Notebook basics
Core notebook workflows in Orion: running cells, inspecting variables, presentation mode, and keyboard shortcuts.
Run cells
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Run selected cells and move down | Shift + Enter |
| Run selected cells, stay on cell | Ctrl + Enter (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Enter (macOS) |
| Run all code above selection | Alt + A |
| Run selected cell and all below | Alt + B |
Click the Run controls in the toolbar for run-all and stop actions when visible.
Edit cells
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Enter edit mode on selected cell | Enter |
| Leave edit mode | Esc |
| Change to Markdown | M |
| Change to Code | Y |
Cell management
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Add code cell above | A |
| Add code cell below | B |
| Delete selected cells | D then D |
| Copy / cut / paste cells | C / X / V |
| Undo delete | Z |
| Move cell up or down | Alt + Up / Alt + Down |
| Mention selected cell in chat | I |
Press H in command mode (cell selected, not editing) to open the full shortcuts dialog.
Variable inspector
Open the Variables panel in the left sidebar to list kernel variables. Orion shows readiness indicators so you know when inspector data is current.
Use @ in chat to mention a variable by name so the assistant sees live values and types.
Presentation mode
Settings → Appearance → Notebook includes Presentation mode (hide all cell inputs). Useful when walking through results without showing source code.
Workspace teams can set notebook.presentationHideAllCellInputs in .orion/settings.json. See Workspace settings.
Saving files
Orion marks dirty editor tabs and shows brief save feedback after manual saves. Turn on Settings -> Appearance -> Editor -> Autosave to periodically save dirty files open in the editor.
Autosave uses Autosave interval in milliseconds. The default interval is 1000 ms when autosave is enabled.
Outputs
Orion renders Plotly, Vega, HTML, images, LaTeX, GeoJSON, PDF previews, streams, errors, and Orion UI outputs. When multiple MIME types exist, use the output presentation picker to switch representation.
Plotly rendering notes: Plotly version compatibility.
Views
Toggle Notebook view and App View from the toolbar. See App View and Export notebooks.
Opening files
When no file is open, Orion shows shortcut cards for recent files, pinned files, or pinned workspaces. Change the card contents in Settings → Appearance → Empty editor.
If a file is too large to open comfortably in the editor, Orion warns before loading it. Choose Open anyway only when you expect the editor to handle the file size, or cancel and mention the file in chat instead.
For files Orion cannot open directly, Settings → Appearance → Unsupported files controls whether clicking the file mentions it in chat or opens it with your system's default app.
Related
Last updated July 2026.