This page is a complete keyboard shortcut reference for GitHub on macOS, covering all 75 shortcuts organized into 11 sections. Whether you’re new to GitHub or looking to master advanced features, this cheat sheet has every key combination you need — from basic editing and navigation to app-specific power-user actions.
Keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to work in GitHub. Every time you use a shortcut instead of reaching for the mouse, you save a few seconds — and those seconds compound into hours over weeks and months. Start with the shortcuts you use most (copy, paste, undo, save), then gradually add app-specific ones as they become relevant to your workflow. Bookmark this page or download the PDF cheat sheet for quick reference.
Using keyboard shortcuts in GitHub reduces context switching between keyboard and mouse, helping you maintain focus and work more efficiently. Research shows that shortcut-driven workflows can save up to 8 working days per year compared to menu-driven navigation. On macOS, most GitHub shortcuts follow standard conventions — once you learn the modifier key patterns, new shortcuts become intuitive.
Tips for Learning Shortcuts
- Practice one new GitHub shortcut each day. Muscle memory builds faster when you focus on a single combination at a time rather than trying to learn them all at once.
- Print or bookmark this page for quick reference while working in GitHub. Having shortcuts visible nearby helps bridge the gap between looking them up and recalling them from memory.
- Start with the shortcuts you use most. In GitHub, common actions like copy, paste, undo, and save are worth learning first since they apply across nearly every workflow.
Site wide shortcuts5
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Show keyboard shortcuts | ? |
| Focus search bar | S |
| Close hovercard | Esc |
| Command Palette | ⌘K |
| Command Palette in Markdown | ⌥⌘K |
Source code editing11
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open web editor | . |
| Edit file | E |
| Find in editor | ⌘F |
| Find next | ⌘G |
| Find previous | ⇧⌘G |
| Replace | ⌥⌘F |
| Replace all | ⌥⇧⌘F |
| Jump to line | ⌥G |
| Undo | ⌘Z |
| Redo | ⌘Y |
| Toggle edit/preview | ⇧⌘P |
Source code browsing6
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| File finder | T |
| Jump to line in code | L |
| Switch branch or tag | W |
| Expand URL to canonical form | Y |
| Show/hide diff comments | I |
| Open blame view | B |
Issue and pull request lists8
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Filter by assignee | A |
| Create issue | C |
| Focus search bar | ⌘/ |
| Filter by author | U |
| Filter by labels | L |
| Exclude labels | ⌥Click |
| Filter by milestones | M |
| Open issue | ↩ |
Issues and pull requests5
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Request reviewer | Q |
| Set milestone | M |
| Apply label | L |
| Set assignee | A |
| Toggle write/preview | ⇧⌘P |
Changes in pull requests6
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open commits list | C |
| Open changed files | T |
| Move selection down | J |
| Move selection up | K |
| Comment on diff | ⇧⌘↩ |
| Toggle outdated comments | ⌥Click |
Project boards14
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Start moving column | ↩ |
| Cancel move | Esc |
| Move column left | ← |
| Move column to leftmost | ⌘← |
| Move column right | → |
| Move column to rightmost | ⌘→ |
| Move card down | ↓ |
| Move card to bottom | ⌘↓ |
| Move card up | ↑ |
| Move card to top | ⌘↑ |
| Move card to top of left column | ⇧← |
| Move card to top of right column | ⇧→ |
| Move card to top of leftmost column | ⇧⌘← |
| Move card to top of rightmost column | ⇧⌘→ |
GitHub Actions1
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Workflow suggestions | ⌘Space |
Notifications4
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Mark as done | E |
| Mark as unread | ⇧U |
| Mark as read | ⇧I |
| Unsubscribe | ⇧M |
Network graph8
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Scroll left | H |
| Scroll right | L |
| Scroll up | K |
| Scroll down | J |
| Scroll all the way left | ⇧← |
| Scroll all the way right | ⇧→ |
| Scroll all the way up | ⇧↑ |
| Scroll all the way down | ⇧↓ |
Frequently Asked Questions
Access GitHub shortcuts from your menu bar
KeyShortcut detects the active app and shows its shortcuts instantly. No memorization needed.
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