Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete reference for all keyboard shortcuts in MouseCross.

Global Hotkeys

These shortcuts work system-wide, even when MouseCross is not the active window.

Toggle Crosshair Visibility

Show or hide the crosshair overlay.

  • Windows: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C (default, customizable)
  • macOS: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C (default)
  • Customization: Change in Settings → Hotkey (Windows only)

System Tray / Menu Bar Menu (Windows)

When the system tray context menu is open, these shortcuts activate menu items:

  • Alt+T - Toggle Crosshair
  • Alt+S - Open Settings dialog
  • Alt+A - Open About dialog
  • Alt+X - Exit MouseCross

Settings Dialog (Windows)

When the Settings dialog is open:

Appearance Tab

  • Alt+L - Focus Line Width slider
  • Alt+O - Focus Opacity slider
  • Alt+C - Focus Cursor Offset slider
  • Alt+T - Focus Thickness Growth slider
  • Alt+I - Focus Arrow Spacing slider
  • Alt+L - Open Color picker (Choose Color button)
  • Alt+S - Toggle Show Direction Arrows checkbox

Behavior Tab

  • Alt+A - Toggle "Start automatically with Windows" checkbox
  • Alt+V - Toggle "Activate crosshair on startup" checkbox

Hotkey Tab

  • Alt+H - Focus Toggle Hotkey control

Dialog Buttons

  • Alt+A - Apply changes
  • Alt+R - Restore Defaults
  • Enter - OK (apply and close)
  • Esc - Cancel (discard changes)

Navigation

  • Tab - Move to next control
  • Shift+Tab - Move to previous control
  • Space - Activate button or toggle checkbox
  • Arrow Keys - Adjust slider values or navigate dropdowns
  • Up/Down - Navigate dropdown options
  • Enter - Confirm dropdown selection

Settings Window (macOS)

When the Settings window is open:

Navigation

  • Tab - Move to next control
  • Shift+Tab - Move to previous control
  • Space - Activate button or toggle checkbox
  • Arrow Keys - Adjust slider values
  • Cmd+W - Close Settings window
  • Esc - Close Settings window (Cancel)
  • Enter - Apply and close (OK)

About Dialog (Windows)

When the About dialog is open:

  • Alt+W - Show Welcome Dialog button
  • Enter - Close (OK button)
  • Esc - Close

General Application Shortcuts

Windows

  • Alt+F4 - Quit MouseCross (when a dialog is focused)
  • Right-click tray icon - Open context menu

macOS

  • Cmd+Q - Quit MouseCross
  • Cmd+, - Open Settings (when menu bar is active)
  • Click menu bar icon - Open menu

Tips for Keyboard Users

Windows Screen Reader Users

All controls in the Settings dialog have accessible names:

  • Sliders announce their names and current values
  • Buttons announce their labels
  • Checkboxes announce their state (checked/unchecked)
  • Proper tab order follows logical flow

Example workflow:

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C to toggle crosshair
  2. Right-click system tray icon
  3. Press Alt+S to open Settings
  4. Press Tab to navigate through controls
  5. Press Arrow keys to adjust sliders
  6. Press Space to toggle checkboxes
  7. Press Enter to apply changes

Adjusting Sliders with Keyboard

Fine control:

  • Arrow keys: Small increments
  • Page Up/Down: Larger increments
  • Home: Minimum value
  • End: Maximum value

For screen reader users:

  • Slider values are announced when changed
  • Current value is spoken when slider receives focus

Customizing the Toggle Hotkey (Windows)

The global toggle hotkey can be customized:

  1. Open Settings (Alt+S from tray menu)
  2. Navigate to the "Toggle Hotkey" control (Alt+H)
  3. Click in the hotkey field or press Space to activate
  4. Press your desired key combination
  5. Must include at least one modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, Shift)

Valid combinations:

  • Ctrl + Any key
  • Alt + Any key
  • Shift + Any key
  • Ctrl+Alt + Any key
  • Ctrl+Shift + Any key
  • Alt+Shift + Any key
  • Ctrl+Alt+Shift + Any key

Invalid combinations:

  • Single letters without modifiers (e.g., just "C")
  • System reserved combinations (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+Delete)

Accessibility Considerations

All keyboard shortcuts are designed to:

  • Work with screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, Narrator)
  • Provide clear feedback
  • Avoid conflicts with common system shortcuts
  • Follow platform conventions (Alt on Windows, Cmd on macOS)

For more accessibility information, see the Accessibility Features page.

Quick Reference Card

Most Important Shortcuts

Action Windows macOS
Toggle Crosshair Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C
Open Settings Alt+S (from tray menu) Cmd+,
Quit Application Alt+X (from tray menu) Cmd+Q
Apply Settings Alt+A (in Settings) Enter
Cancel Settings Esc Esc or Cmd+W

Settings Dialog Navigation

Action Windows macOS
Next Control Tab Tab
Previous Control Shift+Tab Shift+Tab
Adjust Slider Arrow Keys Arrow Keys
Toggle Checkbox Space Space
Activate Button Space or Enter Space or Enter

Next Steps