# Set up Hotkeys

Hotkeys (keyboard shortcuts) let you trigger common call and messaging actions with a single keystroke combination instead of clicking through the interface. This page lists the operations you can bind, their default key combinations, and how to switch them on in the Cloud Voice App for desktop.

## Before you begin

Confirm that your environment meets these minimums:

- **PBX server** (Private Branch Exchange, the phone system that routes your calls): version 84.12.0.32 or later.
- **Cloud Voice App (desktop)**: version 1.21.2 or later, on both Windows and macOS.

:::caution
Hotkeys are only available once both the server and the app meet these minimum versions. If either one is older, update it first, or the Hotkeys settings described below will not appear.
:::

## Available operations and default hotkeys

Each action ships with a default combination. Because the modifier keys differ between platforms, Windows and macOS have their own defaults.

| Operation | Windows | macOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dial the selected number | `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `E` | `⌘` + `Shift` + `E` |
| Answer a call | `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `A` | `⌘` + `Shift` + `A` |
| Blind transfer | `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `B` | `⌘` + `Shift` + `B` |
| Attended transfer | `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T` | `⌘` + `Shift` + `T` |
| Hold or resume | `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `H` | `⌘` + `Shift` + `H` |
| Hang up | `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F` | `⌘` + `Shift` + `F` |
| Send a message | `Enter` | `Return` |

:::note
Two of these are call-transfer types. A **blind transfer** sends the caller straight to another extension without you speaking to that person first. An **attended transfer** lets you talk to the person receiving the call before you hand it over.
:::

## Enable and customize hotkeys

Every hotkey operation is off until you turn it on, so a fresh install has no working shortcuts until you enable them. Follow these steps to activate the ones you want.

1. Open the app's **Settings**, using the method for your operating system.

   - **Windows**: right-click the Cloud Voice App icon in the system tray, then choose **Settings**.

     
     ![Cloud Voice, the system tray menu on Windows with the Settings option](/images/pbx/windows-access-system-menu.png)

   - **macOS**: in the app menu bar, click **Cloud Voice App**, then **Settings**.

     ![The macOS menu bar showing the app name and its Settings option](/images/pbx/mac-access-settings-menu.png)

2. Go to the **Hotkeys** section.

3. (Optional) Select **Notify When Hotkey Conflicts** so you are warned when a shortcut is unusable.

   ![The Notify When Hotkey Conflicts checkbox in the Hotkeys settings](/images/pbx/enable-hotey-conflict-notification.png)

   With this on, the app checks your hotkeys for conflicts every time you launch and sign in. When it finds one, it shows a pop-up describing the clash so the binding does not silently stop working.

   
   ![Cloud Voice, a pop-up alert reporting a hotkey conflict](/images/pbx/hotkey-conflict-prompt.png)

   :::tip
   Leave this option on. Another program or the operating system may already claim one of your key combinations, which quietly stops that hotkey from working. The notification tells you which shortcut clashed so you can rebind it instead of wondering why nothing happens.
   :::

4. Turn on the operations you want and adjust their keys.

   ![The Hotkeys settings listing each operation with a checkbox and an editable key field](/images/pbx/set-up-hotkeys.png)

   1. Select the checkbox next to an operation to enable it.
   2. To replace the default binding, click that operation's key field, then press the keys you want to use:
      - **Single function key** (`F1` through `F12`): the key on its own becomes the hotkey.
      - **Key combination**: start with `Ctrl`, `⌘`, `Shift`, or `Alt`, and finish with one letter, one number, or a function key (`F1` through `F12`).