WA FoldersWhatsApp Web keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac, plus folder and note keys
Short answer: WhatsApp Web has its own keyboard shortcuts for marking a chat unread, muting, archiving, pinning, searching and starting a new chat. On Windows most of them use Ctrl+Alt+Shift plus a letter, and on a Mac Cmd+Ctrl+Shift plus a letter. The full list from WhatsApp's Help Center is below. WhatsApp has no shortcuts for folders, private notes, exports or reminders. The WA Folders Chrome extension adds those through a command palette on Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac). We build WA Folders, so weigh that part with that in mind.
WhatsApp Web shortcuts (Windows and Mac)
This is the Web table from WhatsApp's Help Center page About keyboard shortcuts, checked October 24, 2026. Press the keys at the same time.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Mark as unread | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U | Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+U |
| Mute | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M | Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+M |
| Archive chat | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E | Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+E |
| Pin chat | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P | Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+P |
| Search chat | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F | Cmd+Ctrl+/ |
| New chat | Ctrl+Alt+N | Cmd+Ctrl+N |
| Close chat | Escape | Escape |
| New group | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+N | Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+N |
| Profile and About | Ctrl+Alt+P | Cmd+Ctrl+P |
| Emoji panel | Ctrl+Alt+E | Cmd+Ctrl+E |
| GIF panel | Ctrl+Alt+G | Cmd+Ctrl+G |
| Sticker panel | Ctrl+Alt+S | Cmd+Ctrl+S |
| Extended search | Alt+K | Cmd+K |
| Lock screen | Ctrl+Alt+L | Cmd+Ctrl+L |
The same table also lists a Settings shortcut (Cmd+Ctrl+, on a Mac). Its Windows cell was cut off on the page when we checked, so we left that row out rather than guess.
The Help Center page has separate tabs for the WhatsApp desktop apps on Windows and Mac. If you use one of those apps instead of a browser tab, check that tab, because the keys there can differ.
Shortcuts people look for that WhatsApp doesn't have
WhatsApp's list covers one chat at a time. It has nothing for moving a chat into a group of related chats, writing yourself a note about a chat, saving a chat to a file or getting reminded about it later. On a regular account those jobs need the mouse, or an extension.
Keyboard shortcuts WA Folders adds
WA Folders is a Chrome extension that runs only on web.whatsapp.com. These are the keys in version 1.3.8, the version on the Chrome Web Store today:
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) | Opens the WA Folders command palette on WhatsApp Web |
| Alt+Shift+K | Also opens the command palette (a Chrome extension shortcut) |
| Alt+Shift+U | Turns privacy blur on or off for names and messages |
| Alt+Shift+H | Hides WhatsApp Web at once. Press it again, or click Show, to bring it back |
What you can do from the command palette
The palette's search box says "Type a chat name or an action". Type part of a chat's name to open that chat, or type a few letters of an action. Use the arrow keys to move, Enter to run and Esc to close. Actions in 1.3.8 include:
- Show folder and Add this chat to a folder, or Remove this chat from one
- Export this chat as a file (HTML, CSV or Markdown, among others)
- Write a private note for this chat, saved only in Chrome on your computer
- Remind me about this chat in 1 hour, in 3 hours, tomorrow at 9:00 or on Monday at 9:00, and Remind me if they don't reply within 1 or 3 days
- Turn privacy blur on or off and Hide WhatsApp Web now
- Change keyboard shortcuts, which opens Chrome's shortcuts page
Change or turn off the WA Folders keys
The three Alt+Shift keys belong to Chrome, so you change them at chrome://extensions/shortcuts (or from Change keyboard shortcuts in the palette). If another extension already holds one of those keys, Chrome can leave the WA Folders key unset, and that page is where you pick a different one.
Ctrl+K is a WA Folders setting. In the WA Folders settings, under Panel and tabs, untick "Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) opens the command palette on WhatsApp Web" and the key goes back to the page.
Mac users: Cmd+K and WhatsApp's extended search
WhatsApp uses Cmd+K on a Mac for extended search. With WA Folders installed, Cmd+K opens the WA Folders palette instead. If you want WhatsApp's extended search on Cmd+K, untick the Ctrl+K setting above and open the palette with Alt+Shift+K (Option+Shift+K on a Mac keyboard). On Windows the two don't overlap, because WhatsApp's extended search is Alt+K.
Where WA Folders keeps your data
Folders, notes, reminders and the search index stay in Chrome's local storage on your computer. If you turn on Pro sync, it copies folders, quick replies and rules between your Chrome browsers; notes stay on the computer where you wrote them. There is no WA Folders account and no WA Folders server. WA Folders never presses Send in a chat and has no bulk sending.
What it costs
The shortcuts and the command palette come with the free plan, which has no time limit and includes 5 folders, 5 search results per search, 3 exports a day and 2 reminders at a time. Pro is a one-time $4.99 payment with no subscription, and removes those limits. There is no free trial of Pro.
WA Folders is an independent extension and is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta.
Sources
- WhatsApp Help Center: About keyboard shortcuts (Web tab), checked October 24, 2026
- WA Folders on the Chrome Web Store (version 1.3.8, updated October 22, 2026), checked October 24, 2026