Keyboard Support in Blazor Ribbon

• Dec 04, 2025
• 4 minutes to read

Keyboard shortcuts allow users to move through Ribbon tabs, items, and drop-down menus and execute any command. Keyboard navigation is implemented on the client and works seamlessly even in Blazor Server apps with a slow connection.

Note

Keyboard support allows users to interact with application content in cases they cannot use a mouse or they rely on assistive technologies (like screen readers or switch devices). Refer to the Accessibility help topic for information on other accessibility areas that we address.

Run Demo

Available shortcuts depend on the focused Ribbon element.

Tab

The following shortcut keys are available when a Ribbon tab is focused:

Shortcut Keys	Description
Tab	Moves focus to the first enabled item in the tab’s content area.
Shift + Tab	Moves focus to the previous focusable element outside the Ribbon.
Right Arrow, Left Arrow	Moves focus to the next or previous tab.

Item

Available shortcuts depend on the focused Ribbon item type.

Common Shortcuts

Shortcut Keys	Description
Tab	Moves focus to the next focusable element outside the Ribbon.
Shift + Tab	Moves focus back to the active Ribbon tab header.
Right Arrow, Left Arrow	Moves focus to the next/previous Ribbon item. Each part of a split drop-down button counts as a separate item.
Home	Moves focus to the first enabled item in the current tab.
End	Moves focus to the last enabled item in the current tab.

Application Tab

Shortcut Keys	Description
Enter, Space, Alt + Down Arrow	Opens the application tab menu and moves focus to its first item.
Enter, Space	When the application tab menu or submenu is opened: Clicks the focused menu item.
Down Arrow, Up Arrow	When the application tab menu or submenu is opened: Moves focus to the next/previous menu item.
Right Arrow	For a submenu item: Opens the submenu and moves focus to the first item.
Down Arrow, Up Arrow	When a menu or submenu is opened: Moves focus to the next/previous menu item.
Home, End	When a menu or submenu is opened: Moves focus to the first/last menu item.
Alt + Up Arrow	When a menu is opened: Closes the application tab menu and moves focus to the application tab.
Esc, Left Arrow	*When a submenu is opened:* Closes the submenu and moves focus to its parent menu item.

Button & Menu

Shortcut Keys	Description
Enter, Space	Clicks the focused button or selects/clears the toggle button. For a drop-down item: Opens a drop-down menu and moves focus to its first item.
Alt + Down Arrow	Opens a drop-down menu and moves focus to its first item.
Right Arrow	For a submenu item: Opens the submenu and moves focus to the first item.
Down Arrow, Up Arrow	When a menu or submenu is opened: Moves focus to the next/previous menu item.
Home, End	When a menu or submenu is opened: Moves focus to the first/last menu item.
Alt + Up Arrow	When a menu or submenu is opened: Closes the drop-down menu and moves focus to the corresponding Ribbon item.
Esc, Left Arrow	*When a submenu is opened:* Closes the submenu and moves focus to its parent menu item.

Color Palette Drop-Down

Shortcut Keys	Description
Enter, Space	Selects the focused color and closes the color palette drop-down.
Right Arrow, Left Arrow	Moves focus to the next/previous color swatch.
Down Arrow, Up Arrow	Moves focus to the next/previous color palette row.
Tab, Shift + Tab	Moves focus to the first item in the next/previous color group.
Esc	Closes the color palette drop-down.

Combo Box

Shortcut Keys	Description
Enter	Moves focus to the input field.
Esc	Moves focus back to the parent element (Ribbon tab or drop-down menu).
Alt + Down Arrow	When an input field is focused: Opens a drop-down list and moves focus to its first value.
Enter	For an editable combo box: Updates the EditText value and fires the EditTextChanged event.
Down Arrow, Up Arrow	When a drop-down list is opened: Moves focus to the next/previous value.
Page Down, Page Up	When a drop-down list is opened: Moves focus to a value on the next/previous page.
Enter	When a drop-down list is opened: Selects the focused value and closes the combo box drop-down.
Esc, Alt + Up Arrow	When a drop-down list is opened: Closes the drop-down and moves focus back to the combo box.

Spin Editor

Shortcut Keys	Description
Enter	Moves focus to the input field.
Esc	Moves focus back to the parent element (Ribbon tab or drop-down menu).
Down Arrow, Up Arrow	When an input field is focused: Increases/decreases the value by the specified increment.