---
title: Keybinds
description: Every default keybind in Verde, plus how to remap or disable each binding in verde.json.
section: Workspace
order: 6
slug: keybinds
---

## Default keybinds

These are the defaults, read from `packages/desktop/src/keybinds.zig`. Override
any of them under `keybinds` in your Verde config — see [Remapping](#remapping)
below.

### App

| Combo                       | Action                                |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| `Ctrl+Shift+P` / `Cmd+Shift+P` | Command palette                    |
| `Ctrl+T` / `Cmd+T`          | New chat thread                       |
| `Ctrl+W` / `Cmd+W`, `Alt+X` | Close the focused pane                |
| `Ctrl+Shift+W` / `Cmd+Shift+W` | Close the current workspace (reopen from the command palette) |
| `Ctrl+R` / `Cmd+R`, `Ctrl+Shift+R`, `F5` | Refresh / reload app         |
| `Alt+O`                     | Open the default project              |
| `Ctrl+Shift+O`              | Open in external editor               |

### Sidebar & panes

| Combo                       | Action                                |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| `Ctrl+S` / `Cmd+S`          | Toggle the sidebar (visible ↔ icon)   |
| `Ctrl+Shift+S`             | Toggle the sidebar's hidden mode      |
| `Ctrl+B`                    | Toggle the embedded browser pane      |
| `Tab`                       | Inside a chat pane, focus the prompt box |
| `Alt+1 … Alt+9, Alt+0`     | Jump between workspaces by sidebar order |
| `Alt+↑` / `Alt+↓`          | Cycle to the previous / next workspace |

### Focus (vim-style)

| Combo    | Action                          |
| -------- | ------------------------------- |
| `Ctrl+H` | Focus the pane to the left  |
| `Ctrl+L` | Focus the pane to the right |
| `Ctrl+K` | Focus the pane above        |
| `Ctrl+J` | Focus the pane below        |

`Alt+arrow` combos are no longer focus aliases — `Alt+↑` / `Alt+↓` now cycle
between workspaces (see the sidebar table above).

### Swap (rearrange the tiling)

| Combo              | Action                                |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| `Ctrl+Shift+H`     | Swap focused pane with the left one   |
| `Ctrl+Shift+L`     | Swap focused pane with the right one  |
| `Ctrl+Shift+K`     | Swap focused pane with the one above  |
| `Ctrl+Shift+J`     | Swap focused pane with the one below  |

### Resize (grow)

| Combo              | Action                       |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------- |
| `Alt+Shift+←`      | Grow the focused pane left   |
| `Alt+Shift+→`      | Grow the focused pane right  |
| `Alt+Shift+↑`      | Grow the focused pane up     |
| `Alt+Shift+↓`      | Grow the focused pane down   |

### Zoom

| Combo   | Action                                              |
| ------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `Alt+Z` | Zoom the focused pane to fill the workspace; toggle again to restore |

### Workspace splits

| Combo             | Action                                            |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `Ctrl+Shift+T` / `Cmd+Shift+T` | Split a terminal pane next to the focus |

Vertical / horizontal chat splits, terminal-vertical splits, and minimize have
**no default keybind**. Use the pane header buttons: `C|` / `C-` for chat
vertical / horizontal, `T|` / `T-` for terminal vertical / horizontal, and the
minimize button. You can bind these actions yourself — see the table of
binding keys below.

### Terminal (inside a focused terminal pane)

| Combo                              | Action                          |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| `Ctrl+Alt+T` / `Cmd+Alt+T`         | New terminal tab                |
| `Ctrl+Shift+R` / `Cmd+Shift+R`     | Rename the active terminal tab  |
| `Ctrl+Shift+PageUp`                | Previous terminal tab           |
| `Ctrl+Shift+PageDown`              | Next terminal tab               |
| `Ctrl+Alt+↑` / `Cmd+Alt+↑`         | Focus the terminal split above  |
| `Ctrl+Alt+↓` / `Cmd+Alt+↓`         | Focus the terminal split below  |
| `Ctrl+Alt+←` / `Cmd+Alt+←`         | Focus the terminal split left   |
| `Ctrl+Alt+→` / `Cmd+Alt+→`         | Focus the terminal split right   |
| `Ctrl+-` / `Ctrl+=`                | Per-terminal zoom out / in      |

### Chat transcript scrolling

| Combo       | Action                          |
| ----------- | ------------------------------- |
| `↑`         | Scroll up one line               |
| `↓`         | Scroll down one line             |
| `PageUp`    | Scroll up one page               |
| `PageDown`  | Scroll down one page             |

Transcript scrolling is **direct** — no inertia or velocity decay. When input
stops, the view stops. Do not expect a multi-frame glide.

## Remapping

Override any binding under `keybinds` in your `verde.json`. On Unix it is under
`$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/verde` or `~/.config/verde`; on Windows it is under
`%APPDATA%\Verde`. Use a string for one shortcut, or a string array for multiple
shortcuts on the same action:

```json
{
  "keybinds": {
    "new_thread": "CommandOrControl+T",
    "browser": "Ctrl+B",
    "workspace": {
      "close_current": "CommandOrControl+Shift+W",
      "focus_up": "Ctrl+K",
      "focus_down": "Ctrl+J",
      "focus_left": "Ctrl+H",
      "focus_right": "Ctrl+L",
      "previous": "Alt+Up",
      "next": "Alt+Down",
      "move_left": "Ctrl+Shift+H",
      "move_right": "Ctrl+Shift+L",
      "move_up": "Ctrl+Shift+K",
      "move_down": "Ctrl+Shift+J",
      "toggle_maximize": "Alt+Z",
      "close": ["CommandOrControl+W", "Alt+X"],
      "select": ["Alt+1", "Alt+2", "Alt+3", "Alt+4", "Alt+5", "Alt+6", "Alt+7", "Alt+8", "Alt+9", "Alt+0"]
    },
    "terminal": {
      "new_tab": "CommandOrControl+Alt+T",
      "close": "CommandOrControl+Shift+W",
      "rename_tab": "CommandOrControl+Shift+R",
      "tab_previous": "CommandOrControl+Shift+PageUp",
      "tab_next": "CommandOrControl+Shift+PageDown",
      "focus_up": "CommandOrControl+Alt+Up",
      "focus_down": "CommandOrControl+Alt+Down",
      "focus_left": "CommandOrControl+Alt+Left",
      "focus_right": "CommandOrControl+Alt+Right"
    }
  }
}
```

## Disabling a binding

Set the binding to `null`, an empty string, or an empty array to disable it:

```json
{
  "keybinds": {
    "terminal": {
      "toggle": null,
      "split_up": null,
      "split_down": null,
      "split_left": null,
      "split_right": null
    }
  }
}
```

## Binding keys reference

The keybinds config uses the same accelerator grammar as the desktop defaults.
The top-level keys group actions by surface; the inner values are one shortcut
or an array of shortcuts.

| Group       | Keys (subset)                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| top         | `refresh`, `open_default`, `open_editor`, `new_thread`, `command_palette`, `toggle_sidebar`, `toggle_sidebar_hidden`, `toggle_browser`, `toggle_terminal`                                                                       |
| chat        | `chat_up`, `chat_down`, `chat_page_up`, `chat_page_down`                                                                                                                                                                          |
| `workspace` | `split_chat_vertical`, `split_chat_horizontal`, `split_terminal_vertical`, `split_terminal_horizontal`, `toggle_maximize`, `minimize`, `close`, `close_current`, `focus_left`, `focus_right`, `focus_up`, `focus_down`, `focus_prompt`, `move_*`, `grow_*`, `select`, `previous`, `next` |
| `terminal`  | `new_tab`, `close`, `rename_tab`, `tab_previous`, `tab_next`, `split_up`, `split_down`, `split_left`, `split_right`, `focus_up`, `focus_down`, `focus_left`, `focus_right`                                                       |

Keybinds are loaded on startup and on app refresh. See [Configuration &
state](/docs/config) for the full `verde.json` schema and where state lives.