TPE has keyboard shortcuts for the actions you repeat most while planning: moving the pin, stepping through days and events, scrubbing the time, and previewing overlays. This article lists them all, grouped by where they work.
On a Mac, Option is the Alt key. Where a shortcut says Ctrl/Cmd, use Cmd on a Mac and Ctrl on Windows and Linux.
How shortcuts behave
- Map shortcuts need the map to have focus. Click once on the map, then press the key. This applies to the main map and to the smaller maps on the 3D, Moon Simulator, Celestial Targets and Eclipse Simulator pages.
- Shortcuts are inactive while you type. They don’t fire while you’re typing in a text field, or while a menu, list or dialog is open, so you can type letters freely.
- Your browser’s own shortcuts still work. Cmd/Ctrl+C still copies, Cmd/Ctrl+P still prints and Cmd/Ctrl+F still finds, even with the map focused.
- Caps Lock makes no difference.
cand Shift+C, for example, do the same thing with Caps Lock on or off. - Holding a key doesn’t repeat it, except where repeating is useful: stepping through days, stepping the timeline, and walking in first-person view.
- Some shortcuts need a free account. If you’re signed out, a shortcut for a feature that needs signing in opens the sign-in screen instead.
Anywhere in the app
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + K |
Open or close location search |
F |
Full screen: collapse the sidebars and the help panel so the map or 3D view fills the window. Press again to restore them |
On the map
These work on the main map and on the smaller maps on other pages.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
C |
Move the primary pin to the centre of the map |
Shift + C |
Centre the map on the primary pin |
G |
Turn Geodetics (the secondary pin) on or off |
S |
Swap the primary and secondary pins. Does nothing while Geodetics is off |
On the main map only:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
P |
Previous day |
N |
Next day |
Shift + P |
Previous event |
Shift + N |
Next event |
Hold Shift |
Show the time-of-day overlay that appears while you drag the timeline, without changing the time. Release Shift to hide it |
Holding P or N steps day by day for as long as you hold it.
Moving the map
These keys come from the map itself rather than from TPE, so they differ slightly between the standard maps and the Google map types.
| Key | Standard maps | Google map types |
|---|---|---|
← ↑ → ↓ |
Pan | Pan |
+ / - |
Zoom in / out (hold Shift for two levels at a time) |
Zoom in / out |
Shift + ← / → |
Rotate the map | – |
Shift + ↑ / ↓ |
Tilt the map | – |
Page Up / Page Down / Home / End |
– | Jump up, down, left or right by most of the map |
On the standard maps, the compass button in the corner turns a rotated map back to north. To undo a tilt, press Shift + ↓. Because these keys use Shift, the time-of-day overlay also shows while you rotate or tilt.
On the Google map types, the Keyboard shortcuts link at the bottom of the map lists Google’s keys.
On the timeline
Click the timeline, or Tab to it, then:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
← / → |
Step the time back or forward 10 seconds |
Shift + ← / → |
Step 1 minute |
Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + ← / → |
Step 10 minutes |
Page Down / Page Up |
Step 10 minutes back or forward |
+ or = |
Zoom the timeline in |
- |
Zoom the timeline out |
With Cmd or Ctrl held, + and - zoom the browser page as usual, not the timeline.
The eclipse chart on the Eclipse Simulator page uses the same keys, with step sizes suited to an eclipse.
Hold-to-preview keys
Hold the key to preview, release to go back. Nothing changes permanently.
| Key | Where | What it previews |
|---|---|---|
Hold Alt |
Map, with Shot alignment on | The angular separation and alignment time together |
Hold Alt |
Map, with Shot alignment in Visibility mode | Where the target is visible |
Hold Alt |
Map, with the viewshed on | The marginal-clearance ribbon |
Hold Alt |
3D view | The sky as it would look at night, so markers and paths stand out against a bright daytime sky |
Hold Space |
3D view, first person, while drawing or placing a Visual Search area | Pan the view instead of drawing. Release to carry on drawing |
3D view
In first-person view, click the scene first, then:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
↑ / ↓ |
Step forward or back about 1.5 m in the direction you’re facing. Hold to walk |
← / → |
Step or walk sideways |
Ctrl/Cmd + ← / → |
Previous or next Visual Search result, when there are results |
Walking moves your primary pin.
G (Geodetics on or off) works anywhere on the 3D page, not only on its map.
Visual Search
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
Cmd-click Search, or Cmd + Enter in the search form |
Search starting from today rather than from the date on the timeline |
Enter or Space on a result |
Select the result |
Cmd-click a result, or Cmd + Enter on it |
Select the result and go to the map |
Field of view handle
When you drag the green handle of the field-of-view cone on the map, it changes the camera bearing and the subject distance together. Hold a key while dragging to change only part of that:
| Hold while dragging | What the drag changes |
|---|---|
| Nothing | Bearing and subject distance |
Shift |
Focal length and subject distance (zoom lenses only) |
Cmd |
Subject distance only |
Cmd + Shift |
Focal length only (zoom lenses only) |
Ctrl |
Bearing only |
Closing things with Escape
Escape closes the most recently opened thing only, so one press never closes several at once. It closes:
- the help panel
- popovers, such as the time anchor and the 3D view’s sky quality settings
- the date picker’s calendar
- the Library’s detail panel, or bulk-selection mode
- a selected building in the 3D view
- dialogs
If you’re typing in a search or filter box, the first Escape leaves the box and the next one closes the panel it’s in. That way the panel doesn’t close while you’re typing.
Lists and forms
- Rows in lists (search results, Visual Search results, events, eclipses, Library items, cameras and lenses) open or select with
EnterorSpace, the same as a click. Keys pressed on a checkbox or button inside a row go to that control only. - Reordering a list from the keyboard: Tab to an item’s grip handle and press
Spaceto pick it up. Use↑/↓to move it, thenSpaceto drop it.Escapecancels the move and puts the item back. This works in the Library, in Photo Gear (in edit mode) and in the Reorder lists and weather model reorder dialogs. - Number and date fields accept a typed value when you press
Enter. - The azimuth and altitude offset pad in Shot alignment nudges by 0.1° with the arrow keys, or by 1° with
Shiftheld. - Help search:
Entersearches. While you’re reading an article,EnterandShift+Enterjump to the next and previous match.
Typing in Korean, Japanese or Chinese
If you type with an input method (IME), the Enter that confirms a character only confirms it. It doesn’t also submit the field. Press Enter again to submit.
