What syntax is used for keyboard keys?

The HTML tag, which is recognized by GitHub, GitLab, MDN, and most docs sites as a keyboard-shortcut indicator.

Can I generate combinations like Ctrl+K?

Yes. Type the combo and the tool emits Ctrl + K with the + delimiter outside the tags.

Are Mac modifier symbols supported?

Yes. Toggle the Mac mode to use ⌘, ⌥, ⌃, and ⇧ instead of Cmd, Alt, Ctrl, Shift.

Is the snippet uploaded anywhere?

No. Generation runs in your browser locally.

kbd · keyboard shortcut · docs

Build kbd shortcuts for Markdown

Click keys to assemble a shortcut, then copy the kbd tag Markdown. Renders as boxed keys in GitHub, MkDocs and most doc engines.

Markdown Keyboard Key

Markdown

30 B

2 keys

Separator

plus

between keys

Keys

Ctrl+K

Output mode

kbd HTML

GitHub-safe

input · key palette

Selected (2)

Ctrl ✕K ✕

Mod

Nav

Letters

Function

Preview: Ctrl + K

output · markdown

<kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>K</kbd>

Quick Start

How to write keyboard shortcuts

Use the kbd HTML tag inside Markdown — most renderers style it as a boxed key.

01
Pick keys
Tap modifiers and characters in order. Click a selected chip to remove it.
Parsing runs through marked with GFM extensions enabled — tables, task lists, strikethrough, and fenced code blocks all match GitHub’s rendering.
pickGFMmarkedCommonMarklive
input · markdown2 · GFM
```
Ctrl · K
```
loaded · GFMGFM · ready
02
Choose separator
Plus is conventional for combos. Space is good for sequences like leader-key actions.
Soft-break behaviour is configurable: by default a single newline becomes a space (CommonMark), toggle on for chat-style <br> insertion.
sepsoft-breaksoptionsconfiglive
sep · options+ · live
```
<kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>K</kbd>
```
options applied · livelive
03
Preview
The live preview shows how the rendered Markdown looks in a doc.
The preview is scoped under a .mde class so its CSS doesn’t bleed into the rest of the page. Output HTML is whitespace-controlled for clean diffs.
previewscoped CSSrenderstable
render · renderedok · ready
```
[Ctrl] + [K]
```
rendered · liverendered
04
Copy snippet
Paste into your README, blog, or docs page.
Export covers both raw Markdown and rendered HTML; downloads stream as text/markdown or text/html via Blob + object URL.
exportclipboard.md.htmlblob
✓ · exportedready · done
```
✓ Copied
```
shipped · ready to shipsuccess

Pro tips

Author Markdown that renders everywhere

GFM is the safe default

GitHub-Flavored Markdown is the de-facto baseline (tables, task lists, strikethrough). CommonMark is stricter but ubiquitous as a fallback.

Soft-break behaviour varies

A single newline is a space in CommonMark, a <br> in GFM. Toggle soft breaks when source matters.

Escape inside code fences

Backticks inside fenced blocks need a longer fence — three becomes four. Use ~~~ if your content has many backticks.

Anchors are slugified

GitHub lowercases, strips punctuation, and joins with hyphens. Duplicate headings get -1, -2 suffixes.

Tables need a header row

The dash row sets alignment (:---, :-:, ---:). Use Table Aligner for diff-friendly columns.

Front matter is YAML

Triple-dash blocks at the top of files are parsed by static-site generators. Use the Front-Matter Validator to catch syntax errors.

Use Cases

Where to use kbd

Docs, READMEs, tutorials, cheatsheets.

App shortcuts

Document command palette and editing shortcuts. Render path uses marked with GFM extensions enabled (tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks), so what you preview matches what GitHub publishes bit-for-bit. Soft-break behaviour is configurable for chat-style vs prose Markdown.

GFM-compliant

Cheatsheets

Reference cards for vim, tmux, IDEs. Pairs cleanly with the Markdown Cheatsheet for syntax you can't quite remember — callout blocks, footnotes, definition lists. Output stays diff-friendly so style-only changes don't drown out real edits in PRs.

GitHub-perfect

Onboarding

Welcome docs with the top 10 shortcuts. Cross-platform safe: anchors, code fences, and tables behave identically on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Gitea. Heading-anchor slugs follow GitHub's lowercase-and-hyphenate rules so deep links survive a docs migration.

diff-friendly

Tutorials

Inline keys inside step-by-step instructions. No server roundtrip — perfect for proprietary content you can't paste into a public tool. The full marked + GFM bundle ships with the page, so it works offline once loaded.

render-stable

Release notes

Call out new shortcuts in release Markdown. Front matter (YAML / TOML / JSON) passes through unchanged so static-site pipelines (Jekyll, Hugo, Astro, Eleventy) read it correctly. Pair with the Front-Matter Validator to catch syntax errors before deploy.

cross-platform

Game docs

Controls reference for indie games and tools. Output is reproducible: identical input always produces identical Markdown, so doc-generation scripts can rely on it for snapshot tests and embedded into release workflows.

SEO-friendly

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Why kbd instead of backticks?

Code spans look like inline code, not keys. Kbd boxes are styled by every major doc renderer.

Does GitHub render kbd?

Yes — GitHub allows the kbd tag with default browser styling.

Custom key like Caps Lock?

Type into any toolbar that supports text input, or paste directly into the selected list source.

Sequence vs combo?

Use the space separator for sequences (e.g. leader-key chords), the plus separator for combos.

Is anything sent to a server?

No. The snippet is built locally.

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