Facebook have keyboard shortcuts that allow you to navigate and use Facebook faster without needing to use your mouse. They make performing common tasks in Facebook quicker and more efficient.
How to Use Facebook Shortcuts
Most Facebook shortcuts work when you are in the Facebook website or desktop app. To use them, simply press the specified keys on your keyboard while on Facebook. For example, to open the shortcut menu, press the “?” key or “Shift + ?” keys.
Some shortcuts may vary slightly depending on whether you are using a Windows or Mac computer. The commonly used Facebook shortcuts are:
- ?: Open Help Menu – This opens a menu with a list of all available Facebook shortcuts.
- j: Scroll down news feed
- k: Scroll up news feed
- p: Open photos page
- f: Search for friends
- n or Shift + 1: Notifications
- h: Open homepage/news feed
- s: Open search bar
- ?: Open profile menu
- /: Open search box
Facebook Shortcuts for News Feed
When you are scrolling through your Facebook news feed, these shortcuts allow you to easily navigate:
- j: Scroll down news feed
- k: Scroll up news feed
- l: Open first post in news feed
- u: Scroll up slightly in news feed
- Shift + u: Scroll up a lot in news feed
- d: Scroll down slightly in news feed
- Shift + d: Scroll down a lot in news feed
You can use j and k to continuously scroll up and down the page smoothly. l will open the first new post at the top of your feed.
Facebook Post Shortcuts
When you have a Facebook post open, these shortcuts allow you to quickly interact with the post:
- l: Like or unlike post
- c: Open comments
- s: Share post
- r: Reply to post
- m: Open post menu
For example, pressing l will like or unlike the post depending on its current state. c opens the comment section so you can quickly jump to reading or writing comments.
Facebook Messenger Shortcuts
In Facebook Messenger, these shortcuts can help improve your messaging efficiency:
- c: Open compose message window
- n: Switch between conversations
- f: Search for people and groups
- /: Search Messenger
- Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + a: Open Activity feed
- Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + i: Open Messenger info
Messenger shortcuts work whether you are using the desktop app or web version. For example, pressing c opens a new compose message window so you can start a new chat easily.
Facebook Profile Shortcuts
When viewing a Facebook profile, these shortcuts are available:
- p: Open photos page
- f: Open friends page
- a: Open about page
- c: Open photos by profile
- i: Open intro section
- h: Open homepage/wall
The profile shortcuts provide quick access to different sections of a user’s profile. For example, a takes you directly to the about page to see work and education information.
Other Facebook Shortcuts
Here are some other useful Facebook shortcuts:
- ?: Open Help menu
- e: Open Events page
- g: Open Groups page
- o or Shift + 2: Open friends list sidebar
- s: Open search bar
- m: Open notifications menu
These shortcuts provide easy access to different parts of Facebook, like events, groups and friends list. The Help menu “?” provides a full list of all available keyboard shortcuts.
Customize Facebook Shortcuts
You can customize some Facebook shortcuts to create your own shortcuts:
- Click on the down arrow at the top right of Facebook.
- Select “Settings & Privacy”.
- Click on “Keyboard Shortcuts” on the left sidebar.
- Click on a shortcut command and enter your custom shortcut keys.
- Click “Update” to save.
This allows you to create keyboard shortcuts for commands like Compose Story, Poke, Save Photo and more. Just remember not to use already assigned shortcut keys.
Facebook Mobile App Shortcuts
The Facebook mobile app does not support keyboard shortcuts. However, there are some gestures you can use to quickly navigate:
- Swipe left or right: Scroll between tabs
- Swipe left on post: Hide post
- Swipe right on post: Open post options
- Tap top bar: Scroll to top
- Double tap post: Like/unlike post
On iOS, you can also use 3D Touch on posts or comments to quickly react or respond. So while not as robust as desktop shortcuts, mobile gestures can still speed up common tasks.
Why Use Facebook Shortcuts?
There are a few key reasons to use Facebook shortcuts:
- Save time – Shortcuts are faster than clicking menu items or buttons. You can zip through tasks without grabbing your mouse.
- Work more efficiently – Keep your hands on the keyboard to maintain typing momentum and workflow.
- Avoid clicking fatigue – Repetitive clicking can strain your hands. Shortcuts reduce this strain.
- Improve accessibility – Those with disabilities may find shortcuts easier than using a mouse.
Overall, Facebook shortcuts allow you to spend less time navigating and more time interacting with the content you care about. With practice, the shortcuts become second nature and make Facebook a much smoother experience.
Conclusion
Facebook shortcuts enable efficient, mouse-free navigation and use of Facebook on desktop. They cover news feed, posts, profiles, messaging, search, and more. While less extensive on mobile, gestures provide some quick actions. Learning Facebook shortcuts takes some practice, but can greatly speed up your daily Facebooking once mastered.