---
title: Hotkeys — Global Shortcuts for Speed
description: Configure global keyboard shortcuts for instant capturing, OCR, color picking, and more.
---

# Hotkeys

ShotX supports configurable global keyboard shortcuts for common actions.

## Configuring Hotkeys

### Via Settings Dialog

1. Open Main Window → Settings → Hotkey Settings
2. Click the key field next to the action
3. Press the desired key combination
4. Click Save

### Via settings.yaml

Edit `~/.config/shotx/settings.yaml`:

```yaml
hotkeys:
    capture_fullscreen: "Print"
    capture_region: "Alt+Shift+X"
    capture_window: ""
    capture_ocr: "Alt+Shift+O"
    capture_color_picker: "Alt+Shift+Q"
    capture_ruler: ""
    capture_qr_scan: ""
    pin_region: ""
```

## Available Hotkeys

| Action                  | Default         | Description                           |
| ----------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Fullscreen Capture      | (none)          | Capture entire screen                 |
| Region Capture          | ++alt+shift+x++ | Select and capture a region           |
| Window Capture          | (none)          | Capture a window                      |
| OCR                     | (none)          | Extract text from screen region       |
| Color Picker            | ++alt+shift+q++ | Pick a color from screen              |
| Ruler                   | (none)          | Measure pixel distances               |
| QR Scan (screen)        | (none)          | Scan QR code from screen region       |
| Pin Region              | (none)          | Capture region and pin as floating window |

## Key Format

Use Qt-style key names separated by `+`:

- Modifiers: `Ctrl`, `Alt`, `Shift`, `Meta` (Super/Win key)
- Keys: `A`-`Z`, `F1`-`F12`, `Print`, `Home`, `End`, etc.

Examples: `Alt+Shift+X`, `Ctrl+Print`, `F5`

!!! warning "Wayland Limitation"
    On Wayland, applications cannot globally intercept keyboard shortcuts due to security isolation. Hotkeys only work when the ShotX window/tray is focused.
    
    **Workaround:** Configure your desktop environment to run ShotX CLI commands as custom keyboard shortcuts:
    
    | Desktop    | Where to configure                                                             |
    | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
    | GNOME      | Settings → Keyboard → Custom Shortcuts                                         |
    | KDE Plasma | System Settings → Shortcuts → Custom Shortcuts                                 |
    | Sway       | `~/.config/sway/config`: `bindsym Print exec shotx --capture-fullscreen`       |
    | Hyprland   | `~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf`: `bind = , Print, exec, shotx --capture-region` |
