Hotkeys? Yes, please!

[fxpm-nicole]

Hello Connect Community!
This is Nicole from the Fx Essentials Product Management Team. I am in the process of exploring some potential changes around hotkeys/keyboard shortcuts, as this is something that is being asked for quite a bit in the Connect Community.

I have a few questions I'd like to put out there for everyone.
1. What are your top five most used hotkeys/keyboard shortcuts?
2. What shortcuts do you wish Firefox offered?
3. Is there a non-Firefox browser you prefer because of how they 'do' hotkeys/shortcuts?

As always, thank you in advance for contributing to this discussion! Looking forward to hearing all of your answers!

Thanks!
Nicole

[lostmsu]

- Ctrl+T and Ctrl+W to open and close Tabs

- Ctrl+H for History

- Ctrl+F for Find

- Ctrl+ __D__ to Duplicate current tab (IT ACTUALLY DOES NOT WORK - it is a muscle memory from the time FF had customizable shortcuts. Now I get the "Add bookmark" window, get annoyed, remove the bookmark that I don't need, and then use the mouse to click the Duplicate tab menu that I actually need) - please see the thread

- Ctrl+Tab/Ctrl+Shift+Tab to swtich between tabs

- Ctrl+[+]/[-]

- F12 - for I am a dev

- F5 - for I am but a man

[okay_okay]

Thanks for starting this conversation. Not sure if this has already been said but when moving over from a different browser it would be nice to have option of using same hotkeys from previous browser that we're familiar with.  

[wunewww]

The top 5:

1. `Ctrl + [numbers]` to travel between tabs
2. `Ctrl + PageUp/Down` to rotate b/w tabs, I usually change the sequence of tabs for this
3. `Ctrl + w` to close tabs
4. `Ctrl + t` to open tabs
5. `Alt + left/right arrow` to load backward/forward

suggestions:

1. as mentioned in Firefox View Tab Keyboard Shortcut , Firefox view is awesome, it is worthy to have a shortcut to open it.
2. i use firefox both on windows and linux, is it possible to unify the two keybindings? e.g. on linux, `Super(Alt) + [num]` is equal to `Ctrl + [num]` on Windows, is it possible to set them in the same?

[loaf]

much of how I use keyboard shortcuts in FF has been covered by others. however I think a super sweet feature would be a retooling of cmd+k (not sure if that is win+k or ctrl+k on windows)

I use cmd+L to get to the omnibox, mostly for grabbing a url on my keyboard. it would be great if cmd+k would utilize the omnibox differently, so that the default was not simply searching via the default search engine

picture this workflow as being inherently about commands and actions pertinent to FF itself, like:

• opening the settings page or bookmark manager
• directly toggling certain settings, like themes
• search for an extension by name and launching it
• then, lower priority in results list would be specific bookmarks, open tabs, search results etc

so I want to toggle to dark theme? cmd+k "theme" would reveal the option. I want to open some extension or it's settings page? cmd+k "extension_name." I let my tabs get out of control, know that there is a news article open somewhere but don't want to ctrl+tab through thirty tabs. cmd+k "npr" surfaces that open tab with the NPR article

Vivaldi and Arc do pretty great jobs with this. this feature would elevate the FF, in my humble opinion

[jscher2000]

Just as a footnote: Ctrl+K/Command+K is the shortcut to put the cursor in the optional search bar. When the optional search bar isn't displayed, the shortcut is redirected to the address bar with the default search engine selected as filter, so that the input can't be misinterpreted as an address.

More on the optional bar: https://support.mozilla.org/kb/add-search-bar-firefox-toolbar

[loaf]

yes, this exactly describes the current cmd+k behavior. this has me thinking more about my suggestion, so I am just going to riff on it a bit — less response to you and more blue-sky-ing

I think that cmd+k is not currently as useful as it could be, as cmd+L focuses the address bar, and the address bar is capable of search or direct url navigation. although I am sure there are users that value having the optional search bar next to the address bar, for whatever reasons

and thinking now on the Vivaldi and Arc examples I tossed out there, cmd+k is not actually accurate. Arc uses cmd+t to offer a floating search bar that will open a new tab and navigate somewhere if that makes sense based on user input, otherwise it is a general purpose command center to provide instructions to the browser. and Vivaldi offers basically the same thing, except you can program it to whatever you please

the cmd+k shortcut in general is seeing more adoption by web apps as a kind of magic search, so hard-coding an FF shortcut to that combination, with no way to change it, could actually cause some headaches

tl;dr I would like a magic search box, whether it floats or is just a special state for the address bar, that primarily queries the browser itself for settings, bookmarks, open tabs, various other commands, etc., without showing me a bunch of results from the internet first. and without having to type * or % or ^ or whatever to narrow the scope

[lc0]

The previous suggestions already cover about everything. Since extensions aren't working on protected pages it's important that there is a native and flexible way to rebind, define new and export/import shortcuts settings.

Additionally, something annoying is that there exist a kind of failed/suspended tab state where F5 and F6 aren't working. When going to a tab like this the obvious reflex is to do F5 to reload them, but it just do nothing, same for F6.

[dannycolin]

This would be a very useful feature to have especially for both users and addon developers. A lot of keyboard shortcuts are already assigned to browser functionalities and it reduces the number of available ones for the installed addons.

A good example is User A might not need Ctrl+P to be assigned to "Print page" because they rarely use it and the menu entry is good enough those rare occasions they need it. They could reuse it for a functionality provided by an addon that they use daily.

[strangler01]

bro i wish you do something for the realoading key please add a feature for that, i use vimium on firefox so to go to normal mode i press escape and it stops the website from loading it's been so annoying to repeatedly press escape and then again Ctrl+R

[whatever2024]

Not only remapping, but also the ability to disable a shortcut entirely.

[Rebel_Bell]

Good call. I think this is the first time it has been mentioned, but it's a good point. I thought at first "Why? Surely you just ignore it?" but then I remembered a problem I had with Yahoo mail where they had a shortcut to send (it was something like Shift or Ctrl+Enter maybe). The number of times I sent a half written email because I'd done something such as Ctrl+V and not fully  released the Ctrl key before pressing enter to find the email sent! I got over it by doing exactly what you are asking for. At least if the don't implement this but do allow remapping it can be stuck somewhere on the outer limits of the keyboard!

[MrKistic]

Please let us disable or re-map them. Try using any sort of modified keyboard and see how insane things get. Especially the Tab navigation keys which are pretty bad to start with on a Mac. Using Command + Option + arrows for tab navigation is a terrible idea, and in my case it means my word selection keystrokes start changing tabs 🤦‍♂️ Chromium browsers use Ctrl + arrow but even better put it in the menus so you can override it at OS level. Firefox gives you wacky shortcuts and NO option to change them! That may have been okay in 1994 but it's just not cool in 2024.

[ieteilyiteylhtr]

As someone with a disability that requires me to use a special keyboard, I am so excited this is getting attention. On macOS, I am able to map custom shortcuts in System Settings, but they need to refer to menu items in an application. Adding common actions in the menu, such as "next tab", "previous tab", "back" would help a lot (Chrome has these).

A fully customizable config file, as others have mentioned, would be even better. No fixed layout can account for every input device, keyboard layout, and preference.

[Jon]

Thanks for the feedback!

[Rebel_Bell]

Good points. In an odd way, the more control over the keyboard, etc. for a user, the simpler the app can initially be because all the random bases don't need to be covered for all users, whilst letting individuals add in what they might specifically need. The config file though is also really important as it means you don't have to keep refiguring when updating or moving across platform/devices.

[Mutzu]

Hello @fxpm-nicole,

Ok, let's answer your questions. 🙂

The only shortcuts I use regularly are Control + B to to toggle the bookmark side pane and Control + P to open the print dialog. Sometimes I use PageUp, PageDown, Up or Down to navigate within the page. But I would need other shortcuts I'll mention later. And of course, Control + C and Control + V for copy and paste.

I guess I don't use many more as they are rather complicated and therefore hard to remember. Also, I have one hand on the mouse and I would need to move it on the keyboard, since some hotkeys feel quite awkward or impossible for me to be pressed with one hand. E.g.: "Control + Shift + O".

So I would appreciate it if there was a hotkey approach for one hand.

One Key Approach

I think it's for historical reasons that the Control key (or Alt, Alt Gr, ...) needs to be held down simultanously for shortcuts.

Actually, the additional Control key is only necessary if an input field has the focus. That’s why I'd suggest using the Escape key to remove the focus from input fields if they have it.
The I or Insert key could reset the focus as it was before. Of course, this could also be done with a mouse click. Then it's possible to use only one key.

But you could still use the control key version in addition.

I'm thinking about how hotkeys are used in the 3D software Blender.

It's the concept of pressing keys serially. (This means the next key must be pressed within a short time span.)

The ideal shortcut map for my current workflow would be:

First key	Second key (serially)	Third key (serially)	Action
G			open Simple Tab Groups Plugin side pan
G	1		open Simple Tab Groups Plugin side pan; and open the first group of the tab groups
G	2		open Simple Tab Groups Plugin side pan; and open the second group of the tab groups
G	{number}		open Simple Tab Groups Plugin side pan; and open the {number} group of the tab groups. (0 is the tenth group.)
N			new tab
P			open print dialog
B			toggle bookmark side pane
+			add page to bookmarks (same as clicking on the star)
-			remove page from bookmarks
H			hide current tab in a tab archive at the very right of the tabs bar.
C or W			close current tab
Left			go to left tab in the tab bar
Right			go to right tab in the tab bar
1			open first bookmark from the bookmark bar
{number}			open {number} bookmark from the bookmark bar. (0 is 10)
Alt (hold)			show assigned number key on the bookmarks in the boomark bar
F			focus on search input field at the bottom of the frame

If this serial key mapping for shortcuts was customizable, it would be awesome.

Best regards,
Mutzu

[suikaz]

I still try ctrl+shift+b every time I want to open bookmarks library because that just makes sense

and pretty often tap backspace when I'm sitting besides someone else trying to figure out a way around an unknown website to quickly move back in history and it doesn't work

when it comes to ones that do still work probably ctrl+t, ctrl+b, rarely ctrl+shift+t and generic text editing shortcuts

[nobelphoenix]

When can we expect to see a change? I don't expect a certain date or patch number but more like will it be next month, or next year?..

[Rehman_Navid]

I wish there was a way to switch tabs with keyboard shortcuts. The function exists on Windows version of Firefox but I'm missing it on Ubuntu.

[jscher2000]

---

@Rehman_Navid wrote:

I wish there was a way to switch tabs with keyboard shortcuts. The function exists on Windows version of Firefox but I'm missing it on Ubuntu.

---

Which shortcuts are missing? There is one significant difference, related to going to tabs by number. On Windows, it's Ctrl+number and on Linux, it's Alt+number.

https://support.mozilla.org/kb/keyboard-shortcuts-perform-firefox-tasks-quickly

[Rehman_Navid]

Hi! sorry for the late response. I eventually found out the shortcut. It was Ctrl + Tab for switching between already open tabs.

[hamiltonl]

1. My top five hotkeys:
   1. ctrl + T - new tab
   2. ctrl + W - close tab
   3. ctrl + tab or ctrl + shift + tab - cycle through tabs
   4. ctrl + L - cursor in address bar
   5. ctrl + F - find in page
2. Short cut I wished Firefox offered
   I wish I could use ctrl + shift + n to open a new private window.
3. I am in the process of switching from Brave to Firefox because of the upcoming vertical tabs feature. So far the main thing I'm missing from Brave is ctrl + shift + n to open a private window. I believe this makes way more sense than ctrl + shift + p. I guess the "p" is for "private" but "p" usually stands for "print". ctrl + n already opens a new window and adding shfit in there for a private window is easy to remember. I really hope this can be changed or maybe allow users to modify the hotkeys. Hopefully this feedback is helpful.

[mcortt]

I use the majority of the hotkeys. I really like the way Vivaldi does hotkeys. You can change almost any hotkey, and there are things that normally don't have hotkeys that are allowed to be assigned a keyboard shortcut by the user.

[suikaz]

the way they did hotkeys and mouse gestures is the golden standard that used to be common and expected, it's sad nowadays it's surprising

[Wyzo]

2. What shortcuts do you wish Firefox offered?
A shortcut for the eyedropper (even a complicated one like with "Alt"). When you do lot of testing on colors, you'd like to have a direct shortcut!

[frelancesage]

I'd love a shortcut to switch tabs by number! Would be way faster than hunting with Ctrl+Tab.

[suikaz]

ctrl+1-0 work, don't they?

[Rebel_Bell]

"ctrl+1-0 work, don't they?" Not on my machine, but I don't have hundreds of tabs open at once. I'm not sure how numbers would actually be faster than pressing ctrl+tab once you've factored in working out what number it actually it is? However, that doesn't matter because if user key reprogramming is built in, those who might need it or prefer it can do it by reprogramming the keys.

[wutongtaiwan]

I want you to emulate the Floorp browser, which is a fork of Firefox that has a wealth of custom hotkey features.The more custom hotkeys, the better

[Rebel_Bell]

Thanks for posting this, an interesting find! I've just loaded it on and had a quick look at it. It does seem to be faster/more responsive slightly. Interesting though, it also has user selectable hot keys easily accessed up front in the settings, something many here (me as well) have been asking for: "Customize Floorp's keyboard shortcuts. Floorp provides more than 80 customizable keyboard shortcuts! Duplicate keyboard shortcuts will not work. Restart Floorp to apply these settings." It also lets you disable the Mozilla standard ones easily with a tick box if you want to go the whole way.

From my first quick look, what is doesn't appear to have, though I've be pleased to be corrected, is a table of the actual shortcuts in use.

An earlier comment seems to point to the actual hotkey utility to be based on keyconfig, which also appears to ne Firefox compatible, so surely this could be added in automatically by Mozilla?

https://github.com/Floorp-Projects/Floorp/discussions/483

[Allan-L]

Put a key shortcut or icon to open the chatGPT panel, thanks

[mcortt]

Hard agree. Would be nice for a key shortcut to show/hide the sidebar too.

[TechHorse]

As a keyboard user I would find it difficult to pick a top 5 for hotkeys, as I use so many of them.

Much easier for me is to list some functions that I would like to be able to define hotkeys for in Firefox.

These include the following tab functions:
* Close Other Tabs
* Close Tabs to Left
* Close Tabs to Right
* Move tab to Start
* Move tab to End
* Duplicate Tab
* reload all tabs

A non-tab related function that I would also be interested in is a hotkey for signing out of your Primary Password.

Actualy I would prefer an item in the Tools Menu for signing in / out of the Primary Password, but would be satisfied with a hotkey. Because as it stands, there is of course no straightforward way to de-authorise your Primary Password once you have finished logging in somewhere.

Finally, the user should definately be alerted if there is a clash. I have used applications before now that give no indication that the key combination that you have just defined is already in use, and would not want to see that happening here.

[Rebel_Bell]

As well as alerting to a clash, a table showing what's used would also help in picking alternatives, especially where you are choosing multiple hotkeys around similar functions (such as your tabs examples).

[TechHorse]

Also, in the library it would be very useful to have the standard Windows alt+up hotkey for moving up one level to the parent folder.

As it stands, if I am in an items list in the righthand pane and wish to go up one level to the parent folder, then I have to press shift+tab to move to the lefthand tree list, press left to move up to the parent folder, then tab back into the righthand items list.

The standard Windows commands of alt+left and alt+right for moving backwards and forwards work in the library, and it would be useful if alt+up was to work here also.

Plus please enable backspace and shift+backspace as alternatives for alt+left / alt+right in the library, just as I can use them in the main window.

[Ponda]

Other than copy/paste and search I think I use only ctrl+shift+t to restore accidentally closed tabs. But I also use Total Speed to use NumPad for video control, which works great except that it triggers its own, very limited fullscreen instead of original or PiP, making this particular key bind useless. I would likely use more hotkeys if I could easily check them in browser and rebind to my liking.

[iksfclol]

Hello!

There is one hotkey I would absolutely love changed.

In Google Chrome you can press ctrl-shift-a to search your tabs (there is also a nice UI for this). This is an immensely useful functionality that I feel really really deprived without. Our closest comparable functionality for this can be accessed by pressing the down arrow on the far right of the tab bar and pressing "Search tabs".

Currently ctrl-shift-a for us opens about:addons. I really do not feel this is worthy of this prime keyboard real estate and could be changed to another hotkey.

I do think our tab search could do with a better UI, Chrome's ctrl-shift-a is nicer, vivaldi's ctrl-e is nicer. But getting a nice ergonomic shortcut would be a great start.

Also, seriously, if you're sitting on a browser all day reading programming docs or whatever, try this functionality out its a just sublime boost to productivity.

Thank you!

[haingdc]

In my case, I have the classic search bar with shortcut is 'Cmd + K'. I use it frequently but with some sites, they have the same shortcut for searching. That creates a conflict. My wish is that Firefox have hot keys system with strong customization 🙏

[wutongtaiwan]

I want to know when this feature will be developed? Have you decided to develop this feature?

[Rebel_Bell]

Possibly the most important comment here! This seems to have been talked about for a long time (before this actual thread) on what is such an obvious development. Talk means nothing if it's not actioned.