Using ArcGIS Desktop with a keyboard

You can navigate the user interface of ArcGIS Desktop applications and execute commands using a combination of Mouse Keys and keyboard shortcuts. You can often complete tasks with either technique; however, some tasks require Mouse Keys. In this context, ArcGIS Desktop includes ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcScene, and ArcGlobe. Support for keyboard shortcuts in ArcCatalog and the Catalog window in mapping applications is limited.

Using 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. Sign in to Windows 10.
2. Press the Tab key to access the Windows taskbar. Press the Tab key again to select the Search button. Press Enter.
3. In the search box, type ease of access mouse settings and press Enter.
4. In the Mouse settings, press the spacebar to change the Mouse Keys settings from Off to On.

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

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

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 ArcMap, such as selecting features on a map, involve holding the left mouse button while moving the mouse, and then releasing the mouse button (clicking and dragging). 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.

Using keyboard shortcuts

The following sections describe keyboard shortcuts for working with the ArcMap interface. For the best experience, you may want to use keyboard shortcuts in combination with Mouse Keys.

Starting the application

When you start ArcMap from the Windows taskbar, ArcMap displays a Getting Started dialog box. The dialog box includes a directory of existing maps and map templates, and a window showing recently saved maps. By default, the Recent category of existing maps is selected in the directory. The most recently saved map is selected in the window.

Note:

The startup behavior for ArcScene and ArcGlobe is the same as for ArcMap. ArcCatalog does not have a Getting Started dialog box.

You can open a map from the Getting Started dialog box in several ways:

• To open the existing map that is selected by default, press Enter.
• To open a map not shown in the recent maps window, press the Down Arrow key or another arrow key. The Open ArcMap Document browser window appears and you can browse to the map you want.
• To open a different map from the list of recent maps, press Tab to browse the list of recent maps. Use the arrow keys to select the map you want. Press Enter to open the map.
• To open a new untitled map, press Esc.

Accessing the main menu

ArcGIS Desktop applications have a main menu that appears at the top of the application window by default. Each heading on the main menu opens a drop-down list of commands. For more information about the ArcGIS Desktop user interface, see Basic user interface elements.

The ArcMap main menu consists of several headings.

1. Press Alt to access the main menu in any ArcGIS Desktop application.

   The File menu is selected.

   Note:

   If a specific window is active, such as the Table Of Contents window in ArcMap or the Catalog Tree window in ArcCatalog, press Esc and then press Alt to access the main menu.

2. On the main menu, press Tab and Shift+Tab to move from one menu to another. (Alternatively, press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow keys.)
3. Press Enter to open a menu.

   Tip:

   Press Alt and the first letter of a menu name to open the menu directly. For example, press Alt+G to open the Geoprocessing menu.

4. On an open menu, press the Down Arrow and Up Arrow to move among commands.
5. Press Enter to execute a command or open a submenu.

Accessing toolbars

ArcGIS Desktop applications have a Standard toolbar that appears by default. Additional toolbars can be opened from the Customize menu on the main menu.

Toolbars can be docked in the application window or floated, as shown here.

1. Press Alt to access the main menu in any ArcGIS Desktop application.

   The File menu is selected.

   Note:

   If a specific window is active, such as the Table Of Contents window in ArcMap or the Catalog Tree window in ArcCatalog, press Esc and then press Alt to access the main menu.

2. Press Ctrl+Tab to move from the main menu to the Standard toolbar.
3. Press Ctrl+Tab to move from the Standard toolbar to the next available toolbar.

   Note:

   The Standard toolbar is accessed first and the Tools toolbar is accessed second, if these toolbars are open. After that, open toolbars are accessed by name in alphabetical order. Press Shift+Ctrl+Tab to move to the previous toolbar.

4. On a toolbar, press Tab and Shift+Tab to move from one button or tool to another. (Alternatively, press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow.)
5. Press Enter to execute a button command or make a tool active.

   Tip:

   If the tool is a menu tool, such as the Add Data tool on the Standard toolbar, press the Down Arrow to open the menu and the Down Arrow to move among the menu commands. Press Enter to select a command.

   After a button or tool is used, keyboard focus usually changes to the map or file that the command has acted on. To return to the toolbar, repeat the steps in this section.

Switching among windows

In an open ArcMap, ArcScene, or ArcGlobe document, you may have multiple windows open, such as the Table Of Contents, Catalog, and Search windows. Press Shift+Ctrl+Tab to display active tool windows and files. Use arrow keys to move among the windows. Press Enter to select the window or file you want to work with.

Note:

Depending on which part of the user interface has keyboard focus, the keystroke combination Shift+Ctrl+Tab also moves among toolbars. If necessary, press Esc and then press Shift+Ctrl+Tab to display the active tool windows.

Common keyboard shortcuts

The table below lists common keyboard shortcuts for navigating the user interface in ArcGIS Desktop applications.

Common keyboard shortcuts in ArcGIS Desktop

Action	Keyboard shortcut
Access the File menu on the main menu.	Alt
Move from one menu to another on the main menu. Move from one tool to another on a toolbar.	Tab, Shift+Tab, Right Arrow, or Left Arrow
Move among interactive elements in a window, on a dialog box, or in a file browser.	Tab, Shift+Tab
Open a menu on the main menu, or open a drop-down menu on a tool.	Down Arrow
Move among elements in a list.	Up Arrow or Down Arrow
Execute a command or make a selection.	Enter
Close a list or a dialog box or cancel an operation.	Esc
Move from the main menu to a toolbar, or move from one toolbar to another.	Ctrl+Tab, Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Open a context menu.	Ctrl+Shift+F10 or the Windows Menu key Note: The Windows Menu key, also called the Application key, is located between the Windows logo key and the right Ctrl key on many Windows keyboards.
Select or deselect a check box.	spacebar
Open the Symbol Selector or a color palette.	spacebar
Change the active window.	Ctrl+Shift+Tab

See Keyboard shortcuts in ArcMap and Keyboard shortcuts in ArcGlobe and ArcScene for additional keyboard shortcuts.

Navigating the ArcGIS Desktop help with a keyboard

Several keyboard shortcuts are available so you can navigate the ArcGIS Desktop installed help without a mouse.

Action	Keyboard shortcut
Display the Contents tab.	Alt+C
Display the Favorites tab.	Alt+I
Display the Search tab.	Alt+S
Display the Options menu.	Alt+O
Open the Internet Options dialog box.	Alt+O, then press I
Show or hide the navigation pane.	Alt+O, then press T
Print a topic or a section.	Alt+O, then press P
Switch the focus between the navigation pane and the contents of the selected topic. Note: On the Contents and Favorites tabs, the currently selected topic title turns gray when you switch to the contents. There is not a visual indicator on the Search tab.	F6
Scroll through the links in a topic.	Tab
Add the current topic as a favorite.	Alt+A
Scroll through search results.	Tab

Workflow examples using shortcut keys

The following sections show how to carry out two common ArcMap workflows with shortcut keys.

Example: Set a layer property in ArcMap

This example describes how to change the symbol color for a layer in ArcMap using the keyboard.

1. Open an existing map document as described above in Starting the application.

   Make sure the map document contains a feature layer.

2. Press Shift+Ctrl+Tab to display active tool windows and files.

   Tip:

   Press and hold the Shift and Ctrl keys and release the Tab key to keep the window open.

3. Use the arrow keys to select the Table Of Contents window. Press Enter.
4. Press the Down Arrow as needed to select a layer in the Table Of Contents window.
5. Press Enter to open the Layer Properties dialog box for the selected layer.
6. On the Layer Properties dialog box, press Tab or Shift+Tab as needed to put keyboard focus on whichever tab is selected at the top of the dialog box.

   Keyboard focus is indicated by a marquee around the selected tab.

7. Press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow as needed to select the Symbology tab.
8. Press Tab or Shift+Tab as needed to select the symbol patch on the Symbology tab.

   The symbol patch doesn't show a marquee when it is selected; however, it is selected after the Import button and before the Advanced button.

9. With the symbol patch selected, press the spacebar to open the Symbol Selector.
10. On the Symbol Selector, press Tab as needed to select Color (for a point or line layer) or Fill Color (for a polygon layer).
11. Press the spacebar to open the color palette.
12. Use the arrow keys to select the color you want. Press Enter.
13. Press Tab as needed to select the OK button on the Symbol Selector. Press Enter.
14. Press Tab as needed to select the OK button on the Layer Properties dialog box. Press Enter.

    The symbol is updated on the map and in the Table Of Contents.

    

    A summary of the workflow: first, use arrow keys to select the Symbology tab on the Layer Properties dialog box. Next, press Tab as needed to select the symbol patch and press the spacebar to open the Symbol Selector. Next, on the Symbol Selector, press Tab as needed to select the Fill Color or Color option. Press the spacebar to open the color palette. Finally, use the arrow keys to pick a color.

Example: Run a geoprocessing tool in ArcMap

This example describes how to open and run the Buffer geoprocessing tool in ArcMap using the keyboard. The same steps can be applied to any geoprocessing tool.

1. Open an existing map document as described above in Starting the application.

   Make sure the map document contains a feature layer.

2. Press Alt to access the main menu.
3. Press the Right Arrow as needed to select the Geoprocessing menu. Press Enter to open the menu.
4. Press the Down Arrow as needed to select the Search For Tools command. Press Enter to open the Search window.

   By default, the pointer is in the search box.

5. In the search box, type buffer and press Enter.

   A list of search results appears.

   Tip:

   The Buffer tool can also be opened directly from the Geoprocessing menu.

6. In the search results, press Tab as needed to select the toolbox path of the Buffer (Analysis) tool.

   

   In the application, the element with keyboard focus is outlined with a marquee, not with a blue box, as in this image.

   Note:

   Be sure to select the toolbox path, not the tool name. Geoprocessing tools can't be opened directly from the Search window using the keyboard.

7. Press Enter.

   The Buffer tool is selected in the system toolbox directory in the Catalog window.

8. Press Ctrl+Shift+F10 or the Windows Menu key to open the context menu for the tool.
9. Press the Down Arrow to select Open on the context menu. Press Enter.

   The Buffer tool opens.

10. Press Tab or Shift+Tab as needed to position the pointer in the Input Features parameter text box.
11. Press the Down Arrow as needed to move through the available input feature layers and select the layer you want to buffer.
12. Use the Tab key to select the other tool parameters and set values as needed.

    Tip:

    Use the Down Arrow and Up Arrow keys to move through the preset options, such as distance units, of a parameter.

13. Press Tab to select the OK button. Press Enter.

    The tool runs. A feature class is created in the default geodatabase and a layer is added to the map.

Example: Open the help from a ToolTip

Some buttons, such as ArcToolbox, have a ToolTip that allows you to open the help by pressing the F1 key. This example workflow describes how to open the help from the ArcToolbox button.

1. Enable Mouse Keys in Windows.
2. Use the mouse keys to hover over the ArcToolbox button on the Standard toolbar.

   

3. Press the F1 key.

   The help viewer opens and displays the Using the ArcToolbox window topic.