Keyboard Shortcuts
On macOS use ⌘ (Command); on Windows/Linux use Ctrl.
Global
These work anywhere in the app. Press ⌘/Ctrl+K at any time to pop up this same list inside Rest Hippo.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘/Ctrl+Enter | Send the request (or WebSocket message when connected) |
| ⌘/Ctrl+N | New request |
| ⌥⌘/Ctrl+Alt+N | New WebSocket request |
| ⌘/Ctrl+Shift+N | New collection (or folder when a node is selected) |
| ⌘/Ctrl+L | Focus the URL bar |
| ⌥⌘/Ctrl+Alt+↑ | Select the previous request |
| ⌥⌘/Ctrl+Alt+↓ | Select the next request |
| ⌘/Ctrl+1/2/3 | Switch to the Requests / Favorites / Recent tab |
| ⌘/Ctrl+\ | Cycle through the panel layouts |
| ⌘/Ctrl+, | Open Settings |
| ⌘/Ctrl+K | Open the keyboard-shortcuts cheat-sheet |
| ⌘/Ctrl+/ | Open the User Guide |
| ⌘/Ctrl+Shift+I | Import a collection |
The navigation keys (focus URL, next/previous request, switch tab) yield to text entry — they only fire when you aren't typing in a field. The application menus also list these accelerators next to their commands.
There's no Save shortcut — you don't need one. Every edit you make to a request (its method, URL, params, headers, body, auth, …) is saved automatically a moment after you stop typing. Your work is always persisted; there is no unsaved state to lose.
Sending requests
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | Send the request (while the URL bar is focused) |
| ⌘/Ctrl+Enter | Send the request, or a WebSocket message when connected |
Response viewer
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘/Ctrl+F | Open the find-in-response bar |
| ⌘/Ctrl+Shift+F | Open the filter bar (JSON / YAML / XML) |
| Enter | Next match (in the find bar) |
| Shift+Enter | Previous match (in the find bar) |
| ⌘/Ctrl+A | Select the entire response body |
| Esc | Close the find or filter bar |
Editors & typeahead
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
{{ |
Open the variable typeahead |
| ↑ / ↓ | Move through autocomplete suggestions |
| Enter / Tab | Accept the highlighted suggestion |
| Esc | Dismiss suggestions |
Appearance
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘/Ctrl++ | Increase font size |
| ⌘/Ctrl+- | Decrease font size |
| ⌘/Ctrl+0 | Reset font size |
Navigating the request tree
The collections tree is a single keyboard stop: Tab into it once, then move around entirely with the arrow keys — you don't tab through every row.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Move focus into the tree (lands on the selected request) |
| ↑ / ↓ | Move to the previous / next visible row |
| → | Expand a collapsed collection, or step into an open one |
| ← | Collapse an open collection, or jump to its parent |
| Home / End | Jump to the first / last visible row |
| Type a name | Type-ahead: jump to the next row that starts with it |
| ⌘/Ctrl+F | Reveal the filter box above the list |
| Esc | Hide the filter box and clear the filter |
| Enter | Open the request, or toggle the collection |
| Space | Select the row without opening / toggling |
| ⌘/Ctrl+D | Duplicate the focused request (requests only) |
| F2 | Rename the focused request or folder |
| Del / ⌫ | Delete the focused request or folder (opens a confirm) |
The same ↑ / ↓ / Home / End keys move between entries in the collections and environments lists.
Pickers & menus
The layout picker (and other dropdown menus) are fully keyboard-operable:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter / Space / ↓ | Open the menu |
| ↑ / ↓ | Move between options |
| Home / End | First / last option |
| Enter / Space | Apply the highlighted option |
| Esc | Close without changing |
Tree & dialogs
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | Confirm an inline rename |
| Esc | Cancel a rename / close the current popup or dialog |
| Double-click | Rename a request, folder, collection, or environment |
Accessibility
Rest Hippo respects your operating system's accessibility preferences automatically — there's nothing to turn on in the app:
- Reduce motion — when your OS asks apps to minimize motion, Rest Hippo drops the slide-in, scale, and pulse animations on toasts, menus, and indicators (loading spinners keep turning, since the motion is the "in progress" signal).
- Increased contrast / High Contrast — muted secondary text is strengthened, and the focus ring and the current-selection outline stay visible (including in Windows High Contrast / forced-colors mode).
Every interactive control is reachable by keyboard and shows a focus ring when focused that way. Icon-only buttons carry text labels for screen readers, and status messages (errors, saves) are announced as they appear.