Feature feedback: New cmd/ctrl+click multi-select overrides native browser ‘Open in New Tab’

[Scott Stilson]

I'm writing to share some feedback regarding the recently introduced multi-select feature for cards. While the ability to multi-select is a fantastic and much-needed addition to Trello, the specific keyboard shortcut chosen—cmd + click (on macOS) / ctrl + click (on Windows)—is causing a significant workflow disruption for me.

For over a decade, cmd/ctrl + click has been the universal, baked-in browser standard for ‘Open link in a new background tab.’ Many power users rely heavily on this exact muscle memory to quickly open several Trello cards into separate tabs for review without losing their place on the main board.

By capturing this system-level shortcut, Trello is overriding default browser behavior and disrupting established navigation habits.

Could the team please consider re-mapping the multi-select modifier to avoid this collision? A few alternatives that wouldn't break browser defaults:

• shift + click: This is already the standard for selecting items/ranges in most desktop environments.

• option/alt + click: A modifier less commonly used by core browser navigation.

• an opt-out toggle: Provide a setting to disable the multi-select shortcut for users who prioritize native browser tab management.

(Please note that cmd/ctrl + shift + click is not a viable alternative, since like its shift-less sibling, it is already claimed by ‘Open link in a new active tab.’)

Thanks for building a great product! The multi-select feature itself is wonderful—it just needs a shortcut that doesn't fight with the browser.

[cballenar]

Thanks Scott! I just received this update as well and I'm glad this is already being flagged. 

I think the author has done a great job at pointing out the issues so I won't rehash on that but I think it's worth pointing out that this is NOT solved by right clicking as Trello has also hijacked it to display their cards' custom menu.

So effectively the only way I have to open a card in a new tab is by first going INTO the card, which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place, and then copying URL.

A possible solution is to include this feature as part of features disabled by the "disable shortcuts" setting.

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Regarding the question by Lara, I personally don't find the process of "toggling modes" particularly fluid but I do think it'd be more predictable.

I think other interfaces that need to show selection over an element (card) allow clicking on the element without opening it, by making only part of the element clickable (e.g., title), then one can click on the card to mark it as "selected" and then shift/range click as usual. But this would of course change something very basic in Trello. I suppose you could try the opposite approach by making part of the card designed only for selection but cards are already pretty crowded as they are now.

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Thank you!

[Lara Demir - Hipporello]

Hi Scott,

Thank you for this incredibly well-articulated feedback. You’ve hit on a very real pain point for Trello power users. For those of us who have spent years using Cmd/Ctrl + Click to "triage" a board by opening cards in new tabs, the new multi-select behavior feels like a "hijack" of our muscle memory.

The Trello team introduced this to bring native-feeling multi-select to the board, but as you pointed out, it directly collides with universal browser standards.

A few things to note and a potential workaround for now:

The Right-Click Workaround: Currently, the most reliable way to open a card in a new tab without triggering multi-select is to Right-Click > Open link in new tab. I know this is a "two-click" process compared to your "one-click" shortcut, but it bypasses the multi-select listener.

The Middle-Click: If you use a mouse with a scroll wheel, Middle-Clicking a card should still open it in a new tab in most browsers without triggering the multi-select logic.

Alternative Shortcuts: Your suggestion of using Shift + Click or an Alt/Option modifier is a great one. Shift + Click is traditionally used for range selection (selecting everything between point A and B), which Trello also recently implemented, making the "single-item toggle" shortcut even more crowded.

Next Steps:
I am flagging this post for our Product Managers. We've seen similar feedback regarding "Keyboard Shortcut Collisions" recently. The idea of an "Opt-out toggle" in Trello Labs or Settings is a fantastic suggestion to give power users their browser behavior back.

I’m curious—if Trello were to move multi-select to a "Selection Mode" (like a toggle you turn on/off), would that solve it for you, or do you prefer the modifier-key approach?

[Scott Stilson]

Thanks for asking. For simplicity’s sake, I’d personally prefer a simple, non-interfering key combo like the option/alt + click one I suggested above. However, since discoverability is probably an important part of any good UI design, how about a small selection affordance, like a checkbox, that appears in the lower left corner of a card front upon hover, a click of which would select the card and enter selection mode for the whole board, which would be visually indicated to the user by:

• checkboxes appearing in a similar spot on all card fronts, and
• bulk-card-action options appearing. 

Users would then click (or shift + click for ranges) the checkboxes on all the cards they wish to select and then perform their desired action! Opting for something like this:

• keeps cmd/ctrl + click free for native browser behavior,
• makes the new feature easily discoverable, and 
• mirrors patterns found in other software.