Keyboard shortcuts
Story Builder's keyboard shortcuts let you search, find and replace, open notes and chat, and read published stories without reaching for the mouse. This page lists every shortcut and where it works.
How do I see the keyboard shortcuts in the app? #
Press Shift + / on any page, including this help site. A Keyboard shortcuts window opens with the shortcuts for the page you are on, shown with the keys your computer uses.
Across the app #
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| Shift + / | Shows the list of shortcuts |
| Shift + D | Switches between light and dark |
| Ctrl + Shift + C | Opens or closes chat. Works in the builder, the library, tutorials, your profile and the home page |
| Ctrl + Shift + Q | Opens or closes quick notes. Works in the builder, the library, tutorials and your profile |
In the builder #
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + K | Opens or closes search; in a text you are writing, adds a link instead |
| / | Opens search, when you are not typing in a field |
| Ctrl + F | Find and replace in the chapter you are editing |
| Shift + W | Opens or closes the workbench — pinned, unfinished and recent records |
| Shift + I | Writes down a new idea from any page of the project |
| Shift + T | Opens or closes the duration calculator on any page of a project with a timeline |
Search #
Search looks for records by name across every project you can open. Inside it:
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| ↑ and ↓ | Move through the results |
| Enter | Opens the selected result |
| → | Opens a quick view of the selected result, on a wide screen |
| ← | Closes the quick view |
| Esc | Closes search |
Writing text #
In a chapter and in every description or text field with a toolbar:
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + B, Ctrl + I, Ctrl + U | Bold, italic, underline |
| Ctrl + Alt + 1 and Ctrl + Alt + 2 | Large heading and heading |
| Ctrl + Alt + 0 | Body text |
| Ctrl + K | Adds, edits or removes a link on the selected text |
| #, ##, > or * and a space, at the start of a line | Large heading, heading, quote or bulleted list. A dash stays a dash, for dialogue |
*** or --- on its own line, then Enter |
A scene break |
| Ctrl + Z right after one of these | Puts back the characters you typed |
| Right-click, the menu key or Shift + F10 | Opens the text menu at the cursor |
| Ctrl + right-click | Opens the browser's own menu, with spelling suggestions |
How do I find and replace a word in a chapter? #
Press Ctrl + F while a chapter is open. A bar opens above the text, and every match is marked in the chapter.
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| Enter | Next match, scrolled into view |
| Shift + Enter | Previous match |
| Esc | Closes the bar |
The Previous match and Next match arrows do the same with the mouse. Type the new text in the replace box and select Replace all to change every match, with Match case and Whole word to narrow the search. Replacing works while someone else is editing the same chapter beside you.
Boards and maps #
| Where | Keys | Does |
|---|---|---|
| Brainstorm board | Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Brainstorm board | Delete or Backspace | Removes the selected note or connection |
| Drawing layer on a map | Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y | Undo and redo |
| Relations graph, after clicking it | + and − | Widens or narrows the neighbourhood shown around the selected record |
| Relations graph | F | Fits the whole graph into view |
| Relations graph | P | Starts or clears a path between two records |
| Relations graph | E | Turns editing connections on or off, for people who may manage relations |
| Relations graph | Esc | Steps back: cancels a connection in progress, clears a path, leaves editing, shows everything again, then closes the panel |
Timeline chart #
Click the timeline chart, or move to it with Tab, and these keys work until you click elsewhere:
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| ← and → | Previous and next event, with the chart following |
| [ and ] | Previous and next cluster of events, zoomed to fit |
| + and − | Zoom in and out |
| 0 | Zooms to fit the whole timeline |
| Enter | Opens the selected item's page |
| Esc | Closes the list of a pill, then the selected event's card |
| Ctrl + mouse wheel | Zooms at the pointer |
| Shift + mouse wheel | Moves along the timeline |
In the library #
While reading a published story:
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| ← and → | Previous and next chapter |
| Space | Page down |
| Shift + Space | Page up |
| Home and End | Jump to the start or the end of the chapter |
Do the shortcuts work on a Mac? #
Yes. Where this page shows Ctrl, a Mac uses Cmd, and the Keyboard shortcuts window shows whichever your keyboard has. The one exception is undo and redo on a map's drawing layer, which use Ctrl on a Mac as well.
Tips #
- Learn Ctrl + K first. It finds any record by name, so moving from a chapter to the character you just mentioned takes a few letters instead of a trip through the sidebar.
- Ctrl + F and Ctrl + Shift + Q work even while you are typing in a chapter; there, Ctrl + K adds a link and / types a slash, so click out of the text to search. The other shortcuts wait until you click out of the text, so they never interrupt a sentence.
- Use Ctrl + Shift + Q to jot down an idea without leaving the page you are on.
- In the library, Space and Shift + Space turn pages the way a reader expects.
Related #
- Search — what search covers and how results are filtered.
- Notes — where quick notes go.
- Chapters — the editor find and replace works in.
- Collaboration — editing a chapter with someone else at the same time.