A native way to swap between note types easily when creating a new note

Anki Suggestions
1

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
While creating cards, I frequently switch between different card types (e.g., Basic, Basic (and reversed), Cloze).
Currently, the only way to do this is to click the “Type” dropdown and manually select the card type using the mouse.

This interrupts the workflow, especially when adding many cards in a row. It also slows down users who rely heavily on keyboard-driven card creation. Existing addons that provide shortcuts for switching card types are outdated or unmaintained, and some no longer work reliably with recent Anki versions.

The lack of a fast, native way to swap card types makes the card creation process less efficient and more cumbersome.

Describe the solution you’d like
I would like a native keyboard shortcut (or a set of shortcuts) that allows switching between card types directly from the editor, without using the mouse.

Examples of possible implementations:

  • A single shortcut that cycles through available card types

  • Dedicated customizable shortcuts for each card type (e.g., Ctrl+1 = Basic, Ctrl+2 = Basic (and reversed), Ctrl+3 = Cloze)

  • A quick-switch palette (similar to the deck switcher or note type switcher) opened via a hotkey

Benefits:

  • Faster card creation

  • Better keyboard-only workflow

  • More accessible for power users

  • Removes dependency on unmaintained addons

  • Consistent UX across platforms

Drawbacks considered:

  • Potential shortcut conflicts (but these can be configurable)

  • Need to expose card type switching in a way that works across all editor modes

Describe alternatives you’ve considered

Existing addons: There are addons that allow switching card types, but they are outdated, unmaintained, or incompatible with newer Anki versions. Relying on them is not a stable long-term solution

Manual switching: Using the mouse to open the Type dropdown and select a card type works, but it is slow and breaks the flow of creating cards.

2

So far this add-on is working well with the latest version of Anki.
addon: Quick note and deck buttons (Fork for 2.1)

3

I’m going to correct you, because if you’re using the wrong terminology, you’ll have a hard time finding solutions to this. What you’re talking about are note types and adding a note.

If you hover over that field in the Add Note window, you’ll find that there’s already a built-in shortcut to access it.

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From there you can start typing the name of the note type you want, and switch to it, without your fingers leaving the keyboard.