Complete Basecamp keyboard shortcuts and commands reference — 10 shortcuts across 2 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & Mac.
Basecamp's keyboard shortcuts are few and mail-like: J and K to move through lists, Enter to open, Esc to go back, and a jump menu for getting anywhere by name. The table writes them with Cmd as Basecamp's help does; on Windows and Linux use Ctrl. Because Basecamp is a shared workspace, the jump menu is the shortcut that changes how people use it.
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| J | Next item | Move to next item. |
| K | Previous item | Move to previous item. |
| Cmd + J | Jump | Quick jump between projects. |
| ? | Shortcuts | Show keyboard shortcuts. |
| Enter | Open selected | Open the currently highlighted item in a list. |
| Esc | Close / back | Close the current dialog or jump menu. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cmd + Enter | Submit post | Post your message or comment without clicking the button. |
| Cmd + B | Bold | Bold selected text in the rich text editor. |
| Cmd + I | Italic | Italicize selected text in the rich text editor. |
| Cmd + K | Insert link | Turn selected text into a hyperlink. |
The most essential Basecamp shortcuts are: J (Next item), K (Previous item), Cmd + J (Jump).
The Basecamp shortcut for next item is J. Move to next item.
Yes — use My Stack to combine Basecamp shortcuts with any other platform on this site into one printable reference, which is useful if your daily workflow spans several tools.
J and K move the highlight down and up through messages, to-dos and the Hey! menu, Enter opens the highlighted item and Esc closes it or steps back. The same keys work in the Lineup and in search results, so triaging a morning's notifications is a J-Enter-Esc rhythm with no mouse. ? shows the shortcut list for the page you are on.
Cmd + J opens Jump, a search box that goes to any project, person, to-do list or document by name. It is the equivalent of a command palette and removes most navigation through the project grid; combine it with the browser's Cmd + L for a keyboard-only session. Recent items are listed before you type.
In the editor, Cmd + Enter posts the message or comment, Cmd + B and Cmd + I apply bold and italic, and Cmd + K turns the selection into a link. Typing @ mentions a person and notifies them. Attachments are dragged in; there is no shortcut for them.
Open your assistant with this page preloaded as the source — great for follow-up questions like "which of these work in other apps?"