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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29 actions and 29 key variants match.
- Signal Desktop Documented
| Action | Keys | Row actions |
|---|---|---|
| Move between sections Navigation | Windows CtrlT | Source |
| Go to the previous conversation Navigation | Windows AltUp arrow | Source |
| Go to the next conversation Navigation | Windows AltDown arrow | Source |
| Go to the previous unread conversation Navigation | Windows AltShiftUp arrow | Source |
| Go to the next unread conversation Navigation | Windows AltShiftDown arrow | Source |
| Open preferences Navigation | Windows Ctrl, | Source |
| Open the conversation menu Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftL | Source |
| Search Navigation | Windows CtrlF | Source |
| Search within the conversation Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftF | Source |
| Focus the message composer Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftT | Source |
| Open the media view Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftM | Source |
| Open the emoji chooser Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftJ | Source |
| Start recording a voice note Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftV | Source |
| Archive the conversation Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftA | Source |
| Unarchive the conversation Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftU | Source |
| Scroll to the top of the list Navigation | Windows CtrlUp arrow | Source |
| Scroll to the bottom of the list Navigation | Windows CtrlDown arrow | Source |
| Close the current conversation Navigation | Windows CtrlShiftC | Source |
| Run the default action on a message Message selected | Windows Enter | Source |
| View the message details Message selected | Windows CtrlD | Source |
| Reply to the selected message Message selected | Windows CtrlShiftR | Source |
| Save the attachment Message selected | Windows CtrlS | Source |
| Delete the selected message Message selected | Windows CtrlShiftD | Source |
| Add a new line to the message Composer | Windows ShiftEnter | Source |
| Expand the composer Composer | Windows CtrlShiftX | Source |
| Send from the expanded composer Expanded composer | Windows CtrlEnter | Source |
| Attach a file Composer | Windows CtrlU | Source |
| Remove the draft link preview Composer | Windows CtrlP | Source |
| Remove every draft attachment Composer | Windows CtrlShiftP | 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