---
title: "Keyboard Shortcuts"
url: https://olliewp.com/docs/build/keyboard-shortcuts/
date: 2026-08-11
author: "Mike McAlister"
---

Keyboard Shortcuts adds block-tree navigation to the editor, so you can fly through nested layouts — groups inside columns inside covers — without reaching for the mouse or opening List View.

## The Shortcuts

On Mac, use ⌘; on Windows and Linux, use Ctrl.

- **⌘ + Shift + ↑** — **Select parent block.** The one you'll use constantly: jump from a paragraph to its group, then to the section that contains it. Tap it repeatedly to walk straight up to the outermost container.
- **⌘ + Shift + ↓** — **Traverse forward.** Steps down and through the block tree: into a container's first child, then on to the next sibling, climbing back out when a branch ends. Tap repeatedly to visit every block in order.
- **⌘ + Shift + Alt + →** — Traverse forward, same as above — a comfortable alternative if you prefer horizontal arrows for tree movement.
- **⌘ + Shift + Alt + ←** — **Traverse backward.** Walks the tree in reverse, diving to the deepest last block of the previous branch.

The first two also appear in the editor's built-in Keyboard Shortcuts help (Shift + Alt + H) under the selection section.

## Why It's Useful

Modern block layouts nest deep, and clicking precisely on a parent container is fiddly — you usually hit the child instead. Parent selection with a keystroke makes structural work fast: select the group, adjust its spacing, jump up another level, adjust again. Combined with forward/backward traversal you can audit an entire page's structure from the keyboard.

## Tips

- Combine with WordPress's own shortcuts: ⌘ + Shift + D duplicates whatever you've selected, and ⌘ + Shift + ↑ then delete removes an entire section cleanly.
- Traverse forward is a great way to review a finished page — it visits every block in reading order, so nothing hides from you.