Kbd

Kbd renders keyboard shortcuts as semantic <kbd> keycaps. Use it anywhere a shortcut hint appears: menu rows, tooltip footers, command palettes, help overlays, and keyboard reference panels. Cmd is intentionally reinterpreted as Ctrl outside macOS so consumers can describe the logical modifier once and get the expected platform display.

Live Preview

Import

import { Kbd } from 'entangle-ui';

Usage

<Kbd>Ctrl+S</Kbd>
<Kbd platform="mac" separator={null}>Cmd+S</Kbd>
<Kbd glyphs={false}>Ctrl+S</Kbd>

Literal vs Glyphs

Use literal rendering when the shortcut text should stay exactly as written. Use glyph rendering for OS-aware shortcut hints.

Literal

<Kbd glyphs={false} platform="windows">
  Ctrl+S
</Kbd>

macOS glyphs

<Kbd platform="mac" separator={null}>
  Cmd+S
</Kbd>

Sizes

Sizes

Size	Height	Padding	Font	Min-width
sm	16px	0 4px	xxs (9px) mono	16px
md	20px	0 6px	xs (10px) mono	20px
lg	24px	0 8px	sm (11px) mono	24px

<Kbd size="sm">Ctrl+S</Kbd>
<Kbd size="md">Ctrl+S</Kbd>
<Kbd size="lg">Ctrl+S</Kbd>

Variants

Variants

<Kbd variant="solid">Ctrl+S</Kbd>
<Kbd variant="outline">Ctrl+S</Kbd>
<Kbd variant="ghost">Ctrl+S</Kbd>

Multiple Keys

Strings are split on +, and arrays render as separate keycaps.

Common shortcuts

Multiple keys

<Kbd>Ctrl+Shift+P</Kbd>
<Kbd>{['Ctrl', 'Shift', 'P']}</Kbd>

Strings are split on the literal + character, so the + key cannot be expressed in string form. Use the Plus keyword (which renders as + after glyph mapping) or pass an array of keys instead:

<Kbd>Ctrl+Plus</Kbd>
<Kbd>{['Ctrl', '+']}</Kbd>

Custom Separator

Use separator to change the text between keycaps, or pass null to render adjacent keycaps.

Custom separator

<Kbd separator="→" glyphs={false}>
  Ctrl+S
</Kbd>

No separator

<Kbd platform="mac" separator={null}>
  Cmd+S
</Kbd>

In Tooltip

In tooltip

<Tooltip
  title={
    <span>
      Save{' '}
      <Kbd size="sm" variant="ghost" glyphs={false}>
        Ctrl+S
      </Kbd>
    </span>
  }
>
  <Button>Save</Button>
</Tooltip>

In Menu Item

In menu item

<div className="menu-item">
  <span>Save</span>
  <Kbd size="sm" variant="ghost" glyphs={false}>
    Ctrl+S
  </Kbd>
</div>

Keyboard Reference

Editor shortcuts

Glyph Mapping

Logical	macOS glyph	Other (literal)
Cmd	⌘	Ctrl ← Cmd reinterpreted on non-mac
Meta	⌘	Win / Super
Ctrl	⌃	Ctrl
Alt	⌥	Alt
Option	⌥	Alt
Shift	⇧	Shift
Enter	↩	Enter
Return	↩	Enter
Tab	⇥	Tab
Esc	⎋	Esc
Escape	⎋	Esc
Space	␣	Space
Backspace	⌫	Backspace
Delete	⌦	Delete
Up	↑	↑
Down	↓	↓
Left	←	←
Right	→	→

Accessibility

• Each key renders as a native <kbd> element.
• The wrapper is a plain <span> and does not create an interactive target.
• The separator between keys is marked aria-hidden so screen readers announce the keys directly.
• Kbd is decorative; the actual keyboard binding, command name, and activation behavior live elsewhere.
• Do not add tabIndex or button behavior to Kbd.

SSR and Platform Detection

With the default platform="auto", Kbd renders Windows-style keys on the server and switches to the detected platform after the client mounts. This avoids hydration mismatches but means macOS users will briefly see Ctrl+S before it resolves to ⌘S. To suppress the flash, set platform explicitly when you can derive it server-side (for example from the request User-Agent or a stored user preference).

API Reference

Prop	Type	Default	Description
children *	ReactNode	—	Shortcut content. Strings split on "+", arrays render as separate keycaps, and other nodes render as one keycap.
size	'sm' | 'md' | 'lg'	'md'	Keycap size.
variant	'solid' | 'outline' | 'ghost'	'outline'	Visual variant.
glyphs	boolean	true	Render OS-specific glyphs when possible.
platform	'auto' | 'mac' | 'windows' | 'linux'	'auto'	Platform detection override.
separator	ReactNode	'+'	Separator rendered between multiple keycaps. Use null for adjacent keycaps.
className	string	—	Additional CSS class names.
style	CSSProperties	—	Inline styles.
testId	string	—	Test identifier for automated testing.
ref	Ref<HTMLSpanElement>	—	Ref to the wrapper span.

Utility Helpers

Prop	Type	Default	Description
getPlatform	() => Platform	—	Detects the current platform from navigator and falls back to 'windows' during SSR.
getKeyGlyph	(key: string, platform: Platform) => string	—	Maps a logical key name to its display representation.
parseShortcut	(shortcut: string) => string[]	—	Splits shortcut strings on "+", trimming whitespace.

Migration Note

MenuBar.Item still accepts a shortcut string in v0.8. That prop will eventually be replaced with a <Kbd> child component so menu shortcuts share the same rendering path as tooltips, command palettes, and keyboard reference dialogs.