---
title: Opening the palette
description: Change the shortcut, add more of them, open on slash, or open the palette from your own code.
---

`<CommandPaletteDialog>` opens and closes with <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>K</kbd> on a Mac and <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> <kbd>K</kbd> elsewhere. You can change that.

## A different shortcut

Pass the shortcut to `hotkey`:

```vue
<CommandPaletteDialog v-model:open="open" :commands="commands" hotkey="mod+shift+p" />
```

A shortcut is modifiers and one key, joined with `+`:

| part                | meaning                                                    |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `mod`               | ⌘ on Apple platforms, Ctrl everywhere else.                |
| `ctrl` or `control` | Ctrl on every platform.                                    |
| `meta` or `cmd`     | ⌘ on a Mac, the Windows key elsewhere.                     |
| `alt` or `option`   | ⌥ on a Mac, Alt elsewhere.                                 |
| `shift`             | Shift.                                                     |
| the key             | A character (`k`, `/`, `?`) or a key name (`f1`, `enter`). |

Key names also accept `esc`, `return`, `space`, `up`, `down`, `left`, `right` and `plus`. A trailing `+` is the plus key itself, so `mod++` means ⌘+.

Modifiers must match exactly. With `mod+k`, pressing ⌘⇧K does nothing, so a palette shortcut never swallows another shortcut that shares its letter.

The footer prints whatever `hotkey` is set to, in the platform's style (⇧⌘P on a Mac, Ctrl+Shift+P elsewhere). Pass `:hotkey="false"` to turn the shortcut off.

### Option and Alt shortcuts on a Mac

On a Mac, holding ⌥ changes the character a key types: ⌥K types `˚`, and ⌥E starts an accent. So when a shortcut includes `alt` and its key is a letter or a digit, the palette also accepts the physical key. `alt+k` works on a Mac the same way it does on Windows.

Shortcuts without `alt` go by the character instead. That keeps them right on other keyboard layouts: on Dvorak, `mod+k` is the key printed K, wherever it sits.

## Open with slash

`open-on-slash` adds <kbd>/</kbd> as a second way in, as on GitHub and many docs sites. It only fires when focus isn't in a text field, so typing a `/` into an input still types a `/`.

```vue
<CommandPaletteDialog v-model:open="open" :commands="commands" open-on-slash />
```

## Several shortcuts

`hotkey` takes one shortcut. For more, turn it off and listen yourself, using the same helpers the dialog uses:

```ts
import { matchesChord, parseChord, useHotkey } from 'vue-cmdk-palette'

const chords = ['mod+k', 'mod+shift+p', 'f1'].map((chord) => parseChord(chord))

useHotkey((event) => {
  if (chords.some((chord) => matchesChord(chord, event))) {
    event.preventDefault()
    open.value = !open.value
  }
})
```

```vue
<CommandPaletteDialog v-model:open="open" :commands="commands" :hotkey="false" chord="mod+k" />
```

`chord` sets what the footer prints. Without it, a palette with `:hotkey="false"` prints no shortcut.

`useHotkey` listens on `document` in the capture phase and removes the listener when the component unmounts. The same pattern works for any rule of your own, such as opening only on certain routes.

## From your own code

`v-model:open` is the source of truth. Set it to `true` from a button, a menu item, or anything else:

```vue
<button type="button" @click="open = true">Search…</button>
<CommandPaletteDialog v-model:open="open" :commands="commands" />
```

Without a `v-model`, reach the dialog through a template ref. It exposes `show()`, `hide()`, `toggle()` and `focus()`:

```vue
<script setup lang="ts">
import { useTemplateRef } from 'vue'
import { CommandPaletteDialog } from 'vue-cmdk-palette'

const palette = useTemplateRef<InstanceType<typeof CommandPaletteDialog>>('palette')
</script>

<template>
  <button type="button" @click="palette?.show()">Search…</button>
  <CommandPaletteDialog ref="palette" :commands="commands" />
</template>
```

Keep a visible button either way. Many people never try a shortcut nobody told them about.