# Using the Keyboard to Navigate the Desktop

This chapter describes how to navigate the GNOME Desktop from the keyboard only. Users who have difficulty using a mouse or other pointing device can navigate and use the desktop from the keyboard.

## Introduction to Keyboard Navigation

This section describes the essential keyboard shortcuts to enable you to navigate the desktop from the keyboard.

You can customize some of the keyboard shortcuts that are described in this chapter. The text indicates the shortcuts that you can customize. See for information about how to customize keyboard shortcuts.

### Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the desktop. The keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate specific elements and controls are described in the appropriate sections of this chapter.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Tab | Give focus to the next element or control.
Shift Tab | Reverse the navigation direction and give focus to the previous element or control. In general, the Shift key reverses the navigation direction.
Ctrl Tab | Give focus to the next element or control, if the Tab key has a specific purpose in a control. For example, if you press Tab in a text box, the system inserts a tab space. To give focus to the previous element or control, press Shift Ctrl Tab.
arrow keys | Navigate within an element or control.
spacebar | Activate the element or control that has focus. For example, if the current control is a button, this action is the equivalent of clicking on the button with a mouse.
Esc | Close a window, menu, or drawer.
F7 | Switch to caret navigation mode. Caret navigation mode enables you to use the keyboard to select text. For more information about caret navigation mode, see .

### Global Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use from any part of the GNOME Desktop.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Alt F1 | Open the Main Applications Menu. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Alt F2 | Open the Run Application dialog. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Print Screen | Start the screenshot application and take a screenshot of the entire screen. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Alt Print Screen | Start the screenshot application and take a screenshot of the window that currently has focus. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
F1 | If the focused element is an application window or dialog, this keyboard shortcut opens the Help for the application.
Ctrl F1 | If the focused element is a panel or application window, this keyboard shortcut switches the display of tooltips for the window or panel objects on and off.
Shift F10 | Open a popup menu for the element that has focus, if a popup menu exists.

## Navigating the Desktop Background

The desktop background is the part of the GNOME Desktop where there are no interface items or applications, such as panels and windows. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the desktop background and the desktop background objects. A desktop background object is an icon on the desktop background that you can use to open files, folders, or applications.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Ctrl Alt D | Temporarily hide all windows and give focus to the desktop background. To restore the windows, press Ctrl Alt D again. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Ctrl Alt Tab | Display a popup window with icons that represent the desktop background and the panels. Press-and-hold Ctrl Alt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus between the desktop background and the panels. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
arrow keys | When the desktop background or a desktop background object has focus, give focus to a neighboring desktop background object.
A sequence of characters that matches the first n characters of a desktop background object name. | When the desktop background has focus, give focus to the desktop background object whose name starts with the specified sequence of characters.
F2 | Rename the desktop background object that has focus.
Shift F10 | Open the popup menu for the desktop background object that has focus.
Ctrl F10 | Open the Desktop Background menu.

## Navigating Panels

A panel is an area from which you can run special programs, applications, and panel applications. The most common panel is the panel that stretches the full width of the bottom edge of the desktop. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate panels and panel objects.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Ctrl Alt Tab | Give focus to a panel. This keyboard shortcut displays a popup window with icons that represent the desktop background, panels, and drawers. Press-and-hold Ctrl Alt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus between the desktop background, panels, and drawers. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Tab | Give focus to the next object on the panel.
F10 | Open the Applications menu when the Menu Panel has focus. Continue to press F10 to switch focus between the Applications menu and the window list.
spacebar | Activate a panel object, for example, open a menu or start a launcher.
Shift F10 | Open the panel object popup menu.
Ctrl F10 | Open the panel popup menu.

### To Move a Panel Object

You can move a focused panel object to a different location on a panel or drawer, or you can move the object to the next panel. To move a panel object, perform the following steps:

1. Press Tab to give focus to the object.

2. Press Shift F10 to open the panel object popup menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to select the Move menu item.

4. Use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following table to perform the move operation.

   Keys | Function
   --- | ---
   arrow keys | Move the object left and right on a horizontal panel or up and down on a vertical panel.
   Shift + arrow keys | Move the object and push any objects that you encounter in front of the object.
   Ctrl + arrow keys | Move the object and swap position with any objects that you encounter in the move.
   Tab | Move the object to the next panel.
   spacebar | Complete the move operation.

The following examples demonstrate the effect of different move operations on the objects in a panel.

Illustration | Description
--- | ---
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: geyes icon, Volume Control icon, and Help icon. | Shows a panel with three panel objects before a move operation takes place.
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: geyes icon, Volume Control icon, and Help icon. | Shows the effect of using the arrow keys to move the Geyes panel application on the panel. You can use the arrow keys to move the panel application left or right until you meet the next panel object.
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: geyes icon, Volume Control icon, and Help icon. | Shows the effect of using using Shift + arrow keys to move the Geyes panel application on the panel. You can use the Shift + arrow keys to push the Volume Control and Help panel objects ahead of the object that you are moving.
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: Volume Control icon, Help icon, and geyes icon. | Shows the effect of using Ctrl + arrow keys to move the Geyes panel application on the panel. You can use the Ctrl + arrow keys to swap position with the Volume Control and Help panel objects as you meet the objects.

Panel applications that are Locked cannot be moved. To unlock a panel application, use the panel object menu and unselect Lock to Panel.

### To Navigate Drawers

A drawer is a collapsible extension of a panel. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate into and out of drawers. When you open a drawer, you can navigate the contents of the drawer in the same way as you navigate a panel. See for information about how to navigate a panel.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
spacebar | Open or close the drawer that has focus.
arrow keys | Navigate into the drawer that has focus.
Esc | Close the drawer and give focus to the drawer object on the panel.

### To Navigate Menus on Panels

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate menus on panels.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
spacebar | Open the menu that has focus.
arrow keys | Navigate the menu.
spacebar | Select a menu item.
Shift F10 | Open the popup menu associated with a menu item, if one exists.
Esc | Close a menu.

### To Navigate Panel Applications

A panel application is a small application that resides on a panel. You can navigate to all panel applications and open the panel application popup menu from the keyboard. However, if the panel application does not contain controls that you can give focus to, you cannot navigate the controls in the panel application. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate panel applications.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
spacebar | Activate the panel application control that has focus, if applicable. Not all panel applications contain controls that you can activate. If the panel application does not contain a control that you can activate, the spacebar does nothing.
arrow keys | Navigate the controls on the panel application.
Shift F10 | Open the panel application popup menu. To navigate the menu, use the standard keyboard shortcuts for navigating menus. See for information about how to navigate menus.

## Navigating Your Workspaces

A workspace is a discrete area in which you can work. You can have many workspaces on your desktop and you can switch from one workspace to another. Each workspace can contain different windows and processes. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate workspaces.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Ctrl Alt + arrow keys | Give focus to the next or previous workspace. This keyboard shortcut displays a popup window with icons that represent the workspaces. Press and hold Ctrl Alt and continue to press the arrow keys to switch the focus between the workspaces. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Ctrl Shift Alt + arrow keys | Move the window that has focus to the next or previous workspace. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.

## Navigating Windows

The following sections describe the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate windows. A window is a rectangular frame on your screen that displays an application.

You can customize all of the keyboard shortcuts that are associated with navigating windows. See for more information.

### To Give Focus to a Window

Before you can use or modify a window, you must give focus to the window. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to give focus to a window.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Alt Tab | Display a popup window with icons that represent each window. Press-and-hold Alt and continue to press Tab to move through the windows until you reach the window to which you want to give focus.
Alt Esc | Raise each window in turn until you reach the window to which you want to give focus.

### To Control a Window

When a window has focus, you can perform various actions on the window. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to control the window that has focus.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Alt spacebar | Open the Window Menu.
Alt F4 | Close the window.
Solaris: Open Linux:Alt F9 | Minimize the window.
Alt F10 | Maximize the window.
Alt F5 | Restore a maximized window to the original size of the window.

### To Move a Window

When a window has focus, you can move the window around the screen. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to move a window.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Alt F7 | Start the move operation. The mouse pointer changes to a cross.
arrow keys | Move the window 10 pixels at a time in the direction of the arrow key.
Ctrl + arrow keys | Move the window one pixel at a time in the direction of the arrow key.
Shift + arrow keys | Move the window in the direction of the arrow key to align it with the edge of the nearest window, panel, or screen edge.
spacebar | Complete the move operation and leave the window in the current position.
Esc | Cancel the move operation and restore the window to the original position.

### To Resize a Window

When a window has focus, you can increase or decrease the size of the window. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to resize the window that has focus.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Alt F8 | Start the resize operation.
arrow keys | Resize the window in the direction of the arrow keys.
spacebar | Complete the resize operation and leave the window at the current size.
Esc | Cancel the resize operation and restore the window to the original size.

### To Navigate Paned Windows

A paned window is a window that is split into two or more panes. The Help browser is an example of an application that uses paned windows.

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate windows with panes.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
F6 | Give focus to the next pane. The system gives focus to the control that last had focus in the pane.
F8 | Give focus to the first resize handle in the window. The resize handle is displayed between the panes and enables you to resize the panes. Press F8 again to give focus to the next resize handle.

When the resize handle has focus, you can use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following table to modify the paned window.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
arrow keys | Move the resize handle by a small amount.
Ctrl + arrow keys | Move the resize handle by a large amount.
Home | Reduce the size of the pane to the left of the resize handle for vertical panes, or above the resize handle for horizontal panes, to the minimum size allowed.
End | Increase the size of the pane to the left of the resize handle for vertical panes, or above the resize handle for horizontal panes, to the maximum size allowed.
spacebar | Set the position of the resize handle and return the focus to the last control that had focus.
Esc | Reset the position of the resize handle to the original position and return the focus to the last control that had focus.

## Navigating Applications

An application is any program, utility, or other software package that you run on your desktop. Applications comprise the following standard user interface components:

Windows

  A window is a rectangular frame on your screen that displays an application. See for information about how to navigate windows.

Dialogs

  A dialog is a popup window in which you enter information or commands. See for information about how to navigate dialogs.

Controls

  A control is an instrument that you use to operate or guide the user interface. For example, buttons, check boxes, menus, and text boxes are controls. See for detailed information about how to navigate the different types of controls that are available.

This section of the manual describes the essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use to start using applications and dialogs.

### Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Applications

Since there are many applications that you can use in the GNOME Desktop, this manual does not describe the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate all of the different applications. However, the basic keyboard shortcuts are common to all applications. Access keys also provide an efficient way to navigate an application from the keyboard. An access key is identified by an underlined letter on a menu or control. In some cases, you must press Alt in combination with the access key to perform an action.

The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate applications.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
F10 | Open the first menu on the application menubar.
Alt + access key | Open the menu that is associated with the access key.
access keys | Select the menu item that is associated with the access key.
left arrow and right arrow | Switch focus between the menus on the menubar.
up arrow and down arrow | Move focus into a menu.
Esc | Close the open menus and give focus to the control that had focus before the menubar.
Ctrl O | Open the file selector dialog.
Ctrl S | Open the Save dialog.
Ctrl L | Open a Location dialog to enable you to type the name of the file that you want to open or save.

### Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Dialogs

The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate dialogs.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Alt access key | Activate or select a control.
Tab | Give focus to the next control.
Ctrl Page Up | If a tab name has focus, move to the next tabbed section of the dialog.
Ctrl Page Down | When a tab name has focus, move to the previous tabbed section of the dialog.
Esc | Close the dialog.
Return | Perform the default action for the dialog. The default action is usually to apply the changes and close the dialog.

## Navigating the File Manager

By default, the file manager operates in Spatial mode. This mode uses separate windows for each folder. A separate mode, called Browser mode, exists that uses the same window for each folder.

For more information about different modes for the file manager, see the user guide.

### To Navigate a Folder

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you to navigate folders in the file manager.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
arrow keys | Select the next or previous file or folder in the direction of the arrow key.
Ctrl + arrow keys | Give focus to the next or previous file or folder but do not select the item. This allows multiple files to be selected.
spacebar | Open the focused file or folder.
Ctrl + spacebar | Select the item that currently has focus.
A sequence of characters that matches the first n characters of a filename. | Select the first file or folder that starts with the specified sequence of characters.
Home | Select the first file or folder within the current folder.
End | Select the last file or folder within the current folder.
backspace | Open the current folder's parent folder.

### To Navigate Browser Window Components

When operating in browser mode, the file manager window contains several components and there are different keyboard shortcuts defined to navigate each component.

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you to navigate between the components.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
F6 | Switch focus between the side pane and the view pane.
Shift F10 | Open the side pane popup menu.

## Navigating Help Content in Caret Navigation Mode

The following table describes how to navigate HTML-based help content in caret navigation mode in the Yelp help browser. Caret navigation is a mode of operation in an application which enables you to use the keyboard to select text.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
F7 | Switch to caret navigation mode.
left arrow | Move one character to the left.
right arrow | Move one character to the right.
up arrow | Move up one line.
down arrow | Move down one line.
Ctrl + left arrow | Move to the beginning of the previous word.
Ctrl + right arrow | Move to the end of the next word.
Page Up | Scroll up one page of content.
Page Down | Scroll down one page of content.
Home | Move to the beginning of the current line.
End | Move to the end of the current line.
Shift + arrow keys | Move from the current position to the destination position and select all text between the two positions.
Tab | Move focus to the next focusable control.
Shift Tab | Move focus to the previous focusable control.
Enter | Activate a button or submit a form.

## Navigating Standard Elements and Controls

The following sections describe how to navigate and use standard user interface elements and controls from the keyboard.

### To Navigate Menus

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate menus.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
up arrow and down arrow | Give focus to the next or previous menu item on a menu.
right arrow | If the menu item that has focus is a submenu, open the submenu and give focus to the first menu item on the submenu. If the menu item that has focus is not a submenu, open the next menu on the menubar.
left arrow | If the menu item that has focus is a submenu item, switch the focus back to the submenu. If the menu item that has focus is not a submenu item, open the previous menu on the menubar.
Return | Select the focused menu item and close the open menus.
access key | Select the menu item that is associated with the access key and close the open menus.
spacebar | Select the focused menu item and close the open menus except when the menu item is a check box or radio button. If the menu item is a check box or radio button, the menu does not close.
Esc | Close the open menus.

### To Navigate Buttons

A button is a control that you use to start an action. Most buttons are rectangular and contain a text label.

#### Sample Button

Close button.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate buttons.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
spacebar | Activate the button that has focus. This is the equivalent of clicking on the button.
Return | Activate the button that has focus or, if no button has focus, perform the default action for the dialog.

### To Navigate Radio Buttons

A radio button is a control that you use to select one of several mutually-exclusive options.

#### Sample Radio Button

Two sample radio buttons.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a set of radio buttons.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
arrow keys | Select the next or previous radio button and deselect the other radio buttons in the group.

### To Navigate Check Boxes

A check box is a control that you use to select or deselect an option.

#### Sample Check Box

Sample check box.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a check box.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
spacebar | Select or deselect the check box.

### To Navigate Text Boxes

Text boxes are controls in which you type text.

#### Sample Single Line Text Box

Sample text box with one input line.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a single line text box.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
left arrow | Position the cursor one character to the left.
right arrow | Position the cursor one character to the right.
Ctrl left arrow | Position the cursor at the start of the current word. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press left arrow to position the cursor at the start of the previous word.
Ctrl right arrow | Position the cursor at the end of the current word. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press right arrow to position the cursor at the end of the next word.
Home | Position the cursor at the start of the line.
End | Position the cursor at the end of the line.
Shift left arrow or right arrow | Select one character at a time to the left or right of the cursor.
Shift Ctrl left arrow or right arrow | Select one word at a time to the left or right of the cursor.
Shift Home | Select all text to the left of the cursor.
Shift End | Select all text to the right of the cursor.
Ctrl A | Select all text in the text box.

In addition to the keyboard shortcuts listed in the previous table, use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table to navigate multi-line text boxes.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Page Up | Position the cursor at the top of the current view. Press Page Up again to position the cursor at the top of the previous view.
Page Down | Position the cursor at the end of the current view. Press Page Down again to position the cursor at the end of the previous view.
Ctrl up arrow | Position the cursor at the start of the current paragraph. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press the up arrow key to position the cursor at the start of the previous paragraph.
Ctrl down arrow | Position the cursor at the end of the current paragraph. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press the down arrow key to position the cursor at the end of the next paragraph.
Ctrl Page Up | Position the cursor one view width to the left.
Ctrl Page Down | Position the cursor one view width to the right.
Ctrl Home | Position the cursor at the start of the text box.
Ctrl End | Position the cursor at the end of the text box.
Ctrl Tab | Give focus to the next control on the dialog.
Shift Page Up | Select the text to the start of the current view. Press-and-hold Shift and continue to press Page Up to extend the selection to the start of the previous view.
Shift Page Down | Select the text to the end of the current view. Press-and-hold Shift and continue to press Page Down to extend the selection to the end of the next view.
Shift Home | Select the text to the start of the line.
Shift End | Select the text to the end of the line.
Shift Ctrl up arrow | Select the text to the start of the paragraph, then to the start of the previous paragraph.
Shift Ctrl down arrow | Select the text to the end of the paragraph, then to the end of the next paragraph.
Shift Ctrl Home | Select the text to the start of the text box.
Shift Ctrl End | Select the text to the end of the text box.

### To Navigate Spin Boxes

A spin box is a control that allows you to type a numeric value or select a value from a list of all possible values.

#### Sample Spin Box

Sample spin box. Contains a text box and up and down arrows.

The keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate the text box area of a spin box are listed in . The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the up and down arrows in the spin box.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
up arrow or down arrow | Increase or decrease the value of the spin box by a small amount.
Page Up or Page Down | Increase or decrease the value of the spin box by a large amount.

### To Navigate Drop-Down Lists

A drop-down list is a control that you use to select one of several available items. The drop-down list contains a button that you use to display the available items.

#### Sample Drop-Down List

Sample drop-down list.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a drop-down list.

Keys | Function
--- | ---

spacebar

This key performs one of the following functions:

- If the drop-down list is not open, this key opens the drop-down list.

- If the drop-down list is open, this key accepts the current selection and closes the list.

up arrow | Select the previous list item.
down arrow | Select the next list item.
Esc | Close the list without changing the selection.

### To Navigate Drop-Down Combination Boxes

A drop-down combination box is a text box with a drop-down list attached.

#### Sample Drop-Down Combination Box

Sample drop-down combination box. Contains a text box and an arrow button that you click to display the drop-down list.

When the text box has focus, use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in to navigate the text box area. When the text box has focus, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table to navigate the drop-down list area.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
up arrow | Select the previous item from the drop-down list without displaying the list.
down arrow | Select the next item from the drop-down list without displaying the list.
Ctrl down arrow (Solaris only) | Open the drop-down list.

When the drop-down list has focus, you can use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following table to navigate the drop-down list.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
up arrow | Select the previous list item.
down arrow | Select the next list item.
Home | Select the first item on the list.
End | Select the last item on the list.
Page Up | Select the item at the top of the current list view.
Page Down | Select the item at the bottom of the current list view.
spacebar | Accept the current selection and close the drop-down list.
Ctrl Page Up | Scroll to the left of the list, if required.
Ctrl Page Down | Scroll to the right of the list, if required.

### To Navigate Sliders

A slider is a control that you use to set a value in a continuous range of values.

#### Sample Slider

Sample slider. Displays a slider control that you can move left or right.

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a slider.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
left arrow or up arrow | Move the slider left or up by a small amount.
right arrow or down arrow | Move the slider right or down by a small amount.
Page Up | Move the slider left or up a large amount.
Page Down | Move the slider right or down a small amount.
Home | Move the slider to the maximum value.
End | Move the slider to the minimum value.

### To Navigate Tabbed Sections

#### Sample Dialog with Tabbed Sections

Editing profile dialog from the GNOME Terminal application. Contains six tabbed sections.

Windows and dialogs are sometimes divided into logical sections that are displayed one section at a time on the window or dialog. The divisions are called tabbed sections that are identified by a tab with a text label.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the tabbed sections of a window or dialog when a tab name has focus.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
left arrow | Give focus to the previous tabbed section.
right arrow | Give focus to the next tabbed section.
Tab orCtrl down arrow | Give focus to the first control on the active tabbed section.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the tabbed sections of a window or dialog when a control on a tabbed section has focus.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Ctrl Page Up or Ctrl Alt Page Up | Give focus to the previous tabbed section. This keyboard shortcut does not work if the focused control uses Ctrl Page Up for another purpose.
Ctrl Page Down or Ctrl Alt Page Down | Give focus to the next tabbed section. This keyboard shortcut does not work if the focused control uses Ctrl Page Down for another purpose.
Ctrl Tab | Give focus to the next control outside the tabbed sections.

### To Navigate Lists

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate multi-column lists when a column header has focus.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
left arrow or right arrow | Give focus to the previous or next column header.
spacebar | Activate the header. This action usually sorts the list by the column header.
Tab | Give focus to the list contents.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate lists when the contents of the list has focus.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
arrow keys | Select the next or previous row or column.
Page Up | Select the top row of the list contents that are in view. Press Page Up again to select the top row of the previous view.
Page Down | Select the bottom row of the list contents that are in view. Press Page Down again to select the bottom row of the next view.
Home | Select the first row in the list.
End | Select the last row in the list.
Shift + arrow keys | For lists that support multi-line selections, add the next or previous row or column to the current selection. For lists that only allow single line selections, select the next or previous row or column.
Shift Page Up | Select all the rows between the current selection and the top row of the view.
Shift Page Down | Select all the rows between the current selection and the bottom row of the view.
Shift Home | Select all the rows between the current selection and the first row in the list.
Shift End | Select all the rows between the current selection and the last row in the list.
Ctrl + arrow keys | Give focus to the next row or column but do not extend the selection. Further items can be selected by pressing the spacebar
Ctrl Page Up | Give focus to the top row in the view but do not extend the selection.
Ctrl Page Down | Give focus to the bottom row in the view but do not extend the selection.
Ctrl Home | Give focus to the first row in the list but do not extend the selection.
Ctrl End | Give focus to the last row in the list but do not extend the selection.
Return | Activate the item.
Ctrl A | For lists that support multiline selections, select all rows in the list.
Shift Tab | Give focus to the column header, if applicable.

### To Navigate Trees

A tree is a user interface control that contains sections that you can expand and collapse. A tree usually represents a hierarchical structure.

#### Sample Tree Structure

Categories tree from the gedit Preferences dialog. Contains three subcategories.

To navigate trees, you can use the same keyboard shortcuts that are listed in . In addition, the following table lists the keyboard shortcuts you can use for the tree items.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
+ (plus) | Expand the focused item.
- (minus) | Collapse the focused item.
Back Space | Select the parent item.
Ctrl F | Display a search dialog if the tree supports searching. You can type the name of the tree item that you want to find.

## Customizing Your Keyboard Shortcuts

Use the Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool to display the default keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate the GNOME Desktop. You can customize the default keyboard shortcuts to meet your requirements. You can also create hot keys. Hot keys are keyboard shortcuts that start applications.

To start the Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool, choose System Preferences Keyboard Shortcuts. The Desktop shortcuts table lists the keyboard shortcut that is associated with each action.

### To Customize Keyboard Shortcuts on Solaris Systems

To customize a keyboard shortcut on a Solaris system, perform the following steps:

1. Click on the action for which you want to customize the keyboard shortcut. The row is highlighted.

2. Click on the keyboard shortcut in the Shortcut column. The text Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear is displayed in the Shortcut column.

3. Press the keys that you want to associate with the action. The new keyboard shortcut is displayed in the Shortcut column.

To disable a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:

1. Click on the action for which you want to disable the keyboard shortcut. The row is highlighted.

2. Click on the keyboard shortcut in the Shortcut column. The text Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear is displayed in the Shortcut column.

3. Press Back Space. The keyboard shortcut is disabled.

### To Customize Keyboard Shortcuts on Linux Systems

To customize a keyboard shortcut on a Linux system, perform the following steps:

1. Click on the action for which you want to customize the keyboard shortcut. The row is highlighted and the text Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear is displayed in the Shortcut column.

2. Press the keys that you want to associate with the action. The new keyboard shortcut is displayed in the Shortcut column.

To disable a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:

1. Click on the action for which you want to disable the keyboard shortcut. The row is highlighted and the text Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear is displayed in the Shortcut column.

2. Press Back Space. The keyboard shortcut is disabled.