Highlighty Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

You've got the hang of Highlighty, and now you want to drive it without reaching for the mouse. A handful of keyboard shortcuts cover almost everything you do day to day — opening the search bar, flipping highlighting off on a noisy page, dropping a selection into your list, jumping between matches.

This is a quick reference you can keep open. Every shortcut below is verified, and where one is configurable, it says so. We've deliberately left out anything we couldn't confirm.

TL;DR

• Cmd+F / Ctrl+F — open Highlighty's search bar. Press it twice within 400 ms to fall back to the browser's native find.
• Cmd+Shift+F / Ctrl+Shift+F — disable the Cmd+F takeover at the browser level, even if a page is misbehaving.
• Shift+F — run a search in Manual search mode (search only when you ask).
• Shift+D — Quick disable: turn off highlighting of found queries on the current page only.
• Shift+L — Highlight on select: add the text you've selected to your query list with a random color.
• Navigation bar keys — assignable keys to move up and down through matches.
• Most of these live under Popup → Basic → Hotkey features, where you can turn them on or off.

Open the search bar

Cmd+F (Mac) / Ctrl+F (Windows, Linux)

A single press opens Highlighty's search bar and highlights matches as you type. Press the same shortcut again within 400 milliseconds and the bar closes, handing control to the browser's built-in find dialog. Your old muscle memory still works.

This is the "Cmd+F / Find takeover" feature. You can turn the takeover on or off at Popup → Basic → Hotkey features.

Cmd+Shift+F (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+F (Windows, Linux)

This disables the Cmd+F takeover at the browser level. It works even when a page is misbehaving and the normal toggle can't reach it — a reliable backup when you need native find back in a hurry.

Work with your list and the current page

Shift+F — Manual search mode

With Manual search mode on, Highlighty searches only when you press Shift+F, instead of re-searching automatically as you navigate or edit your list. It's useful on heavy pages, or when you're building a long query list and don't want every keystroke to trigger a fresh scan. The toggle lives at Popup → Basic → Hotkey features.

Shift+D — Quick disable hotkey

Shift+D turns off highlighting of your found queries on the current page only. Other tabs and other sites keep highlighting as usual. Reach for it when a single page is too busy and you want a clean view without changing your setup. It's the "Quick disable hotkey" under Popup → Basic → Hotkey features.

Shift+L — Highlight on select

Select some text on the page, press Shift+L, and that text is added to your query list with a random color. It's the fastest way to start highlighting a term you just spotted while reading. You'll find "Highlight on select" under Popup → Basic → Hotkey features.

Move through matches

Navigation bar — assignable keys

The Navigation bar gives you assignable keys to step up and down through the matches on a page — Shift plus the key you choose for each direction. Because you pick the keys, the exact combination is up to you. Set them up at Popup → Basic → Hotkey features → Navigation bar.

Which shortcuts can I change?

The Navigation bar keys are the ones you assign yourself. The other shortcuts here — Cmd+F, the Shift+Shift+F backup, Shift+F, Shift+D, and Shift+L — are fixed, but the features behind them can each be switched on or off from Popup → Basic → Hotkey features. If you never use Highlight on select, for instance, you can turn it off so Shift+L does nothing.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open Highlighty's search bar?

Press Cmd+F on Mac, or Ctrl+F on Windows and Linux. A single press opens Highlighty's bar. Press it twice within 400 ms and the browser's native find dialog opens instead.

How do I get the browser's normal Ctrl+F back?

Two ways. Press the shortcut twice within 400 ms for a one-off fallback, or press Cmd+Shift+F (Ctrl+Shift+F on Windows and Linux) to disable the takeover at the browser level — that one works even if a page is misbehaving. You can also turn the takeover off entirely at Popup → Basic → Hotkey features.

What does Shift+F do?

Shift+F runs a search when Manual search mode is on. In that mode Highlighty searches only when you press Shift+F, rather than re-searching automatically. Turn Manual search mode on under Popup → Basic → Hotkey features.

What's the difference between Shift+D and Shift+L?

Shift+D is the Quick disable hotkey — it turns off highlighting of your found queries on the current page only. Shift+L is Highlight on select — it adds the text you've selected to your query list with a random color. One quiets a page, the other adds a keyword.

Can I change the navigation keys?

Yes. The Navigation bar lets you assign the keys you use to move up and down through matches (Shift plus your chosen key for each direction). Set them at Popup → Basic → Hotkey features → Navigation bar.

Where do I turn these shortcuts on or off?

Most of them live in one place: Popup → Basic → Hotkey features. That's where you'll find the Cmd+F / Find takeover, Manual search mode, Quick disable hotkey, Highlight on select, and the Navigation bar. Each can be switched on or off to match how you work.