How to use keyboard controls to navigate the Flock XR interface

Instructions designed for Release 2 of Flock XR coming Spring 2027

You can use keyboard controls to move around the main areas of the Flock XR interface.

This is useful when you want to move between the canvas, toolbox, code area, gizmos, slider bar, and menus without using a mouse or trackpad.

Open the area menu

The area menu helps you move quickly to different parts of Flock XR.

To open or close the area menu:

Device	Shortcut
Windows	`Ctrl + B`
Mac	cmd `⌘ + B`

You can also press Esc to close the area menu.

When the area menu is open, you can choose which part of the interface you want to use.

Go to an area using number keys

After opening the area menu, press a number key to go to that area.

Number	Area
`1`	Main menu
`2`	View options
`3`	Canvas
`4`	Gizmos
`5`	Keyboard controls menu
`6`	Slider bar
`7`	Toolbox
`8`	Code area
`9`	Code area settings

For example, to go to the toolbox:

Press Ctrl + B on Windows or ⌘ + B on Mac.
Press 7 to go to the Toolbox

Move between areas with Tab

With the area menu open you can also move between areas using Tab.

Action	Key
Move to the next area	`Tab`
Move to the previous area	`Shift + Tab`

This is helpful when you want to move step by step through the interface.

What the main areas are for

Flock XR has different areas for different jobs.

Area	What it is for
Main menu	Save and upload, play and stop your project, and change the interface colour theme
View options	Change the interface layout to view your project as a builder or player
Canvas	View and interact with your project
Gizmos	Add, colour, position, rotate, scale, select, duplicate, and delete objects
Keyboard controls menu	See a list of keyboard shortcuts
Slider bar	Make the canvas or code area larger
Toolbox	Find your code blocks
Code area	Build your program with code blocks
Code area settings	Change settings for the code area

Use the slider bar

The slider bar lets you change how much space the canvas and code area use.

Choose the slider bar when you want to:

make the canvas larger so you can see more of your scene;
make the code area larger so you have more room to work with blocks.

To go to the slider bar with keyboard controls:

Press Ctrl + B on Windows or cmd ⌘ + B on Mac.
Press 6.
Press ← and → arrow keys to resize the areas.
Press Enter to set the size

Quick steps

Open the area menu with Ctrl + B on Windows or cmd ⌘ + B on Mac.
Press a number from 1 to 9 to go to an area.
Or use Tab or Shift + Tab to move to the between areas.

Troubleshooting

The area menu did not open

Make sure you are pressing the correct shortcut for your device:

On Windows, press Ctrl + B.
On Mac, press cmd ⌘ + B.

If nothing happens, press Esc and try again.

I chose the wrong area

Open the area menu again, then choose a different number.

For example, press Ctrl + B on Windows or cmd ⌘ + B on Mac, then press the number for the area you want.

I moved too far with Tab

Press Shift + Tab to move backwards.

You can also open the area menu and choose an area by number.

👉 Keyboard controls in Flock XR main page

👉 How to use the keyboard controls menu in Flock XR

👉 How to use keyboard controls for the Flock XR main menu

👉 How to use keyboard controls to save and open files in Flock XR

👉 How to use keyboard controls to create an animated character in Flock XR