[Edit]

JavaScript - detect when esc key was pressed

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Created by:

elmer

646

In this article, we would like to show you how to detect when the escape key was pressed using JavaScript.

Quick solution:

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element.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) {
    if (e.key === 'Escape' || e.keyCode === 27) { // e.keyCode === 27 used for legacy
        console.log('Escape key pressed');
    }
});

Practical example

Edit

In this example, we use the key property that returns the value of the pressed key and then we compare it to the 'Escape' to detect when the ESC key was pressed.

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<!doctype html>
<html>
<body>
  <div>Click here to set focus and press Escape key.</div>
  <script>
​
    document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) {
        if (e.key === 'Escape' || e.keyCode === 27) { // e.keyCode === 27 used for legacy
            console.log('Escape key pressed');
        }
    });
​
  </script>
</body>
</html>