Keyboard Shortcuts — Documentation

You can work on the Portfolio using just the keyboard, without reaching for the mouse. This is helpful when you want to place, change or exit orders quickly.

There are two kinds of shortcuts, and knowing the difference makes everything simpler.

The two kinds of shortcuts

Always on — the Trade screen keys and the / key for MarketWatch search. These work the moment you open the screen. There is nothing to switch on.
Keyboard mode (optional) — table navigation and the command box (Ctrl + K). This is off by default. Turn it on with the keyboard button at the top of the Portfolio, next to the theme button. It stays on for that browser until you turn it off.

Whichever you use, nothing is placed, modified or squared-off without your confirmation.

Trade screen shortcuts (always on)

On the Trade tab you can fill and place an order without the mouse:

Keys	Action
Alt + B / Alt + S	Switch to Buy / Sell
Alt + L / Alt + M	Order type Limit / Market
↑ / ↓	In the price field, step by one tick. In the quantity field, step by one lot
Shift + ↑ / ↓	A bigger step — ten ticks for price, ten lots for quantity
Ctrl + Enter	Place the order (works from any field)
Alt + R	Reset the form
Esc	Leave the field you are typing in

In the Modify, GTT, Square-off and Adjust Holdings windows, press Enter to submit and Esc to close.

Turn on Keyboard mode

For the table shortcuts and the command box, turn on Keyboard mode:

Click the keyboard button at the top of the Portfolio (next to the theme button).
A one-time card shows every shortcut you just unlocked.
It stays on for this browser until you switch it off — and you can switch it off any time, which returns the screen to normal mouse use.

Move through tables and select

With Keyboard mode on, on the Positions, Orders, Holdings and GTT tabs:

Keys	Action
↑ / ↓ or j / k	Move the row highlight
Space	Select or deselect the highlighted row
a	Select all the visible rows (respects your filter)
Shift + A	Select none
Esc	Clear the highlight

Filter first, then act. You can narrow a table — for example, show only your Open positions — and the keys work on just the rows you can see.

Act on the selected rows

Once rows are selected, a single key runs the action. The same letter does the right thing on each tab:

Key	Action
m	Modify — on the Orders and GTT tabs
x	Square-off or Cancel — Positions and Holdings square-off, Orders and GTT cancel
Shift + X	Square-off the whole account — on the Positions tab
i	Increase or add to the position — on the Positions and Holdings tabs

Each of these opens the same confirmation you get from the on-screen buttons, so nothing happens without your confirmation.

Command palette (Ctrl + K)

With Keyboard mode on, press Ctrl + K to open a command box. From there you can:

Jump to a screen — type a tab name like Positions to switch to it. The tabs you open most float to the top of the list.
Open a symbol — start typing a symbol and pick it to open it on the Trade screen, ready for you to review.
Prepare an order — described in the next section.

Press ? any time (in Keyboard mode) to see the full list of shortcuts.

Prepare an order from the command box

In the command box, type the symbol, then B or S (Buy or Sell), then the quantity. For example:

RELIANCE B 50 — Buy 50 shares.
NIFTY 25000 CALL B 10 — Buy 10 lots of the NIFTY 25000 call.
BANKNIFTY FUTURE S 2 — Sell 2 lots of the BANKNIFTY future.

For options and futures the quantity is counted in lots, so 10 means 10 lots. The strike price stays part of the symbol, so it is never mixed up with the quantity. You can write the option side as call / put or ce / pe — both work. If you ever need an exact number of units instead of lots, add u to the quantity, like RELIANCE S 100u.

Anything you set up from the command box is only prepared for you on the Trade screen. You always review it and send it yourself — it is never sent for you.

MarketWatch quick filter

On the MarketWatch Classic tab, press / to jump straight to the search box and start typing a symbol. This one is always on — it does not need Keyboard mode.

Safety: shortcuts never bypass you

Keyboard shortcuts are only there to make you faster. They never skip a step:

The command box only prepares an order — you still review it and send it.
Modify, Cancel and Square-off open their normal confirmation first.
Your mouse keeps working exactly as before.
You can turn Keyboard mode off at any time, and the screen behaves normally.

Full cheat sheet

Keys	Where	Action
Alt + B / S	Trade	Buy / Sell
Alt + L / M	Trade	Limit / Market
↑ / ↓ (Shift for a bigger step)	Trade	Step price / quantity
Ctrl + Enter	Trade	Place the order
Alt + R	Trade	Reset the form
Esc	Trade	Leave the current field
/	MarketWatch (Classic)	Jump to search
↑ / ↓ or j / k	Tables (Keyboard mode)	Move the highlight
Space	Tables (Keyboard mode)	Select a row
a / Shift + A	Tables (Keyboard mode)	Select all visible / none
m · x · Shift + X · i	Tables (Keyboard mode)	Modify · square-off or cancel · square-off account · increase
Ctrl + K	Portfolio (Keyboard mode)	Open the command box
?	Portfolio (Keyboard mode)	Show all shortcuts

For full details of the Trade screen itself, see the Trade page. To change the theme, table style and text size, see Look and Feel.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to turn anything on to use keyboard shortcuts?▾

It depends which ones. The Trade screen shortcuts and the / key for MarketWatch search are always on — there is nothing to switch on. The table shortcuts and the Ctrl+K command box come with Keyboard mode, which is optional and off by default. Turn it on with the keyboard button at the top of the Portfolio, next to the theme button. It stays on for that browser until you turn it off, and turning it on changes nothing else on the screen.

Can an order be placed or squared-off by mistake with a shortcut?▾

No. Every action key opens the same confirmation you get when you click the button, so nothing is placed, modified or squared-off without your confirmation. The command box only prepares an order on the Trade screen for you to review and send — it never sends it for you. Your mouse keeps working exactly as before, and you can turn Keyboard mode off at any time.

The keyboard shortcuts are not working. What should I check?▾

First, if you are typing inside a text box, most single-key shortcuts are paused on purpose so your typing is not treated as a command — press Esc to step out of the field first. Second, the table shortcuts and the command box only work when Keyboard mode is on, so check the keyboard button at the top of the Portfolio is switched on. Third, the table shortcuts work on the Positions, Orders, Holdings and GTT tabs; the Trade shortcuts work on the Trade tab. Press ? on the Portfolio (with Keyboard mode on) to see the full list at any time.

Can I move through my positions and act on them without the mouse?▾

Yes, with Keyboard mode on. On the Positions, Orders, Holdings and GTT tabs, use the arrow keys or j and k to move the highlight, Space to select a row, and a to select every visible row. Then act with a single key — m to modify, x to square-off or cancel, i to increase, and Shift+X to square-off the whole account on the Positions tab. If you filter a table first, the keys act only on the rows you can see.