[GH-ISSUE #3520] [feature]: Add tab-specific keyboard shortcuts in Desktop app #1194

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opened 2026-03-16 19:04:02 +03:00 by kerem · 23 comments
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Originally created by @baek-sang on GitHub (Nov 9, 2023).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/hoppscotch/hoppscotch/issues/3520

Originally assigned to: @CuriousCorrelation on GitHub.

Is there an existing issue for this?

  • I have searched the existing issues

Summary

I want to add tab-specific shortcuts.

  • ctrl/cmd + tab: move next tab
  • ctrl + shitf + tab: move previous tab
  • ctrl + t: new tab
  • ctrl + w: close tab
  • ctrl + 1,2...9: move to tab number

.. etc

Why should this be worked on?

Convenience

Originally created by @baek-sang on GitHub (Nov 9, 2023). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/hoppscotch/hoppscotch/issues/3520 Originally assigned to: @CuriousCorrelation on GitHub. ### Is there an existing issue for this? - [X] I have searched the existing issues ### Summary I want to add tab-specific shortcuts. - ctrl/cmd + tab: move next tab - ctrl + shitf + tab: move previous tab - ctrl + t: new tab - ctrl + w: close tab - ctrl + 1,2...9: move to tab number .. etc ### Why should this be worked on? Convenience
kerem 2026-03-16 19:04:02 +03:00
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@NotChristianGarcia commented on GitHub (Nov 15, 2023):

Re: this.

We're planning to revamp keyboard shortcuts to make it more intuitive. Hence I'm open to suggestions on what shortcuts could be added to the list.

By @liyasthomas in https://github.com/hoppscotch/hoppscotch/issues/3042#issuecomment-1812057197_

I agree with baek-sang. I'm sure the devs are aware, but the lack of tab control is a bummer.

My thoughts in the pile. Users should be able to run all requests and move between requests quickly without using a mouse.

Meaning:

  • Tab control and movement actions added as potential shortcuts (like baek-sang mentions)

Additionally:

  • Custom keybinds to actions

    • To ensure no user is hindered if they overlap default shortcuts
    • Keeping in mind that Chromium's "kiosk" mode actually allows users to use their own ctrl-tab/ctrl-w shortcuts
      • Meaning no default will work for everyone, so try for custom keybinds so you only have to deal with this once
  • Sensible defaults would be good

    • To mention, the alt+up/down already feels quite good. If it switched tabs instead of request method, I'd be content
      • baek-sang's mentioned actions would be good while you're at it though ;)

Scenario

I want to do the following with only a keyboard

  • Send request to /createObject, send request to /getObject
    • Currently this requires using a mouse to go between tabs, that's a low-hanging fruit in terms of user retention.

Thanks for the app though! Looking good, I only have experience with ThunderClient, but this is nice, docker standup can also use some polish though.

<!-- gh-comment-id:1813175819 --> @NotChristianGarcia commented on GitHub (Nov 15, 2023): Re: this. > We're planning to revamp keyboard shortcuts to make it more intuitive. Hence I'm open to suggestions on what shortcuts could be added to the list. By @liyasthomas in https://github.com/hoppscotch/hoppscotch/issues/3042#issuecomment-1812057197_ I agree with baek-sang. I'm sure the devs are aware, but the lack of tab control is a bummer. My thoughts in the pile. Users should be able to run all requests and move between requests quickly without using a mouse. ### Meaning: - Tab control and movement actions added as potential shortcuts (like baek-sang mentions) ### Additionally: - Custom keybinds to actions - To ensure no user is hindered if they overlap default shortcuts - Keeping in mind that Chromium's "kiosk" mode actually allows users to use their own `ctrl-tab`/`ctrl-w` shortcuts - Meaning no default will work for everyone, so try for custom keybinds so you only have to deal with this once - Sensible defaults would be good - To mention, the `alt+up/down` already feels quite good. If it switched tabs instead of request method, I'd be content - baek-sang's mentioned actions would be good while you're at it though ;) ### Scenario I want to do the following with only a keyboard - Send request to `/createObject`, send request to `/getObject` - Currently this requires using a mouse to go between tabs, that's a low-hanging fruit in terms of user retention. Thanks for the app though! Looking good, I only have experience with ThunderClient, but this is nice, docker standup can also use some polish though.
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@MuhammedNihad commented on GitHub (Jan 24, 2024):

Hey @liyasthomas 👋
I want to suggest a shortcut feature, which is a common behaviour in almost all browsers.

  • CTRL + L : focus urlbar/omnibox of active tab.
<!-- gh-comment-id:1907938058 --> @MuhammedNihad commented on GitHub (Jan 24, 2024): Hey @liyasthomas 👋 I want to suggest a shortcut feature, which is a common behaviour in almost all browsers. - `CTRL + L` : focus urlbar/omnibox of active tab.
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@nikivdev commented on GitHub (Feb 14, 2024):

Going to hack this in with PR as not having it in the app makes tabs unusable for me.

Is anyone from the dev team like @nivedin or @AndrewBastin looking into this or have some code/guidance on how to approach adding cmd+1/2/.. to switch tabs?

Thanks. 🖤

<!-- gh-comment-id:1943669984 --> @nikivdev commented on GitHub (Feb 14, 2024): Going to hack this in with PR as not having it in the app makes tabs unusable for me. Is anyone from the dev team like @nivedin or @AndrewBastin looking into this or have some code/guidance on how to approach adding `cmd+1/2/..` to switch tabs? Thanks. 🖤
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@Zurki commented on GitHub (Jul 22, 2024):

Bumping this, so that it doesn't get lost. Would love to see this.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2243030252 --> @Zurki commented on GitHub (Jul 22, 2024): Bumping this, so that it doesn't get lost. Would love to see this.
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@pathikb commented on GitHub (Jul 29, 2024):

+1, this is much needed. I keep closing the Desktop app due to the compulsive habit of Cmd + W to close currently opened tab (from Postman)

<!-- gh-comment-id:2255297819 --> @pathikb commented on GitHub (Jul 29, 2024): +1, this is much needed. I keep closing the Desktop app due to the compulsive habit of Cmd + W to close currently opened tab (from Postman)
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@calebfrieze commented on GitHub (Aug 6, 2024):

+1 typically every other desktop app with tabs allows you to close tabs with cmd+tab. there should at least be some key command to at least not force me to click every single "x" to close each tab.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2271691824 --> @calebfrieze commented on GitHub (Aug 6, 2024): +1 typically every other desktop app with tabs allows you to close tabs with cmd+tab. there should at least be some key command to at least not force me to click every single "x" to close each tab.
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@nitsujri commented on GitHub (Sep 4, 2024):

We love hoppscotch and its team!

This interaction is particularly frustrating because I close the app at probably every hour when I'm actively in the app. You'd think a monkey would learn faster, but I can't get out of the muscle memory.

We understand it's based around the original in-browser experience so we 100% believe it's not easy.

Coming up on a year on this issue hoping to stop closing my app all the time soon!

<!-- gh-comment-id:2327901015 --> @nitsujri commented on GitHub (Sep 4, 2024): We love hoppscotch and its team! This interaction is particularly frustrating because I close the app at probably every hour when I'm actively in the app. You'd think a monkey would learn faster, but I can't get out of the muscle memory. We understand it's based around the original in-browser experience so we 100% believe it's not easy. Coming up on a year on this issue hoping to stop closing my app all the time soon!
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@Gaket commented on GitHub (Sep 25, 2024):

Oh, wow, that's a bummer! To be honest, I don't understand this decision, @baek-sang . Is it a complex feature from the tech perspective? I don't know much about the front-end tech.

I don't understand how people are using an app having tabs without being able to close this tabs with CMD+W / CTRL + W.

On MacOS, all the browsers, Finder, IDEs, terminal apps (like Warp) - whenever I see a tab in an app I know I can close it with CMD + W.

Do people really click on those close buttons in Hoppscotch when they need to close a specific request?

I understand that the author and the team don't owe me anything, and don't have to listen to me, but I believe this may be a pretty common concern.

And to me personally that's a reason to start looking for another solution even if I've been recommending Hoppscotch left and right and recently introduced it to my team.

Upd

Ah, I just understood that it wasn't a repo maintainer who's closed the ticket. @liyasthomas, @AndrewBastin, do you think it's worth re-opening the issue?

<!-- gh-comment-id:2372635738 --> @Gaket commented on GitHub (Sep 25, 2024): Oh, wow, that's a bummer! To be honest, I don't understand this decision, @baek-sang . Is it a complex feature from the tech perspective? I don't know much about the front-end tech. I don't understand how people are using an app having tabs without being able to close this tabs with CMD+W / CTRL + W. On MacOS, all the browsers, Finder, IDEs, terminal apps (like Warp) - whenever I see a tab in an app I know I can close it with CMD + W. Do people really click on those close buttons in Hoppscotch when they need to close a specific request? I understand that the author and the team don't owe me anything, and don't have to listen to me, but I believe this may be a pretty common concern. And to me personally that's a reason to start looking for another solution even if I've been recommending Hoppscotch left and right and recently introduced it to my team. **Upd** Ah, I just understood that it wasn't a repo maintainer who's closed the ticket. @liyasthomas, @AndrewBastin, do you think it's worth re-opening the issue?
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@liyasthomas commented on GitHub (Sep 25, 2024):

Reopening this issue for continued tracking as it was unintentionally closed. This is still relevant for further discussion/implementation. Thank you!

<!-- gh-comment-id:2373068529 --> @liyasthomas commented on GitHub (Sep 25, 2024): Reopening this issue for continued tracking as it was unintentionally closed. This is still relevant for further discussion/implementation. Thank you!
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@waska14 commented on GitHub (Oct 24, 2024):

Hi all,
CTRL + W is super important...

It's already the 10th time I've used CTRL + W to close the current tab, but it ended up closing the entire application (desktop app).

<!-- gh-comment-id:2434839633 --> @waska14 commented on GitHub (Oct 24, 2024): Hi all, CTRL + W is super important... It's already the 10th time I've used CTRL + W to close the current tab, but it ended up closing the entire application (desktop app).
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@Zmaon commented on GitHub (Dec 11, 2024):

Hi, I agree, I always try to close the current tab using Cmd+w.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2535288083 --> @Zmaon commented on GitHub (Dec 11, 2024): Hi, I agree, I always try to close the current tab using Cmd+w.
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@rahulG-Euler commented on GitHub (Jan 8, 2025):

Hi @liyasthomas i am a new user migrated from postman. Please can you release this in upcoming patch. It is a very important patch since i work over multiple apis altogether

<!-- gh-comment-id:2577837013 --> @rahulG-Euler commented on GitHub (Jan 8, 2025): Hi @liyasthomas i am a new user migrated from postman. Please can you release this in upcoming patch. It is a very important patch since i work over multiple apis altogether
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@piyh commented on GitHub (Jan 15, 2025):

Every other client has this feature, why is Hoppscotch the odd one out? I've used Insomnia, Postman, Bruno, and all of them have allowed me to close a tab with Cmd + F.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2594086680 --> @piyh commented on GitHub (Jan 15, 2025): Every other client has this feature, why is Hoppscotch the odd one out? I've used Insomnia, Postman, Bruno, and all of them have allowed me to close a tab with Cmd + F.
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@nitsujri commented on GitHub (Jan 20, 2025):

@baek-sang why was this closed as not-planned?

Obviously a number of people are still interested in this including myself. A bit confusing as you opened it as well?

<!-- gh-comment-id:2601178919 --> @nitsujri commented on GitHub (Jan 20, 2025): @baek-sang why was this closed as `not-planned`? Obviously a number of people are still interested in this including myself. A bit confusing as you opened it as well?
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@Pezhvak commented on GitHub (Jun 2, 2025):

This things is really needed.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2930574575 --> @Pezhvak commented on GitHub (Jun 2, 2025): This things is really needed.
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@kntjspr commented on GitHub (Jun 8, 2025):

+1 - Not having hotkey for tabs makes me consider switching back to Postman. It's hurts productivity when working with large api collections.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2953441053 --> @kntjspr commented on GitHub (Jun 8, 2025): +1 - Not having hotkey for tabs makes me consider switching back to Postman. It's hurts productivity when working with large api collections.
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@pab-hue commented on GitHub (Jun 23, 2025):

@CuriousCorrelation Hope you don't mind me reaching out directly, I've been looking through some of the recent PRs and it seems like you might be the right person to ask about this.

Wondering if you might have any insights on the timeline for these tab keyboard shortcuts?

Our team is so close to fully migrating from Postman, but the muscle memory of Cmd+W closing the entire app instead of just the tab keeps tripping us up daily (we are primarily on mac).

Any chance this might be prioritized soon? Happy to help test if there's a branch in progress. Really appreciate all your work making the desktop app so much more useful.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2995699688 --> @pab-hue commented on GitHub (Jun 23, 2025): @CuriousCorrelation Hope you don't mind me reaching out directly, I've been looking through some of the recent PRs and it seems like you might be the right person to ask about this. Wondering if you might have any insights on the timeline for these tab keyboard shortcuts? Our team is so close to fully migrating from Postman, but the muscle memory of Cmd+W closing the entire app instead of just the tab keeps tripping us up daily (we are primarily on mac). Any chance this might be prioritized soon? Happy to help test if there's a branch in progress. Really appreciate all your work making the desktop app so much more useful.
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@jamesgeorge007 commented on GitHub (Jun 27, 2025):

Hi, closing this issue since tab-specific keyboard shortcuts have been added to the Desktop App, as part of the v2025.6.0 release.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3012108637 --> @jamesgeorge007 commented on GitHub (Jun 27, 2025): Hi, closing this issue since tab-specific keyboard shortcuts have been added to the Desktop App, as part of the [v2025.6.0](https://github.com/hoppscotch/hoppscotch/releases/tag/2025.6.0) release.
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@MuhammedNihad commented on GitHub (Dec 6, 2025):

Hey @liyasthomas 👋 I want to suggest a shortcut feature, which is a common behaviour in almost all browsers.

  • CTRL + L : focus urlbar/omnibox of active tab.

I would really appreciate having Cmd/Ctrl + L to focus the request URL bar on desktop app, just like the address bar in most browsers and Postman.

I’d also prefer Ctrl/Cmd + Tab to switch between tabs in most-recently-used (MRU) order, which is the standard behaviour in browser tab management.

@liyasthomas @AndrewBastin @jamesgeorge007

<!-- gh-comment-id:3619679142 --> @MuhammedNihad commented on GitHub (Dec 6, 2025): > Hey [@liyasthomas](https://github.com/liyasthomas) 👋 I want to suggest a shortcut feature, which is a common behaviour in almost all browsers. > > * `CTRL + L` : focus urlbar/omnibox of active tab. I would really appreciate having Cmd/Ctrl + L to focus the request URL bar on desktop app, just like the address bar in most browsers and Postman. I’d also prefer Ctrl/Cmd + Tab to switch between tabs in most-recently-used (MRU) order, which is the standard behaviour in browser tab management. @liyasthomas @AndrewBastin @jamesgeorge007
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@Gaket commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2025):

@MuhammedNihad, I like the CTLR+L suggestion! But I personally prefer cmd+tab to just go left-right though :)

<!-- gh-comment-id:3647567618 --> @Gaket commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2025): @MuhammedNihad, I like the CTLR+L suggestion! But I personally prefer cmd+tab to just go left-right though :)
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@MuhammedNihad commented on GitHub (Dec 21, 2025):

@MuhammedNihad, I like the CTLR+L suggestion! But I personally prefer cmd+tab to just go left-right though :)

CTRL/CMD + L to focus URL bar, not to switch between tabs.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3678770822 --> @MuhammedNihad commented on GitHub (Dec 21, 2025): > [@MuhammedNihad](https://github.com/MuhammedNihad), I like the CTLR+L suggestion! But I personally prefer cmd+tab to just go left-right though :) CTRL/CMD + L to focus URL bar, not to switch between tabs.
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@jamesgeorge007 commented on GitHub (Dec 21, 2025):

Hey @liyasthomas 👋 I want to suggest a shortcut feature, which is a common behaviour in almost all browsers.

  • CTRL + L : focus urlbar/omnibox of active tab.

I would really appreciate having Cmd/Ctrl + L to focus the request URL bar on desktop app, just like the address bar in most browsers and Postman.

I’d also prefer Ctrl/Cmd + Tab to switch between tabs in most-recently-used (MRU) order, which is the standard behaviour in browser tab management.

@liyasthomas @AndrewBastin @jamesgeorge007

This has been implemented in #5683 and will be included in the next major release :)
The key combinations differ slightly. Please take a look at the above PR for context.

EDIT: Live with the 2025.12.0 release.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3678859951 --> @jamesgeorge007 commented on GitHub (Dec 21, 2025): > > Hey [@liyasthomas](https://github.com/liyasthomas) 👋 I want to suggest a shortcut feature, which is a common behaviour in almost all browsers. > > > > * `CTRL + L` : focus urlbar/omnibox of active tab. > > I would really appreciate having Cmd/Ctrl + L to focus the request URL bar on desktop app, just like the address bar in most browsers and Postman. > > I’d also prefer Ctrl/Cmd + Tab to switch between tabs in most-recently-used (MRU) order, which is the standard behaviour in browser tab management. > > [@liyasthomas](https://github.com/liyasthomas) [@AndrewBastin](https://github.com/AndrewBastin) [@jamesgeorge007](https://github.com/jamesgeorge007) This has been implemented in #5683 and will be included in the next major release :) The key combinations differ slightly. Please take a look at the above PR for context. EDIT: Live with the [2025.12.0](https://github.com/hoppscotch/hoppscotch/releases/tag/2025.12.0) release.
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@CuriousCorrelation commented on GitHub (Dec 22, 2025):

Hey just wanted to share some context on why the MRU shortcuts (in the latest PR) ended up the way they did. Basically the short version is that cmd+l and cmd+tab are used by a lot of other things depending on your OS and setup (also keyboard layout, types of keyboard, the machine itself like if it's an actual machine or VM hosted in cloud, emulations, etc), so we went with ctrl/cmd+alt combinations to make sure they work for everyone out of the box.

There's also a consideration with tiling window managers like yabai, i3, sway, hyprland, or their equivalent on windows commonly use super+l or mod+l or cmd+l for window focus/navigation (usually "focus right"). Since the super key, win key, and cmd key all can send the same signal (not always but it depends), and many linux users remap ctrl or cmd to super (or vice versa), a shortcut like ctrl+l or cmd+l or cmd+tab can easily collide with window manager bindings. Then there's another layer of potential conflict depending on how the app handles focus. There's also an edge case of "gui key pressed" (usb) and your OS deciding what to call it.

So the safest bet after testing a bunch of different setups from different folks, we found out that the ctrl+alt combo is rarely grabbed by operating systems or window managers, so it should just work whether you're on Windows, Mac, or Linux with whatever desktop environment or tiling WM setup. Certainly not as intuitive as browser-style shortcuts, but way more reliable, and less intrusive across everyone's setup.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3680378460 --> @CuriousCorrelation commented on GitHub (Dec 22, 2025): Hey just wanted to share some context on why the MRU shortcuts (in the latest PR) ended up the way they did. Basically the short version is that cmd+l and cmd+tab are used by a lot of other things depending on your OS and setup (also keyboard layout, types of keyboard, the machine itself like if it's an actual machine or VM hosted in cloud, emulations, etc), so we went with ctrl/cmd+alt combinations to make sure they work for everyone out of the box. There's also a consideration with tiling window managers like yabai, i3, sway, hyprland, or their equivalent on windows commonly use super+l or mod+l or cmd+l for window focus/navigation (usually "focus right"). Since the super key, win key, and cmd key all can send the same signal (not always but it depends), and many linux users remap ctrl or cmd to super (or vice versa), a shortcut like ctrl+l or cmd+l or cmd+tab can easily collide with window manager bindings. Then there's another layer of potential conflict depending on how the app handles focus. There's also an edge case of "gui key pressed" (usb) and your OS deciding what to call it. So the safest bet after testing a bunch of different setups from different folks, we found out that the ctrl+alt combo is rarely grabbed by operating systems or window managers, so it should just work whether you're on Windows, Mac, or Linux with whatever desktop environment or tiling WM setup. Certainly not as intuitive as browser-style shortcuts, but way more reliable, and less intrusive across everyone's setup.
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