---
title: "Help plugin"
description: "Shows the help dialog."
canonical_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/latest/help/"
md_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/5/help/index.md"
version: "5"
last_updated: "2024-04-16T01:50:26Z"
tokens: 981
---
Important This page documents TinyMCE 5. For new projects, Tiny recommends using the latest, most up-to-date version. [See TinyMCE 8 documentation](../../latest/help/).
# Help plugin

The help plugin adds a button and/or menu item that opens a dialog showing two tabs:

- Handy shortcuts that explain some nice-to-know keyboard shortcuts
- Plugin list that shows which plugins that have been installed, with links to the relevant documentation pages if available, and a list of available premium plugins.

In the footer of the dialog you can also see which version of TinyMCE you are using.

The help dialog can also be shown by pressing the keyboard shortcut `Alt + 0`.

## Basic setup

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'help',
  toolbar: 'help'
});
```

## Config Options

### `help_tabs`

This option allows you to specify which tabs the Help dialog should show, and in what order. The default TinyMCE tabs are called `shortcuts`, `keyboardnav`, `plugins` and `versions`. These tabs can be overwritten by providing a new [tab panel](../dialog-components/#tabpanel) specification with the same `name`, and new tabs can be added by registering a tab panel with a new `name`. New tabs can be registered in the `help_tabs` configuration or at initialization or runtime using the [`addTab` API method](#api).

If `help_tabs` is configured, only tabs named in `help_tabs` will be displayed. Any tabs defined using `addTab` that are not named in `help_tabs` will be ignored.

If `help_tabs` is not configured, any tabs defined using `addTab` will be displayed after the default tabs.

**Type:** `Array`

**Default Value:** `['shortcuts', 'keyboardnav', 'plugins', 'versions']`

#### Example: Using `help_tabs`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',
  plugins: 'help link table paste code emoticons',
  toolbar: 'help addTab',
  help_tabs: [
    'shortcuts', // the default shortcuts tab
    'keyboardnav', // the default keyboard navigation tab
    'plugins', // the default plugins tab
    {
      name: 'custom1', // new tab called custom1
      title: 'Custom Tab 1',
      items: [
        {
          type: 'htmlpanel',
          html: '<p>This is a custom tab</p>',
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      name: 'versions', // override the default versions tab
      title: 'Custom Versions',
      items: [
        {
          type: 'htmlpanel',
          html: 'This is a custom versions panel.'
        }
      ]
    },
    'custom2', // new tab custom2 as defined on init in setup() below
    'custom3' // new tab custom3 as defined on button click in setup() below
  ],
  setup: function(editor) {
    // on editor init, add a tab called custom2
    editor.on('init', function() {
      editor.plugins.help.addTab({
        name: 'custom2',
        title: 'Custom Tab 2',
        items: [
          {
            type: 'htmlpanel',
            html: '<p>This is another custom tab</p>',
          }
        ]}
      );
    });

    // add a toolbar button that when clicked adds a tab called custom3
    editor.ui.registry.addButton('addTab', {
      text: 'Add tab',
      onAction: function() {
        editor.plugins.help.addTab({
          name: 'custom3',
          title: 'Custom Tab 3',
          items: [
            {
              type: 'htmlpanel',
              html: '<p>This is yet another custom tab</p>',
            }
          ]
        });
      }
    });
  }
});
```

## API

| Name | Arguments | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| addTab | tabSpec: [TabPanel](../dialog-components/#tabpanel) | Register a tab for the Help dialog |

### Example: Using the `addTab` API

```js
tinymce.activeEditor.plugins.help.addTab({
  name: 'custom',
  title: 'My Custom Tab',
  items: [
    {
      type: 'htmlpanel',
      html: '<p>This is a custom tab</p>',
    }
  ]
});
```

## Exposing metadata for the help plugin

For information on how to expose metadata from you custom plugin to add it to the Installed plugins list in the Help plugin, see the [Creating a Plugin page](../creating-a-plugin/).