BlackBerry keyboard shortcuts - a complete list

We have a comprehensive list of BlackBerry keyboard shortcuts - whatever typing shortcut you're looking for you'll find it here...

One of the benefits of BlackBerry handsets sharing a common software platform is that the same shortcuts and time-saving features are present across all devices and are accessed in the same way.

Most BlackBerry handsets have full Qwerty keyboards, but there are still a host of shortcuts to make typing easier and to combat common errors. This facility can also be used to create common custom word shortcuts, by which you type commonly used terms in shorthand and your BlackBerry automatically substitutes the full correctly spelled word. Smart!

Messaging shortcuts

These shortcuts can be used in the message.

Desired action	Shortcut
Reply to a message	Press R
Reply to all	Press L
File highlighted email message	Press I
View email address of a contact in a message	Highlight the contact and press Q To return to the display name press Q again

These shortcuts can be used in a message list

Desired action	Shortcut
Open a highlighted message	Press Enter key
Mark a message as opened or unopened	Press Alt and U
View received messages	Press Alt and I
View sent messages	Press Alt and O
View voicemail messages	Press Alt and V
View SMS text messages	Press Alt and S
View call logs	Press Alt and P
View all your messages again	Press the Escape/Back key

These shortcuts can be used to move around a message list

Desired action	Shortcut
Move to the top of the screen	Press Shift and Space keys
Move to the bottom of the screen	Press Space key
Go to the top of a message list	Press T
Go to the bottom of a message list	Press B
Move to next date	Press N
Move to previous date	Press P
Move to next unopened item	Press U
Move to next related message	Press J
Move to previous related message	Press K

BlackBerry use made easy

Built-in touches often missed by users despite being in the manual

Desired action	Shortcut
Insert a full stop	Press Space key twice
Insert '@' and full stops into email addresses	Press Space key while typing in the address
Type and accent or special character	Hold the appropriate key and roll the trackpad or trackball
Capitalise a letter	Hold the letter key until the capitalised character appears
Exit a screen or dialogue box	Press Escape/Back key
Move the cursor in a different direction	Press Alt key and roll the trackpad or trackball
Change an option field	Hold Alt key and click a value
Jump to an item in a list or menu	Press the first letter of the item
Select a check box	Press Space key. To clear the box press the Space key again
Select a line of text	Press Shift and roll the trackpad or trackball
Turn on the backlighting	Press (but don't hold) the Power button
Find contacts from the BlackBerry homescreen	Press the letters for the contact's first and last with a space between them
Switch to another program	Hold down the BlackBerry button until the programs appear. Toggle through them using the trackball or trackpad and click Enter to select
Move down a screen	Press Space key
Move up a screen	Press Shift plus Space key
Multitask while on a call	Press the BlackBerry button while on a call, followed by selecting the homescreen. From here you can access any other application or emails

BlackBerry applications shortcuts

These shortcuts can be used while in applications including Docs to Go and the BlackBerry browser

Desired action	Shortcut
Change the size of a column in a spreadsheet	Press the W key
View the contents of a spreadsheet cell	Press Space key with the cell highlighted
Search for text in a spreadsheet	Tap F followed by the text you are looking for
Switch to another worksheet	Press V and select another worksheet
Skip forwards through slides	Press N key
Skip backwards through slides	Press P
Start a slideshow	Press S
Stop a slideshow	Press Escape
Enter a new web address in a browser	Press G followed by the url
Add item to bookmarks	Press A
Show bookmarks	Press K
Refresh a web page	Press R
Show a history of the most recent sites visited	Press I
Insert a backslash to a web address	Press Shift followed by Space