Keyboard Shortcuts

This guide covers Trello's keyboard shortcuts that enable you to navigate boards, manage cards, and perform common actions without using your mouse. Mastering these shortcuts significantly improves your workflow efficiency and productivity when working with Trello boards.

Benefits of Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts provide several advantages for frequent Trello users:

• Faster navigation between cards and lists without mouse movement
• Reduced context switching and improved focus on tasks
• Improved accessibility for users who prefer keyboard navigation
• Streamlined workflows for power users managing multiple boards

Accessing Keyboard Shortcuts

To access the complete list of keyboard shortcuts in Trello, navigate to any board and look for the keyboard shortcuts panel or help section.

1

Start by opening any Trello board where you want to use keyboard shortcuts. The shortcuts work across all boards and provide consistent navigation patterns regardless of the board's content or structure.

2

Access the keyboard shortcuts panel to view all available shortcuts. This panel shows organized categories of shortcuts including navigation, card management, and board operations. You can refer to this panel while learning the shortcuts.

Essential Navigation Shortcuts

Card Navigation

Navigate between cards efficiently using these keyboard commands:

• **Arrow Keys **: Move selection to adjacent cards in any direction
• J Key: Select the card below the current selection
• K Key: Select the card above the current selection
• Enter Key: Open the selected card for detailed editing

Card Movement Between Lists

Move cards between lists without dragging and dropping:

• **Comma **: Move the selected card to the bottom of the adjacent left list
• **Period **: Move the selected card to the bottom of the adjacent right list
• **Less Than **: Move the selected card to the top of the adjacent left list
• **Greater Than **: Move the selected card to the top of the adjacent right list

Display and Visual Shortcuts

Label Display Toggle

Control label visibility to reduce visual clutter or show detailed information:

• **Semicolon **: Toggle between showing and hiding label names on all cards across the board
• Click any label: Alternative method to toggle label name visibility

This feature is particularly useful when working with color-coded workflows where you may want to focus on label colors for quick visual scanning, or display full label names for detailed context.

Additional Productivity Shortcuts

Board and Menu Navigation

• B Key: Open the boards menu in the header for quick board switching
• N Key: Add a new card when hovering over any card in a list
• ? Key: Display the keyboard shortcuts help panel

Best Practices for Keyboard Shortcuts

• Start with basic navigation shortcuts before learning card movement shortcuts
• Practice shortcuts on a test board to build muscle memory without affecting active projects
• Combine shortcuts with mouse actions initially, gradually increasing keyboard-only workflows
• Use the '?' key frequently to reference the shortcuts panel until memorized

Workflow Integration Tips

Keyboard shortcuts become most valuable when integrated into your regular Trello workflows:

• Use during daily standup reviews to quickly navigate through cards and update statuses
• Implement during sprint planning to rapidly move cards between backlog and active lists
• Utilize when processing inbox or triage boards to quickly categorize and move items

Summary

Mastering Trello's keyboard shortcuts significantly improves your productivity by reducing the time spent switching between mouse and keyboard. The navigation shortcuts and card movement shortcuts are the most impactful for daily use. Start with these core shortcuts and gradually incorporate additional ones like label toggles and board navigation into your workflow.

For more information about optimizing your Trello experience, explore Workflows & Automation features and Managing Cards techniques.