Using Tab to Select Dialog Box Buttons in Mac OS X

From the keyboard of Paul on December 14th, 2007
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Filed under: Mac, Mac OS X, Technology.
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One of the things that has annoyed me about Mac OS is the behaviour of the Tab key. When presented with a dialog box with multiple buttons, pressing the Tab key will not allow you to shift focus from one button to the next. Thankfully this default behaviour can be changed.

 

Dialog Box with Tab Key Disabled

Figure 1: Dialog box with Tab key disabled

 

In System Properties, open the Keyboard & Mouse settings and click on the Keyboard Settings section. At the bottom of the screen is an option for Full Keyboard Access.

 

System Properties - Keyboard & Mouse - Keyboard Shortcuts

Figure 2: System Properties - Keyboard & Mouse - Keyboard Shortcuts

 

In this section there is the option for using the Tab key to move focus between a) Text boxes and lists only, or b) All controls. Click the radio button for the second option, and the Tab key will now allow you to tab between all the available dialog box buttons. On a MacBook you can also use the following shortcut key to turn on/ off this behaviour: ^fn F7

 

Dialog Box with Tab Key Enabled

Figure 3: Dialog Box with Tab Key Enabled

 

Once this option has been enabled you should be able to use the Tab key to highlight any of the available buttons. One word of caution though: if you select a different button than the already highlighted default, then you must use the spacebar to “press” it. Using the Enter or Return keys will always “press” the default button.

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17 Responses to Using Tab to Select Dialog Box Buttons in Mac OS X

  1. whatithink » Changing the Contrast on a MacBook IRELAND WordPress 2.3.1

    [...] I was playing around with the Keyboard Shortcuts for the previous post, I noticed that there’s a shortcut for adjusting the contrast on my MacBook. I’ve been [...]

  2. airwhaleNo Gravatar SWEDEN Windows XP Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.11

    THANKS!

    This has annoyed me to no end for the longest time, and this is the first good explanation I’ve seen on the subject. Glad to have found you (via Google)!

    peace,
    Tormod

  3. paulmcNo Gravatar IRELAND Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.11

    No problem. I spent ages looking for this. Coming from a Windows background, I was so used to using the keyboard to navigate that this was a major frustration!

    Cheers,
    Paul.

  4. MikeNo Gravatar CANADA Mac OS X Safari 525.13

    I had seen this system preference option earlier and even played with it, but I never made the connection to press spacebar rather than enter. Thanks a lot.
    I have noticed that some programs allow you to type cmd-(key) key being the first letter of the unselected button, to choose different options. This works in Photoshop Elements 2 and I think TextEdit, but there are a lot of programs where it doesn’t work.

    Thanks again.

  5. » Tab Button in dialog boxes in OS X mylifeinaminute.com: You can learn a lot in a minute UNITED STATES WordPress 2.5

    [...] Tab Button in dialog boxes in OS X digg_skin = ‘compact’; digg_window = ‘new’; Posted in April 27th, 2008 by liquidpooled in Apple, Leopard, Macbook Pro The default behavior for the tab key on your keyboard in OS X when a dialog box appears is do… NOTHING.  This is one of the strangest behaviors to adapt to (coming from a Windows world.  A good post on how to modify your settings so the tab key works in a sane manner can be found here. [...]

  6. Tom ValdezNo Gravatar UNITED STATES Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14

    Thank you VERY MUCH for this tip! I too am used to Windows keyboard shortcuts but do most of my music production on the Mac now. I always prefer to leave my hands off the mouse whenever possible — keyboard shortcuts are more productive.

    Tom

  7. urfNo Gravatar UNITED KINGDOM Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14

    Thx! Been searching for this for ages!

  8. J.P.No Gravatar ARGENTINA Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 3.0

    Thank you very much!!

  9. steamerNo Gravatar UNITED KINGDOM Mac OS X Safari 525.20.1

    nice one mate. selecting the actuall button once it had been tabbed to had me stumped and your the only person who bothered to add the all important note at bottom “spacebar to select” many thanks.

  10. PaulNo Gravatar IRELAND Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 3.0

    No problem, making the move from Windows to a Mac isn’t that hard, but it’s small thing like this that catch even the most experienced power users!

    Cheers,
    Paul.

  11. dalinNo Gravatar CANADA Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1

    Tabbing around on a mac has been driving me nuts!!! One step closer to abandoning the mouse.

  12. DennisNo Gravatar UNITED STATES Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! This has been plaguing me for years, having to use the mouse to press a non-default button rather than being able to use the keyboard. With Apple’s tremendous ability to design intuitively, it’s surprising that they made this one difficult. Thanks!!!!

  13. DanNo Gravatar UNITED KINGDOM Mac OS X Safari 525.20.1

    Thank you - saved me!

  14. PaulNo Gravatar IRELAND Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1

    My pleasure Dan. Thanks for the comment!

  15. ThomasNo Gravatar NEW ZEALAND Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1

    Am i missing something or does it still not make the ’shutdown dialog’ - the one that comes up with the options to shutdown, restart or sleep when you press the power button on a macbook - be able to be tabbed??

  16. PaulNo Gravatar IRELAND Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1

    I just checked it on my MacBook and it works fine for me. Anyone else having this problem?

  17. SilicanNo Gravatar UNITED STATES Mac OS X Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1

    Man u Rock. This used to be a big problem for me and now I can leave the mouse finally. :)

    Thanks for the great tip.

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