Keyboard Shortcuts

Kitty uses a powerful map directive to bind key combinations to actions. Every action kitty can perform is bindable, giving you complete control over your terminal shortcuts.

Core Idea

Every kitty shortcut is a map statement in kitty.conf: map <modifiers>+<key> <action>. The default prefix is ctrl+shift, but you can remap anything.

The Map Directive

~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf
# Syntax: map <key_combo> <action>

# Example defaults
map ctrl+shift+enter        new_window
map ctrl+shift+t            new_tab
map ctrl+shift+q            close_window
map ctrl+shift+left         previous_tab
map ctrl+shift+right        next_tab

Modifier Keys

Kitty supports these modifiers:

Modifier	Config Name	Notes
Control	`ctrl`
Shift	`shift`
Alt	`alt`	May conflict with Alt+letter combos in some apps
Super/Windows	`super`	Map to `cmd` on macOS

Combine modifiers with +:

map ctrl+shift+enter    new_window
map ctrl+alt+left       neighboring_window left
map ctrl+shift+alt+up   resize_window taller

Key Names

Kitty uses standard key names:

Key type	Names
Letters	`a` through `z`
Numbers	`0` through `9`
Function	`f1` through `f24`
Navigation	`left`, `right`, `up`, `down`, `home`, `end`, `page_up`, `page_down`
Editing	`backspace`, `delete`, `insert`, `tab`, `escape`, `enter`
Special	`space`, `comma`, `period`, `semicolon`, `grave`, `minus`, `equal`, `bracket_left`, `bracket_right`, `backslash`

Important Default Shortcuts

Window Management

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Shift+Enter`	New window (vertical split)
`Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Enter`	New window (horizontal split)
`Ctrl+Shift+arrows`	Focus neighboring window
`Ctrl+Shift+Alt+arrows`	Resize window
`Ctrl+Shift+z`	Maximize/unmaximize window
`Ctrl+Shift+q`	Close window
`Ctrl+Shift+w`	Close window (alternative)

Tab Management

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Shift+t`	New tab
`Ctrl+Shift+Alt+t`	Set tab title
`Ctrl+Shift+left`	Previous tab
`Ctrl+Shift+right`	Next tab
`Ctrl+Shift+1-9`	Switch to tab by number
`Ctrl+Shift+,`	Move tab left
`Ctrl+Shift+.`	Move tab right

Scrolling and Selection

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Shift+up`	Scroll line up
`Ctrl+Shift+down`	Scroll line down
`Ctrl+Shift+page_up`	Scroll page up
`Ctrl+Shift+page_down`	Scroll page down
`Ctrl+Shift+h`	Scroll to top
`Ctrl+Shift+end`	Scroll to bottom
`Ctrl+Shift+s`	Open scrollback browser
`Ctrl+Shift+c`	Copy to clipboard
`Ctrl+Shift+v`	Paste from clipboard

Miscellaneous

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Shift+F5`	Reload config
`Ctrl+Shift+p`	Open command palette
`Ctrl+Shift+u`	Unicode input
`Ctrl+Shift+l`	Next layout
`Ctrl+Shift+r`	Start/stop recording (terminal output)
`Ctrl+Shift+o`	Open URL under cursor

Discovering Available Actions

# list all available actions from the command line
kitty @ --help | grep -A1 "^  [a-z]"

# or inside kitty: open command palette
Ctrl+Shift+p
# type any action name to see available options

Custom Mappings

~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf
# Remap close to Ctrl+Shift+x instead of q
unmap ctrl+shift+q
map  ctrl+shift+x close_window

# Vim-style window navigation (no prefix needed)
map ctrl+alt+h neighboring_window left
map ctrl+alt+j neighboring_window down
map ctrl+alt+k neighboring_window up
map ctrl+alt+l neighboring_window right

# Launch specific commands
map ctrl+shift+m new_window less /var/log/syslog
map ctrl+shift+h new_window htop

# Send text to terminal
map ctrl+shift+d send_text all "date\n"

Unmapping Defaults

To disable a default shortcut before remapping:

unmap ctrl+shift+enter

Using kitty @ to Discover Actions

# show all remote control commands
kitty @ --help

# show help for a specific action
kitty @ resize-window --help

Quick Reference: Most Common Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Shift+Enter`	New vertical window
`Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Enter`	New horizontal window
`Ctrl+Shift+t`	New tab
`Ctrl+Shift+arrows`	Focus window
`Ctrl+Shift+Alt+arrows`	Resize window
`Ctrl+Shift+z`	Maximize window
`Ctrl+Shift+q`	Close window
`Ctrl+Shift+l`	Next layout
`Ctrl+Shift+p`	Command palette
`Ctrl+Shift+F5`	Reload config

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Symptom	Fix
Binding conflicts with shell/app	Shortcut doesn't reach app	Use `kitty @` from shell, or remap the conflicting key
Modifier `super` not working	Nothing happens	On Linux, `super` is usually `windows` key — test with `xev`
Custom map not taking effect	Old behavior persists	Check for `unmap` before `map`, and reload config
Case sensitivity confusion	`Ctrl+Shift+A` vs `a`	Key names are lowercase; `a` means the lowercase `a` key
Repeated keys not working	`map -r` not set	Add `--repeat` flag for keys meant to be held down

Hands-On Practice

# Add custom shortcuts to your config
cat >> ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf << 'EOF'

# Vim-style window nav
map ctrl+alt+h neighboring_window left
map ctrl+alt+j neighboring_window down
map ctrl+alt+k neighboring_window up
map ctrl+alt+l neighboring_window right

# Quick launch htop
map ctrl+shift+m new_window htop
EOF

kitty @ load-config

# Test your new bindings inside kitty:
# Ctrl+Alt+h/j/k/l → navigate windows
# Ctrl+Shift+m     → open htop in new window

The Map Directive​

Modifier Keys​

Key Names​

Important Default Shortcuts​

Window Management​

Tab Management​

Scrolling and Selection​

Miscellaneous​

Discovering Available Actions​

Custom Mappings​

Unmapping Defaults​

Using kitty @ to Discover Actions​

Quick Reference: Most Common Shortcuts​

Common Pitfalls​

Hands-On Practice​

What's Next​