Keyboard Shortcuts

A complete reference of keyboard shortcuts available in Claude Code.

Essential Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Enter	Send message / confirm
Escape	Cancel current action / dismiss
Ctrl+C	Interrupt Claude (stop generation)
Ctrl+D	Exit Claude Code (end session)

Input & Editing

Shortcut	Action
Shift+Enter	New line (multi-line input)
Up Arrow	Previous message in history
Down Arrow	Next message in history
Ctrl+A	Move cursor to beginning of line
Ctrl+E	Move cursor to end of line
Ctrl+U	Clear current input line
Ctrl+W	Delete word before cursor

Permission Prompts

Shortcut	Action
y or Enter	Accept / approve the action
n	Reject / deny the action
a	Always allow this tool for the session

Navigation

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+L	Clear the screen
Tab	Autocomplete slash commands

Tips

• Multi-line input: Press Shift+Enter to add a new line without sending the message. Press Enter to send when you are done.
• Interrupt safely: Ctrl+C stops Claude mid-response without ending the session. Use it if Claude is going down the wrong path.
• Quick exit: Ctrl+D exits immediately. You can also type /exit.
• History navigation: Use Up Arrow to recall previous prompts and edit them before resending.