Markdown Editor Keyboard Shortcuts: Complete Guide for Windows & Mac

Essential Markdown Editor Shortcuts (Most-Used Hotkeys)

These are the most commonly used markdown keyboard shortcuts that will dramatically speed up your writing workflow. Learn these markdown hotkeys first to maximize productivity.

Markdown Formatting Shortcuts: Bold, Italic, Links, Code

Quickly format your markdown content with these text formatting shortcuts. These markdown formatting hotkeyswork by wrapping your selected text with the appropriate markdown syntax.

• Bold: Wrap selection with **
• Italic: Wrap selection with *
• Strikethrough: Wrap selection with ~~
• Inline code: Wrap selection with `
• Link: [text](url) with URL ready to edit
• Code block: Wrap selection with ``` fences

Navigation & View Shortcuts: Preview, Fullscreen, Undo/Redo

Control your markdown editor view and navigate efficiently with these navigation shortcuts. Toggle between edit and preview modes, enter fullscreen for distraction-free writing, and manage your editing history.

• Toggle preview: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Enter
• Toggle fullscreen: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F
• Undo / Redo: Ctrl/Cmd + Z, Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z
• Indent: Tab inserts four spaces for code and lists

General Editing Shortcuts (Works Anywhere)

Browser & Tab Shortcuts

• Open new tab: Ctrl/Cmd + T
• Reopen closed tab: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T
• Refresh: Ctrl + R / Cmd + R
• Hard reload: Ctrl + Shift + R / Cmd + Shift + R
• Close tab: Ctrl + W / Cmd + W
• Next / previous tab: Ctrl + Tab / Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Ctrl/Cmd + Option + → / ←
• Zoom in/out: Ctrl/Cmd + + / -, reset Ctrl/Cmd + 0

Markdown Productivity Tips

• Headings quickly: Type # then your heading text. Use ##, ### for H2/H3.
• Lists fast: Start a line with - or a number like 1. to keep adding items by pressing Enter.
• Task lists: Use - [ ] to create checkboxes.
• Code blocks: Wrap a selection with triple backticks or use the toolbar to auto-insert fences.
• Links: Select text and press Ctrl/Cmd + K to wrap into a link and edit the URL immediately.

Why Learn Markdown Keyboard Shortcuts? Boost Your Productivity

Mastering markdown keyboard shortcuts is essential for serious writers, developers, and content creators. These productivity shortcuts reduce context switching between keyboard and mouse, helping you stay in flow and maintain focus. They're especially powerful in Markdown where formatting is text-based, making shortcuts more intuitive than visual editors. Practicing a few core markdown hotkeys can dramatically speed up writing, documentation, note-taking, and technical writing workflows.

MarkdownPaste supports familiar markdown editor shortcuts from popular text editors like VS Code, Sublime Text, and Notion, so you can adopt them quickly without re-learning. Whether you're creating documentation, writing blog posts, taking notes, or drafting technical content, these keyboard shortcuts for markdown will make your workflow more efficient. Combine shortcuts with our formatting toolbar for a frictionless writing experience.

Studies show that using keyboard shortcuts can save up to 2 hours per day for frequent writers. Don't just memorize them—practice these markdown shortcuts regularly until they become muscle memory. Start with the most-used shortcuts (bold, italic, links) and gradually expand your repertoire.