How to Use Retool's Command Palette

Press Cmd+K on Mac or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux while in the Retool editor. A search overlay appears in the center of the screen with a text input and a list of recently used or suggested commands. You can also open it by clicking the search/magnifying glass icon in the top toolbar. The palette closes when you press Escape or click outside it.

Start typing any action name in the search field. The palette filters results in real time. Use arrow keys to navigate results and Enter to execute. Examples of commonly searched actions: 'preview' (toggle preview mode), 'new query' (create a new query), 'save' (save the app), 'duplicate' (duplicate a component), 'undo' (undo last change), 'settings' (open app settings).

1// Command palette search examples:
2// Type: 'prev'       → Toggle preview mode
3// Type: 'new query'  → Create new query
4// Type: 'save'       → Save app
5// Type: 'dup'        → Duplicate selected component
6// Type: 'dark'       → Enable/disable dark mode
7// Type: 'settings'   → Open app settings
8// Type: 'keyboard'   → View all keyboard shortcuts
9// Type: 'perf'       → Open performance monitor

Type the name of any query in the command palette to jump directly to it in the Code panel. This is one of the most useful features in large apps with many queries. Start typing 'get', 'update', 'fetch', or any word from the query name — the palette shows matching queries. Press Enter to select the query and Retool opens it in the Code panel with the query editor focused.

In apps with many components, finding a specific one on the canvas can be tedious — especially in containers nested several levels deep. Type the component name in the command palette (e.g., 'table1', 'submitButton', 'orderStatusSelect') to select it on the canvas instantly. The canvas scrolls to the component and it appears selected with its Inspector properties showing on the right.

In multipage Retool apps, type the page name in the command palette to navigate to it quickly. This is faster than clicking the page tabs at the top of the editor, especially when you have many pages. Type the first few characters of any page name and press Enter to switch to it.

Several frequently used editor operations are fastest via the command palette. Here is a reference of the most useful commands organized by category: app management, component operations, view and layout, and debugging tools.

1// === App Management ===
2// 'Save'              → Save app (also Cmd+S)
3// 'App settings'      → Open gear/settings panel
4// 'Share'             → Open sharing settings
5// 'Deploy' / 'Release'→ Deploy/release the app
6
7// === View & Layout ===
8// 'Preview'           → Toggle preview mode (Cmd+P)
9// 'Dark mode'         → Toggle editor dark mode
10// 'Zoom in/out'       → Canvas zoom controls
11// 'Grid'              → Toggle canvas grid
12
13// === Component Operations ===
14// 'Duplicate'         → Duplicate selected component
15// 'Delete'            → Delete selected component
16// 'Align'             → Alignment options
17// 'Group'             → Group selected components
18
19// === Debugging ===
20// 'Debug panel'       → Open/close debug panel
21// 'Performance'       → Open performance monitor
22// 'State inspector'   → Open state inspector