docs/cli/keyboard-shortcuts.md

# Gemini CLI keyboard shortcuts

Gemini CLI ships with a set of default keyboard shortcuts for editing input,
navigating history, and controlling the UI. Use this reference to learn the
available combinations.

<!-- KEYBINDINGS-AUTOGEN:START -->

#### Basic Controls

| Action                                                          | Keys                  |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| Confirm the current selection or choice.                        | `Enter`               |
| Dismiss dialogs or cancel the current focus.                    | `Esc`<br />`Ctrl + [` |
| Cancel the current request or quit the CLI when input is empty. | `Ctrl + C`            |
| Exit the CLI when the input buffer is empty.                    | `Ctrl + D`            |

#### Cursor Movement

| Action                                      | Keys                                                         |
| ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Move the cursor to the start of the line.   | `Ctrl + A`<br />`Home (no Shift, Ctrl)`                      |
| Move the cursor to the end of the line.     | `Ctrl + E`<br />`End (no Shift, Ctrl)`                       |
| Move the cursor up one line.                | `Up Arrow (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)`                        |
| Move the cursor down one line.              | `Down Arrow (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)`                      |
| Move the cursor one character to the left.  | `Left Arrow (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)`                      |
| Move the cursor one character to the right. | `Right Arrow (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)`<br />`Ctrl + F`     |
| Move the cursor one word to the left.       | `Ctrl + Left Arrow`<br />`Alt + Left Arrow`<br />`Alt + B`   |
| Move the cursor one word to the right.      | `Ctrl + Right Arrow`<br />`Alt + Right Arrow`<br />`Alt + F` |

#### Editing

| Action                                           | Keys                                                             |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Delete from the cursor to the end of the line.   | `Ctrl + K`                                                       |
| Delete from the cursor to the start of the line. | `Ctrl + U`                                                       |
| Clear all text in the input field.               | `Ctrl + C`                                                       |
| Delete the previous word.                        | `Ctrl + Backspace`<br />`Alt + Backspace`<br />`Ctrl + W`        |
| Delete the next word.                            | `Ctrl + Delete`<br />`Alt + Delete`<br />`Alt + D`               |
| Delete the character to the left.                | `Backspace`<br />`Ctrl + H`                                      |
| Delete the character to the right.               | `Delete`<br />`Ctrl + D`                                         |
| Undo the most recent text edit.                  | `Cmd + Z (no Shift)`<br />`Alt + Z (no Shift)`                   |
| Redo the most recent undone text edit.           | `Shift + Ctrl + Z`<br />`Shift + Cmd + Z`<br />`Shift + Alt + Z` |

#### Scrolling

| Action                   | Keys                              |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| Scroll content up.       | `Shift + Up Arrow`                |
| Scroll content down.     | `Shift + Down Arrow`              |
| Scroll to the top.       | `Ctrl + Home`<br />`Shift + Home` |
| Scroll to the bottom.    | `Ctrl + End`<br />`Shift + End`   |
| Scroll up by one page.   | `Page Up`                         |
| Scroll down by one page. | `Page Down`                       |

#### History & Search

| Action                                       | Keys                  |
| -------------------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| Show the previous entry in history.          | `Ctrl + P (no Shift)` |
| Show the next entry in history.              | `Ctrl + N (no Shift)` |
| Start reverse search through history.        | `Ctrl + R`            |
| Submit the selected reverse-search match.    | `Enter (no Ctrl)`     |
| Accept a suggestion while reverse searching. | `Tab`                 |
| Browse and rewind previous interactions.     | `Double Esc`          |

#### Navigation

| Action                                             | Keys                                        |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Move selection up in lists.                        | `Up Arrow (no Shift)`                       |
| Move selection down in lists.                      | `Down Arrow (no Shift)`                     |
| Move up within dialog options.                     | `Up Arrow (no Shift)`<br />`K (no Shift)`   |
| Move down within dialog options.                   | `Down Arrow (no Shift)`<br />`J (no Shift)` |
| Move to the next item or question in a dialog.     | `Tab (no Shift)`                            |
| Move to the previous item or question in a dialog. | `Shift + Tab`                               |

#### Suggestions & Completions

| Action                                  | Keys                                               |
| --------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Accept the inline suggestion.           | `Tab`<br />`Enter (no Ctrl)`                       |
| Move to the previous completion option. | `Up Arrow (no Shift)`<br />`Ctrl + P (no Shift)`   |
| Move to the next completion option.     | `Down Arrow (no Shift)`<br />`Ctrl + N (no Shift)` |
| Expand an inline suggestion.            | `Right Arrow`                                      |
| Collapse an inline suggestion.          | `Left Arrow`                                       |

#### Text Input

| Action                                         | Keys                                                                                      |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Submit the current prompt.                     | `Enter (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)`                                                        |
| Insert a newline without submitting.           | `Ctrl + Enter`<br />`Cmd + Enter`<br />`Alt + Enter`<br />`Shift + Enter`<br />`Ctrl + J` |
| Open the current prompt in an external editor. | `Ctrl + X`                                                                                |
| Paste from the clipboard.                      | `Ctrl + V`<br />`Cmd + V`<br />`Alt + V`                                                  |

#### App Controls

| Action                                                                                                                                             | Keys             |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| Toggle detailed error information.                                                                                                                 | `F12`            |
| Toggle the full TODO list.                                                                                                                         | `Ctrl + T`       |
| Show IDE context details.                                                                                                                          | `Ctrl + G`       |
| Toggle Markdown rendering.                                                                                                                         | `Alt + M`        |
| Toggle copy mode when in alternate buffer mode.                                                                                                    | `Ctrl + S`       |
| Toggle YOLO (auto-approval) mode for tool calls.                                                                                                   | `Ctrl + Y`       |
| Cycle through approval modes: default (prompt), auto_edit (auto-approve edits), and plan (read-only). Plan mode is skipped when the agent is busy. | `Shift + Tab`    |
| Expand and collapse blocks of content when not in alternate buffer mode.                                                                           | `Ctrl + O`       |
| Expand or collapse a paste placeholder when cursor is over placeholder.                                                                            | `Ctrl + O`       |
| Toggle current background shell visibility.                                                                                                        | `Ctrl + B`       |
| Toggle background shell list.                                                                                                                      | `Ctrl + L`       |
| Kill the active background shell.                                                                                                                  | `Ctrl + K`       |
| Confirm selection in background shell list.                                                                                                        | `Enter`          |
| Dismiss background shell list.                                                                                                                     | `Esc`            |
| Move focus from background shell to Gemini.                                                                                                        | `Shift + Tab`    |
| Move focus from background shell list to Gemini.                                                                                                   | `Tab (no Shift)` |
| Show warning when trying to move focus away from background shell.                                                                                 | `Tab (no Shift)` |
| Show warning when trying to move focus away from shell input.                                                                                      | `Tab (no Shift)` |
| Move focus from Gemini to the active shell.                                                                                                        | `Tab (no Shift)` |
| Move focus from the shell back to Gemini.                                                                                                          | `Shift + Tab`    |
| Clear the terminal screen and redraw the UI.                                                                                                       | `Ctrl + L`       |
| Restart the application.                                                                                                                           | `R`              |
| Suspend the CLI and move it to the background.                                                                                                     | `Ctrl + Z`       |

<!-- KEYBINDINGS-AUTOGEN:END -->

## Additional context-specific shortcuts

- `Option+B/F/M` (macOS only): Are interpreted as `Cmd+B/F/M` even if your
  terminal isn't configured to send Meta with Option.
- `!` on an empty prompt: Enter or exit shell mode.
- `?` on an empty prompt: Toggle the shortcuts panel above the input. Press
  `Esc`, `Backspace`, any printable key, or a registered app hotkey to close it.
  The panel also auto-hides while the agent is running/streaming or when
  action-required dialogs are shown. Press `?` again to close the panel and
  insert a `?` into the prompt.
- `Tab` + `Tab` (while typing in the prompt): Toggle between minimal and full UI
  details when no completion/search interaction is active. The selected mode is
  remembered for future sessions. Full UI remains the default on first run, and
  single `Tab` keeps its existing completion/focus behavior.
- `Shift + Tab` (while typing in the prompt): Cycle approval modes: default,
  auto-edit, and plan (skipped when agent is busy).
- `\` (at end of a line) + `Enter`: Insert a newline without leaving single-line
  mode.
- `Esc` pressed twice quickly: Clear the input prompt if it is not empty,
  otherwise browse and rewind previous interactions.
- `Up Arrow` / `Down Arrow`: When the cursor is at the top or bottom of a
  single-line input, navigate backward or forward through prompt history.
- `Number keys (1-9, multi-digit)` inside selection dialogs: Jump directly to
  the numbered radio option and confirm when the full number is entered.
- `Ctrl + O`: Expand or collapse paste placeholders (`[Pasted Text: X lines]`)
  inline when the cursor is over the placeholder.
- `Double-click` on a paste placeholder (alternate buffer mode only): Expand to
  view full content inline. Double-click again to collapse.
Updated ToC on docs intro; updated title casing to match Google style (#13717) 2025-12-01 11:38:48 -08:00			`# Gemini CLI keyboard shortcuts`
Adds docs outlining keyboard shortcuts for gemini-cli (#4727) Co-authored-by: dannyzen <dannyrosen@google.com> Co-authored-by: Jacob Richman <jacob314@gmail.com> 2025-07-28 15:35:06 -04:00
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00			`Gemini CLI ships with a set of default keyboard shortcuts for editing input,`
			`navigating history, and controlling the UI. Use this reference to learn the`
			`available combinations.`

			`<!-- KEYBINDINGS-AUTOGEN:START -->`

			`#### Basic Controls`

fix(vim): vim support that feels (more) complete (#18755) Co-authored-by: Tommaso Sciortino <sciortino@gmail.com> 2026-02-13 01:22:39 +01:00			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| --------------------------------------------------------------- \| --------------------- \|`
			\| Confirm the current selection or choice. \| `Enter` \|
			\| Dismiss dialogs or cancel the current focus. \| `Esc`<br />`Ctrl + [` \|
			\| Cancel the current request or quit the CLI when input is empty. \| `Ctrl + C` \|
			\| Exit the CLI when the input buffer is empty. \| `Ctrl + D` \|
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00
			`#### Cursor Movement`

Migrate keybindings (#16460) 2026-01-12 16:28:10 -08:00			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| ------------------------------------------- \| ------------------------------------------------------------ \|`
Support command/ctrl/alt backspace correctly (#17175) 2026-01-21 10:13:26 -08:00			\| Move the cursor to the start of the line. \| `Ctrl + A`<br />`Home (no Shift, Ctrl)` \|
			\| Move the cursor to the end of the line. \| `Ctrl + E`<br />`End (no Shift, Ctrl)` \|
			\| Move the cursor up one line. \| `Up Arrow (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)` \|
			\| Move the cursor down one line. \| `Down Arrow (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)` \|
feat: Implement background shell commands (#14849) 2026-01-30 09:53:09 -08:00			\| Move the cursor one character to the left. \| `Left Arrow (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)` \|
Support command/ctrl/alt backspace correctly (#17175) 2026-01-21 10:13:26 -08:00			\| Move the cursor one character to the right. \| `Right Arrow (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)`<br />`Ctrl + F` \|
			\| Move the cursor one word to the left. \| `Ctrl + Left Arrow`<br />`Alt + Left Arrow`<br />`Alt + B` \|
			\| Move the cursor one word to the right. \| `Ctrl + Right Arrow`<br />`Alt + Right Arrow`<br />`Alt + F` \|
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00
			`#### Editing`

feat(cli): update undo/redo keybindings to Cmd+Z/Alt+Z and Shift+Cmd+Z/Shift+Alt+Z (#17800) 2026-01-28 14:57:27 -08:00			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| ------------------------------------------------ \| ---------------------------------------------------------------- \|`
			\| Delete from the cursor to the end of the line. \| `Ctrl + K` \|
			\| Delete from the cursor to the start of the line. \| `Ctrl + U` \|
			\| Clear all text in the input field. \| `Ctrl + C` \|
			\| Delete the previous word. \| `Ctrl + Backspace`<br />`Alt + Backspace`<br />`Ctrl + W` \|
feat(cli): add Alt+D for forward word deletion (#19300) 2026-02-18 09:19:26 -08:00			\| Delete the next word. \| `Ctrl + Delete`<br />`Alt + Delete`<br />`Alt + D` \|
feat(cli): update undo/redo keybindings to Cmd+Z/Alt+Z and Shift+Cmd+Z/Shift+Alt+Z (#17800) 2026-01-28 14:57:27 -08:00			\| Delete the character to the left. \| `Backspace`<br />`Ctrl + H` \|
			\| Delete the character to the right. \| `Delete`<br />`Ctrl + D` \|
			\| Undo the most recent text edit. \| `Cmd + Z (no Shift)`<br />`Alt + Z (no Shift)` \|
			\| Redo the most recent undone text edit. \| `Shift + Ctrl + Z`<br />`Shift + Cmd + Z`<br />`Shift + Alt + Z` \|
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00
feat(ui) support animated page up/down, fn-up/down and end+home (#13012) 2025-11-13 11:16:23 -08:00			`#### Scrolling`

fix(cli): resolve home/end keybinding conflict (#17124) 2026-01-20 18:15:18 -08:00			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| ------------------------ \| --------------------------------- \|`
			\| Scroll content up. \| `Shift + Up Arrow` \|
			\| Scroll content down. \| `Shift + Down Arrow` \|
			\| Scroll to the top. \| `Ctrl + Home`<br />`Shift + Home` \|
			\| Scroll to the bottom. \| `Ctrl + End`<br />`Shift + End` \|
			\| Scroll up by one page. \| `Page Up` \|
			\| Scroll down by one page. \| `Page Down` \|
feat(ui) support animated page up/down, fn-up/down and end+home (#13012) 2025-11-13 11:16:23 -08:00
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00			`#### History & Search`

			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| -------------------------------------------- \| --------------------- \|`
			\| Show the previous entry in history. \| `Ctrl + P (no Shift)` \|
			\| Show the next entry in history. \| `Ctrl + N (no Shift)` \|
			\| Start reverse search through history. \| `Ctrl + R` \|
Improve key binding names and descriptions (#16529) 2026-01-13 12:07:55 -08:00			\| Submit the selected reverse-search match. \| `Enter (no Ctrl)` \|
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00			\| Accept a suggestion while reverse searching. \| `Tab` \|
feat: implement /rewind command (#15720) 2026-01-22 10:26:52 -05:00			\| Browse and rewind previous interactions. \| `Double Esc` \|
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00
			`#### Navigation`

refactor(cli): keyboard handling and AskUserDialog (#17414) 2026-01-27 14:26:00 -08:00			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| -------------------------------------------------- \| ------------------------------------------- \|`
			\| Move selection up in lists. \| `Up Arrow (no Shift)` \|
			\| Move selection down in lists. \| `Down Arrow (no Shift)` \|
			\| Move up within dialog options. \| `Up Arrow (no Shift)`<br />`K (no Shift)` \|
			\| Move down within dialog options. \| `Down Arrow (no Shift)`<br />`J (no Shift)` \|
			\| Move to the next item or question in a dialog. \| `Tab (no Shift)` \|
			\| Move to the previous item or question in a dialog. \| `Shift + Tab` \|
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00
			`#### Suggestions & Completions`

			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| --------------------------------------- \| -------------------------------------------------- \|`
			\| Accept the inline suggestion. \| `Tab`<br />`Enter (no Ctrl)` \|
			\| Move to the previous completion option. \| `Up Arrow (no Shift)`<br />`Ctrl + P (no Shift)` \|
			\| Move to the next completion option. \| `Down Arrow (no Shift)`<br />`Ctrl + N (no Shift)` \|
			\| Expand an inline suggestion. \| `Right Arrow` \|
			\| Collapse an inline suggestion. \| `Left Arrow` \|

			`#### Text Input`

Support command/ctrl/alt backspace correctly (#17175) 2026-01-21 10:13:26 -08:00			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| ---------------------------------------------- \| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \|`
			\| Submit the current prompt. \| `Enter (no Shift, Alt, Ctrl, Cmd)` \|
			\| Insert a newline without submitting. \| `Ctrl + Enter`<br />`Cmd + Enter`<br />`Alt + Enter`<br />`Shift + Enter`<br />`Ctrl + J` \|
			\| Open the current prompt in an external editor. \| `Ctrl + X` \|
			\| Paste from the clipboard. \| `Ctrl + V`<br />`Cmd + V`<br />`Alt + V` \|
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00
			`#### App Controls`

feat(cli): remove Plan Mode from rotation when actively working (#19262) 2026-02-17 12:36:59 -05:00			`\| Action \| Keys \|`
			`\| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \| ---------------- \|`
			\| Toggle detailed error information. \| `F12` \|
			\| Toggle the full TODO list. \| `Ctrl + T` \|
			\| Show IDE context details. \| `Ctrl + G` \|
			\| Toggle Markdown rendering. \| `Alt + M` \|
			\| Toggle copy mode when in alternate buffer mode. \| `Ctrl + S` \|
			\| Toggle YOLO (auto-approval) mode for tool calls. \| `Ctrl + Y` \|
			\| Cycle through approval modes: default (prompt), auto_edit (auto-approve edits), and plan (read-only). Plan mode is skipped when the agent is busy. \| `Shift + Tab` \|
			\| Expand and collapse blocks of content when not in alternate buffer mode. \| `Ctrl + O` \|
			\| Expand or collapse a paste placeholder when cursor is over placeholder. \| `Ctrl + O` \|
			\| Toggle current background shell visibility. \| `Ctrl + B` \|
			\| Toggle background shell list. \| `Ctrl + L` \|
			\| Kill the active background shell. \| `Ctrl + K` \|
			\| Confirm selection in background shell list. \| `Enter` \|
			\| Dismiss background shell list. \| `Esc` \|
			\| Move focus from background shell to Gemini. \| `Shift + Tab` \|
			\| Move focus from background shell list to Gemini. \| `Tab (no Shift)` \|
			\| Show warning when trying to move focus away from background shell. \| `Tab (no Shift)` \|
			\| Show warning when trying to move focus away from shell input. \| `Tab (no Shift)` \|
			\| Move focus from Gemini to the active shell. \| `Tab (no Shift)` \|
			\| Move focus from the shell back to Gemini. \| `Shift + Tab` \|
			\| Clear the terminal screen and redraw the UI. \| `Ctrl + L` \|
			\| Restart the application. \| `R` \|
			\| Suspend the CLI and move it to the background. \| `Ctrl + Z` \|
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00
			`<!-- KEYBINDINGS-AUTOGEN:END -->`

Updated ToC on docs intro; updated title casing to match Google style (#13717) 2025-12-01 11:38:48 -08:00			`## Additional context-specific shortcuts`
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00
Migrate keybindings (#16460) 2026-01-12 16:28:10 -08:00			- `Option+B/F/M` (macOS only): Are interpreted as `Cmd+B/F/M` even if your
			`terminal isn't configured to send Meta with Option.`
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00			- `!` on an empty prompt: Enter or exit shell mode.
Add shortcuts hint and panel for discoverability (#18035) 2026-02-06 11:33:39 -08:00			- `?` on an empty prompt: Toggle the shortcuts panel above the input. Press
fix(cli): dismiss '?' shortcuts help on hotkeys and active states (#18583) Co-authored-by: jacob314 <jacob314@gmail.com> 2026-02-12 11:35:40 -05:00			`Esc`, `Backspace`, any printable key, or a registered app hotkey to close it.
			`The panel also auto-hides while the agent is running/streaming or when`
			action-required dialogs are shown. Press `?` again to close the panel and
			insert a `?` into the prompt.
feat(cli): prototype clean UI toggle and minimal-mode bleed-through (#18683) 2026-02-12 14:25:24 -05:00			- `Tab` + `Tab` (while typing in the prompt): Toggle between minimal and full UI
			`details when no completion/search interaction is active. The selected mode is`
			`remembered for future sessions. Full UI remains the default on first run, and`
			single `Tab` keeps its existing completion/focus behavior.
feat(cli): remove Plan Mode from rotation when actively working (#19262) 2026-02-17 12:36:59 -05:00			- `Shift + Tab` (while typing in the prompt): Cycle approval modes: default,
			`auto-edit, and plan (skipped when agent is busy).`
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00			- `\` (at end of a line) + `Enter`: Insert a newline without leaving single-line
			`mode.`
Add Esc-Esc to clear prompt when it's not empty (#17131) 2026-01-20 19:32:26 -05:00			- `Esc` pressed twice quickly: Clear the input prompt if it is not empty,
			`otherwise browse and rewind previous interactions.`
feat: autogenerate keyboard shortcut docs (#12944) 2025-11-12 16:07:14 -05:00			- `Up Arrow` / `Down Arrow`: When the cursor is at the top or bottom of a
			`single-line input, navigate backward or forward through prompt history.`
			- `Number keys (1-9, multi-digit)` inside selection dialogs: Jump directly to
			`the numbered radio option and confirm when the full number is entered.`
feat: Ctrl+O to expand paste placeholder (#18103) 2026-02-09 21:04:34 -05:00			- `Ctrl + O`: Expand or collapse paste placeholders (`[Pasted Text: X lines]`)
			`inline when the cursor is over the placeholder.`
			- `Double-click` on a paste placeholder (alternate buffer mode only): Expand to
			`view full content inline. Double-click again to collapse.`