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Overview

Aurora OS is designed for keyboard-first navigation with comprehensive shortcuts across the entire system. Press Shift + ? anytime to display the interactive keyboard shortcuts overlay.
All shortcuts support both Windows/Linux (Super/Win) and macOS (Cmd) modifier keys

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Essential Shortcuts

The most frequently used shortcuts for daily productivity.

Open Terminal

Super + T or Cmd + T

Open Files

Super + F or Cmd + F

Open Browser

Super + B or Cmd + B

Lock Screen

Super + L or Cmd + L

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Application Shortcuts

Launch and manage applications quickly.

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Launch Applications

ShortcutActionDescription
Super + TTerminalOpen terminal emulator
Super + FFilesOpen file manager
Super + BBrowserOpen web browser
Super + EText EditorOpen text editor
Super + ,SettingsOpen system settings
Super + SpaceSpotlightOpen search/launcher
Cmd/Ctrl + NNewCreate new (context-dependent)

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Window Management

ShortcutAction
Ctrl + QClose active window
Cmd + MMinimize window
Cmd + WClose tab/window
Alt + TabSwitch windows
Alt + Shift + TabReverse switch windows
F11Toggle fullscreen
Drag windows to screen edges for automatic snap zones: left/right for 50% split, corners for 25% quadrants

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Workspace & Desktop

Manage virtual workspaces and desktop organization.

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Workspace Switching

ShortcutActionDescription
Super + 1Workspace 1Switch to workspace 1
Super + 2Workspace 2Switch to workspace 2
Super + 3Workspace 3Switch to workspace 3
Super + 4Workspace 4Switch to workspace 4
Ctrl + Left/RightNavigatePrevious/next workspace

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Desktop Management

  • Super + D - Show desktop (minimize all windows)
  • F3 - Exposé view (mission control)
  • F4 - Application launcher
  • Super + Tab - Application switcher
  • Shift + ? - Show keyboard shortcuts overlay

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System Controls

Quick access to system functions and settings.

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Power & Session

ShortcutActionNotes
Super + LLock screenRequires password to unlock
Ctrl + Alt + DeleteSecurity menuPower, lock, log out options
Super + QLog outCloses all apps and logs out

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Quick Settings

Toggle WiFi

Access via Control Center (top-right) or Fn + F2

Toggle Bluetooth

Access via Control Center or Fn + F3

Brightness

Fn + F1 (down) / Fn + F2 (up)

Volume

Fn + F10 (mute) / Fn + F11 (down) / Fn + F12 (up)

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Terminal Shortcuts

Efficient command-line navigation within the Terminal app.

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Command Line Editing

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Terminal Commands

# View all commands
help

# System info with shortcuts
shortcuts

# View command history
history

# Clear terminal
clear  # or Ctrl + L

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File Manager Shortcuts

Navigate and manage files efficiently in the Files app.
ShortcutActionDescription
Cmd/Ctrl + NNew FolderCreate new folder in current directory
Cmd/Ctrl + RRenameRename selected file or folder
Cmd/Ctrl + CCopyCopy selected items
Cmd/Ctrl + XCutCut selected items
Cmd/Ctrl + VPastePaste clipboard items
DeleteRemoveDelete selected items
Cmd/Ctrl + ASelect AllSelect all items in view
Cmd/Ctrl + FFindSearch in current directory
BackspaceGo BackNavigate to parent directory
Cmd/Ctrl + 1Grid ViewSwitch to grid view
Cmd/Ctrl + 2List ViewSwitch to list view
File operations respect the BPE/U security model and require appropriate permissions

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Text Editor Shortcuts

Code faster with editor shortcuts for the Text Editor app.

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Editing

  • Cmd/Ctrl + S - Save file
  • Cmd/Ctrl + Z - Undo
  • Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z - Redo
  • Cmd/Ctrl + F - Find
  • Cmd/Ctrl + H - Find and replace
  • Cmd/Ctrl + A - Select all
  • Cmd/Ctrl + C - Copy
  • Cmd/Ctrl + X - Cut
  • Cmd/Ctrl + V - Paste

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Advanced

  • Cmd/Ctrl + / - Toggle comment
  • Cmd/Ctrl + ] - Indent selection
  • Cmd/Ctrl + [ - Outdent selection
  • Cmd/Ctrl + D - Duplicate line
  • Cmd/Ctrl + L - Select line
  • Alt + Up/Down - Move line up/down
  • Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + K - Delete line

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Browser Shortcuts

Navigate the web efficiently in the Browser app.
ShortcutActionDescription
Cmd/Ctrl + TNew TabOpen new browser tab
Cmd/Ctrl + WClose TabClose current tab
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + TReopen TabReopen last closed tab
Cmd/Ctrl + LAddress BarFocus URL address bar
Cmd/Ctrl + RRefreshReload current page
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + RHard RefreshClear cache and reload
Alt + LeftBackNavigate back
Alt + RightForwardNavigate forward
Cmd/Ctrl + +Zoom InIncrease page zoom
Cmd/Ctrl + -Zoom OutDecrease page zoom
Cmd/Ctrl + 0Reset ZoomReset zoom to 100%
Cmd/Ctrl + TabNext TabSwitch to next tab
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + TabPrevious TabSwitch to previous tab

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Enhanced App Shortcuts

Shortcuts for the new enhanced applications.

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Notes App

New Note

Cmd/Ctrl + N - Create new note

Delete Note

Cmd/Ctrl + Backspace - Delete current note

Search

Cmd/Ctrl + F - Search notes

Switch Note

Cmd/Ctrl + Up/Down - Navigate notes

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Tasks App

ShortcutAction
EnterAdd task (when input focused)
SpaceToggle task completion
DeleteRemove task
TabFocus next task

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Music Player

  • Space - Play/pause
  • Left Arrow - Previous track
  • Right Arrow - Next track
  • Up Arrow - Volume up
  • Down Arrow - Volume down
  • M - Mute/unmute

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Accessibility Shortcuts

Shortcuts to enhance accessibility and ease of use.
ShortcutActionDescription
Shift + ?HelpShow keyboard shortcuts overlay
Cmd/Ctrl + PlusZoom InIncrease UI scale
Cmd/Ctrl + MinusZoom OutDecrease UI scale
Cmd/Ctrl + 0Reset ZoomReset UI to 100%
Alt + Shift + KHigh ContrastToggle high contrast mode
Ctrl + Alt + RReduced MotionToggle animation reduction
Aurora OS respects browser preferences for prefers-reduced-motion and prefers-contrast

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Custom Shortcuts

Define custom shortcuts in Settings → Keyboard.

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Creating Custom Shortcuts

  1. Open Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts
  2. Click “Add Custom Shortcut”
  3. Enter command or action
  4. Press desired key combination
  5. Save and test
Custom shortcuts are stored in localStorage and synced across sessions

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Terminal Command Shortcuts

Quick commands for common operations in Terminal. 
# System shortcuts
shortcuts     # Display keyboard shortcuts overlay
desktop       # Show desktop
tile          # Tile all windows
cascade       # Cascade windows
screenshot    # Capture screenshot
expo          # Toggle Exposé view

# GPU effects
gpu on        # Enable GPU compositor
gpu off       # Disable GPU compositor
gpu rain      # Enable rain effect
gpu snow      # Enable snow effect
gpu crt       # Toggle CRT effect

# App store
store list    # List available apps
store search weather  # Search apps
store install notes   # Install app
store run music       # Launch app

# File operations
open terminal # Open Terminal app
open files    # Open Files app
open weather  # Open Weather app

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Keyboard Shortcuts Overlay

Press Shift + ? anywhere in Aurora OS to display the interactive shortcuts overlay.

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Overlay Features

  • Categorized: Shortcuts grouped by function (System, Apps, Window Management)
  • Searchable: Filter shortcuts by typing
  • Visual: Shows keyboard layout with highlighted keys
  • Contextual: Displays relevant shortcuts for active app
  • Printable: Export shortcuts as PDF or text
The overlay updates dynamically based on the active application and context

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Cheat Sheet

Quick reference card for essential shortcuts:

Launch

  • Terminal: Super + T
  • Files: Super + F
  • Browser: Super + B
  • Search: Super + Space

Window

  • Close: Ctrl + Q
  • Minimize: Cmd + M
  • Desktop: Super + D
  • Exposé: F3

System

  • Lock: Super + L
  • Settings: Super + ,
  • Help: Shift + ?
  • Fullscreen: F11

Terminal

  • Clear: Ctrl + L
  • History: Up/Down
  • Complete: Tab
  • Kill: Ctrl + C

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Tips for Efficiency

  1. Learn incrementally: Master 5-10 shortcuts per week
  2. Use Spotlight: Super + Space is fastest for launching anything
  3. Terminal power: Combine keyboard shortcuts with shell commands
  4. Workspace organization: Use Super + 1-4 for context switching
  5. Window management: Master snap zones for efficient multitasking
Practice shortcuts in the Shortcuts Training mode (Settings → Keyboard → Training)

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Platform Differences

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macOS

  • Use Cmd instead of Super/Win
  • Option instead of Alt for some shortcuts
  • Native macOS shortcuts are preserved where possible

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Windows/Linux

  • Use Super/Win or Ctrl depending on context
  • Alt for window management
  • Consistent with platform conventions

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Browser Conflicts

Some shortcuts may conflict with browser defaults:
  • Ctrl + W - May close browser tab instead of app window
  • Ctrl + T - May open browser tab instead of Terminal
  • F11 - May toggle browser fullscreen
Solution: Run Aurora OS in fullscreen mode (F11) or as a Progressive Web App (PWA) to avoid conflicts.

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