The expected keyboard pattern for every common UI widget.
Keyboard users rely on consistent, predictable interactions. These patterns follow the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices Guide and cover the widgets most product teams build.
Buttons and links
- Tab / Shift+Tab
- Move focus to the next or previous element
- Enter
- Activate a link or button
- Space
- Activate a button
Tabs
- Tab
- Move focus into the tab list, then to the tab panel
- Left / Right arrow
- Move focus to the previous or next tab
- Home / End
- Move focus to the first or last tab
Menu button
- Enter / Space / Down arrow
- Open the menu and move focus to the first item
- Up / Down arrow
- Move focus among menu items
- Escape
- Close the menu and return focus to the button
Dialog (modal)
- Tab / Shift+Tab
- Cycle focus among elements inside the dialog only
- Escape
- Close the dialog and return focus to the trigger
Accordion
- Enter / Space
- Expand or collapse the focused panel header
- Tab
- Move to the next focusable element
Combobox
- Down arrow
- Open the listbox and move to the first suggestion
- Up / Down arrow
- Move among suggestions
- Enter
- Select the highlighted suggestion
- Escape
- Close the listbox without selecting
Checkbox and radio group
- Space
- Toggle a checkbox
- Arrow keys
- Move among radio buttons in a group and select one
Slider
- Left / Right or Up / Down arrow
- Decrease or increase the value by one step
- Home / End
- Set the minimum or maximum value
- Page Up / Page Down
- Jump the value by a larger step