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In list elements inside System Preferences, I see a "plus" and a "minus" to add or remove elements (see photo below for example of Networking System Preferences).

enter image description here

In Windows these are usually associated with Insert / Delete or AltA / AltD. Is there keyboard shortcuts for these keys? I am trying to add keyboard shortcuts in preference without using a mouse but I have to rely on tab key to achieve this.

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    I don't think there's any way of doing this built into OS X, but there are apps that will allow it. I use Shortcat (shortcatapp.com) which allows you to "click" onscreen elements by typing. I just tried in the Network pane in System Preferences, and typing 'add' in Shortcat focuses on the + button. Typing 'dele' was enough to select the - button. Jun 6, 2017 at 14:36
  • @JayThompson Exactly what I needed. Thanks! This is a great start for me with OS X! Jun 6, 2017 at 23:59
  • You can also go to System Preferences / Keyboard / Shortcuts. There's a setting to enable "All Controls" for full keyboard access on windows and dialogs. Then you can just press tab to highlight the buttons you need to click. Useful thorough the system.
    – ronaldpoi
    Jun 7, 2017 at 1:26

3 Answers 3

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Use Tab and Spacebar

You can use the ⇨Tab key to move between elements, then press Space to select the element. As long as the pane (Network Preferences in this example) has focus, you can use this method. Below is an example of using this method with the Network Preferences pane.

Please note that I move the mouse cursor to highlight where I am going to select, but watch for the element animation as I press the tab button. The mouse is not being used other than a visual aid in this animation.

enter image description here

This feature works even in Recovery Mode should your mouse not be functional.

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  • Wrong and wrong @Thinkr. This answer did not come from any comment and Keyboard Navigation is to use your keyboard as a mouse. The Tab and Space as selection tools have been around since the PowerPC days and even before that with Mac OS 9. Please stop guessing at a reply for everything.
    – Allan
    May 12, 2023 at 18:04
  • I thought you needed to enable this setting for your answer to work. Excuse me for the disruptancy my comment may have caused you
    – Thinkr
    May 12, 2023 at 18:51
  • @Allan AFAIK this function is disabled by default, so in order to use it, user has to enable it in Preferences. May 14, 2023 at 6:21
  • @MateuszSzlosek i’ve never enabled mine and still haven’t and it works. I’ve used this in emergencies when the mouse was dead or missing
    – Allan
    May 14, 2023 at 11:23
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I don't think there's any way of doing this is OS X as well as in macOS. If you take a look at Mac keyboard shortcuts, there's none of them indicating this option.

However, you can use a third-party app, Shortcat, which allows you to "click" onscreen elements by typing.

When entering "add" for System Preferences > Network in Shortcat, it selects the wanted "+" button. To select the "-" button, entering "dele" is sufficient.

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Alt 0177 ± Hold ALT key and type 0177 on keypad

https://fsymbols.com/keyboard/windows/alt-codes/list/

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