How to Get Command Palettes Right
A searchable list of actions opened with a keyboard shortcut, letting users run commands by typing.
Priya Raghunathan
Why does it matter?
Palettes scale better than menus in feature-rich products, but they must be accessible and discoverable.
What are the numbers?
- Search-driven users type instead of navigating menus
- Discoverability new users need another route to features
- Accessibility palettes need combobox semantics and focus management
- Fuzzy matching helps users find commands with partial terms
What should I do?
- Keep menus as well as a palette
- Announce results to assistive technology
- Support keyboard navigation fully
- Show shortcut hints in results
- Rank recent and frequent actions first
What should I avoid?
Avoid:
- Palette as the only route to features
- Inaccessible custom widgets
- Results that change unpredictably
- Hidden shortcut with no hint
When should I get help?
Short answer Bring in help when products grow past simple menus.
Where this comes from
- W3C ARIA Authoring Practices Guide — Combobox pattern
- Nielsen Norman Group — Usability heuristics
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
Working on something like this?
We take on UI & UX Design work for teams who want it done once, properly. Tell us what you are building and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right studio for it. Start a project.
Where to go next
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
