Core Shortcuts Cheatsheet
All shortcuts use the default kitty modifier Ctrl+Shift (configurable as kitty_mod in kitty.conf). Hold Ctrl+Shift and press the command key simultaneously.
Learning Focus
Master the 10 most-used shortcuts first (new window, close, navigate, tabs, copy). Everything else is muscle memory after that.
Window Management
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+Enter | new_window | New vertical split |
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Enter | new_window | New horizontal split |
Ctrl+Shift+q | close_window | Close active window |
Ctrl+Shift+arrows | neighboring_window | Move focus to adjacent window |
Ctrl+Shift+[ ] | move_window_forward/backward | Move window position |
Ctrl+Shift+l | next_layout | Switch to next layout |
Ctrl+Shift+u | nth_window 1 | Focus first window |
Tab Management
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+t | new_tab | Create new tab |
Ctrl+Shift+q | close_tab | Close current tab (if last window) |
Ctrl+Shift+right | next_tab | Switch to next tab |
Ctrl+Shift+left | previous_tab | Switch to previous tab |
Ctrl+Shift+. | move_tab_forward | Move tab right |
Ctrl+Shift+, | move_tab_backward | Move tab left |
Ctrl+Shift+1-9 | nth_tab 1-9 | Switch to tab by number |
Ctrl+Shift+0 | nth_tab 0 | Switch to tab 10 |
Scrolling
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+up | scroll_line_up | Scroll up one line |
Ctrl+Shift+down | scroll_line_down | Scroll down one line |
Ctrl+Shift+page_up | scroll_page_up | Scroll up one page |
Ctrl+Shift+page_down | scroll_page_down | Scroll down one page |
Ctrl+Shift+home | scroll_home | Scroll to top of scrollback |
Ctrl+Shift+end | scroll_end | Scroll to bottom |
Ctrl+Shift+h | show_scrollback | Open scrollback pager |
Ctrl+Shift+f | show_scrollback | Scrollback with search |
Font Sizes
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+= | change_font_size all +2.0 | Increase font size |
Ctrl+Shift+- | change_font_size all -2.0 | Decrease font size |
Ctrl+Shift+backspace | change_font_size all 0 | Reset font size to default |
Ctrl+Shift+0 | change_font_size all 0 | Reset font size (alternative) |
Layout Management
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+l | next_layout | Cycle to next layout |
Ctrl+Shift+k | previous_layout | Cycle to previous layout |
Ctrl+Shift+z | toggle_layout tall | Toggle tall layout |
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+1-9 | last_used_layout | Switch to layout by position |
Available layouts: fat, tall, grid, horizontal, vertical, stack, splits.
Selection and Copy
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+c | copy_to_clipboard | Copy selection to clipboard |
Ctrl+Shift+v | paste_from_clipboard | Paste from system clipboard |
Ctrl+Shift+s | paste_selection | Paste from primary selection (X11) |
Ctrl+Shift+o | open_url | Open URL under cursor |
Mouse-based selection:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Click + drag | Select text (normal) |
| Double-click | Select word |
| Triple-click | Select line |
| Quadruple-click | Select entire screen |
| Shift + click | Extend selection |
| Ctrl+Shift+click | Open URL at cursor |
Miscellaneous
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+F5 | load_config_file | Reload kitty.conf without restart |
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+t | set_tab_title | Set current tab title |
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+w | set_window_title | Set current window title |
Ctrl+Shift+space | toggle_fullscreen | Toggle fullscreen mode |
Ctrl+Shift+r | start_resizing_window | Start interactive window resize mode |
Ctrl+Shift+escape | show_kitty_help | Show kitty help overlay |
Custom Key Mappings
To customize any shortcut, add to ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf:
~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf
# Syntax: map <key_combination> <action>
# Example: Change new-window to Ctrl+Alt+Enter
map ctrl+alt+enter new_window
# Example: Vim-style navigation
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
# Example: Quick resize
map ctrl+alt+shift+h resize_window narrower
map ctrl+alt+shift+l resize_window wider
map ctrl+alt+shift+k resize_window taller
map ctrl+alt+shift+j resize_window shorter
Common Gotchas
| Gotcha | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Shortcuts don't work | WM intercepting the combo | Change kitty_mod to ctrl+alt |
Ctrl+Shift+c copies instead of interrupt | Terminal bypass | Send SIGINT with Ctrl+c only (no Shift) |
| Font size won't reset | Wrong shortcut | Use Ctrl+Shift+backspace or Ctrl+Shift+0 |
| Tabs not showing | Tab bar disabled | Set tab_bar_style powerline or tab_bar_style hidden to show |
| Scrolling doesn't work | Not in scrollback mode | Kitty scrolls directly (no mode needed) — Ctrl+Shift+up |
Hands-On Practice
# Create a quick-reference keybinding list
cat ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf | grep "^map " | column -t
# Test the top 5 shortcuts:
# 1. Ctrl+Shift+Enter → new window
# 2. Ctrl+Shift+t → new tab
# 3. Ctrl+Shift+q → close window
# 4. Ctrl+Shift+arrows → navigate
# 5. Ctrl+Shift+F5 → reload config
# Check what your kitty_mod is set to:
grep kitty_mod ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf