You trade faster when views, new trades and chart zoom are one keystroke away. This page lists every shortcut the app defines. On a Mac the main modifier is ⌘. On Windows it is Ctrl. Where Windows differs beyond that, the table says so.
⌘N, ⌘L, ⌘⇧I and ⌘V stand down while you type in a text field. The view shortcuts (⌘1 to 5, ⌘L, ⌘N, ⌘⇧I) do nothing while a dialog is open. None of them work during first-run setup. Shortcuts cannot be remapped.
| Action |
Mac |
Windows |
| Trades view |
⌘1 |
Ctrl1 |
| Workspaces view |
⌘2 |
Ctrl2 |
| Briefing view |
⌘3 |
Ctrl3 |
| Journal view |
⌘4 or ⌘L |
Ctrl4 or CtrlL |
| Open or close Desk over the current view |
⌘5 |
Ctrl5 |
| Settings |
⌘, |
Ctrl, |
| New trade (account picker) |
⌘N |
CtrlN |
| New workspace |
⌘T |
CtrlT |
| Import wizard (opens the Journal under it) |
⌘⇧I |
CtrlShiftI |
| Density larger |
⌘+ (or ⌘=) |
Ctrl+ (or Ctrl=) |
| Density smaller |
⌘− |
Ctrl− |
| Density back to Medium |
⌘0 |
Ctrl0 |
| Hide or show the left list (Trades sidebar, full-window Desk conversations) |
⌃⌘S |
CtrlShiftS |
Hold ⌘ (Ctrl on Windows) for a moment and the title bar shows each view’s number. While they show, you can step through views by pressing the numbers.
The density shortcuts cycle Small, Medium and Large (see Settings). The sidebar shortcut works on Trades and on the full-window Desk, and holding the key toggles only once.
| Action |
Keys |
| Graph-only trade page (hides the builder; press again to show it) |
⌘J / CtrlJ |
| Open the thinkorswim paste dialog for the open trade when the clipboard holds an order (outside text fields) |
⌘V / CtrlV |
| Rename the selected trade in the sidebar |
F2 |
| Pick up a sidebar card to reorder, move, drop or cancel |
Space, arrows, Space or Enter, Esc |
| Resize the builder against the graph (focus the divider) |
↑ ↓ step, Home End extremes, Enter resets |
| Save a trade note in the Record tab |
⌘Enter / CtrlEnter |
| Start typing a symbol on a draft trade |
any letter, digit or / |
Opened with ⌘N or the New button.
| Action |
Keys |
| Choose the 1st to 9th account |
⌘1 to ⌘9 (Windows Ctrl1 to 9) |
| Paste from thinkorswim |
⌘V / CtrlV |
| Move, select, close |
↑ ↓, Enter, Esc |
| Back (on the paste step with an empty search) |
Backspace |
| Action |
Keys |
| Change the symbol (Workspaces; also on a draft trade) |
type any letter, digit or / |
| Move in the symbol list, pick, close |
↑ ↓, Enter, Esc |
| Rename a workspace tab |
double-click, then Enter saves, Esc cancels |
With the chart focused (click it first):
| Action |
Keys |
| Zoom in |
+ or = |
| Zoom out |
− |
| Reset zoom |
0 |
| Pan left or right |
← → |
| Return a projection (Price, Time, Vol) to live |
Esc |
| Zoom with the pointer |
scroll, Ctrl+scroll or pinch |
| Pan with the pointer |
Shift+scroll, or scroll sideways |
In the projection strip’s fields: Enter commits, Esc cancels, ↑ ↓ step the value, and Shift with the arrows or the label drag steps ten times as far. Esc also cancels a leg-handle drag on the curve. See Risk graph.
| Action |
Keys |
| Move a column in the Columns strip |
Alt with ← or → |
| In a model quantity field: commit, or move to the row above or below |
Enter, ↑ ↓ |
| Cancel dragging a modeled leg |
Esc |
| Flip the strike sort in a compact chain header |
Enter or Space |
| Action |
Keys |
| Save an action’s edit from a text field |
Enter |
| Cancel the edit |
Esc |
| Action |
Keys |
| Send the question (Desk composer) |
Enter, not while Desk’s tools are still running; ShiftEnter for a new line |
| Close full-window Desk |
Esc (not while typing, in a menu or in a dialog) |
| Send a message (Feedback) |
Enter; ShiftEnter for a new line |
| Action |
Keys |
| Move between Settings sections |
↑ ↓, Home, End |
| Step Theme or Density in the gear menu |
← → |
| Action |
Keys |
| Leave the document reader back to the list |
Esc |
| Close the article window |
Esc or ⌘W / CtrlW |
- Shortcuts cannot be remapped.
- There is no shortcut for Feedback, adding a panel or Commit.
- Chart keys work only while the chart has focus.
If a shortcut does nothing, see A keyboard shortcut does nothing.
