Ability to disable keyboard shortcuts

[brylie]

There are several keyboard shortcuts for everyday tasks on GitHub. Some keyboard shortcuts use single letters like c, t, e, or a a. While the single-letter keyboard shortcuts may be convenient, they interfere with external tools active on the page.

For example, when editing the text suggestions in the Grammarly editor, GitHub will interpret my writing as keyboard shortcuts, often with detrimental results.

It would be helpful to disable GitHub keyboard shortcuts so that they wouldn't interfere with other browser plugins/keyboard input.

[gaknoll]

Hey @brylie - sorry for delay in getting you a response, but came across this while searching for feedback. In the fall our accessibility team shipped a feature that allows you to disable character key keyboard shortcuts. You can disable them in the Accessibility section of your user settings.

[brylie]

Thanks! :-)

That feature was somewhat disruptive. I wasn't using the keyboard shortcuts.

[FlorianFranzen]

Thank you, now please let us disable all the rest too, please.

[jdanbrown]

+1 this doesn't fully resolve the issue, as per the newer comments below

[janxious]

I'm coming back in the year 2025 to say you've introduced new keyboard shortcuts that override very old and well-known *nix shortcuts that are fucking up my ability to do code reviews and are mucking with my muscle memory system wide - specifically ctrl+e and ctrl-k, which should be "go to end of line" and "delete all text on this line", respectively. Please just let me turn off all your shortcuts because frankly you all don't do enough user testing with enough types of people to be in charge of this stuff.

[brucebanner1122]

Subject: Re: Ability to Disable Keyboard Shortcuts #5760

Thank you for bringing up this request. The ability to disable keyboard shortcuts can be particularly useful for users who rely on custom input methods or prefer a streamlined navigation experience.

For applications like Tele Latino APK, where seamless content browsing is essential, having an option to toggle keyboard shortcuts can enhance usability and prevent accidental interruptions. Implementing this feature could improve user experience, especially for those accessing content on different devices.

[vphantom]

Unfortunately only a handful of shortcuts can be disabled in Accessibility. For example for me GitHub has started to think that CTRL+G means "jump to line" (even though that should be ALT+G per its own documentation). I only use GitHub to browse code, not to be in a pretend IDE, so it'd be nice to be able to dumb it down considerably.

[omundy]

I am on a Mac and use CTL+G with a custom browser extension to switch between github.com and corresponding github.io sites (to grade student work). I never have used keyboard shortcuts on the site. For some reason CTL is now working as a modifier key for an Apple computer and breaking my tool. Please let me disable all keyboard shortcuts.

[jdanbrown]

I use ctrl+g in Chrome for the Group Tab menu item (using macOS App Shortcuts), and github's keyboard shortcuts prevent this from working on any github.com tab, which is very confusing and annoying.

To hack a workaround, I used tampermonkey and wrote a userscript to disable ctrl+g on github.com pages. Here it is in case it's helpful for others while we wait for the ability to disable all keyboard shortcuts.

• https://www.tampermonkey.net/

// ==UserScript==
// @name         Github: Disable ctrl+g keyboard shortcut (for macos Group Tab shortcut)
// @namespace    http://tampermonkey.net/
// @version      0.1
// @description  Disable ctrl+g on github.com
// @author       jdanbrown
// @match        https://github.com/*
// @icon         data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
// @grant        none
// ==/UserScript==

(() => {
    'use strict';

    const f = eventName => event => {
        // console.log(`[XXX] ${eventName}`, {event}); // XXX Debug
        if (event.ctrlKey && event.key === 'g') {
            // console.log(`[XXX] ${eventName}: ctrl+g`, {event}); // XXX Debug
            // Yep, either of these prevents github from seeing it
            event.cancelBubble = true;
            event.stopImmediatePropagation();
            // Nope, this one prevents github _and_ macos from seeing it
            //  - ctrl+g configured in: System Settings -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> App Shortcuts -> Google Chrome
            // event.preventDefault();
        }
    };

    [
        'keydown', // This one works
        // 'keyup', // This one isn't needed
    ].map(eventName => {
        document.addEventListener(
            eventName,
            f(eventName),
            // Must pass useCapture:true else github still sees it
            true, // useCapture
        );
    });

})();

[janxious]

Thank you for sharing this. I have been able to get back to work properly after modifying this to change some of the newer shortcuts GH has added.

[mpeter50]

The comment marked as an answer is not an answer. The solution suggested there only disables a subset of the keyboard shortcuts, which are regularly in the way.

[vphantom]

Thanks for the hint about uBO scriptlets! I do fun things like inject a CSP header to disable workers on most sites, but I had no idea we could filter/inject JS. This is very promising. (I switched to Brave to keep uBO functional.) I guess I'll just disable all keyboard nonsense from GitHub since it doesn't want to behave reasonably.

[mpeter50]

Thanks for the hint about uBO scriptlets! I do fun things like inject a CSP header to disable workers on most sites, but I had no idea we could filter/inject JS

I'm glad it was helpful! By the way, it is also possible to use custom scriptlets: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Advanced-settings#userresourceslocation

[tejassharma96]

thanks for the suggestion! I tried with

github.com#@#+js(aopr, WebGLRenderingContext.prototype.getExtension)
github.com#@#+js(aopr, WebGLRenderingContext.prototype.getParameter)

added to my custom filters for ublock in firefox and it didn't seem to make a difference in making sure github's keyboard shortcuts are disabled. does this suggestion still work?

[mpeter50]

Those rules abort the execution of scripts that try to do something with WebGL, which is used for advanced graphics.
They are an example on how to use uBO sacriptlets, but they are not an example for a solution to this problem.

for a ready made solution you can install violentmonkey/tampermonkey, and add jdanbrown's userscript into it that you can see in an other comment above

[tejassharma96]

gotcha, thanks!

[brorbw]

Please let me disable any shortcuts related to shift as the only modifier. Frankly let me disable ALL shortcuts, thanks. The shortcuts either conflicts with native browser shortcuts, window managers or Vimium.

[Anutrix]

Still no fix.
Shortcuts like Ctrl+F still overrides browser's Ctrl+F.

Gets very annoying and total productivity killer. At least gitlab has basics right.

[KirkEasterson]

I also request the ability to disable all keyboard shortcuts. Specifically the quoting code shortcut. Enabling 'character keys' in accessibility settings does nothing to change this.

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[vphantom]

FYI @meegta there is nothing in your message, you just quoted the initial message. Note also the selected answer, to use accessibility settings to disable them. If you encountered shortcuts which were still disruptive despite this setting, please specify.

[mdsajib1473]

I’ve noticed that GitHub’s single-letter keyboard shortcuts (like c, t, e) conflict with external tools such as Grammarly. For example, typing naturally in Grammarly’s editor triggers unintended GitHub actions (e.g., opening the command palette or jumping to tabs).

Could you please add an option to:

Disable keyboard shortcuts globally, or

Whitelist specific pages (like text fields with active plugins)?

This would prevent interference with third-party tools while preserving productivity. Thanks for considering this improvement