Android Keyboard Shortcuts: All The Hotkeys You Need

shaooas · May 25, 2012

I would like share this useful information to you guys ..so some one helped

The Android mobile operating system has an impressive set of keyboard shortcuts to help you fly through your phone without digging through the menus. A couple of quick key presses are all you need for most common tasks.

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Scrolling

• Spacebar: Page down in any Web page/document view

• Shift + Spacebar: Page up in any Web page/document view

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Typing

• Alt + Spacebar: Insert a special character

• Shift + Del: Delete the character to the right of the cursor

• Alt + Del: Delete an entire line

• Shift + Shift (press it twice): Activate caps-lock; press shift once more to exit

• Alt + Trackball-Left: Move cursor to beginning of line

• Alt + Trackball-Right: Move cursor to end of line

• Alt + Trackball-Up: Move cursor to top of page

• Alt + Trackball-Down: Move cursor to bottom of page

• Shift + Trackball-Left/Right: Highlight text for cutting or copying

• Menu + X: Cut text (will cut all text on-screen unless specific characters are highlighted)

• Menu + C: Copy text to clipboard (will copy all text on-screen unless specific characters are highlighted)

• Menu + V: Paste text from clipboard

• Menu + A: Select all text in the current field

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Browsing

• Menu + I: Zoom in

• Menu + O: Zoom out

• Menu + J: Go back a page

• Menu + K: Go forward a page

• Menu + R: Refresh current page

• Menu + F: Find on page

• Menu + B: Open bookmarks

• Menu + S: Open social network sharing menu

• Menu + H: View browsing history

• Menu + S: Open browser settings

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Gmail

• F: Forward current message (works only while inside the message)

• R: Reply to current message (works only while inside the message)

• A: Reply-all to current message (works only while inside the message)

• Y: Archive message (works from within message or while on main inbox list)

• Menu + U: Refresh inbox

• Menu + C: Compose new e-mail

• Enter: Open an e-mail (from the main inbox list)

• Alt + Trackball-Up: Jump to top of inbox

• Alt + Trackball-Down: Jump to bottom of inbox

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Apps

• Search + B: Open browser

• Search + C: Open contacts

• Search + E: Open e-mail

• Search + G: Open Gmail

• Search + I: Open calendar

• Search + M: Open maps

• Search + P: Open music

• Search + S: Open text messaging

• Search + Y: Open YouTube

You can also customize the keyboard shortcuts for applications: Just go into "Applications" off the main system settings menu, then select "Quick Launch." From there, you can change any of the above app-controlling hotkeys and add in your own.

norristh · May 25, 2012

How to map apps to keyboard shortcuts under Android 4 ICS

Under the default launcher on my Notion Ink Adam tablet with CM9 / ICS 4.04, I can't find a way to access the keyboard shortcut mapping for apps. At least one other device has this problem -- I found this useful thread giving a workaround involving installing Nova or Apex Launchers to create a shortcut to the QuickLaunch Settings app:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1654377

I looked at the logcat in sl4a (Scripting language for android) to find out what app launches the settings: com.android.settings/.quicklaunch.QuickLaunchSettings

So you can also launch the app by opening Terminal and running:

am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.settings/.quicklaunch.QuickLaunchSettings

I hope that helps someone! I wanted to post a reply to the other thread, but don't have the minimum 10 posts to allow me to post in developer threads.

Norris

Gauchomatero · Sep 26, 2012

Shortcuts

Hello
I'm using Pureness ICS, and there the shortcuts (copy, paste, select text and so on) with the menu or shift button doesn't work.
:crying:
Is there a fix for that?

sacaudill · Sep 27, 2012

Thanks, these could prove to be very useful time savers!

Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app

cbensf · Jan 30, 2013

Gauchomatero said:
I'm using Pureness ICS, and there the shortcuts (copy, paste, select text and so on) with the menu or shift button doesn't work.

Try Ctrl+A/X/C/V instead of Menu.

cbensf · Feb 11, 2013

binding QuickLaunchSettings to Search+Q

norristh said:
... I found this useful thread giving a workaround involving installing Nova or Apex Launchers to create a shortcut to the QuickLaunch Settings app
...
So you can also launch the app by opening Terminal and running:

am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.settings/.quicklaunch.QuickLaunchSettings

Thanks Norris! I didn't want to install Nova/Apex for this, so found Manual Intent Shortcuts in market (by IG88) which can create the shortcut as follows:
Action: android.intent.action.MAIN
Component Package: com.android.settings
Component Class FQN (note no /): com.android.settings.quicklaunch.QuickLaunchSettings

I wanted to go deeper and assign a quick launch key (Search+Q) to open the quick launch settings

It's easy: When assigning a key, instead of choosing an application, select top-right "..." menu -> "Shortcuts", choose Manual Intent Launcher and configure as above.
Yay!

trapinha · May 30, 2013

Thanks

lanwarrior · Jul 15, 2014

What is the key to bring up the Menu itself? This is like pressing the soft-menu key on the device itself to bring the Menu of the application.

I have a Logitech K810 which works well. I tried pressing FN, the Windows button, CTRL and ALT and all no go.

pghosh · Apr 2, 2017

Hi,
I am looking for the keyboard combination for launching voice search. I found the Android key code. [Constant Value: 231 (0x000000e7)] but haven't figured out which keys to press for it.
Thanks!

shaooas said:
I would like share this useful information to you guys ..so some one helped

The Android mobile operating system has an impressive set of keyboard shortcuts to help you fly through your phone without digging through the menus. A couple of quick key presses are all you need for most common tasks.

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Scrolling

• Spacebar: Page down in any Web page/document view

• Shift + Spacebar: Page up in any Web page/document view

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Typing

• Alt + Spacebar: Insert a special character

• Shift + Del: Delete the character to the right of the cursor

• Alt + Del: Delete an entire line

• Shift + Shift (press it twice): Activate caps-lock; press shift once more to exit

• Alt + Trackball-Left: Move cursor to beginning of line

• Alt + Trackball-Right: Move cursor to end of line

• Alt + Trackball-Up: Move cursor to top of page

• Alt + Trackball-Down: Move cursor to bottom of page

• Shift + Trackball-Left/Right: Highlight text for cutting or copying

• Menu + X: Cut text (will cut all text on-screen unless specific characters are highlighted)

• Menu + C: Copy text to clipboard (will copy all text on-screen unless specific characters are highlighted)

• Menu + V: Paste text from clipboard

• Menu + A: Select all text in the current field

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Browsing

• Menu + I: Zoom in

• Menu + O: Zoom out

• Menu + J: Go back a page

• Menu + K: Go forward a page

• Menu + R: Refresh current page

• Menu + F: Find on page

• Menu + B: Open bookmarks

• Menu + S: Open social network sharing menu

• Menu + H: View browsing history

• Menu + S: Open browser settings

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Gmail

• F: Forward current message (works only while inside the message)

• R: Reply to current message (works only while inside the message)

• A: Reply-all to current message (works only while inside the message)

• Y: Archive message (works from within message or while on main inbox list)

• Menu + U: Refresh inbox

• Menu + C: Compose new e-mail

• Enter: Open an e-mail (from the main inbox list)

• Alt + Trackball-Up: Jump to top of inbox

• Alt + Trackball-Down: Jump to bottom of inbox

Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Apps

• Search + B: Open browser

• Search + C: Open contacts

• Search + E: Open e-mail

• Search + G: Open Gmail

• Search + I: Open calendar

• Search + M: Open maps

• Search + P: Open music

• Search + S: Open text messaging

• Search + Y: Open YouTube

You can also customize the keyboard shortcuts for applications: Just go into "Applications" off the main system settings menu, then select "Quick Launch." From there, you can change any of the above app-controlling hotkeys and add in your own.

enorma · Jul 2, 2018

Got a Sony Bravia Android TV and a generic USB mini keyboard. I want to turn the TV off (standby) with a hotkey or some sort of button on the leanback launcher. Any suggestions?

bl4ck87 · Oct 23, 2019

Hello,
Someone know how to enter to settings?

TheShanMan · Feb 13, 2020

Curious if there are any keyboard shortcuts to access notifications?

Ujwal0872 · Apr 5, 2020

TheShanMan said:
Curious if there are any keyboard shortcuts to access notifications?

In honor Yes!

BoGy1980 · Nov 22, 2022

i know other keys, and i'm looking for the shortcut to change source

winkey + backspace = exit/back on remote ctrl
alt-tab = switches back and forth between the last used and current app
winkey + space = google search (start typing immediately)
crtl-alt-del = restarts your TV (like a PC did in the MSDOS-era)
if you have a keyboard with media buttons and special function buttons like the sleep button; those all work..

Internet-keyboards from the early days are especially good:
the "Homepage" button brings you back to the startscreen of AndroidTV
the "moon" sleep button puts your tv to sleep, a mode where you can use another device to wake it up very fast with Wake-On-Lan commands

I've found those just by trying out known windows and linux shortcuts i'm used to use...

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Android Keyboard Shortcuts: All The Hotkeys You Need

shaooas

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