FileMaker Pro Keyboard Shortcuts: Complete List for Windows & Mac (2026)
⌨ FileMaker Pro – Quick Shortcut Reference
Create new record – Ctrl + N (Win) / Cmd + N (Mac)
Delete a record – Ctrl + E (Win) / Cmd + E (Mac)
Switch to Browse mode – Ctrl + B (Win) / Cmd + B (Mac)
Switch to Find mode – Ctrl + F (Win) / Cmd + F (Mac)
Switch to Layout mode – Ctrl + L (Win) / Cmd + L (Mac)
Switch to Preview mode – Ctrl + U (Win) / Cmd + U (Mac)
Undo last action – Ctrl + Z (Win) / Cmd + Z (Mac)
Save a layout / script – Ctrl + S (Win) / Cmd + S (Mac)
FileMaker Pro keyboard shortcuts are key combinations that trigger commands directly without opening any menu. They work across all four modes in FileMaker Pro: Browse (for viewing and editing records), Find (for searching), Layout (for designing database layouts), and Preview (for reviewing print output). Using shortcuts instead of menus eliminates repetitive mouse movement, which Claris the company behind FileMaker Pro estimates can save database developers several hours per week on routine tasks.
A note on naming: FileMaker Pro is now officially published as Claris FileMaker Pro by Claris International Inc., an Apple subsidiary. The product was rebranded in 2020 when Apple spun off its enterprise software division under the Claris name. All keyboard shortcuts in this guide apply to Claris FileMaker Pro versions 19 through 21 (the current release as of 2026) on both Windows and macOS. If you see “FileMaker” and “Claris FileMaker” used interchangeably online they refer to the same product.
Most used FileMaker Pro shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Create a new record / request | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Delete a record / request | Ctrl + E | Cmd + E |
| Delete record without confirmation | Ctrl + Shift + E | Cmd + Option + E |
| Duplicate a record / request / object | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Show all records | Ctrl + J | Cmd + J |
| Sort records | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Undo last command | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
| Ctrl + P | Cmd + P | |
| Print without dialog box | Ctrl + Alt + P | Cmd + Option + P |
| Save a layout | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Open Script Workspace | Ctrl + Shift + S | Cmd + Shift + S |
| Open Manage Database dialog | Ctrl + Shift + D | Cmd + Shift + D |
| Open Find / Replace dialog | Ctrl + Shift + F | Cmd + Shift + F |
| Open Manage Layouts dialog | Ctrl + Shift + L | Cmd + Shift + L |
| Open a file | Ctrl + O | Cmd + O |
| Open a remote / hosted file | Ctrl + Shift + O | Cmd + Shift + O |
| Open the Layout pop-up menu | F2 | F2 |
| Open FileMaker Pro Help | F1 | Cmd + ? |
| Close a file or window | Ctrl + W | Cmd + W |
| Close all files or windows | Ctrl + Alt + W | Option + Cmd + W |
| Quit FileMaker Pro | Ctrl + Q | Cmd + Q |
| Show the Open Quickly box | Ctrl + K | Cmd + K |
| Run script 1–10 from Scripts menu | Ctrl + 1 … Ctrl + 0 | Cmd + 1 … Cmd + 0 |
Switch modes Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Switch to Browse mode | Ctrl + B | Cmd + B |
| Switch to Find mode | Ctrl + F | Cmd + F |
| Switch to Layout mode | Ctrl + L | Cmd + L |
| Switch to Preview mode | Ctrl + U | Cmd + U |
Browse mode shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Create a record | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Duplicate a record | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Delete a record | Ctrl + E | Cmd + E |
| Delete record without confirmation | Ctrl + Shift + E | Cmd + Option + E |
| Modify last find | Ctrl + R | Cmd + R |
| Show all records | Ctrl + J | Cmd + J |
| Sort records | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Go to next record | Ctrl + Down Arrow | Control + Down Arrow |
| Go to previous record | Ctrl + Up Arrow | Control + Up Arrow |
| Move to a specific record | Esc → type number → Enter | Esc → type number → Enter |
| Omit a record | Ctrl + T | Cmd + T |
| Omit multiple records | Ctrl + Shift + T | Cmd + Shift + T |
| Refresh a window | Ctrl + Shift + R | Cmd + Shift + R |
| Activate quick find box | Ctrl + Alt + F | Cmd + Option + F |
| Print records | Ctrl + P | Cmd + P |
| Print without dialog box | Ctrl + Alt + P | Cmd + Option + P |
Find mode shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Create a find request | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Delete a find request | Ctrl + E | Cmd + E |
| Duplicate a find request | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Show all records | Ctrl + J | Cmd + J |
| Perform a find | Enter | Enter |
| Insert from index | Ctrl + I | Cmd + I |
| Select / deselect Omit button | Ctrl + T | Cmd + T |
| Move to next find request | Ctrl + Down Arrow | Control + Down Arrow |
| Move to previous find request | Ctrl + Up Arrow | Control + Up Arrow |
| Move to a specific find request | Esc → type number → Enter | Esc → type number → Enter |
Navigation shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Go to next object (field, button, tab) | Tab | Tab |
| Go to previous object | Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab |
| Next record / request / layout / page | Ctrl + Down Arrow | Control + Down Arrow |
| Previous record / request / layout / page | Ctrl + Up Arrow | Control + Up Arrow |
| Next tab (when a tab is selected) | Right Arrow | Right Arrow |
| Previous tab | Left Arrow | Left Arrow |
| Scroll document down | Page Down | Page Down |
| Scroll document up | Page Up | Page Up |
| Scroll to document beginning | – | Home |
| Scroll to document end | – | End |
| Scroll document left | Ctrl + Page Up | – |
| Scroll document right | Ctrl + Page Down | – |
Window display shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Cascade document windows | Shift + F5 | – |
| Tile windows horizontally | Shift + F4 | – |
| Close a window | Ctrl + Shift + F4 | Cmd + W |
| Resize window – full screen or previous | Ctrl + Alt + Z | Cmd + Option + Z |
| Show or hide status toolbar | Ctrl + Alt + S | Cmd + Option + S |
| Minimize current window | – | Cmd + M |
| Hide FileMaker Pro application | – | Cmd + H |
| Zoom document larger | F3 | Cmd + Shift + + |
| Zoom document smaller | Shift + F3 | Cmd + – (hyphen) |
Editing shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Insert current date | Ctrl + – (hyphen) | Cmd + – (hyphen) |
| Insert current time | Ctrl + ; | Cmd + ; |
| Insert current username | Ctrl + Shift + N | Cmd + Shift + N |
| Insert information from index | Ctrl + I | Cmd + I |
| Insert from last visited record | Ctrl + ‘ (apostrophe) | Cmd + ‘ (apostrophe) |
| Insert from last record, move to next field | Ctrl + Shift + “ | Cmd + Shift + “ |
| Insert a merge field | Ctrl + M | Cmd + Option + M |
| Insert a layout calculation | – | Cmd + Shift + C |
| Paste text from clipboard | Ctrl + V | Cmd + V |
| Paste text without styles | Ctrl + Shift + V | Cmd + Option + Shift + V |
| Replace a field’s value | Ctrl + = | Cmd + = |
| Select all objects (Layout mode) | Ctrl + A | Cmd + A |
| Select objects of same type | Ctrl + Shift + A | Cmd + Option + A |
Text formatting shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Bold text | Ctrl + Shift + B | Cmd + Shift + B |
| Italic text | Ctrl + Shift + I | Cmd + Shift + I |
| Underline text | Ctrl + Shift + U | Cmd + Shift + U |
| Plain text (remove formatting) | Ctrl + Shift + P | Cmd + Shift + P |
| Align left | Ctrl + [ | Cmd + [ |
| Align center | Ctrl + \ | Cmd + \ |
| Align right | Ctrl + ] | Cmd + ] |
| Align justified | Ctrl + Shift + \ | Cmd + Shift + \ |
| Next point size up | Ctrl + Shift + > | Cmd + Shift + > |
| Next point size down | Ctrl + Shift + < | Cmd + Shift + < |
| Size up one point | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + > | Cmd + Option + Shift + > |
| Size down one point | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + < | Cmd + Option + Shift + < |
Layout mode shortcuts
Layout creation & navigation
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Create a new layout | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Go to next layout | Ctrl + Down Arrow | Control + Down Arrow |
| Go to previous layout | Ctrl + Up Arrow | Control + Up Arrow |
| Switch to layout by number | Esc → type number → Enter | Esc → type number → Enter |
Object alignment
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Align left edges | Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow | Cmd + Option + Left Arrow |
| Align right edges | Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow | Cmd + Option + Right Arrow |
| Align top edges | Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow | Cmd + Option + Up Arrow |
| Align bottom edges | Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow | Cmd + Option + Down Arrow |
| Show or hide rulers | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R | Cmd + Option + Shift + R |
| Show or hide object grid | Ctrl + Alt + Y | Cmd + Option + Y |
| Toggle snapping to grid | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Y | Cmd + Option + Shift + Y |
| Show or hide guides | Ctrl + Alt + ; | Cmd + Option + ; |
| Toggle snapping to guides | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + ; | Cmd + Option + Shift + ; |
| Toggle dynamic guides | Ctrl + Alt + ‘ (apostrophe) | Cmd + Option + ‘ (apostrophe) |
Object arrangement
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Bring object forward | Ctrl + Shift + [ | Cmd + Shift + [ |
| Bring object to front | Ctrl + Alt + [ | Cmd + Option + [ |
| Send object backward | Ctrl + Shift + ] | Cmd + Shift + ] |
| Send object to back | Ctrl + Alt + ] | Cmd + Option + ] |
| Duplicate selected object | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Group objects | Ctrl + R | Cmd + R |
| Ungroup objects | Ctrl + Shift + R | Cmd + Shift + R |
| Lock an object | Ctrl + Alt + L | Cmd + Option + L |
| Unlock an object | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + L | Cmd + Shift + Option + L |
| Rotate an object | Ctrl + Alt + R | Cmd + Option + R |
| Move object 1 point | Arrow keys | Arrow keys |
| Move object 10 points | Shift + Arrow keys | Shift + Arrow keys |
| Copy style of selected object | Ctrl + Alt + C | Cmd + Option + C |
| Paste style to another object | Ctrl + Alt + V | Cmd + Option + V |
Inspector shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Show or hide the Inspector | Ctrl + I | Cmd + I |
| Inspector – Position tab | Ctrl + 1 | Cmd + 1 |
| Inspector – Styles tab | Ctrl + 2 | Cmd + 2 |
| Inspector – Appearance tab | Ctrl + 3 | Cmd + 3 |
| Inspector – Data tab | Ctrl + 4 | Cmd + 4 |
Assign field shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Assign Text field type | Ctrl + T | Cmd + T |
| Assign Number field type | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Assign Date field type | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Assign Time field type | Ctrl + I | Cmd + I |
| Assign Timestamp field type | Ctrl + M | Cmd + M |
| Assign Container field type | Ctrl + R | Cmd + R |
| Assign Calculation field type | Ctrl + L | Cmd + L |
| Assign Summary field type | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
Script Debugger shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Step Over command | F5 | F5 |
| Step Into command | F6 | F6 |
| Step Out command | F7 | F7 |
| Run to Breakpoint | Alt + F8 | Option + F8 |
| Halt Script command | Ctrl + F8 | Cmd + F8 |
| Set Next Step command | Ctrl + Shift + F5 | Cmd + Shift + F5 |
| Set or Clear Breakpoint | Ctrl + F9 | Cmd + F9 |
| Remove all Breakpoints | Ctrl + Shift + F9 | Cmd + Shift + F9 |
| Edit Script command | Ctrl + F10 | Cmd + F10 |
How many keyboard shortcuts does FileMaker Pro have?
FileMaker Pro (Claris FileMaker Pro) has over 260 keyboard shortcuts on macOS and 121+ on Windows, according to community counts and official Claris documentation. This guide covers 200+ of the most useful shortcuts across all modes Browse, Find, Layout, Script Debugger, Text Formatting, and more for both Windows and Mac. The exact count varies slightly by version, as Claris occasionally adds shortcuts with major releases.
What is the shortcut to switch modes in FileMaker Pro?
FileMaker Pro has four modes, each with a dedicated keyboard shortcut:
- Browse mode: Ctrl + B (Windows) / Cmd + B (Mac)
- Find mode: Ctrl + F (Windows) / Cmd + F (Mac)
- Layout mode: Ctrl + L (Windows) / Cmd + L (Mac)
- Preview mode: Ctrl + U (Windows) / Cmd + U (Mac)
These mode-switching shortcuts work globally you can use them from any mode at any time.
Are FileMaker Pro keyboard shortcuts the same on Windows and Mac?
Most FileMaker Pro shortcuts follow the same pattern across platforms the Ctrl key on Windows maps to the Cmd (Command) key on Mac, and the Alt key on Windows maps to the Option key on Mac. For example, Ctrl + N on Windows becomes Cmd + N on Mac for creating a new record. However, there are platform-specific differences: Mac has additional shortcuts like Cmd + H to hide the application and Cmd + M to minimize, which have no Windows equivalent. Windows has cascade and tile window shortcuts (Shift + F5, Shift + F4) that are absent on Mac.
How do I create a custom keyboard shortcut in FileMaker Pro?
In FileMaker Pro, you can create custom keyboard shortcuts through custom menu items. Go to File → Manage → Custom Menus, then create or edit a menu item and assign a keyboard shortcut to it. This requires FileMaker Pro Advanced (now included in Claris FileMaker Pro).
On Mac, you can also add application-level shortcuts via System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → App Shortcuts select FileMaker Pro from the app list and define your shortcut there. This method works for any menu item in FileMaker without needing to modify the application itself. Note that custom shortcuts defined this way are stored locally and won’t transfer to other machines automatically.
What is the difference between FileMaker Pro and Claris FileMaker Pro?
They are the same product. FileMaker Pro was rebranded to Claris FileMaker Pro in 2020 when Apple restructured its enterprise software division under a subsidiary called Claris International Inc. The core application, its keyboard shortcuts, and its functionality remained the same only the branding changed. As of 2026, the current version is Claris FileMaker Pro 21. You may still see “FileMaker Pro” used widely online, especially in older documentation and community forums both names refer to the same database software.
Does FileMaker Go support keyboard shortcuts?
FileMaker Go (now Claris FileMaker Go) is the iOS and iPadOS version of FileMaker Pro. It supports a limited set of keyboard shortcuts when an external keyboard is connected to an iPhone or iPad. However, the full suite of shortcuts available in the desktop version particularly Layout mode, Script Debugger, and advanced editing shortcuts are not available in FileMaker Go, as many of those features are desktop-only. For the complete shortcut experience, the desktop version of Claris FileMaker Pro on Windows or macOS is recommended.
What is the FileMaker Pro shortcut to delete a record without a confirmation dialog?
To delete a record in FileMaker Pro without seeing the confirmation dialog, use:
- Windows: Ctrl + Shift + E
- Mac: Cmd + Option + E
Use this shortcut with caution deleted records cannot be recovered unless you have a backup. The standard delete shortcut Ctrl + E (Windows) / Cmd + E (Mac) will show a confirmation dialog before deleting.
Which FileMaker Pro shortcuts do developers use most?
Experienced FileMaker developers rely most heavily on these shortcuts daily:
- Ctrl + L / Cmd + L – Switch to Layout mode (used constantly during database design)
- Ctrl + Shift + S / Cmd + Shift + S – Open the Script Workspace
- Ctrl + Alt + [arrows] / Cmd + Option + [arrows] – Align objects in Layout mode
- Ctrl + D / Cmd + D – Duplicate a record, layout, or object
- Ctrl + R / Cmd + R – Group objects (or Modify last find in Browse mode)
- F5 / F6 / F7 – Step Over, Step Into, Step Out in the Script Debugger
The alignment shortcuts (Cmd + Option + arrows on Mac) are particularly valued developers report they alone can cut layout design time in half compared to using the Inspector panel manually.
Master FileMaker Pro Faster With Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to become a more efficient FileMaker Pro developer or user. Whether you are managing records in Browse mode, building complex layouts, writing scripts, or debugging every shortcut you commit to muscle memory is time you no longer spend reaching for a menu. If you’re evaluating whether FileMaker Pro is the right tool for your team, see our guide to the best FileMaker Pro alternatives.
This guide covers 200+ shortcuts across all modes for both Windows and macOS, verified against the official Claris FileMaker Pro documentation.
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