Developer Tools Shortcuts
This page lists every keyboard shortcut available in Avalonia Developer Tools. Where a shortcut is marked Unassigned, you can bind it yourself in the Developer Tools settings.
Inspection
Use these shortcuts while debugging layout issues, tracking focus order, or measuring spacing between elements.
| Display name | Description | When to use | Windows / Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus Tracking | Highlights the currently focused element in your application. Works in both Developer Tools and the target application. | Use this when you are debugging tab-order or focus-related bugs so you can see exactly which control has focus. | Ctrl+Shift+K | ⌘ ⇧ K |
| Inspect Element | Selects and inspects UI elements by clicking on them in your application. Works in both Developer Tools and the target application. | Use this to quickly jump to a specific control in the element tree instead of expanding nodes manually. | Ctrl+Shift+C | ⌘ ⇧ C |
| Highlight Elements | Toggles real-time highlighting of UI elements. Works in both Developer Tools and the target application. | Use this to visualize element boundaries and padding so you can spot layout problems at a glance. | Ctrl+Shift+H | ⌘ ⇧ H |
| Show Overlay Rulers | Shows or hides measurement rulers in the overlay. Works in both Developer Tools and the target application. | Use this when you need pixel-precise measurements between elements or want to verify alignment. | Ctrl+Shift+R | ⌘ ⇧ R |
| Show Overlay Info | Shows or hides detailed information in the overlay. Works in both Developer Tools and the target application. | Use this to see property values such as Width, Height, and Margin directly on the element overlay without switching to the properties panel. | Ctrl+Shift+D | ⌘ ⇧ D |
| Toggle TopMost | Toggles Developer Tools top-most mode. Works in both Developer Tools and the target application. | Use this to keep the Developer Tools window above your application so you can inspect without alt-tabbing. | Ctrl+Shift+T | ⌘ ⇧ T |
| Set Breakpoint | Sets a breakpoint on a property or event. | Use this to pause execution when a specific property changes or a particular event fires, which is helpful for tracking down unexpected state changes. | F9 | F9 |
Search and navigation
These shortcuts help you find elements, properties, or resources within Developer Tools.
| Display name | Description | When to use | Windows / Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search Current List | Activates search functionality in the current tool. | Use this to filter a long element tree or property list down to the item you are looking for. | Ctrl+F | ⌘ F |
| Next Search Result | Moves to the next search result in the current view. | Use this to cycle forward through matches after entering a search term. | F3 | ⌘ G |
| Previous Search Result | Moves to the previous search result in the current view. | Use this to cycle backward through matches. | Shift+F3 | ⌘ ⇧ G |
| Next Tool | Switches to the next developer tool tab. | Use this to move between tools (for example, from Elements to Events) without using the mouse. | Ctrl+] | ⌘ ] |
| Previous Tool | Switches to the previous developer tool tab. | Use this to step back to the tool you were using before. | Ctrl+[ | ⌘ [ |
Layout and views
These shortcuts control the Developer Tools window layout and panel visibility.
| Display name | Description | When to use | Windows / Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh Current View | Refreshes the current view. | Use this after making code changes to reload the element tree or resource list. | F5 | ⌘ ⇧ R |
| Remove Item | Removes the selected item from the current list or view. | Use this to remove a single breakpoint or log entry you no longer need. | Delete | Delete |
| Clear Current List | Clears all items from the current list or view. | Use this to reset the Events or Logs tool so you can start a clean capture session. | Ctrl+L | ⌘ L |
| Show Navigation | Shows or hides the navigation panel. | Use this to maximize the main content area when you do not need the sidebar. | Alt+1 | ⌥ 1 |
| Show Tools | Shows or hides the tools panel. | Use this to toggle the bottom tools panel for more vertical space. | Alt+2 | ⌥ 2 |
| Reset Layout | Resets the Developer Tools window layout to its defaults. | Use this if you have rearranged panels and want to return to the original layout. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
Tools
These shortcuts open specific Developer Tools panels directly.
| Display name | Description | When to use | Windows / Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Elements | Opens the Elements inspection tool. | Use this to view and navigate the visual tree of your application. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
| Open Assets | Opens the Assets browser. | Use this to browse embedded assets such as images and fonts bundled with your application. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
| Open Resources | Opens the Resources browser. | Use this to inspect StaticResource and DynamicResource values at runtime. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
| Open Settings | Opens the Developer Tools settings. | Use this to configure themes, key bindings, and connection options. | Unassigned | ⌘ . |
| Open Logs | Opens the application logs viewer. | Use this to review binding errors, layout warnings, and other diagnostic messages. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
| Open Events | Opens the events monitoring tool. | Use this to watch routed events as they tunnel and bubble through the visual tree. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
| Open Breakpoints | Opens the breakpoints management tool. | Use this to view, enable, disable, or remove all property and event breakpoints in one place. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
| Open Metrics | Opens the performance metrics viewer. | Use this to monitor frame rate, render time, and other performance counters while profiling your application. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
| Open Protocol | Opens the Developer Tools protocol monitoring tool. | Use this to inspect the low-level messages exchanged between Developer Tools and your application. | Unassigned | Unassigned |
| Open Documentation | Opens the Developer Tools documentation. | Use this for quick access to the online docs without leaving Developer Tools. | Ctrl+F1 | ⌘ ? |