Ghostty Cheatsheet

Keybinds

Use this Ghostty reference while you build software engineering projects, review code, or refresh the syntax you reach for most.

Grammar

keybind = trigger=action
keybind = ctrl+shift+t=new_tab
keybind = cmd+opt+r=reload_config
keybind = ctrl+a>n=new_window        # a two-key sequence

A trigger is zero or more modifiers plus exactly one key. Valid modifiers:

Modifier	Aliases
`shift`	—
`ctrl`	`control`
`alt`	`opt`, `option`
`super`	`cmd`, `command`

The fn or globe key cannot be a modifier, an OS and toolkit limitation. Keys not in the named key list can be given as a literal Unicode codepoint, which is how you bind layout-specific keys such as keybind = ö=text:foo on a German keyboard.

Trigger prefixes

Prefixes go in front of the whole trigger and can be combined, for example global:unconsumed:ctrl+a=reload_config.

Prefix	Effect
`all:`	Apply to every terminal surface, not just the focused one
`global:`	Fire even when Ghostty is not focused. macOS only, needs Accessibility permission, implies `all:`
`unconsumed:`	Also send the key encoding through to the running program
`performable:`	Only consume the key if the action can actually run, for example `copy_to_clipboard` with no selection

Triggers are not unique per prefix. ctrl+a and global:ctrl+a are the same keybind, and the one defined later wins. global: and all: binds always consume input regardless of unconsumed:, and they cannot use sequences. performable: binds do not show as menu shortcuts, because menu items force the action.

Sequences

Separate triggers with > to build a leader-key sequence.

keybind = ctrl+a>n=new_window
keybind = ctrl+a>t=new_tab
keybind = ctrl+a>ctrl+a=text:\x01     # send the prefix itself

- Ghostty waits indefinitely for the next key. There is no timeout setting. - Binding a prefix directly unbinds every sequence under it. Bind ctrl+a>n and ctrl+a>t, then bind ctrl+a alone, and both sequences are gone. - Conversely, if ctrl+a was bound and you define ctrl+a>n, plain ctrl+a stops doing anything. - On the CLI, quote it, because > is a shell redirect: ghostty --keybind='ctrl+a>n=new_window'.

Special actions

Action	Meaning
`ignore`	Swallow the key. No action, no encoding sent to the program
`unbind`	Remove the binding so the key passes through to the child process
`text:...`	Send a string using Zig string literal syntax, so `text:\x15` sends ctrl+u
`csi:...`	Send a CSI sequence without the `ESC [` header, so `csi:A` is cursor up
`esc:...`	Send an escape sequence, so `esc:d` deletes the next word
`reset`	Full terminal reset, the equivalent of running `reset`

ghostty +list-actions prints every available action, and ghostty +list-keybinds --default prints the shipped bindings for your platform.

macOS defaults

Trigger	Action
`cmd+,` / `cmd+shift+,`	`open_config` / `reload_config`
`cmd+c` / `cmd+v`	`copy_to_clipboard` / `paste_from_clipboard`
`cmd+shift+v`	`paste_from_selection`
`cmd+n` / `cmd+t`	`new_window` / `new_tab`
`cmd+w`	`close_surface`
`cmd+opt+w` / `cmd+shift+w`	`close_tab` / `close_window`
`cmd+shift+opt+w`	`close_all_windows`
`cmd+1`–`cmd+8` / `cmd+9`	`goto_tab:1`–`8` / `last_tab`
`cmd+shift+[` / `cmd+shift+]`	`previous_tab` / `next_tab`
`cmd+d` / `cmd+shift+d`	`new_split:right` / `new_split:down`
`cmd+[` / `cmd+]`	`goto_split:previous` / `goto_split:next`
`cmd+opt+arrow`	`goto_split` in that direction
`cmd+ctrl+arrow`	`resize_split` by 10px
`cmd+ctrl+=`	`equalize_splits`
`cmd+enter` / `cmd+shift+enter`	`toggle_fullscreen` / `toggle_split_zoom`
`cmd+shift+p`	`toggle_command_palette`
`cmd+k`	`clear_screen`
`cmd+f` / `cmd+shift+f`	`start_search` / `end_search`
`cmd+g` / `cmd+shift+g`	`navigate_search:next` / `:previous`
`cmd+e`	`search_selection`
`cmd+a`	`select_all`
`cmd+z` / `cmd+shift+z`	`undo` / `redo`
`cmd+up` / `cmd+down`	`jump_to_prompt` back / forward
`cmd+j`	`scroll_to_selection`
`cmd+=` `cmd+-` `cmd+0`	font size up, down, reset
`cmd+opt+i`	`inspector:toggle`
`cmd+q`	`quit`

macOS also maps cmd+left, cmd+right, and cmd+backspace to text: sequences for start of line, end of line, and delete line, plus alt+left / alt+right to esc:b / esc:f for word motion.

Linux defaults

Trigger	Action
`ctrl+,` / `ctrl+shift+,`	`open_config` / `reload_config`
`ctrl+shift+c` / `ctrl+shift+v`	copy / paste
`ctrl+insert` / `shift+insert`	copy / paste
`ctrl+shift+n` / `ctrl+shift+t`	`new_window` / `new_tab`
`ctrl+shift+w`	`close_tab`
`alt+f4`	`close_window`
`alt+1`–`alt+8` / `alt+9`	`goto_tab:1`–`8` / `last_tab`
`ctrl+tab` / `ctrl+shift+tab`	`next_tab` / `previous_tab`
`ctrl+page_down` / `ctrl+page_up`	`next_tab` / `previous_tab`
`ctrl+shift+o` / `ctrl+shift+e`	`new_split:right` / `new_split:down`
`ctrl+super+[` / `ctrl+super+]`	`goto_split:previous` / `goto_split:next`
`ctrl+alt+arrow`	`goto_split` in that direction
`super+ctrl+shift+arrow`	`resize_split` by 10px
`ctrl+enter` / `ctrl+shift+enter`	`toggle_fullscreen` / `toggle_split_zoom`
`ctrl+shift+p`	`toggle_command_palette`
`shift+page_up` / `shift+page_down`	`scroll_page_up` / `scroll_page_down`
`shift+home` / `shift+end`	`scroll_to_top` / `scroll_to_bottom`
`ctrl+shift+page_up` / `page_down`	`jump_to_prompt` back / forward
`ctrl+shift+f` / `escape`	`start_search` / `end_search`
`ctrl+shift+a`	`select_all`
`ctrl+shift+i`	`inspector:toggle`
`ctrl+shift+q`	`quit`
`ctrl+=` `ctrl+-` `ctrl+0`	font size up, down, reset

Cross-platform defaults on both: shift+arrow and shift+page_up / page_down / home / end extend the selection, and the dedicated media copy and paste keys work if your keyboard has them.