- Start here: open the full shortcut list
- The ChatGPT shortcuts worth knowing
- Search your chats in a second
- Shortcuts in the Mac app
- Shortcuts in the Windows app
- Small ones that save time
- Why your shortcut might not work
- Make your own shortcuts stick
- Pair shortcuts with good prompts
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
The ChatGPT shortcut worth learning first is Cmd + / on a Mac or Ctrl + / on Windows, which shows the full list inside ChatGPT. After that, Ctrl or Cmd + K opens search, Ctrl or Cmd + Shift + ; copies the last code block, and Option + Space opens the Mac app's Chat Bar.
Most people use ChatGPT entirely with the mouse and never realise it has a shortcut list built in. OpenAI's release notes mention it in passing, and the desktop apps add a few more of their own. Here are the ones I'd learn first, where they come from, and how to see the full, current list on your own screen.
Start here: open the full shortcut list
Press Cmd + / on a Mac or Ctrl + / on Windows while you're in ChatGPT. OpenAI's release notes point to this as the way to see the complete list. It's the most useful shortcut of all, because the list changes as features arrive, and the pop-up always shows what works in your version.
The ChatGPT shortcuts worth knowing
| Shortcut | What it does | Where it works |
|---|---|---|
| Cmd or Ctrl + / | Shows the full shortcut list | ChatGPT |
| Cmd or Ctrl + K | Opens Search for your chats, projects and files | ChatGPT on the web |
| Cmd or Ctrl + Shift + ; | Copies the last code block | ChatGPT |
| Option + Space | Opens the Chat Bar from anywhere | Mac app |
| Alt + Space | Opens the companion window | Windows app, while it's open |
| Command + . | Stops a response mid-stream | Mac app |
| Command + F | Finds text inside a conversation | Mac app |
Search your chats in a second
Ctrl + K on Windows or Cmd + K on a Mac opens Search. OpenAI is clear that this searches your own content, meaning chats, projects and files, not the web. Type any word you remember from a conversation and it appears, including chats you've archived. If you keep losing useful conversations, this one shortcut fixes it. Cmd + click a result in the search panel and it opens in a new tab, so you can check several old chats without losing your place in the current one.
Shortcuts in the Mac app
The Mac app has its own set. Option + Space opens the Chat Bar, a small window you can call up over whatever you're working on, then type a question, attach a file, take a screenshot or snap a photo. OpenAI says you can change that shortcut in the app's settings if it clashes with something else.
The Mac release notes add a few more: Command + . stops a response that's running away with itself, Command + F finds text within a conversation, and Command + Shift + 1 or Command + Shift + 2 share your main desktop or the active window with ChatGPT. There's also a shortcut to show and hide the sidebar, which you'll find in the in-app list.
Shortcuts in the Windows app
On Windows, Alt + Space opens the companion window while the ChatGPT app is running, so you can ask a quick question without switching windows. OpenAI warns that it won't work if another program has already claimed Alt + Space. If that happens, change it under Settings, App, Companion window hotkey.
Small ones that save time
- Cmd + A in the Mac app now selects just the conversation, not the buttons and menus around it, so copying a chat into a document is cleaner.
- Cmd + click on a search result opens it in a new tab, so you don't lose your place.
Why your shortcut might not work
Three usual suspects. First, you're in the browser but trying a desktop-app shortcut, such as Option + Space, which only works in the Mac app. Second, another program has taken the same combination; that's common with Alt + Space on Windows and with launcher apps on a Mac. Third, your keyboard layout puts the slash or semicolon somewhere else, so try the shortcut list to see the exact keys.
Make your own shortcuts stick
The trick with any shortcut is using it until your fingers remember. Pick one this week, say Cmd or Ctrl + K for search, and force yourself to use it every time instead of scrolling the sidebar. Next week add the copy-code shortcut if you work with code, or the Chat Bar if you're on a Mac. Two or three habits like that will save you more time than memorising a whole table you'll forget by Friday.
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Pair shortcuts with good prompts
Shortcuts save seconds; better prompts save hours. Once you're moving around ChatGPT quickly, set up custom instructions so it already knows how you like answers written. And if you talk to ChatGPT more than you type, voice mode is faster still.
My verdict
Learn three: Cmd or Ctrl + / to see the list, Cmd or Ctrl + K to search your chats, and Option + Space if you're on a Mac. Everything else you'll pick up from the pop-up list as you need it. That's the shortcut that keeps working even when OpenAI adds new ones.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see all ChatGPT keyboard shortcuts?
Press Cmd + / on a Mac or Ctrl + / on Windows. OpenAI's release notes point to this as the way to see the complete list.
What is the ChatGPT shortcut to search chats?
Ctrl + K on Windows or Cmd + K on a Mac opens Search for your chats, projects and files.
How do I open ChatGPT with a keyboard shortcut on Mac?
In the Mac app, press Option + Space to open the Chat Bar. You can change this shortcut in the app's settings.
Why doesn't Alt + Space open ChatGPT on Windows?
Another program may already use it. Change the shortcut under Settings, App, Companion window hotkey in the ChatGPT Windows app.
How do I stop a ChatGPT response with the keyboard?
In the Mac app, the release notes list Command + . to stop a streaming response.
