Keyboard shortcuts
Every keyboard shortcut in the Ultrathink web app, the browser extension and the desktop app.
Ultrathink has a small set of shortcuts that cover the things you do most: capture, search and move between entries. On a Mac, use Cmd wherever this page says Ctrl.
Single-letter shortcuts, such as N, J and K, do nothing while you are typing in a box, so they never get in the way of your writing.
Anywhere in the web app
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| N | Open quick capture |
| Ctrl K | Jump to the search bar |
| A | Ask for a view in plain English (Pro). See Views |
| Esc | Close the open menu, dialog or panel |
On a canvas, N picks the note tool instead of opening quick capture, and A picks the arrow tool.
The search bar
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Type | Filter the page you are on |
| # then a topic, Enter | Filter by that topic |
| @ then a name, Enter | Filter by that person |
| Enter | Ask AI search (Pro) |
| Esc | Clear the box. Press again to leave it |
See Search and filters.
Lists, tables and boards
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Up and down arrows | Move between rows in a list or table |
| Enter | Open the highlighted row |
| Space | List: tick the highlighted row. Table: open it |
| J | Open the next entry in the detail panel |
| K | Open the previous entry |
| Ctrl Z | On a board with the view’s own columns: undo your latest column or card change |
J and K work in the list, table and board, in the order the page shows. Switch them off with Use J and K to move between entries in Settings > Appearance > Interface.
The detail panel
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Esc | Close the panel, or close an open menu in it first |
| Enter | Save the title while editing it |
| Ctrl+Enter | Save your notes, or a comment you are editing |
| Esc while editing | Cancel the edit |
| Enter in the comment box | Post the comment |
| Shift+Enter in the comment box | Start a new line |
| @ in the comment box | Link to another entry |
Quick capture
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+B | Bold |
| Ctrl+I | Italic |
| Esc | Close quick capture |
| Tab | Move between its fields and buttons |
It saves itself 3 seconds after you stop typing. Press and hold the orange capture button to record a voice note. See Capture in the web app.
Canvas
A canvas has its own shortcuts for its tools, arranging and moving around. These are the ones you will use most:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| V, H, N, T | Select, Hand, Note and Text tools |
| A, F, D, E | Arrow, Frame, Draw and Eraser tools |
| Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Shift+Z | Undo and redo |
| Delete or Backspace | Delete what is selected, or take a card off the board |
| Enter | Edit the selected note or text, or open the selected card |
| Shift+1 | Zoom to fit the whole board |
| ? | Show every canvas shortcut |
See Canvas shortcuts for the full list.
The tour
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Right arrow or Enter | Next stop |
| Left arrow | Previous stop |
| Esc | Stop the tour |
The browser extension
| Key | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open the save popup | Ctrl+Shift+4 | Cmd+Shift+4 |
| Screenshot of part of the page | Ctrl+Shift+5 | Cmd+Shift+5 |
| Cancel a screenshot | Esc | Esc |
To change them, go to chrome://extensions/shortcuts (edge://extensions/shortcuts in Edge), or click Customise on the extension’s options page. See Browser extension: install and connect.
The desktop app
The desktop app has no global shortcuts. Click it to start typing. Inside its note box, the usual editing keys work:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+B | Bold |
| Ctrl+I | Italic |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo |
| - then a space | Start a bullet list |
| 1. then a space | Start a numbered list |
| Esc | Cancel a screenshot area selection |
See Capturing with the desktop app.
Changing shortcuts
You cannot change the web app’s shortcuts. You can switch J and K off, and change the extension’s shortcuts in your browser as above.