Keyboard Navigation#

ExtraBar is built for keyboard-driven workflows. You can navigate the bar, open menus, and execute actions entirely from the keyboard in Menu Bar, Notch, and Floating Bar modes. Launcher Mode provides its own searchable keyboard interface.

Activating keyboard mode#

There are two ways to enter keyboard mode:

• ⌥ + ⌘ + B — Toggle bar visibility and activate keyboard mode
• ⌥ + ⌘ + F — Activate keyboard mode when the bar is already visible

In Notch Mode the Show/Hide shortcut is ignored; use the Focus shortcut, which also reveals an auto-hidden notch bar. If the floating bar is collapsed, either shortcut expands it first.

When keyboard mode is active, hotkey badges appear on each icon showing its shortcut key.

Keyboard mode automatically deactivates after 10 seconds of inactivity. Any key press resets the timer.

Quick selection#

Once keyboard mode is active, use number and letter keys to jump directly to an item:

• 1 – 9 — Select items 1 through 9
• A – Z — Select items 10 through 35

Selecting an item activates it the same way Enter does: its action menu opens, or an action widget set to run on click runs immediately.

If you find the badges distracting, you can hide them: enable Hide Keyboard Navigation Numbers and Letters in Settings (⚙) → Hotkeys. The shortcuts keep working — only the labels are hidden.

Navigation#

• Left / Right arrow — Move focus between items (Up / Down when the floating bar sits on the left or right screen edge)
• Tab — Move to the next item
• Shift + Tab — Move to the previous item
• Enter — Activate the focused item: open its menu, or run an action widget that is set to run on click
• Space — Open the menu for the focused item
• Escape — Exit keyboard mode

In-menu navigation#

When an action menu is open:

• 1 – 9 — Execute action 1 through 9
• A – Z — Execute action 10 through 35
• Enter — Execute the highlighted action
• Escape — Close the menu

Click behavior modes#

ExtraBar has two click behavior modes that control what happens when you click or select an item:

• Open Menu — The action menu opens showing all configured actions. This is the default.
• Launch App — The app launches directly. The menu still opens with "Open" as the first option — press 1 or Enter to launch quickly.

Change this in ExtraBar → Settings (⚙) → General → Click Behavior → Left Click.

Menu bar mode#

Keyboard navigation also works in menu bar mode. Pressing the focus hotkey activates keyboard navigation directly on the menu bar status items; the Show/Hide hotkey hides or shows the icons and activates keyboard navigation when they reappear. Hotkey badges and focus indicators appear on the icons, and the same keys apply: 1–9 and A–Z, Left / Right, Tab, Enter, Space, and Escape.

Accessibility permission#

Accessibility permission lets keyboard navigation on the menu bar icons receive your key presses while another app stays in front, and lets the New Window action open the window on your current Space. To grant it:

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → add ExtraBar.

Global hotkeys#

Open ExtraBar → Settings (⚙) → Hotkeys → Shortcuts to customize them. Every shortcut can be re-recorded or cleared, and Reset Defaults restores the combinations below.

• Show / Hide ExtraBar — ⌥ + ⌘ + B. Shows or hides the floating bar, or the icons in Menu Bar Mode. Ignored in Notch Mode.
• Focus ExtraBar — ⌥ + ⌘ + F. Starts keyboard navigation on the visible bar.
• Toggle Position — ⌥ + ⌘ + P. Switches between Floating Bar and Menu Bar.
• Toggle Notch Mode — ⌥ + ⌘ + N
• Toggle Collapse Mode — ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + M. Turns Collapse into a Menu on or off for the active preset. Unavailable while the app menu is merged into the bar.
• Collapse / Expand Bar — No default. Folds or expands the floating bar; record one here or under Collapse Mode (see Collapse Mode). It only works while Collapse Bar is turned on, and pauses while the bar is a single menu icon.
• Open Bookmark Manager (Shiori) — ⇧ + ⌘ + B

When a shortcut cannot work in the current configuration, its row in Settings says why.

In Launcher Mode, Show / Hide ExtraBar opens or closes the panel and Focus ExtraBar opens it or returns focus to search. Use the keyboard map on the Launcher page for searching and opening actions.

Preset hotkeys#

Assign keyboard shortcuts to presets for instant switching. Each preset row has a Set Hotkey button for a single-press shortcut; expand the row for the other trigger types. Three trigger types are available:

• Single Press — A standard shortcut (e.g., ⌥ + ⌘ + 1). Must include ⌘, ⌥, ⌃, or ⇧ so normal typing keeps working.
• Key Sequence — Press the shared leader key to enter scope mode, then press an action key to switch to the preset. The leader key needs a modifier; the action key can be any key. Configure the leader key and scope timeout (1–10 seconds) in the advanced settings.
• Multi-Press — Tap a key two (Double) or three (Triple) times quickly. The key needs a modifier, or can be a modifier key on its own (e.g., double-tap ⌥). Configure the detection window (200–1000 ms) in the advanced settings.

Configure preset hotkeys in ExtraBar → Settings (⚙) → Hotkeys → Preset Hotkeys. The Advanced section holds the Leader Key, Scope Timeout, Multi-Press Window, and Show Scope Indicator options.