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Keyboard Shortcuts & Navigation

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By Jason Rueckert
3 min read
Keyboard Shortcuts & Navigation

Keyboard Shortcuts & Navigation

Boost your productivity with built-in keyboard shortcuts and efficient navigation patterns in Noted.

Quick Delete (v1.34.0)

Delete notes without reaching for your mouse using two convenient methods:

Method 1: Tree View Navigation

Best for: Quickly browsing and cleaning up multiple notes

  1. Navigate to any Noted panel (My Notes, Journal, Inbox, etc.)
  2. Use arrow keys (↑↓) to select a note
  3. Press Delete or Backspace
  4. Confirm deletion in the dialog

Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • Delete - Delete selected note
  • Backspace - Delete selected note

Tip: Focus stays in the tree view, so you can quickly delete multiple notes by using arrow keys and Delete repeatedly!

Method 2: Editor-Focused Delete

Best for: Deleting the note you’re currently working on

  1. Open any note from your notes folder
  2. Press Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows/Linux)
  3. Confirm deletion in the dialog
  4. The note is closed and deleted

Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac) - Delete currently open note
  • Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows/Linux) - Delete currently open note
  • Cmd+Shift+Backspace (Mac) - Alternative shortcut
  • Ctrl+Shift+Backspace (Windows/Linux) - Alternative shortcut

Safety: Only works on notes within your notes folder, not on regular files!

Focus Preservation (v1.34.0)

Noted panels now behave like VS Code’s built-in file explorer:

How It Works

When you click a note in any panel:

  1. ✅ Note opens in the editor (preview mode)
  2. ✅ Focus stays in the panel (not the editor)
  3. ✅ Selection remains highlighted
  4. ✅ You can continue using arrow keys immediately

Benefits

Efficient browsing:

1

Click note → Preview opens → Press ↓ → Next note → Press ↓ → Next note

Quick cleanup:

1

Click note → Press Delete → Confirm → Press ↓ → Press Delete → Confirm

No clicking back: The panel keeps focus, so you never need to click back into the panel to continue navigating.

Quick Note Review

Browse through notes efficiently:

  1. Click any note to start
  2. Use ↓ to move to next note
  3. Use ↑ to move to previous note
  4. Notes preview automatically as you navigate

Rapid Cleanup

Delete multiple unwanted notes:

  1. Navigate to the section (e.g., Inbox)
  2. Use arrow keys to select first note to delete
  3. Press Delete, confirm
  4. Press ↓ to next note
  5. Press Delete, confirm
  6. Repeat as needed

Review and Organize

Quickly browse and organize:

  1. Navigate with arrow keys
  2. Preview each note automatically
  3. Drag notes to other folders (or use Move command)
  4. Delete unwanted notes with Delete key

All Built-in Shortcuts

Note Creation

  • Cmd+Shift+N (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) - Open today’s note
  • Cmd+K Cmd+N - Create note with template
  • Cmd+Shift+C - Open calendar view
  • Cmd+Shift+G - Open graph view
  • Arrow Keys (↑↓) - Navigate between notes in panels

Editing

  • Cmd+Shift+T - Insert timestamp
  • Cmd+Shift+F - Advanced search notes
  • Cmd+Shift+P - Quick switcher (recent notes)

Management

  • Delete / Backspace - Delete selected note (tree view)
  • Cmd+Shift+Delete - Delete current note (editor)
  • Cmd+Shift+S - Show note statistics

Undo/Redo

  • Cmd+Alt+Z (Mac) / Ctrl+Alt+Z (Windows) - Undo last operation
  • Cmd+Shift+Alt+Z (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Z (Windows) - Redo

Tips & Tricks

Tip 1: Arrow Key Power User

Keep your hands on the keyboard:

  1. Use Cmd+Shift+P to open command palette
  2. Type “Noted” to see all commands
  3. Navigate any Noted panel with arrow keys
  4. Delete, move, or manage notes without the mouse

Tip 2: Safe Deletion

Both delete methods include safety features:

  • ✅ Confirmation dialog before deleting
  • ✅ Undo support (Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+Z)
  • ✅ Only works on notes in your notes folder
  • ✅ Clear feedback messages

Efficient cleanup workflow:

  1. Use Cmd+Shift+F to search for old notes
  2. Review results in the tree view
  3. Navigate with arrow keys
  4. Delete unwanted notes with Delete key

Tip 4: Preview Mode

When you navigate with arrow keys:

  • Notes open in preview mode (italicized tab name)
  • Only one preview tab is used
  • Edit any note to convert preview to permanent tab
  • Keeps your editor clean while browsing

Platform Differences

macOS

  • Cmd key for all shortcuts
  • Cmd+Shift+Delete to delete current note

Windows/Linux

  • Ctrl key for most shortcuts
  • Ctrl+Shift+Delete to delete current note

All shortcuts respect your custom VS Code keybindings and can be remapped in: File > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts (or Cmd+K Cmd+S)

Master these keyboard shortcuts and you’ll never need to reach for your mouse! ⌨️

Features, Productivity
keyboard shortcuts navigation delete
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