Keyboard Shortcuts

A complete reference of every keyboard shortcut in JSONFiddle, organized by view and task. Press ? anywhere in the app to open this reference as an in-app modal.

JSONFiddle uses platform-aware shortcuts: Cmd on macOS and Ctrl on Windows/Linux. All Alt-based shortcuts use physical key detection on macOS to avoid conflicts with special characters.

Screenshot: The keyboard shortcuts modal showing all available shortcuts.

Global Shortcuts

These shortcuts work from anywhere in the app, regardless of which view is active.

Mac	Windows / Linux	Action	When to Use
`Cmd+S`	`Ctrl+S`	Open the export modal	Save your work as a file or export a diagram image.
`Alt+N`	`Alt+N`	Create a new tab	Start a new document without closing the current one.
`Alt+W`	`Alt+W`	Close the current tab	Done with a document and want to free up a tab slot.
`Alt+1`	`Alt+1`	Switch to Graph view	See the visual node graph.
`Alt+2`	`Alt+2`	Switch to Explorer view	Browse data as a tree or column layout.
`Alt+3`	`Alt+3`	Switch to Grid view	See tabular data as a sortable spreadsheet.
`Alt+4`	`Alt+4`	Switch to Query view	Write a query expression to extract or transform data.
`?`	`?`	Open the shortcuts modal	Quick reference when you forget a shortcut. Only triggers when not focused in a text input.

Tip: The ? shortcut only triggers when you are not typing in a text input, the code editor, or a modal. Click outside the input first.

Graph View Shortcuts

Active when the Graph view is displayed in the right panel.

Mac	Windows / Linux	Action	When to Use
`Cmd+F`	`Ctrl+F`	Open the node search panel	Find a specific key or value in a large graph.
`Cmd+Shift+D`	`Ctrl+Shift+D`	Rotate layout direction (LR -> TB -> RL -> BT)	Change the graph orientation.
`Cmd+Shift+S`	`Ctrl+Shift+S`	Toggle scroll-to-zoom on/off	When scroll-to-zoom conflicts with page scrolling.
`Alt+C`	`Alt+C`	Collapse all nodes	See only the top-level structure.
`Alt+X`	`Alt+X`	Expand all nodes	Reveal the full graph after collapsing.
`Alt+E`	`Alt+E`	Toggle edge labels	Show or hide the key names on edges.
`Alt+A`	`Alt+A`	Start step-through animation	Walk through the graph one node at a time.
`Alt+L`	`Alt+L`	Lock/unlock canvas positions	Prevent accidental movement after arranging nodes manually.
`Shift+1`	`Shift+1`	Center view on the first node	Snap back to the root after panning away.
`Shift+2`	`Shift+2`	Fit all nodes to the viewport	See the entire graph at once.

Explorer View Shortcuts

Active when the Explorer view (Tree or Column layout) is displayed.

Mac	Windows / Linux	Action	When to Use
`Cmd+F`	`Ctrl+F`	Open the search bar	Find a key or value in the tree.
`Up / Down`	`Up / Down`	Navigate between rows	Browse the tree.
`Left / Right`	`Left / Right`	Collapse/expand the selected node, or navigate columns	Drill into or back out of a nested object.
`Alt+Left`	`Alt+Left`	Go back in navigation history	Return to a previous location.
`Alt+Right`	`Alt+Right`	Go forward in navigation history	Go forward after going back.
`Home`	`Home`	Jump to the first row	Return to the top of the tree quickly.
`End`	`End`	Jump to the last row	Jump to the bottom of the tree.

Grid View Shortcuts

Active when the Grid view is displayed.

Mac	Windows / Linux	Action	When to Use
`Cmd+F`	`Ctrl+F`	Open/close the search and filter panel	Search or apply filters.
`Esc`	`Esc`	Close the search/filter panel	Return to the full grid view.

Tip: Grid view also responds to mouse interactions for sorting (click column headers), editing (double-click cells), and context menus (right-click rows). See the Grid View Guide for details.

Query View Shortcuts

Active when the Query view is displayed.

Mac	Windows / Linux	Action	When to Use
`Cmd+Enter`	`Ctrl+Enter`	Run the current query	Execute a modified query expression.
`Tab`	`Tab`	Accept the suggested query completion	Accept an autocomplete suggestion.
`Ctrl+Space`	`Ctrl+Space`	Open the autocomplete suggestion widget	See available completions.
`Esc`	`Esc`	Close the suggestion widget	Dismiss autocomplete.

Animation Control Shortcuts

Active while a step-through animation is running in the Graph view. Start with Alt+A.

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
`Space`	Pause or resume the animation	Freeze on a specific node to examine it.
`Right Arrow`	Step forward one node (when paused)	Advance to the next node manually.
`Esc`	Stop the animation	Return to normal graph interaction.

Note: Animation controls override normal keyboard behavior. Pressing Space while animating pauses instead of scrolling the page.

Diagram View Shortcuts

Active when viewing a JFDG diagram.

Mac	Windows / Linux	Action	When to Use
`Shift+1`	`Shift+1`	Center the view on the first node	Snap back to the starting position.
`Shift+2`	`Shift+2`	Fit all nodes to the viewport	See the entire diagram at once.

Shortcuts by Task

"I want to navigate between views"

Task	Shortcut
Go to Graph view	`Alt+1`
Go to Explorer view	`Alt+2`
Go to Grid view	`Alt+3`
Go to Query view	`Alt+4`

"I want to search for something"

Task	Shortcut	View
Search nodes in the graph	`Cmd+F`	Graph
Search the explorer tree	`Cmd+F`	Explorer
Search/filter grid rows	`Cmd+F`	Grid

"I want to manage tabs"

Task	Shortcut
Create a new tab	`Alt+N`
Close the current tab	`Alt+W`
Save / Export	`Cmd+S`

"I want to work with the graph"

Task	Shortcut
Collapse all branches	`Alt+C`
Expand all branches	`Alt+X`
Rotate layout direction	`Cmd+Shift+D`
Toggle edge labels	`Alt+E`
Start animation	`Alt+A`
Lock/unlock canvas	`Alt+L`
Center on first node	`Shift+1`
Fit all nodes to view	`Shift+2`
Toggle scroll-to-zoom	`Cmd+Shift+S`

"I want to run a query"

Task	Shortcut
Run the query	`Cmd+Enter`
Accept autocomplete	`Tab`
Open autocomplete	`Ctrl+Space`
Dismiss autocomplete	`Esc`

Power User Combos

Combo 1: Quick Query from Graph

Press Alt+1 to switch to Graph view.
Right-click the node you want to query.
Click Copy as JSONPath.
Press Alt+4 to switch to Query view.
Paste (Cmd+V) the path into the query input.
Press Cmd+Enter to run.

Combo 2: Collapse, Animate, Present

Press Alt+C to collapse all nodes (clean starting point).
Press Alt+A to start the animation.
Press Space to pause on a key node.
Press Right Arrow to step through manually.
Press Esc when done.

Combo 3: Quick Format Check

Press Alt+N to create a new tab.
Paste JSON from your clipboard.
Check the "Valid" badge in the bottom bar.
Press Alt+W to close the tab when done.

Combo 4: Multi-Tab Comparison

Press Alt+N to create tabs for each JSON document you want to compare.
Paste different JSON into each tab.
Click between tabs to visually compare the graphs.
Press Alt+4 in each tab to run the same query and compare results.

macOS Compatibility: Physical Key Detection

On macOS, pressing Alt (Option) together with a letter key produces special Unicode characters. JSONFiddle solves this by using physical key detection (e.code instead of e.key).

The shortcut fires based on the physical position of the key you press, not the character it produces.
No keyboard settings changes required.
Applies to all Alt+letter shortcuts (Alt+N, Alt+W, Alt+C, Alt+X, Alt+E, Alt+A, Alt+L, Alt+1 through Alt+4).

Standard key detection:
  Alt + C key pressed -> e.key = "c" (special char) -> shortcut fails

JSONFiddle's physical key detection:
  Alt + C key pressed -> e.code = "KeyC" (physical key) -> shortcut works

Note: If you use a non-QWERTY keyboard layout (Dvorak, Colemak, AZERTY), the shortcut fires based on the physical key position, not the labeled key.

Browser Shortcut Conflicts

Shortcut	Browser Behavior	Workaround
`Cmd+S`	Some browsers show a "Save page" dialog	JSONFiddle intercepts this and opens the export modal instead.
`Ctrl+Space`	macOS Spotlight (if configured)	Remap Spotlight in System Settings, or click the autocomplete button instead.

Customizing Shortcuts

JSONFiddle does not currently support custom key bindings. All shortcuts are fixed as documented above.

Troubleshooting

"Pressing `?` does not open the modal"

Make sure your cursor is not inside a text input, the code editor, or a modal. Click on the page background first.

"Alt shortcuts produce special characters instead of triggering actions"

This should not happen because JSONFiddle uses physical key detection. If it does:

Make sure you are pressing the keys simultaneously.
Try refreshing the page.
Check if a browser extension is intercepting the key event.

"Cmd+F opens the browser's Find bar instead of the view search"

Click anywhere on the right panel first, then press Cmd+F.

FAQ

Q: Can I customize the keyboard shortcuts? A: Not currently.

Q: Do shortcuts work on mobile devices? A: Shortcuts require a physical keyboard. On tablets with a Bluetooth keyboard, most shortcuts work normally.

Q: Why do some shortcuts use Alt and others use Cmd? A: Cmd-based shortcuts follow standard conventions (e.g., Cmd+S for save, Cmd+F for find). Alt-based shortcuts are JSONFiddle-specific actions.

Getting Started -- overview of the editor layout and views.
Graph View -- details on every graph interaction these shortcuts control.
Explorer View -- tree and column navigation with keyboard.
Grid View -- grid search and filter shortcuts.
Query & Transform -- query execution shortcuts.

Learn JSONFiddle by workflow