Keyboard shortcuts

Most interactive widgets on this site can be operated entirely from the keyboard. This page lists every custom keyboard shortcut. Standard browser shortcuts (Tab to move focus, Enter to activate buttons and links, Space to toggle controls, etc.) are not repeated here.

On macOS, use Cmd wherever you see Ctrl. Both modifiers work everywhere.

Tutorials & SEBook

Shortcuts for tutorial pages and SEBook navigation.
KeysAction
Ctrl+P Open the print-friendly view of the current tutorial.
/ In the SEBook language toggle, move between languages.
Home/End In the SEBook language toggle, jump to the first or last language.
Enter/Space On the SEBook sidebar toggle button, open or close the sidebar.
Esc Close an open SEBook sidebar section.

Step-through debugger

Used in Python, Node, and Java tutorials. The debugger panel must be focused for these to take effect.

Step controls in the inline debugger.
KeysAction
F5 Continue execution to the next breakpoint or until the program ends.
Shift+F5 Stop the debugger.
Alt+Shift+F5 Run backwards to the previous breakpoint.
F10 Step over the next line.
Shift+F10 Step backwards over the previous line.
Alt+Shift+F10 Step backwards out of the current function.
F11 Step into the next function call.
Shift+F11 Step out of the current function (or step backwards on return).
Enter Confirm a value entered in a watch or breakpoint input field.
Esc Cancel and close the active input field without saving.

Command labs (filesystem, git)

Shortcuts for the filesystem and git command labs.
KeysAction
Esc Close the lab modal and return to the tutorial.

Refactoring engine

Shortcuts inside refactoring dialogs (Rename, Extract Method, etc.).
KeysAction
Enter Apply the refactoring with the values you entered.
Esc Cancel the refactoring and close the dialog without changes.

Tutor chat

Shortcuts inside the in-tutorial chat input.
KeysAction
Enter Send the current message.
Shift+Enter Insert a newline without sending.

UML & diagram viewers

Shortcuts for fullscreen UML and ArchUML diagrams.
KeysAction
Esc Close the fullscreen diagram view.
Ctrl+ scroll Zoom the diagram in or out.

Quizzes & Parsons problems

Shortcuts for quizzes and code-arrangement (Parsons) problems.
KeysAction
Space/Enter In a Parsons problem, move the focused line between the bank and the solution.
/ In a Parsons problem, reorder the focused line within the solution area.

Popout windows & modals

Shortcuts that work inside any popout, modal, or overlay.
KeysAction
Esc Close the popout, modal, or overlay and return focus to the trigger element.

Tooltips

Global tooltip controls.
KeysAction
Esc Hide all visible tooltips.

Conflicts with browser and operating system shortcuts

The shortcuts above are scoped to specific widgets — they only fire while the widget is focused. None of them override browser-wide shortcuts (such as Ctrl+T for a new tab or Ctrl+W for closing a tab) or operating system shortcuts. The debugger keys (F5, F10, F11) shadow the browser’s reload and devtools shortcuts; this only happens while the debugger panel has focus, so click outside the debugger if you need the browser’s default behaviour.

Reporting accessibility issues

If a shortcut on this page does not work, or if you encounter an interactive widget that cannot be operated by keyboard, please open an issue on GitHub.