89 shortcuts in 10 categories. Sourced from Notion Help Center · checked against Notion web and desktop app, Windows/Linux key names on 2026-08-02.
Notion does not have one shortcut system, it has three, and most cheat sheets blur them together. The first is ordinary modifier shortcuts — Ctrl + B for bold, Ctrl + F to search a page. The second is markdown-style triggers, where typing a character followed by a space transforms the block: # then space becomes a heading, [] then space becomes a checkbox. The third is the slash menu, where typing / anywhere in an empty block opens a searchable command list.
Knowing which system you are in matters, because they fail differently. A modifier shortcut works on the current selection and does nothing if nothing is selected. A markdown trigger only fires at the start of an empty block — type # mid-sentence and you just get a hash. A slash command only appears in an empty block too, and pressing Esc dismisses the menu if you actually wanted to type a slash in your prose.
Notion's own documentation writes modifiers as cmd/ctrl because the same key does the same job on both platforms. This page lists the Windows and Linux form, so read Ctrl as Cmd and Alt as Option if you are on a Mac. Two shortcuts genuinely differ by platform — the database peek-view navigation keys — and those are noted inline.
The linking commands are worth separating out because they look interchangeable and are not. Typing @ mentions a person or an existing page inline. Typing [[ opens a menu that shows page-linking options first. Typing + opens the same menu but shows page-creation options first. All three can reach all outcomes; the difference is only which option the dropdown puts under your cursor by default, which is why [[ feels faster for linking and + feels faster for creating sub-pages.
The slash commands below are the block types Notion documents by name. There are more blocks available in the menu than the help centre lists explicitly — the menu is searchable, so typing / followed by any word will filter it. Everything on this page is taken from Notion's official keyboard shortcuts article.
Essentials (8) · Editing & Formatting (23) · Markdown Shortcuts (8) · Blocks (11) · Mentions & Links (3) · App & Windows (5) · Slash Commands — Basic (12) · Slash Commands — Inline (4) · Slash Commands — Media (8) · Slash Commands — Advanced (7)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + F | Search inside a page |
| Ctrl + P or Ctrl + K | Open search or jump to a recently viewed page |
| Ctrl + L | Copy a page's URL |
| Ctrl + [ | Go to back a page |
| Ctrl + ] | Go forward a page |
| Ctrl + K | Go to the previous database page (while in database peek view) |
| Ctrl + J | Go to the next database page (while in database peek view) |
| Ctrl + Shift + L | Toggle between dark mode and light mode |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | Insert a line of text |
| Shift + Enter | Create a line break within a block of text |
| Ctrl + Shift + M | Create a comment |
| Ctrl + B | Bold text (text selected) |
| Ctrl + I | Italicize text (text selected) |
| Ctrl + U | Underline text (text selected) |
| Ctrl + Shift + S | Strikethrough (text selected) |
| Ctrl + E | Inline code (text selected) |
| Shift + Tab | Un-nest content |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 0 | Create text |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 1 | Create an H1 heading |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 2 | Create an H2 heading |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 3 | Create an H3 heading |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 4 | Create a to-do checkbox |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 5 | Create a bulleted list |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 6 | Create a numbered list |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 7 | Create a toggle list |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 8 | Create a code block |
| Ctrl + Alt/Shift + 9 | Create a new page, or turn whatever you have on a line into a page |
| Ctrl + + | Zoom in |
| Ctrl + - | Zoom out |
| Ctrl + Shift + U | Go up one level in the page hierarchy |
| Ctrl + R or Ctrl + D | Fill cells right or down (respectively) when you have multiple cells selected (a table) |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
*, -, or + then Space | Create a bulleted list |
[] then Space | Create a to-do checkbox |
| 1., a., or i. then Space | Create a numbered list |
# then Space | Create an H1 heading |
## then Space | Create an H2 sub-heading |
### then Space | Create an H3 sub-heading |
> then Space | Create a toggle list |
" then Space | Create a quote block |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Esc | Select the block you're currently in. Or to clear selected blocks |
| Ctrl + A once | Select the block your cursor is in |
| Space | Open a selected image in full-screen. Or to exit full-screen |
| Arrow Keys | Select a different block |
| Shift + Click | Select another block and all blocks in between |
| Backspace or Delete | Delete selected blocks |
| Ctrl + D | Duplicate the blocks you've selected |
| Ctrl + / | Edit or change one or more selected blocks |
| Ctrl + Alt/Alt + T | Expand or close all toggles in a toggle list |
| Ctrl + Shift + H | Apply the last text or highlight color you used |
| Ctrl + Enter | Modify the current block you're in. Modify means: |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
@ | Mention a person — type then another workspace member's name to get their attention on something. They'll be notified |
[[ | Link a page — type then the name of another page in your workspace to create a link to it. If you change the name |
| + | Create a sub-page — type then the name of the sub-page you want to nest within your current page. Use your cursor or arr |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | Create a new page |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Open a new Notion window |
| Alt + Shift + Click | Open a page as a new window |
| Ctrl + Click | Open a link as a new Notion tab |
| Ctrl + T | Create a new Notion tab |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
/text | Or /plain creates a new text block |
/page | Creates a new page (and will open it automatically when you press enter) |
/bullet | Creates a bulleted list |
/num | Creates a numbered list |
/todo | Creates a to-do list with checkboxes |
/toggle | Creates a toggle list |
/div | Creates a light gray divider |
/quote | Creates a quote block of larger text |
/h1 | Or /# creates a large heading |
/h2 | Or /## creates a medium-sized heading |
/h3 | Or /### creates a small heading |
/link | Creates a link to another page in your workspace |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
/mention | Lets you mention a page or a person in your workspace |
/date | Or /reminder lets you add a timestamp or reminder to your page |
/equation | Lets you add a TeX formula in line with your text |
/emoji | Brings up the emoji picker |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
/image | Will bring up the option to upload or embed an image, or add one from Unsplash |
/pdf | Lets you paste in a URL to any PDF so it will display inline on your page |
/book | Lets you paste in a URL to any website to create a web bookmark |
/video | Lets you upload a video file or embed a video from YouTube, Vimeo, etc |
/audio | Lets you upload an audio file or embed a recording from SoundCloud, Spotify, etc |
/code | Creates a code block where you can write and copy any snippet of code |
/file | Lets you upload any file from your computer or create an embed |
/embed | Lets you add any one of the 500+ embeds that work with Notion |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
/duplicate | Creates an exact copy of the current block |
/moveto | Lets you move that block to a different page |
/delete | Deletes the current block |
/toc | Creates a Table of Contents block |
/button | Or /template gives you a template button that duplicates any combination of blocks you define |
/bread | Inserts a breadcrumb menu that shows where your current page is in your workspace |
/math | Or /latex lets you write mathematical equations and symbols using TeX |
Markdown shortcuts transform the block you are already typing in — # then space turns the line into a heading. Slash commands open a searchable menu and insert a new block of the type you pick. Markdown is faster when you know exactly what you want; the slash menu is better when you are browsing for a block type.
Select the text and press Ctrl + Shift + S (Cmd + Shift + S on Mac). There is no markdown trigger for strikethrough in Notion the way there is in some other editors.
Type [[ followed by the page name and pick it from the dropdown. Typing @ and a page name does the same thing; typing + opens the same menu but prioritises creating a new page instead of linking an existing one.
The slash menu only opens in an empty block. If there is already text on the line, / is treated as an ordinary character. Press Enter for a new block first, or press Esc to clear the menu if it opened when you did not want it.
Ctrl + F searches within the current page. Ctrl + P or Ctrl + K opens the workspace-wide search and recent-pages jumper, which is a different thing and the one most people actually want.
Most do. The exceptions are the desktop-app window and tab shortcuts — Ctrl + Shift + N for a new window and Ctrl + T for a new Notion tab — which have no meaning in a browser where the browser itself owns those keys.
Open your assistant with this page preloaded as the source — great for follow-up questions like "which of these work in other apps?"