Use a link instead a button if:

The action takes the user to another page of the same dialog or an external source like documentation:

The Manage scope link takes to another page of the Settings dialog.

Exception: Next and Previous buttons in wizard navigation.

The command is a secondary action that is not related to the primary purpose of the window, and the space is constrained.

Incorrect	Correct

Use toolbar buttons instead if there are several buttons related to a table or list:

Incorrect	Correct

Use a split button instead if:

Use a built-in button instead if it's related to an input field, combo box, search field.

The label displays the action the button performs.

The button should answer the question in the title, so the user can skip the description. Prefer specific labels over generic ones:

Incorrect	Correct
Unclear what happens on the click.	The label indicates what happens on the click.

Exception: the Cancel button if it is clear what action is being canceled. For example, use the Cancel button, not the Don’t Create button.

The label should be short, not more than 5 words. If it’s not obvious what element the button is related to, add more words to make it clear. Prefer clear labels to short:

Acceptable	Better

Add an ellipsis if additional actions such as adding more info or confirming the action are required:

Do not add ellipsis if another window is opened, but no more input from the user is required. For example, About, Details.

Do not use the word Now in the label because buttons always trigger an immediate action:

Incorrect	Better

macOS

Windows

The default button should always be present in a dialog. Only one button in a dialog can be the default one.

If the action is dangerous, e.g., can lead to data loss, provide an easy way to undo the command.

If it's not possible to undo the action, make a secondary button the default one:

All buttons can get focus, even on macOS if the Full Keyboard Access option is disabled in Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts. A focused button behavior varies on macOS/Linux and Windows.

A focused button is invoked by pressing Space . Focused and default buttons are independent , so when the focus moves from one button to another, the default button does not change.

Make the second most popular button in the dialog focused. For example, the New Window button in the Open Project dialog:

It’s recommended to have one default and one focused button, so that most of the actions can be triggered using the keyboard.

Incorrect

The This Window button is the default and the focused one, while it’s better to place the focus on the New Window button, so that the user can access both options using the keyboard.

The focused button is triggered by pressing Enter or Space . If non-default button gets focus, the default button is invoked using Ctrl+Enter . On pressing the Tab key, the New Window button gets the focus and is triggered with Enter or Space . The original This Window button is triggered with Ctrl+Enter . If the focus moves to a control that’s not a button, the original default button is triggered by Enter.

Disable a button if:

Other common buttons are described below. They can be regular or default buttons.

On hovering over a button, show a tooltip with the shortcut and the action name if it can be clarified. For more details, see Context help.

If the action is clear, show the shortcut only.

If the action can be clarified, show the action name and the shortcut.

The Cancel button reverts the app to the state before the dialog was invoked, and works equivalent to the Esc key on Win and Linux, and Esc or Cmd+Period on macOS. If a confirmation button is present in a dialog, e.g., OK or Save , it’s recommended to have a button that cancels the dialog, e.g., Cancel , Continue Editing , etc.

Use the Apply button in dialogs with many settings that affect how data is displayed. The Apply button allows you to save and preview the effect of the selected options, and continue changing the settings, for example, change a scheme in Settings.

The help button appears in the bottom-left corner of a dialog and shows help in a tooltip on hover, or opens a help dialog when clicking it. For more details, see Context help.

Use the Close label only if nothing can be changed in the dialog and there is no confirmation button, for example, in the Help | My Productivity dialog. In all other cases, use the Cancel button.

Do not add an icon to the button. The main purpose of an icon is to quickly find a familiar action in a packed toolbar or menu. Usually, no more than 3 buttons are placed nearby, their labels can be scanned quickly, and icons are not required.