Why Keyboard Navigation?

Keyboard shortcuts are useful for quickly moving around websites and apps, without always relying on a mouse. This skill is especially helpful for accessibility and ease of use.

Basic Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts are your starting point:

• Arrow keys: Move around in menus, pages, or other parts of the screen.
• TAB: Jump forward through buttons or links.
• SHIFT + TAB: Move backward through items.
• ESC: Close pop-ups or cancel actions.
• ENTER: Select or activate an option.

Common Shortcuts for Apps

You can use these shortcuts in most Windows and Mac applications:

• F1: Open Help
• CTRL/⌘ + S: Save your work
• CTRL/⌘ + C: Copy
• CTRL/⌘ + V: Paste
• CTRL/⌘ + P: Print
• ALT/Option + TAB: Switch between open apps

Special Shortcuts in Applications

Some applications have special shortcuts. Look for underlined letters or highlighted keys:

• Press ALT/Option to see available shortcuts.
• Use ALT/Option + Letter to select items directly.
• For shortcuts with multiple keys (like "Y1"), press ALT/Option + First key, then the next key separately.

Keyboard Shortcut Resources

• Canvas Keyboard Shortcuts
  • Press Alt+F8 in Windows, or Option+F8 on Mac to see a list of shortcuts in individual Discussion posts, Announcements, and the Rich Content Editor
  • Press SHIFT+? to see keyboard shortcuts elsewhere in Canvas.
• Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts - Note: you must use the Zoom client for keyboard shortcuts
• Microsoft 365 Keyboard Shortcuts
• Popular Adobe Creative Cloud applications
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Lightroom
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Premiere

For Further Assistance

• If you are unable to use a website for your course, contact your courses instructor.
• If you are using an assistive technology and can't use the keyboard with a university website, or a university service, contact the UWM Help Desk.