Control Your Graphical Desktop from the Keyboard Using keynav
Productivity Sauce
Using the graphical desktop environment without the mouse might seem counter-productive, but try the keynav tool, and you'll see that the idea makes sense -- at least in certain situations. For example, when you don't have enough space to use the mouse, or the trackpad on your netbook or notebook is not really great, keynav can come in rather handy.
The way keynav works is pretty clever. When activated using the Ctrl+; keyboard shortcut, keynav splits the screen into four parts, and you use the keyboard keys to "zoom" on a specific area of the screen and then move the cursor to the center of the area. keynav supports the following keyboard shortcuts:
h selects the left half of the region
j selects the bottom half of the region
k selects the top half of the region
l selects the right half of the region
shift+h moves the region to the left
shift+j moves the region down
shift+k moves the region up
shift+l moves the region to the right
semicolon moves the mouse to the center of the selected region
spacebar moves the mouse and left-click
escape cancels the move
Getting to grips with keynav can take some time, but once you've mastered the basics, you can command your desktop without using the mouse.
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.
-
New Vulnerability Discovered in Linux Kernel
Hiding out for nearly 15 years, the Ghostlock vulnerability allows a standard logged-in user to gain root privileges.
-
New Linux Flaw Lets Attackers Escape VMs
A 16-year-old vulnerability allows an attacker to escape a virtual machine, gain access to the host, and execute malicious code.
-
Hannah Montana Linux Is Back!
Developer Noah Cagle decided the world needed the once obscure but beloved Linux distribution and gave it a decidedly pink refresh.
-
System76 Refreshes the Lemur Laptop
If you're looking for a laptop with tons of power and battery, look no further than the latest iteration of the System76 Lemur Pro.
-
More than 43 Million Lines of Code in Linux Kernel 7.2
Using the cloc utility, Michael Larabel of Phoronix discovered that Linux kernel 7.2 has over 43 million lines of code.
