Use ArcGIS Pro with a keyboard

You can navigate the ArcGIS Pro user interface and execute commands from the keyboard using a combination of Mouse Keys and keyboard shortcuts. You can often complete tasks with either technique; however, some tasks require Mouse Keys.

The main parts of the user interface are the ribbon, panes, and views, shown in the image below. The ribbon and panes organize commands for working with views. Views are work areas, such as maps, tables, layouts, and charts. For a more detailed description of the user interface, see About ArcGIS Pro.

You can use Mouse Keys and keyboard shortcuts to navigate the user interface.

ArcGIS Pro user interface components

Component	Description
	The ribbon
	A map view
	The Contents pane
	A table view
	The Catalog pane

Use Mouse Keys

To control the mouse pointer's movement and actions with the keyboard as you would control them with a mouse, you must turn on Mouse Keys in the Windows operating system. The steps below explain how to turn on Mouse Keys for Windows 10. For additional information, see the Microsoft support topic Use Mouse Keys to move the mouse pointer.

1. Press the Windows key and type ease of access mouse settings in the search box. Press the Enter key.
2. In the Mouse settings, press the Spacebar key to switch the Mouse Keys settings from Off to On.

Note:

In some versions of Windows, you may need to press the Tab key twice to select the Mouse Keys settings.

After you turn on Mouse Keys, you can use the numeric keypad to move the mouse pointer in any direction. You can also left-click, right-click, double-click, and hold and release the mouse. The diagram below shows the function of each key.

Mouse keys

Mouse key	Action
Number keys	Move the mouse pointer
/ (slash) key and then 5	Left-click
/ (slash) key and then + (plus) key	Double-click
- (minus) key and then 5	Right-click
* (asterisk) key and then 5	Click the mouse wheel button

A mouse button remains enabled until you enable a different mouse button.

Note:

If your mouse is set up for left-handed use, the left and right mouse buttons are reversed on the numeric keypad.

Some tasks in ArcGIS Pro involve holding the left mouse button while moving the mouse, and then releasing the mouse button (clicking and dragging). Common examples of such tasks are selecting features on a map and drawing map frames on a layout. The following steps describe how to hold and release the mouse button with Mouse Keys:

1. Press the / (slash) key to enable the left mouse button.
2. Press the 0 key to hold down the mouse button.
3. Use the number keys to move the mouse pointer to the location where you want to drop a selected item or to define an area of the screen with a box.
4. Press the . (period) key to release the mouse button.

Use Sticky Keys

Many keyboard shortcuts require you to press two keys at once, which may be difficult. Sticky Keys allows you to complete keystroke combinations that include the Shift, Ctrl, Alt, or Windows logo keys by pressing one key at a time. For example, with Sticky Keys turned on, you can copy a layer in the Contents pane of a map view by first pressing the Shift key and then the C key. To turn Sticky Keys on or off, press the Shift key five times in succession. For more information, see the Microsoft support topic on making input devices easier to use.

Use keyboard shortcuts

The following sections describe keyboard shortcuts for working with the ArcGIS Pro interface. For the best experience, you may want to use keyboard shortcuts in combination with Mouse Keys. For example, you may want to use keyboard shortcuts to execute ribbon commands and to navigate maps and scenes.

Use common keyboard shortcuts

The table below lists common keyboard shortcuts for navigating the user interface. Many of these shortcuts are mentioned again in the following sections of the topic.

Common keyboard shortcuts in ArcGIS Pro

Keyboard shortcut	Action
Alt or F10	Enable access keys and show KeyTips on the ribbon.
Alt+L	Open the Sign-In Status menu.
Alt+W	Open the Notifications pane.
Right arrow key or Left arrow key	Move from one tab to another on the ribbon or in a pane.
Tab or Shift+Tab	Move from one command to the next on a ribbon tab. Move from one item to the next in a pane, view, dialog box, or page.
Up arrow key or Down arrow key	Move among elements in a list.
Alt+Down arrow	Open a drop-down menu or list.
Esc	Close a drop-down menu or list.
Enter or Spacebar	Run a command.
Windows Menu key	Open a context menu (pop-up menu).
Alt+Hyphen (-)	Access options to float, dock, or close the active view or pane.
Ctrl+Tab or Alt+F7	Change the active view or pane. Note: A window displays the active panes and views in the project. Use the arrow keys to move to the view or pane you want to make active. Press Enter.

Create or open a project with keyboard shortcuts

The ArcGIS Pro start page has several options to create and open projects. You can open a recent project from the Recent Projects list, or open another project from your computer or a portal. You can create a project from a blank template or start a project without a template. You can also create a project from a custom template in the Recent Templates list or from another project template.

Keyboard shortcuts for the start page

Keyboard shortcut	Action
Tab or Shift+Tab	Move among the options to create and open projects.
Arrow keys	Move among options within a category.
Enter	Make a selection.

Example: Create a project from the Map template.

1. On the ArcGIS Pro start page, press Tab as needed to move to the options for creating projects from blank templates.
2. Press the arrow keys as needed to select Map.
3. Press Enter.
4. On the Create a New Project dialog box, press Tab to move into the Name text box.
5. Press the Delete key as needed to remove the default project name.

   Note:

   If Mouse Keys are turned on, the Delete key has been reprogrammed. Press the Right Arrow key to move to the end of the default project name and press Backspace to remove it.

6. Type a name for the project.
7. Press Tab as needed to move to the OK button.
8. Press Enter to create the project.

Use keyboard shortcuts on the ribbon

The ribbon is a set of tabs and commands arranged horizontally at the top of the application. Above the ribbon are the Quick Access Toolbar, the Sign-in Status menu , and the Notifications button . For keyboard navigation, these are treated as part of the ribbon.

You can select ribbon tabs and execute commands with access keys. Press the Alt key to enable access keys. KeyTips appear on the ribbon, showing which access key or keys to press. When you press a key to select a tab, additional KeyTips appear for the commands on that tab.

Keyboard shortcuts for the ribbon

Keyboard shortcut	Action
Alt or F10	Enable access keys and show KeyTips on the ribbon.
Press the key or keys indicated by the KeyTip	Select a tab or select a command on a tab.
Left arrow key or Right arrow key	Move from one ribbon tab to another.
Down arrow key	Move from a ribbon tab to the commands for that tab.
Tab or Shift+Tab	Move among the commands on a ribbon tab.
Enter or Spacebar	Run a command or expand a drop-down list.

Example: Use the Basemap command on the Map tab to change the basemap in a map view.

1. In an open project with an open map view, press the Alt key to enable access keys.
2. Press the M key to select the Map tab.
3. Press the B key and then press the M key to open the Basemap drop-down list.
4. Press the Down Arrow key to move into the list of basemaps. Press the arrow keys as needed to select a basemap.
5. Press Enter to apply the new basemap.

Use keyboard shortcuts in panes

A pane is a dockable window that provides access to more functionality than is available on the ribbon. Some panes have a row of text tabs at the top and may have a secondary row of graphical tabs. The functionality in the pane changes according to which tabs are chosen. Tabs in a pane do not have access keys.

The Catalog pane has three text tabs. When the Portal tab is selected, a row of six graphical tabs appears below it.

The Contents and Catalog panes can be opened with commands on the View tab on the ribbon. Other panes appear in response to commands. For example, the Create Features pane appears when the Create button is clicked on the Edit tab on the ribbon.

Keyboard shortcuts for panes

Keyboard shortcut	Action
Tab or Shift+Tab	Move from one item to another in a pane.
Left arrow key or Right arrow key	Move from one tab to another in the same row.
The Windows Menu key	Open the context menu for a selected item, if available.
Enter or Spacebar	Run a command or open the menu from a button, such as Menu and Filter .

Example: Zoom to the extent of a layer in the Contents pane.

1. In an open project with an open map that contains layers, press the Alt key to enable access keys.
2. Press the V key to make the View tab active.
3. Press the C key and then press the T key to make the Contents pane active (or to open the pane if it's closed).
4. In the Contents pane, press Tab as needed to select the map and its layers under the Drawing Order heading.
5. Press the Down Arrow key as needed to select the layer you want to zoom to.
6. Press the Windows Menu key to open the context menu for the layer.
7. Press the arrow keys as needed to select Zoom To Layer .
8. Press Enter to zoom the map to the extent of the layer.

Use keyboard shortcuts in views

A view is a window that contains a representation of geographic data. Maps, scenes, tables, charts, and layouts are all views.

A map view shows bus routes.

This section describes how to navigate the commands at the top or bottom of the view window. To navigate a map or scene view—to zoom, pan, tilt, rotate, and so on—use keyboard shortcuts for navigation.

Keyboard shortcuts for views

Keyboard shortcut	Action
Tab or Shift+Tab	Move from one item to another in an active view.
Enter or Spacebar	Run a command.
Ctrl+F6	Change the active view.
Ctrl+F4	Close a view.

Example: Change the scale of a map.

1. In an open project with an active map view, press Tab as needed to select the map scale box.

   

2. Press Alt+Down Arrow to open the list of map scales.
3. Press the Down Arrow key as needed to select the map scale you want.
4. Press Enter.

Note:

Some commands on a view, such as the Snapping button on a map or layout view, have pop-up menus with additional settings. These menus typically appear when the mouse pointer hovers over the command. To access these menus from the keyboard, press Tab as needed to select the command and press the spacebar to open the pop-up menu. When the menu is open, press Tab to navigate the menu settings, press Enter to make a selection, and press the Esc key to close the menu.

Table views have a toolbar above the table and a status bar below the table. To access the toolbar, press Ctrl+Home to go to the beginning of the table, and press Shift+Tab. To access the status bar, press Ctrl+End to go to the end of the table, and press Tab. See more shortcut keys for tables.

Switch among panes and views

In a project, you may have several panes and views open at the same time. Press Ctrl+Tab or Alt+F7 to open a window that allows you to change the active pane or view. Use the arrow keys to move among views and panes.

Note:

The proximity of the right Alt key to the arrow keys makes Alt+F7 the best choice for one-handed operation.

Example: Change the active view or pane.

1. In an open project with at least one open view and one open pane, press and hold the Ctrl key. Press Tab to open a window showing the open views and panes in the project.
2. Press the arrow keys as needed to select the view or pane you want to make active.

   Its name displays in the upper left corner of the window.

3. Release the Ctrl and Tab keys to go to the selected view or pane.

Additional keyboard shortcuts

Additional keyboard shortcuts are available for specific tasks. They are designed for productivity but may also aid accessibility. For a complete list, see ArcGIS Pro keyboard shortcuts.

You can also use custom keyboard accelerators to define your own shortcut keys for any command on the ribbon.