Quickly zoom a photo to see if you should mark it as a favorite? Open an image in full view? Find out here how to use iCloud.com Photos keyboard shortcuts to do that and more.
First, Half a Steam Engine
Heat water well enough, and It turns into a gas. The gas, of course, takes up way more space quite suddenly—and continues to expand with rising temperature: steam rises.
Heat the 87% water inside milk, and it turns into a gas. The gas, of course, takes up way more space quit suddenly—and steam doe snot rise. Instead, parts of the milk that are mostly not water have built a skin that acts like the piston in a steam engine and shoots up with speedy verve (and little chance for control).
Now, looking for control and speedy verve? Let’s expand out knowledge of (maybe half of) iCloud.com Photos:
How to Use iCloud.com Photos with Keyboard Shortcuts
To navigate and use iCloud Photos at iCloud.com fast, employ the following keyboard shortcuts:
| iCloud.com Photos Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| → – photo list and photo ↓ – photo | next photo (more recent) |
| ← – photo list and photo ↑ – photo | previous photo (older) |
| ↑ – photo list | up one row |
| ↓ – photo list | down one row |
| Shift → – photo list | expand select to the right |
| Shift ← – photo list | expand select to the left |
| Shift ↑ – photo list | expand selection up |
| Shift ↓ – photo list | expand selection down |
| F or . (period) | add to or remove from favorites |
| H or L | hide photo |
| Del or Backspace | delete |
| = (equal) – photo | zoom in |
| - (minus) – photo | zoom out |
| Command A (Mac) or Ctrl A (Windows, Linux) – photo list | highlight all photos |
| Space or Enter – photo list | open photo |
| Esc – photo | return to photo list |
How to Use iCloud.com Photos with Keyboard Shortcuts
Can I access all the interface elements with just the keyboard?
Yes.
To use things like the iCloud.com Photos zooming bar, sharing or downloading buttons.
- Press Tab until the iCloud.com Photos interface item you want to use is highlighted.
Going back: Press Shift Tab to advance the highlighter in the other direction.
Nothing highlights: If nothing highlights, try returning to the photos list (with Esc), then open the photo with Space (and return to the phot list again perhaps). - Now press Enter or Space to use the button or element.
(How to use iCloud.com Photos with keyboard shortcuts tested in a desktop browser; first published July 2023, last updated July 2024)