Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts let you navigate and take action in MaidCentral Pulse without lifting your hands from the keyboard. They are the fastest way to move between modules, open Quick Action, and search for any record.
Who Can Access This
| Role | Access Level |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Full access |
| Office Manager | Full access |
| Sales | Full access |
| HR Admin | Full access |
| Payroll Admin | Full access |
| Field Technician | Navigation shortcuts only (action shortcuts require create permissions) |
If you don't see this feature, your role may not have permission. Contact your administrator.
Overview
Keyboard shortcuts are available throughout the Office Portal. Most shortcuts work the moment you press them, as long as you are not typing inside a text field.
All shortcuts use ⌘ (Command) on Mac or Ctrl on Windows and Linux. For example, ⌘K on a Mac is the same as Ctrl+K on Windows.
When you press a shortcut, a small confirmation toast appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen. It shows what happened and which shortcut triggered it. The toast disappears automatically after a couple of seconds.
Quick Action shortcuts work only when the New Quote button shows in the header, and adding a customer or scheduling a job also needs the matching permission. If Quick Action is turned off for your company, or you lack the permission, pressing the shortcut does nothing.
Viewing All Shortcuts
You can open the full shortcuts reference any time without memorizing anything:
- Press ⌘/ (Mac) or Ctrl+/ (Windows) from anywhere in the app, or
- Click the ⌘/ button in the top-right corner of the header.
A dialog opens with all available shortcuts grouped by category. Keep it open as a cheat sheet while you learn the shortcuts.
Navigation Shortcuts
Use these shortcuts to jump directly to any module. They work from any page in the app.
| Shortcut (Mac) | Shortcut (Windows) | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘1 | Ctrl+1 | Dashboard |
| ⌘2 | Ctrl+2 | Schedule |
| ⌘3 | Ctrl+3 | Contacts |
| ⌘4 | Ctrl+4 | Technicians |
| ⌘5 | Ctrl+5 | Time |
| ⌘6 | Ctrl+6 | Invoicing |
| ⌘7 | Ctrl+7 | Payroll |
| ⌘8 | Ctrl+8 | Reports |
| ⌘, | Ctrl+, | Settings |
Quick Action Shortcuts
These shortcuts work only when the New Quote button shows in the header. If Quick Action is turned off for your company, ⌘., ⌘J and ⌘Q do nothing.
These shortcuts jump directly to a specific task. ⌘. and ⌘Q open the Full-Page Estimate. Some require you to have the matching permission for that action.
| Shortcut (Mac) | Shortcut (Windows) | Action | Also requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⌘. | Ctrl+. | New Quote | None |
| ⌘J | Ctrl+J | Schedule New Job | Create Jobs |
| ⌘Q | Ctrl+Q | Quick Quote | Create Quotes |
If you do not have the required permission for a specific shortcut, it will not do anything when pressed. Contact your administrator if you need access to a particular action.
General Shortcuts
| Shortcut (Mac) | Shortcut (Windows) | Action |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘K | Ctrl+K | Open Search (Command Palette) |
| ⌘/ | Ctrl+/ | Show Keyboard Shortcuts help |
When Shortcuts Do Not Fire
Shortcuts are disabled while you are typing in any text field, search box, or editable area. This prevents shortcuts from interrupting your work when you are writing notes or entering data.
To use a shortcut after typing, click on an empty area of the page first. That moves focus out of the text field and re-enables shortcuts.
Tips and Best Practices
- Press ⌘/ anytime you forget a shortcut. The help dialog lists everything available.
- Use ⌘K to search instead of clicking the Search bar. It opens from anywhere and works the same way.
- Use ⌘. to open Quick Action when you need to create a record quickly. You do not have to navigate to a specific module first.
- Hover over any sidebar item to see its keyboard shortcut displayed on the right side of the menu item.
- Navigation shortcuts (⌘1 through ⌘8) are always available and never require any special permissions.
- On Windows and Linux, all shortcuts use Ctrl instead of ⌘.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Solution |
|---|---|
| Pressing a shortcut does nothing | Click an empty area of the page first to move focus out of any text field, then try again. |
| Quick Action shortcut (⌘J, ⌘Q) does nothing | You may not have permission for that action. Contact your administrator to check your role permissions. |
| ⌘. (Ctrl+.) does nothing and there is no New Quote button | Quick Action may be turned off for your company. Contact your administrator. |
| The ⌘/ button is not visible in the header | Keyboard Shortcuts may not be enabled for your company. Contact your administrator. |
| Shortcut navigates to the wrong module | Make sure you are in the Office Portal. Navigation shortcuts follow the Office Portal module order. |
| Shortcut fires on Windows but not Mac (or vice versa) | Use ⌘ on Mac and Ctrl on Windows. Both perform the same action. |