Keyboard shortcuts
You do not have to memorise any of this. ⌘K / Ctrl+K opens the command palette, which lists every command by name — the table below is a reference, not a requirement.
The in-app list is under Help → Keyboard Shortcuts, and the menus always print the current key next to each action, so the app and this page cannot drift apart in silence.
Files and tabs
Section titled “Files and tabs”| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Open File… | ⌘O | Ctrl+O |
| Open Vault… | ⇧⌘O | Ctrl+Shift+O |
| Save | ⌘S | Ctrl+S |
| Save As… | ⌘⌥S | Ctrl+Alt+S |
| New tab | ⌘T | Ctrl+T |
| Close tab | ⌘W | Ctrl+W |
| Next tab | ⌃Tab | Ctrl+Tab |
| Previous tab | ⌃⇧Tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
| Quit | ⌘Q | Ctrl+Q |
Tab switching uses Control on every platform, macOS included — ⌘Tab belongs to the operating system.
Finding things
Section titled “Finding things”| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Command palette | ⌘K | Ctrl+K |
| Quick switcher (file by name) | ⌘P | Ctrl+P |
| Vault search (text) | ⇧⌘F | Ctrl+Shift+F |
Panels
Section titled “Panels”| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Files | ⌘1 | Ctrl+1 |
| Outline | ⌘2 | Ctrl+2 |
| Tasks | ⌘3 | Ctrl+3 |
| Ask AI | ⌘4 | Ctrl+4 |
| Calendar | ⌘5 | Ctrl+5 |
Editing
Section titled “Editing”| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | ⌘Z | Ctrl+Z |
| Redo | ⇧⌘Z | Ctrl+Shift+Z |
| Cut / Copy / Paste / Select all | ⌘X ⌘C ⌘V ⌘A | Ctrl+X Ctrl+C Ctrl+V Ctrl+A |
Cut, copy, paste and select-all use the operating system’s own keys and wording, so they behave the same in the editor and in a plain field such as the API key box in Settings.
Actions with no shortcut, on purpose
Section titled “Actions with no shortcut, on purpose”These live in the menus and in the command palette:
| Action | Where | Why no key |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Backlinks | View | The obvious combination does not reach the app on Linux |
| Toggle Tags | View | Same reason |
| Toggle Focus Mode | View | Same reason |
| Toggle Light/Dark Theme | View | Not a key you press mid-sentence |
| Settings | App / File | ⌘, is macOS-only; one place beats two behaviours |
| Rescan Vault | View | It is a repair, not a daily action |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | Help | Opened from the menu or the palette |
A shortcut that works on two platforms out of three is worse than no shortcut: it teaches you a key that fails on the machine you take with you. Where that was the choice, mdai chose the menu.
Window
Section titled “Window”Minimize and maximize use your operating system’s own defaults — mdai sets no key of its own for them.