---
title: "Keyboard shortcuts"
description: "Every key combination Droppy answers to lives on one page of Settings. Nothing is bound out of the box except what you record, so Droppy never takes a combination you were already using."
canonical: "https://getdroppy.app/docs/shortcuts"
last-updated: "2026-09-09"
---

# Keyboard shortcuts

Every key combination Droppy answers to lives on one page of Settings. Nothing is bound out of the box except what you record, so Droppy never takes a combination you were already using.

Record a shortcut by clicking its **Record shortcut** pill and pressing the keys. Droppy tells you immediately if the combination is already taken, by another Droppy shortcut or by a system one, so two things never fire on one press. **Load defaults** fills the page with a sensible set in one click.

## What you can bind

- **Expanded notch**: Open the notch on whichever screen the cursor is on, and jump straight into a specific widget.
- **Widgets**: One shortcut per widget, opening it in the notch from anywhere.
- **Floating file tray**: Reveal the floating file tray while dragging, and open the Tray Switcher to move between floating trays.
- **Clipboard**: Open history from anywhere, copy + favorite, and item shortcuts that act on the selected entries while the window is open.
- **Notch**: Reveal the notch, and hold-to-reveal using modifiers only: `⌘` `⌃` `⌥` `⇧` in any combination.
- **Thunderstorm**: Open the launcher from anywhere: `⌥` `Space` once you turn it on, or any combination or mouse button you record on its **Open panel** row. Anything it lists can have a hotkey of its own too, including a modifier tapped twice, such as the right `⌘`.
- **Hyper key**: Turn one key into a modifier of its own, for shortcuts no other app has claimed: Caps Lock, or the right Control, Shift, Option or Command. A quick press on its own can do nothing, keep the key's usual job, press Escape or open Thunderstorm. It is off until you turn it on.
- **Action Ring**: Tap to open then tap again to close, or hold, move to a button and let go to select.
- **Capture**: Every Element Capture mode, a floating toolbar for mode, timer and exact size, editor keys that work only inside the editor, and show or hide pinned screenshots.
- **Window Snap**: Halves, thirds, corners, maximize, center, and moving a window between displays.
- **Text Capture**: Select a screen area for on-device text recognition from anywhere.
- **Voice Transcribe**: Start a recording, or dictate into any text field.
- **Emoji Picker**: Open the picker while keeping your current app focused, or search emoji without typing a trigger.
- **Meetings**: Mute, camera, share and end call, recorded per meeting app.
- **Keyboard brightness**: Step the keyboard backlight up or down from any app, press or hold.

## Two things worth knowing

**Meetings take one combination only.** Meeting shortcuts work from any app while that meeting is live. If the meeting app already has the same combination as its own system-wide shortcut, keep only one of them, or each press runs the action twice.

**Replacing Spotlight.** Thunderstorm opens on `⌥` `Space`, so Spotlight keeps `⌘` `Space`. To give Thunderstorm that combination instead, open System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Spotlight and turn off Show Spotlight Search, then record `⌘` `Space` on its Open panel row.

## Inside Thunderstorm

Keys that work while the launcher is open. `⌘` `K` lists everything else a row can do, each action with its own shortcut. More in the [Thunderstorm guide](https://getdroppy.app/docs/droplets/thunderstorm).

- **`Return`**: Open the highlighted row.
- **`⌘` `Return`**: The row's second action, shown in its menu: copy a clipboard item, show a file in Finder, or keep calculating.
- **`⌘` `K`**: The row's actions, with a search field. A right-click opens the same menu.
- **`⌘` `1` to `0`**: Open one of the first ten rows. Hold `⌘` to see the numbers.
- **`⌃` `N` `⌃` `P`**: Move down and up, like the arrow keys.
- **`→` `←`**: Open a folder or preview a web result, and come back out.
- **`Esc`**: Clear what you typed, then go back a screen, then close.
- **`⌘` `Esc`**: Back to the main search from any screen.
- **`Delete`**: On an empty field, go back a screen.
- **`Tab`**: On an empty search, move on to AI Chat and Clipboard History; `⇧` `Tab` goes back. After a keyword, fill in that entry's fields; after other text, with AI on, ask AI about it.
- **`Space`**: On an empty search, open Search Files. After an alias, fill in that entry's fields.
- **`⌘` `Y`**: Quick Look the highlighted file. In AI Chat, open the chat history.
- **`⌘` `J`**: Ask AI about the highlighted file, clipboard item or text.
- **`⌘` `D`**: In AI Chat, move the chat to its own window.
- **`⌥` `⌘` `T`**: Translate a clipboard item, recognized text or a transcript.
- **`⇧` `⌘` `F`**: Add the row to Favorites, or take it out.
- **`⌥` `⌘` `↑` `↓`**: Move a favorite up or down.
- **`⇧` `⌘` `H`**: Hide the row from search.
- **`⌘` `P`**: Change the filter in Clipboard History and Search Files, or the model in AI Chat.
- **`⌥` `Return`**: Paste and keep the launcher open, in Clipboard History and the emoji grid.
- **`⇧` `⌘` `Return`**: Paste a clipboard item as plain text, or copy a calculation's expression.
- **`⌘` `.`**: Pin or unpin a clipboard item, quicklink, snippet or chat.
- **`⌃` `X`**: Delete what the row holds, such as a clipboard item, a calculation or a chat, or move a file to the Trash.
- **`⌘` `W`**: Close the launcher.
- **`⌘` `,`**: Open Thunderstorm's settings inside the launcher.

### AI quick action preview

- **`Return`**: Put the result in place of the selected text.
- **`⌘` `C`**: Copy the result, or the part of it you selected.
- **`⌘` `R`**: Run the action again.
- **`⌘` `D`**: Show or hide what changed.
- **`⌘` `.`**: Stop an action while it works.
- **`Esc` `⌘` `W`**: Close the preview.

### Translator

- **`Return`**: Copy the translation.
- **`⌘` `Return`**: Paste the translation into the app behind the launcher.
- **`⌘` `S`**: Swap the languages.
- **`⌘` `L`**: Choose the language to translate into.
- **`⇧` `⌘` `L`**: Choose the language to translate from.