Navigating Text Boxes
- GNOME Desktop Accessibility Guide
- General Accessibility Tips
- Keyboard Desktop Navigation
- Navigating Standard Elements and Controls
Text boxes are controls in which you type text.
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a single line text box:
| Keys | Function |
|---|---|
| left arrow | Position the cursor one character to the left. |
| right arrow | Position the cursor one character to the right. |
| Ctrl +left arrow | Position the cursor at the start of the current word. Press and hold Ctrl and continue to press left arrow to position the cursor at the start of the previous word. |
| Ctrl+right arrow | Position the cursor at the end of the current word. Press and hold Ctrl and continue to press right arrow to position the cursor at the end of the next word. |
| Home | Position the cursor at the start of the line. |
| End | Position the cursor at the end of the line. |
| Shift+left arrow or right arrow | Select one character at a time to the left or right of the cursor. |
| Shift+Ctrl+left arrow or right arrow | Select one word at a time to the left or right of the cursor. |
| Shift+Home | Select all text to the left of the cursor. |
| Shift+End | Select all text to the right of the cursor. |
| Ctrl+A | Select all text in the text box. |
In addition to the keyboard shortcuts listed in the previous table, use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table to navigate multi-line text boxes:
| Keys | Function |
|---|---|
| Page Up | Position the cursor at the top of the current view. Press Page Up again to position the cursor at the top of the previous view. |
| Page Down | Position the cursor at the end of the current view. Press Page Down again to position the cursor at the end of the previous view. |
| Ctrl+up arrow | Position the cursor at the start of the current paragraph. Press and hold Ctrl and continue to press the up arrow key to position the cursor at the start of the previous paragraph. |
| Ctrl+down arrow | Position the cursor at the end of the current paragraph. Press and hold Ctrl and continue to press the down arrow key to position the cursor at the end of the next paragraph. |
| Ctrl+Page Up | Position the cursor one view width to the left. |
| Ctrl+Page Down | Position the cursor one view width to the right. |
| Ctrl+Home | Position the cursor at the start of the text box. |
| Ctrl+End | Position the cursor at the end of the text box. |
| Ctrl+Tab | Give focus to the next control on the dialog. |
| Shift+Page Up | Select the text to the start of the current view. Press and hold Shift and continue to press Page Up to extend the selection to the start of the previous view. |
| Shift+Page Down | Select the text to the end of the current view. Press and hold Shift and continue to press Page Down to extend the selection to the end of the next view. |
| Shift+Home | Select the text to the start of the line. |
| Shift+End | Select the text to the end of the line. |
| Shift+Ctrl+up arrow | Select the text to the start of the paragraph, then to the start of the previous paragraph. |
| Shift+Ctrl+down arrow | Select the text to the end of the paragraph, then to the end of the next paragraph. |
| Shift+Ctrl+Home | Select the text to the start of the text box. |
| Shift+Ctrl+End | Select the text to the end of the text box. |