Interview Signal keyboard shortcuts and zoom
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Interview Signal has a short list of keyboard shortcuts: S, N and / on the home screen to start an interview, make a role and search; Ctrl+M (Cmd+M on a Mac) to mute yourself during the interview; and Ctrl or Cmd with +, − or 0, or with the mouse wheel, to zoom the whole window on any screen. Enter and Escape do the obvious thing in the app's boxes and dialogs. This list is for version 0.9.10, current as of October 2026, the first release to ship zoom.
What are all the keyboard shortcuts?
| Keys | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| S | Home screen | Starts an interview on the role in the "Start an interview" bar |
| N | Home screen | Opens "New role" |
| / | Home screen | Jumps to search |
| Escape | Home screen search | Clears the search |
| Ctrl+M (Cmd+M) | Live interview | "Mute me" and "Unmute me" |
| Escape | Live interview | Closes the "Mic & language" and "AI" menu |
| Ctrl/Cmd and + (or =) | Every screen | Zooms in one step |
| Ctrl/Cmd and − | Every screen | Zooms out one step |
| Ctrl/Cmd and 0 | Every screen | Resets zoom to 100% |
| Ctrl/Cmd and mouse wheel | Every screen | Zooms one step per notch |
| Left and Right arrows | Live interview, on a pane divider | Resize the guide or the scorecard pane |
The home screen letters and Ctrl+M are ignored while you are typing in a field, so a candidate called Jess does not start an interview on the S. The zoom keys work everywhere, including mid-interview and inside text boxes.
How do I zoom the whole window?
- Hold Ctrl (Cmd on a Mac) and press + to make everything larger, or − to make it smaller. The + key works with or without Shift.
- Or hold Ctrl and turn the mouse wheel: one step per notch. A trackpad pinch works the same way.
- Press Ctrl 0 to go back to 100%.
Each press moves one step along a fixed ladder, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 125%, 150%, 175% and 200%, and a small bubble shows the new size for about a second. The size is remembered the next time you open the app. The same controls are in Settings, under "App": "Window size" with −, the current percentage, + and "Reset".
Zoom in when the guide is hard to read on a small laptop, or zoom out to give the three live panes (guide, transcript and scorecard) more room on a crowded screen. See the question guide for what each pane shows.
How do I mute myself with the keyboard?
Press Ctrl+M (Cmd+M on a Mac) on the live screen. The button changes to "Unmute me" and a banner says "You are muted — the candidate is still being transcribed and scored." Whatever you said just before muting is kept in the transcript. Press the keys again to unmute.
Mute is for asides and coughs. It only works when the candidate comes through your computer's sound on their own lane: in an in-person interview, or when system audio is not being captured, your microphone is carrying the candidate too, so the app refuses and suggests "Pause capture" instead, which stops all recording. There is no keyboard shortcut for Pause; it is the button beside "Mute me". The difference is covered in how audio capture works.
Which keys work in boxes and dialogs?
- "Candidate name (optional)" on the home screen: Enter starts the interview.
- "Paste the posting link" on the kit screen: Enter fetches the posting.
- "JOIN CODE" on the pre-interview screen: Enter joins the panel.
- The "+ Add" topic box in the guide: Enter asks for three suggested questions; Escape closes it.
- The "Ask the AI" box under the follow-ups: Enter asks; Escape clears it.
- A scorecard area's note: Enter saves the note and closes the editor.
- Renaming an unnamed candidate on the home screen: Enter saves, Escape cancels.
- Confirmation dialogs that ask you to type a word, such as END or DELETE: Enter confirms once the word is typed, Escape cancels.
- Help ("?"): Escape closes it.
Can I resize the live panes without a mouse?
Yes. Tab to one of the two dividers between the guide, the transcript and the scorecard, then press the Left or Right arrow to move it; hold Shift for bigger steps. The transcript pane keeps a minimum width, and the layout is remembered on that computer.
Why don't Ctrl+W and Ctrl+R work?
On purpose. On Windows the app has no menu bar, so Ctrl+W cannot close the window and Ctrl+R cannot reload it in the middle of an interview and lose the session. On a Mac the app menu and the Edit menu are kept, which is what makes Cmd+Q and Cmd+C work. To leave a live interview, press "End interview".
Limits
- Shortcuts cannot be changed or added.
- There are no shortcuts for Evaluate, Pause capture or End interview; they are buttons only.
- Zoom stops at 70% and 200%.
The app runs on Windows 10 and 11 and macOS 13 or newer; see the download page.
Questions people ask
How do I make Interview Signal bigger or smaller?
Hold Ctrl (Cmd on a Mac) and press plus or minus, or hold Ctrl and turn the mouse wheel. Ctrl 0 resets to 100 percent. The whole window zooms in steps from 70 to 200 percent, a bubble shows the new size, and the app remembers it. Settings has the same controls under Window size.
What is the shortcut to mute myself in Interview Signal?
Ctrl+M on Windows, or Cmd+M on a Mac, while the live interview screen is open and you are not typing in a field. It mutes only your microphone; the candidate is still transcribed and scored. Press it again to unmute.
Is there a keyboard shortcut to start an interview in Interview Signal?
Yes. On the home screen, press S to start an interview on the role shown in the Start an interview bar. N opens a new role and the slash key jumps to search. These keys only work when you are not typing in a field.
Why does Ctrl+W not close Interview Signal?
On purpose. Interview Signal removes the default window menu on Windows so that Ctrl+W cannot close the window and Ctrl+R cannot reload it in the middle of an interview. On a Mac the app and Edit menus are kept, so Cmd+Q quits and the standard copy and paste shortcuts work.