Keyboard Shortcuts

Overview

Cleve is designed for keyboard-first productivity. This reference covers all keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate, write, and create faster.

Notation:

Cmd = Command key on macOS
Ctrl = Control key on Windows/Linux
+ = Press keys simultaneously
then = Press keys in sequence

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Open search	`Cmd + /`	`Ctrl + /`
New writing	`Cmd + N`	`Ctrl + N`
New idea	`Cmd + Shift + I`	`Ctrl + Shift + I`
Toggle zen mode	`Cmd + \`	`Ctrl + \`
Open command palette	`Cmd + K`	`Ctrl + K`
Show keyboard shortcuts	`Cmd + Shift + /`	`Ctrl + Shift + /`

Panel Management

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Focus writing editor	`Cmd + 1`	`Ctrl + 1`
Focus AI chat	`Cmd + 2`	`Ctrl + 2`
Focus ideas panel	`Cmd + 3`	`Ctrl + 3`
Toggle categories sidebar	`Cmd + B`	`Ctrl + B`
Close current panel	`Cmd + W`	`Ctrl + W`
Maximize panel	`Cmd + M`	`Ctrl + M`
Reset layout	`Cmd + Shift + R`	`Ctrl + Shift + R`
Next panel	`Cmd + ]`	`Ctrl + ]`
Previous panel	`Cmd + [`	`Ctrl + [`

Text Editing

Formatting

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Bold	`Cmd + B`	`Ctrl + B`
Italic	`Cmd + I`	`Ctrl + I`
Underline	`Cmd + U`	`Ctrl + U`
Strikethrough	`Cmd + Shift + X`	`Ctrl + Shift + X`
Code	`Cmd + E`	`Ctrl + E`
Link	`Cmd + K`	`Ctrl + K`
Heading 1	`Cmd + Alt + 1`	`Ctrl + Alt + 1`
Heading 2	`Cmd + Alt + 2`	`Ctrl + Alt + 2`
Heading 3	`Cmd + Alt + 3`	`Ctrl + Alt + 3`
Blockquote	`Cmd + Shift + B`	`Ctrl + Shift + B`
Code block	`Cmd + Alt + C`	`Ctrl + Alt + C`
Bullet list	`Cmd + Shift + 8`	`Ctrl + Shift + 8`
Numbered list	`Cmd + Shift + 7`	`Ctrl + Shift + 7`

Editing Actions

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Undo	`Cmd + Z`	`Ctrl + Z`
Redo	`Cmd + Shift + Z`	`Ctrl + Shift + Z`
Cut	`Cmd + X`	`Ctrl + X`
Copy	`Cmd + C`	`Ctrl + C`
Paste	`Cmd + V`	`Ctrl + V`
Paste without formatting	`Cmd + Shift + V`	`Ctrl + Shift + V`
Select all	`Cmd + A`	`Ctrl + A`
Find in document	`Cmd + F`	`Ctrl + F`
Replace	`Cmd + H`	`Ctrl + H`
Delete line	`Cmd + Shift + K`	`Ctrl + Shift + K`
Duplicate line	`Cmd + Shift + D`	`Ctrl + Shift + D`
Move line up	`Alt + Up`	`Alt + Up`
Move line down	`Alt + Down`	`Alt + Down`

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Jump to start of line	`Cmd + Left`	`Home`
Jump to end of line	`Cmd + Right`	`End`
Jump to start of document	`Cmd + Up`	`Ctrl + Home`
Jump to end of document	`Cmd + Down`	`Ctrl + End`
Select to start of line	`Cmd + Shift + Left`	`Shift + Home`
Select to end of line	`Cmd + Shift + Right`	`Shift + End`
Select word	`Double-click`	`Double-click`
Select paragraph	`Triple-click`	`Triple-click`

Writing Management

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Save writing	`Cmd + S`	`Ctrl + S`
Rename writing	`Cmd + R`	`Ctrl + R`
Delete writing	`Cmd + Backspace`	`Ctrl + Delete`
Duplicate writing	`Cmd + D`	`Ctrl + D`
Export writing	`Cmd + E`	`Ctrl + E`
Share writing	`Cmd + Shift + S`	`Ctrl + Shift + S`
Toggle public/private	`Cmd + Shift + P`	`Ctrl + Shift + P`
View writing info	`Cmd + I`	`Ctrl + I`
Close writing	`Cmd + W`	`Ctrl + W`

AI Chat

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
New conversation	`Cmd + Shift + N`	`Ctrl + Shift + N`
Send message	`Enter`	`Enter`
New line (in message)	`Shift + Enter`	`Shift + Enter`
Stop generation	`Cmd + .`	`Ctrl + .`
Regenerate response	`Cmd + Shift + R`	`Ctrl + Shift + R`
Copy last response	`Cmd + Shift + C`	`Ctrl + Shift + C`
Toggle voice input	`Cmd + Shift + V`	`Ctrl + Shift + V`
Toggle context sources	`Cmd + Shift + K`	`Ctrl + Shift + K`
Switch AI model	`Cmd + Shift + M`	`Ctrl + Shift + M`
Clear conversation	`Cmd + Shift + Delete`	`Ctrl + Shift + Delete`

Ideas Panel

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
New idea	`Cmd + Shift + I`	`Ctrl + Shift + I`
Save idea	`Enter`	`Enter`
Delete idea	`Backspace` or `Delete`	`Backspace` or `Delete`
Edit idea	`Double-click`	`Double-click`
Select multiple ideas	`Cmd + Click`	`Ctrl + Click`
Select range	`Shift + Click`	`Shift + Click`
Select all ideas	`Cmd + A`	`Ctrl + A`
Search ideas	`Cmd + F`	`Ctrl + F`
Move to category	`Cmd + Shift + M`	`Ctrl + Shift + M`
Convert to writing	`Cmd + Enter`	`Ctrl + Enter`

Categories & Organization

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
New category	`Cmd + Shift + C`	`Ctrl + Shift + C`
Rename category	`F2`	`F2`
Delete category	`Cmd + Backspace`	`Ctrl + Delete`
Expand/collapse category	`Space`	`Space`
Collapse all categories	`Cmd + Shift + Up`	`Ctrl + Shift + Up`
Expand all categories	`Cmd + Shift + Down`	`Ctrl + Shift + Down`
Share category	`Cmd + Shift + S`	`Ctrl + Shift + S`

Search

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Open global search	`Cmd + /`	`Ctrl + /`
Search in writing	`Cmd + F`	`Ctrl + F`
Next search result	`Cmd + G`	`Ctrl + G`
Previous search result	`Cmd + Shift + G`	`Ctrl + Shift + G`
Close search	`Escape`	`Escape`
Toggle semantic search	`Cmd + Shift + S`	`Ctrl + Shift + S`
Filter by type	`Cmd + Shift + F`	`Ctrl + Shift + F`

View & Display

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Toggle dark mode	`Cmd + Shift + L`	`Ctrl + Shift + L`
Increase font size	`Cmd + +`	`Ctrl + +`
Decrease font size	`Cmd + -`	`Ctrl + -`
Reset font size	`Cmd + 0`	`Ctrl + 0`
Toggle fullscreen	`Cmd + Ctrl + F`	`F11`
Toggle zen mode	`Cmd + \`	`Ctrl + \`
Show/hide toolbar	`Cmd + Shift + T`	`Ctrl + Shift + T`
Show/hide word count	`Cmd + Shift + W`	`Ctrl + Shift + W`

Workspace Presets

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Writing focus preset	`Cmd + Shift + 1`	`Ctrl + Shift + 1`
Brainstorming preset	`Cmd + Shift + 2`	`Ctrl + Shift + 2`
Research preset	`Cmd + Shift + 3`	`Ctrl + Shift + 3`
Full productivity preset	`Cmd + Shift + 4`	`Ctrl + Shift + 4`
Save current layout	`Cmd + Shift + L`	`Ctrl + Shift + L`
Load saved layout	`Cmd + Shift + O`	`Ctrl + Shift + O`

Accessibility

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Toggle screen reader mode	`Cmd + Alt + S`	`Ctrl + Alt + S`
Increase contrast	`Cmd + Alt + C`	`Ctrl + Alt + C`
Toggle high contrast	`Cmd + Alt + H`	`Ctrl + Alt + H`
Focus next element	`Tab`	`Tab`
Focus previous element	`Shift + Tab`	`Shift + Tab`
Activate focused element	`Enter` or `Space`	`Enter` or `Space`

Developer Tools

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Open developer console	`Cmd + Alt + I`	`Ctrl + Shift + I`
Reload page	`Cmd + R`	`Ctrl + R`
Hard reload (clear cache)	`Cmd + Shift + R`	`Ctrl + Shift + R`
Inspect element	`Cmd + Shift + C`	`Ctrl + Shift + C`

Markdown Shortcuts

Type these sequences to quickly format text:

Input	Result
`#` + Space	Heading 1
`##` + Space	Heading 2
`###` + Space	Heading 3
`-` + Space	Bullet list
`1.` + Space	Numbered list
`>` + Space	Blockquote
``` + Space	Code block
`---` + Enter	Horizontal rule
`[ ]` + Space	Checkbox (unchecked)
`[x]` + Space	Checkbox (checked)

Custom Shortcuts

You can customize shortcuts in Settings → Keyboard.

Creating Custom Shortcuts

Go to Settings → Keyboard → Custom Shortcuts
Click “Add Shortcut”
Choose the action
Press your desired key combination
Click Save

Avoid overriding system shortcuts or browser defaults. Cleve will warn you if there’s a conflict.

Tips for Power Users

Combo Shortcuts

Combine shortcuts for maximum efficiency:

Cmd + N → Start new writing
Cmd + \ → Enter zen mode
Start writing immediately with no distractions

Chaining Actions

Cmd + / → Open search
Type query → Find writing
Enter → Open writing
Cmd + \ → Zen mode for focused editing

Context-Aware Shortcuts

Some shortcuts behave differently based on context:

Enter in chat = Send message
Enter in idea input = Save idea
Enter in search = Open result
Shift + Enter everywhere = New line

Workflow Automation

Create custom shortcuts for common workflows:

Cmd + Shift + B → Brainstorming Mode
(Opens ideas panel + AI chat + new writing)

Mobile & Tablet

Touch devices support gestures instead of shortcuts:

Gesture	Action
Swipe right	Open sidebar
Swipe left	Close sidebar
Swipe down	Refresh
Pinch out	Zoom in
Pinch in	Zoom out
Long press	Context menu
Double tap	Select word

Browser-Specific Notes

Chrome/Edge

All shortcuts work as documented
No conflicts with browser defaults

Firefox

Some Cmd + Shift combos may conflict
Customize in Firefox settings if needed

Safari

Some shortcuts may be intercepted by macOS
Disable conflicting system shortcuts in System Settings

Troubleshooting

Shortcut Not Working

Solutions:

Check if another app is using the shortcut
Verify you’re focused on the correct panel
Try using the menu to perform the action
Reset shortcuts to default in Settings

Keyboard Layout Issues

Solutions:

Ensure keyboard layout is set correctly
Some layouts may require different key combinations
Customize shortcuts for your specific keyboard

Workspace

Learn about panel management and layouts.

Writing System

Master the writing editor shortcuts.

AI Chat

Use shortcuts for faster AI interactions.

Getting Started

Learn the basics before diving into shortcuts.

​Overview

​Global Navigation

​Panel Management

​Text Editing

​Formatting

​Editing Actions

​Navigation

​Writing Management

​AI Chat

​Ideas Panel

​Categories & Organization

​Search

​View & Display

​Workspace Presets

​Accessibility

​Developer Tools

​Markdown Shortcuts

​Custom Shortcuts

​Creating Custom Shortcuts

​Tips for Power Users

​Combo Shortcuts

​Chaining Actions

​Context-Aware Shortcuts

​Workflow Automation

​Mobile & Tablet

​Browser-Specific Notes

​Chrome/Edge

​Firefox

​Safari

​Troubleshooting

​Shortcut Not Working

​Keyboard Layout Issues

​Related Documentation

Workspace

Writing System

AI Chat

Getting Started

Overview

Global Navigation

Panel Management

Text Editing

Formatting

Editing Actions

Navigation

Writing Management

AI Chat

Ideas Panel

Categories & Organization

Search

View & Display

Workspace Presets

Accessibility

Developer Tools

Markdown Shortcuts

Custom Shortcuts

Creating Custom Shortcuts

Tips for Power Users

Combo Shortcuts

Chaining Actions

Context-Aware Shortcuts

Workflow Automation

Mobile & Tablet

Browser-Specific Notes

Chrome/Edge

Firefox

Safari

Troubleshooting

Shortcut Not Working

Keyboard Layout Issues

Related Documentation