovering a button also shows its shortcut, and in a Session, holding Cmd (Ctrl) on its own shows the shortcuts of the buttons around the composer, such as **Next** and the model control. They go away when you let go or press any other key, so they stay out of screenshots. When you run an action from Search on a computer, Search then reminds you of its shortcut, if it has one. On a Mac, iPad included, Polaris uses Cmd. On Windows and Linux it uses Ctrl. The action names below are the ones Settings and Search show. ## General | Action | Mac | Windows and Linux | | --- | --- | --- | | **Search**: find a Session, a setting or an action | Cmd+K | Ctrl+K | | **Keyboard shortcuts**: list every shortcut | Cmd+/ | Ctrl+/ | | **Open settings** | Cmd+, | Ctrl+, | | **Leave Settings**, when you're not typing in a field | Esc | Esc | ## Moving around | Action | Mac | Windows and Linux | | --- | --- | --- | | **New session** | Shift+Cmd+O | Ctrl+Shift+O | | **New session**, when you're not typing in a field | Option+Return | Alt+Enter | | **New session** with what you typed, in [Search](/docs/search) | Option+Return | Alt+Enter | | **Actions** for the Session selected in [Search](/docs/search) | Cmd+Return | Ctrl+Enter | | **Previous session** in the sidebar | Option+Cmd+↑ | Alt+↑ | | **Next session** in the sidebar | Option+Cmd+↓ | Alt+↓ | | **Next needing me**: open the next Session that needs you | Option+Cmd+N | None | | **Mark read & next**: mark this Session read and open the next that needs you | Shift+Option+Cmd+N | None | | **Go to file** on the Machine | Cmd+P | Ctrl+P | Previous and next follow the order of the sidebar, with its grouping and filters, even while the sidebar is closed. For **Back** and **Forward**, use the arrows at the top of the sidebar on a computer, or your browser's own keys: Cmd+[ and Cmd+] on a Mac, Alt+← and Alt+→ on Windows and Linux. They have no Polaris shortcut until you give them one. ## Sidebars | Action | Mac | Windows and Linux | | --- | --- | --- | | **Toggle sidebar**: show the Session list and move into it, or hide it | Cmd+B | Ctrl+B | | **Toggle Context Sidebar**: show or hide the right sidebar | Option+Cmd+B | Ctrl+Shift+B | | **Show changes**: open the right sidebar on Changes | Control+Shift+G | Ctrl+Shift+G | ## Session | Action | Mac | Windows and Linux | | --- | --- | --- | | **Find in transcript** | Cmd+F | Ctrl+F | | **Archive session** | Shift+Cmd+E | Ctrl+Shift+E | | **Answer question**: jump to the agent's question above the composer | Shift+Cmd+K | Alt+Shift+K | | **Continue to the next question**, once you've chosen an answer | Cmd+Return | Ctrl+Enter | ## Composer | Action | Mac | Windows and Linux | | --- | --- | --- | | **Send**, or Steer or Queue while the agent works | Return | Enter | | **Queue or Steer the other way**, once | Cmd+Return | Ctrl+Enter | | New line | Shift+Return or Option+Return | Shift+Enter or Alt+Enter | | **Start**, on the Start page | Return or Cmd+Return | Enter or Ctrl+Enter | | **Focus composer**: put the cursor in the composer | Control+Shift+A | Ctrl+Shift+A | | **Add images and files** | Cmd+U | Ctrl+U | | **Change model and effort** | Shift+Cmd+M | Ctrl+Shift+M | | Open the model menu, while typing in the composer | Cmd+/ | Ctrl+/ | | **Dictate**; press again to stop and insert what you said | Shift+Cmd+D | Ctrl+Shift+D | | **Stop dictating and discard**; **Undo** brings it back | Esc | Esc | | Use the suggested next message, in an empty composer | Tab or → | Tab or → | While the agent works, Return does whatever the send button shows, Steer or Queue; see [Talk to the agent](/docs/talk-to-the-agent). While an input method is composing text, these keys finish the composition and do nothing else. ## Queued messages Press ↑ with the cursor on the composer's first line to move into the messages queued above it. Then: | Action | Key | | --- | --- | | Move between queued messages | ↑ and ↓ | | Steer the selected message into the current work | Return or Enter | | Edit it in the composer | E | | Remove it from the queue | Delete or Backspace | | Go back to the composer | Esc | ## Terminal | Action | Mac | Windows and Linux | | --- | --- | --- | | **Toggle terminal focus**: go to the Terminal, or back to where you were | Control+\` | Ctrl+\` | | **New terminal** | Control+Shift+\` | Ctrl+Shift+\` | Control+\` opens a terminal if there is none. While you type in a terminal, the program in it gets your keys, so other shortcuts wait until you leave it with the same key. A Browser or Desktop tab also keeps every key while you use it. ## Change a shortcut Open **Settings → Keyboard shortcuts**, or choose **Edit shortcuts** in the Cmd+/ list. Each action shows its keys, or **No shortcut**. - **Edit** waits for the keys you press and replaces the action's shortcut. **Add** keeps the current keys and adds another. Press Esc to cancel. - Select the **×** beside a key to remove it. An action without a shortcut still runs from its button or from **Search**. - **Reset** puts one action back to its default. **Reset all** puts every action back, after you confirm. - If the keys already belong to another action, Polaris says **Used by** that action and offers **Replace**, which moves the keys to the one you're editing. Some keys can't be shortcuts: keys your browser keeps, such as Cmd+W, Cmd+T and Cmd+N; Tab, Return and Space; and on Windows and Linux, Ctrl+Alt with a letter or digit. The composer's sending keys, **Continue to the next question**, and Esc where it cancels or leaves something can't be changed. Some actions start without a shortcut, such as **Stop agent**, **Change permissions**, **Show files**, **Copy transcript as Markdown**, **Jump to latest**, **Report a bug**, **Open Polaris docs**, **Open notifications** and **Mark viewed**. Give them one here, or run them from **Search**. Your shortcuts are saved to your account, so they apply on every device you sign in on. A shortcut you changed stays as you set it when Polaris changes that action's default. ## Single-key shortcuts Shortcuts without Cmd, Ctrl or Option (Alt), such as ? for the shortcut list, are off until you turn on **Single-key shortcuts** in **Settings → Keyboard shortcuts**. When on, they work whenever you're not typing in a text field. While off, they stay listed in Settings, dimmed.