Signal Desktop keyboard shortcuts
Chats, search, messages, and the composer in Signal Desktop.
29 shortcuts Mac and Windows checked September 14, 2026
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- Signal Desktop Documented
| Action | Keys | Row actions |
|---|---|---|
| Move between sections Navigation | Mac CmdT 1 more variant | Source |
| Go to the previous conversation Navigation | Mac OptionUp arrow 1 more variant | Source |
| Go to the next conversation Navigation | Mac OptionDown arrow 1 more variant | Source |
| Go to the previous unread conversation Navigation | Mac OptionShiftUp arrow 1 more variant | Source |
| Go to the next unread conversation Navigation | Mac OptionShiftDown arrow 1 more variant | Source |
| Open preferences Navigation | Mac Cmd, 1 more variant | Source |
| Open the conversation menu Navigation | Mac CmdShiftL 1 more variant | Source |
| Search Navigation | Mac CmdF 1 more variant | Source |
| Search within the conversation Navigation | Mac CmdShiftF 1 more variant | Source |
| Focus the message composer Navigation | Mac CmdShiftT 1 more variant | Source |
| Open the media view Navigation | Mac CmdShiftM 1 more variant | Source |
| Open the emoji chooser Navigation | Mac CmdShiftJ 1 more variant | Source |
| Start recording a voice note Navigation | Mac CmdShiftV 1 more variant | Source |
| Archive the conversation Navigation | Mac CmdShiftA 1 more variant | Source |
| Unarchive the conversation Navigation | Mac CmdShiftU 1 more variant | Source |
| Scroll to the top of the list Navigation | Mac CmdUp arrow 1 more variant | Source |
| Scroll to the bottom of the list Navigation | Mac CmdDown arrow 1 more variant | Source |
| Close the current conversation Navigation | Mac CmdShiftC 1 more variant | Source |
| Run the default action on a message Message selected | Mac Enter 1 more variant | Source |
| View the message details Message selected | Mac CmdD 1 more variant | Source |
| Reply to the selected message Message selected | Mac CmdShiftR 1 more variant | Source |
| Save the attachment Message selected | Mac CmdS 1 more variant | Source |
| Delete the selected message Message selected | Mac CmdShiftD 1 more variant | Source |
| Add a new line to the message Composer | Mac ShiftEnter 1 more variant | Source |
| Expand the composer Composer | Mac CmdShiftX 1 more variant | Source |
| Send from the expanded composer Expanded composer | Mac CmdEnter 1 more variant | Source |
| Attach a file Composer | Mac CmdU 1 more variant | Source |
| Remove the draft link preview Composer | Mac CmdP 1 more variant | Source |
| Remove every draft attachment Composer | Mac CmdShiftP 1 more variant | Source |
About Signal Desktop and its shortcuts
Signal Desktop keeps a deliberately small keyboard: moving between conversations, searching, starting a new message, and the calling controls. The list is short because the application is, and that is a design choice rather than an omission.
Signal Desktop depends on a linked phone and changes with the application rather than with any web standard, so an un-updated installation can differ from the current documentation.
Where the Signal Desktop keys came from
Read from 1 documentation page published by the makers of Signal Desktop. Report a key that is wrong
To see how one action is done in other apps as well as Signal Desktop, browse the shortcuts by task. Shortcuts by task