WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac and Windows

Using keyboard shortcuts in WordPress will save you lot of time during content editing and comments moderation. This is also an easy way to format your content faster rather than selecting the options from toolbar icons, especially in distraction free mode where the toolbar is restricted to a few. There are also shortcuts which do not have equivalent icons resulting in not using that function if you are not aware of the keyboard shortcut.

Here is a complete guide of WordPress keyboard shortcuts for Windows / Linux based PCs and macOS.

1. Shortcuts Help in Classic Editor

When you use the classic editor, you can view the list of shortcut keys by clicking the “?” icon available under “Kitchen Sink” toolbar in your WordPress post editor as shown below.

You can also open this shortcuts help by pressing “Alt + Shift + h” in Windows and “Option + Shift + h” in Mac.

1.1. Shortcuts for Content Editing

Below is the complete list of keyboard shortcuts for WordPress editor in Windows and Mac.

• + sign indicates holding previous key and then pressing next key in the sequence. You need not to press + key in the keyboard.
• In Mac “Option” button is same as “Alt” button.

1.1.1. Adjusting Distraction Free Writing

You can adjust the distraction free writing using the below shortcuts.

2. Activate Shortcuts for Comments Moderation

Unlike visual editor shortcuts, comments shortcuts in WordPress need to be activated in your admin dashboard under “Users > Your Profile”.

2.1. Shortcuts for Comments Moderation

There are two types of comments shortcuts available in WordPress.

• Individual Comment Actions
• Bulk Comments Actions

2.1.1. Individual Comment Actions Shortcuts:

2.1.2. Bulk Comments Actions Shortcuts:

Remember, when you use browser extensions the extension shortcuts may clash with the WordPress editor shortcuts. For example, Mozilla Firefox browser offers various extensions like Keyconfig, Mouseless, Nostagy, etc., to define your own shortcuts. This may overwrite the hotkeys used in WordPress editor.

3. Shortcuts Help in Gutenberg Editor

WordPress introduced a new Gutenberg editor with the release of version 5.0. Gutenberg editor has new shortcuts and you can access the help by clicking on the setting icon and then choosing “Keyboard Shortcuts” option.

Alternatively, you can press “Control + Option + H” keys to open the shortcuts help in Gutenberg editor.

Gutenberg Keyboard Shortcuts

As Gutenberg is a block editor, it has different shortcuts compared to the previous classic editor.