How to move between buttons with the Tab key on a Mac
2 min read · 3 steps · Updated 4 October 2026
Open System Settings, click Keyboard, and switch on Keyboard navigation. You can then press the Tab key to move the focus forward between controls on the screen, and Shift and Tab to move backward.
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS Tahoe 26
- App
- System Settings
- Path
- System Settings › Keyboard
- Real screenshots
- 3 of 3 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
Keyboard navigation lets you press keys to move the focus between controls on the screen, so that dialogs can be used without the mouse. The switch is off in the picture.
The screenshots show System Settings on macOS Tahoe 26.
Step by step
Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings.
Click Keyboard in the sidebar
Keyboard is near the bottom of the sidebar. Scroll down to find it.
Switch on Keyboard navigation
In the picture it is off. The note under it reads: use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls. Press the Tab key to move focus forward and Shift Tab to move focus backward.
Good to know
The Keyboard Shortcuts button on the same page lists the shortcuts of macOS: how to create your own keyboard shortcuts on a Mac.
In short: System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard navigation on.
Links checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.