🚀 20 Postman Shortcuts and Tips to Supercharge Your API Testing Workflow

Over the past 4 years of building APIs with Node.js, Laravel, and occasionally Python Flask, I’ve spent more time in Postman than I’d like to admit. It’s like my second home—except instead of a cozy couch, I have a console full of 500 errors. 😅

Through countless hours of testing, debugging, and occasionally crying over broken endpoints, I’ve gathered these 20 Postman shortcuts and tips that have saved my sanity (and my deadlines). Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned developer, these will make you a Postman power user in no time. Let’s dive in!

Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Switch Between Tabs

• Ctrl + Tab (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Tab (Mac)
• Quickly toggle between open Postman tabs.

2. Duplicate a Request

• Ctrl + D (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + D (Mac)
• Duplicate a request to tweak it without starting from scratch.

3. Send a Request

• Ctrl + Enter (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Enter (Mac)
• Send your request instantly without touching the mouse.

4. Search Within a Collection

• Ctrl + F (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + F (Mac)
• Find a specific request in a large collection.

5. Open the Console

• Ctrl + Alt + C (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + C (Mac)
• Debug requests and responses with the Postman Console.

6. Create a New Request

• Ctrl + N (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + N (Mac)
• Start a new request quickly.

7. Save a Request

• Ctrl + S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + S (Mac)
• Save your request without leaving your keyboard.

8. Toggle Between Environments

• Ctrl + E (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + E (Mac)
• Switch between environments (e.g., dev, staging, production).

9. Run a Collection

• Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac)
• Run an entire collection of requests in one go.

10. Toggle Between Params, Headers, and Body

• Ctrl + Alt + H (Headers), Ctrl + Alt + B (Body), Ctrl + Alt + P (Params)
• Quickly navigate between sections of your request.

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Efficiency Tips

11. Use Variables

• Create environment and global variables for dynamic data like URLs, tokens, or IDs.
• Example:
  • Set a variable base_url in your environment with the value https://api.example.com.
  • Use it in your requests like {{base_url}}/users .
  • No more hardcoding URLs!

12. Pre-request Scripts

• Automate tasks like setting headers or generating tokens before sending a request.

13. Post-request Scripts

• Automate actions after receiving a response, like saving data to variables.

• Example:

  • Extract an access token from the response and save it to a variable:

     const response = pm.response.json();
     pm.environment.set('access_token', response.access_token);
  

  • Now you can use {{access_token}} in subsequent requests.

14. Mock Servers

• Create mock APIs to test your frontend without waiting for the backend.

15. Import cURL Commands

• Click Import and paste a cURL command to quickly create a request.

16. Bulk Edit Headers and Params

• Click the Bulk Edit button to edit headers or params in plain text.

• Example:

  • Instead of adding headers one by one, switch to Bulk Edit and paste:

     Content-Type: application/json
     Authorization: Bearer {{access_token}}
  

  • Boom! Headers added in seconds.

17. Keyboard Navigation

• Use Tab and Shift + Tab to navigate between fields in a request.

18. Quickly Clear Response

• Click the Clear button next to the response pane or use Ctrl + L (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + L (Mac).

19. Collection Runner

• Automate testing by running multiple requests in sequence.
• How to use it:
  1. Select a collection and click Run.
  2. Choose the environment and any data files (if needed).
  3. Hit Run and watch Postman execute all requests in order.
  4. Perfect for regression testing!

20. API Documentation

• Generate and publish API docs directly from your collections.
• How to use it:
  1. Open a collection and click Documentation.
  2. Add descriptions to your requests and parameters.
  3. Click Publish to share the docs with your team or the world.
  4. Now your frontend devs knows how to use your API without asking you a million questions.

Why This Matters
Mastering these shortcuts and features will make you more efficient and help you focus on building and testing awesome APIs. Whether you’re working solo or as part of a team, Postman is your ultimate API testing sidekick.

What’s your favorite Postman shortcut or feature? Let me know in the comments below! 👇 And please feel free to add more.

If you found this helpful, don’t forget to ❤️ and share it with your fellow developers!

P.S. If you’ve ever spent 30 minutes debugging an API only to realize you forgot to add a header, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there. 😂