Keyboard Shortcuts

Power users love keyboard shortcuts. Here's every shortcut available in Osaurus, organized by context.

Global Shortcuts

These shortcuts work system-wide, even when Osaurus is in the background.

Shortcut	Action	Description
⌘;	Toggle Chat	Open or close the chat overlay from anywhere
⌘⇧M	Management Window	Open the Management window for settings, tools, and insights
Custom	Transcription Mode	Dictate text into any focused text field (configurable)

Customizable Hotkeys

The chat overlay hotkey (⌘;) and Transcription Mode hotkey can be customized. See Customizing Shortcuts below.

Chat Window

Shortcuts available when using the chat interface.

Shortcut	Action	Description
⌘N	New Window	Open an additional chat window
⌘`	Cycle Windows	Switch between open Osaurus windows
Enter	Send Message	Send the current message
⇧Enter	New Line	Insert a new line without sending
Esc	Close Overlay	Dismiss the chat overlay
⌘K	Clear Chat	Clear the current conversation

Multi-Window

Use ⌘N to open multiple independent chat windows, each with its own persona. See Multi-Window Chat for details.

Management Window

Shortcuts available in the Management window (⌘⇧M).

Shortcut	Action	Description
⌘,	Settings	Open application settings
⌘W	Close Window	Close the current window

Text Editing

Standard macOS text editing shortcuts work in all input fields.

Shortcut	Action
⌘A	Select all text
⌘C	Copy selected text
⌘V	Paste from clipboard
⌘X	Cut selected text
⌘Z	Undo
⌘⇧Z	Redo

Customizing Shortcuts

Global hotkeys can be customized to avoid conflicts with other applications.

Changing the Chat Hotkey

1. Click the Osaurus icon in the menu bar
2. Select Settings
3. Navigate to the General tab
4. Find the Global Hotkey option
5. Click the hotkey recorder field
6. Press your desired key combination
7. The new hotkey takes effect immediately

Changing the Transcription Mode Hotkey

1. Open Management window (⌘⇧M) → Voice
2. Navigate to the Transcription tab
3. Click the hotkey recorder field
4. Press your desired key combination
5. The new hotkey takes effect immediately

Supported Modifiers

When recording a custom hotkey, you can use any combination of:

• ⌘ Command
• ⌥ Option
• ⌃ Control
• ⇧ Shift

Combined with any letter, number, or function key.

Tips for Choosing a Hotkey

• Avoid combinations used by other apps you frequently use
• Include at least one modifier key (⌘, ⌥, ⌃, or ⇧)
• Test the hotkey in different applications to ensure it doesn't conflict

Keyboard Symbol Reference

Symbol	Key
⌘	Command
⌥	Option (Alt)
⌃	Control
⇧	Shift
⎋	Escape
⏎	Return/Enter

Related Guides

• Multi-Window Chat — Working with multiple chat windows
• Personas — Creating custom AI assistants
• Skills — Extending AI with reusable capabilities
• Schedules — Automating recurring AI tasks
• Agents — Autonomous multi-step task execution
• Voice Input — Speech-to-text, VAD mode, and Transcription Mode

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For more configuration options, see the Configuration guide.