diff --git a/include/polyscope/render/engine.h b/include/polyscope/render/engine.h
index 7a89a93b..0caf7754 100644
--- a/include/polyscope/render/engine.h
+++ b/include/polyscope/render/engine.h
@@ -505,7 +505,6 @@ class Engine {
   virtual bool windowRequestsClose() = 0;
   virtual void pollEvents() = 0;
   virtual bool isKeyPressed(char c) = 0; // for lowercase a-z and 0-9 only
-  virtual int getKeyCode(char c) = 0;    // for lowercase a-z and 0-9 only
   virtual std::string getClipboardText() = 0;
   virtual void setClipboardText(std::string text) = 0;
 
diff --git a/include/polyscope/render/mock_opengl/mock_gl_engine.h b/include/polyscope/render/mock_opengl/mock_gl_engine.h
index 6560902c..f9d512f5 100644
--- a/include/polyscope/render/mock_opengl/mock_gl_engine.h
+++ b/include/polyscope/render/mock_opengl/mock_gl_engine.h
@@ -353,7 +353,6 @@ class MockGLEngine : public Engine {
   bool windowRequestsClose() override;
   void pollEvents() override;
   bool isKeyPressed(char c) override; // for lowercase a-z and 0-9 only
-  int getKeyCode(char c) override;    // for lowercase a-z and 0-9 only
   std::string getClipboardText() override;
   void setClipboardText(std::string text) override;
 
diff --git a/include/polyscope/render/opengl/gl_engine_egl.h b/include/polyscope/render/opengl/gl_engine_egl.h
index 45f50d41..2a53d5c3 100644
--- a/include/polyscope/render/opengl/gl_engine_egl.h
+++ b/include/polyscope/render/opengl/gl_engine_egl.h
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ class GLEngineEGL : public GLEngine {
   bool windowRequestsClose() override;
 
   bool isKeyPressed(char c) override; // for lowercase a-z and 0-9 only
-  int getKeyCode(char c) override;    // for lowercase a-z and 0-9 only
   std::string getClipboardText() override;
   void setClipboardText(std::string text) override;
 
diff --git a/include/polyscope/render/opengl/gl_engine_glfw.h b/include/polyscope/render/opengl/gl_engine_glfw.h
index 67caddf2..574f2b27 100644
--- a/include/polyscope/render/opengl/gl_engine_glfw.h
+++ b/include/polyscope/render/opengl/gl_engine_glfw.h
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@ class GLEngineGLFW : public GLEngine {
   bool windowRequestsClose() override;
 
   bool isKeyPressed(char c) override; // for lowercase a-z and 0-9 only
-  int getKeyCode(char c) override;    // for lowercase a-z and 0-9 only
   std::string getClipboardText() override;
   void setClipboardText(std::string text) override;
 
diff --git a/src/render/mock_opengl/mock_gl_engine.cpp b/src/render/mock_opengl/mock_gl_engine.cpp
index 0e6ce5c0..ca6b1226 100644
--- a/src/render/mock_opengl/mock_gl_engine.cpp
+++ b/src/render/mock_opengl/mock_gl_engine.cpp
@@ -1649,8 +1649,6 @@ void MockGLEngine::pollEvents() {}
 
 bool MockGLEngine::isKeyPressed(char c) { return false; }
 
-int MockGLEngine::getKeyCode(char c) { return 77; }
-
 void MockGLEngine::ImGuiNewFrame() {
 
   // ImGUI seems to crash without a backend if we don't do this
diff --git a/src/render/opengl/gl_engine_egl.cpp b/src/render/opengl/gl_engine_egl.cpp
index c6c0c01d..4e57a9d1 100644
--- a/src/render/opengl/gl_engine_egl.cpp
+++ b/src/render/opengl/gl_engine_egl.cpp
@@ -466,11 +466,6 @@ bool GLEngineEGL::isKeyPressed(char c) {
   return false;
 }
 
-int GLEngineEGL::getKeyCode(char c) {
-  // not defined in headless mode
-  return -1;
-}
-
 std::string GLEngineEGL::getClipboardText() {
   // not defined in headless mode
   return "";
diff --git a/src/render/opengl/gl_engine_glfw.cpp b/src/render/opengl/gl_engine_glfw.cpp
index be75bc69..bbcff2a2 100644
--- a/src/render/opengl/gl_engine_glfw.cpp
+++ b/src/render/opengl/gl_engine_glfw.cpp
@@ -234,14 +234,6 @@ bool GLEngineGLFW::isKeyPressed(char c) {
   return false;
 }
 
-int GLEngineGLFW::getKeyCode(char c) {
-  if (c >= '0' && c <= '9') return static_cast<int>(ImGuiKey_0) + (c - '0');
-  if (c >= 'a' && c <= 'z') return static_cast<int>(ImGuiKey_A) + (c - 'a');
-  if (c >= 'A' && c <= 'Z') return static_cast<int>(ImGuiKey_A) + (c - 'A');
-  exception("getKeyCode only supports 0-9, a-z, A-Z");
-  return -1;
-}
-
 std::string GLEngineGLFW::getClipboardText() {
   std::string clipboardData = ImGui::GetClipboardText();
   return clipboardData;
diff --git a/src/view.cpp b/src/view.cpp
index b81665d9..4511205e 100644
--- a/src/view.cpp
+++ b/src/view.cpp
@@ -297,12 +297,12 @@ void processKeyboardNavigation(ImGuiIO& io) {
 
     glm::vec3 delta{0.f, 0.f, 0.f};
 
-    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(static_cast<ImGuiKey>(render::engine->getKeyCode('a')))) delta.x += 1.f;
-    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(static_cast<ImGuiKey>(render::engine->getKeyCode('d')))) delta.x += -1.f;
-    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(static_cast<ImGuiKey>(render::engine->getKeyCode('q')))) delta.y += 1.f;
-    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(static_cast<ImGuiKey>(render::engine->getKeyCode('e')))) delta.y += -1.f;
-    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(static_cast<ImGuiKey>(render::engine->getKeyCode('w')))) delta.z += 1.f;
-    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(static_cast<ImGuiKey>(render::engine->getKeyCode('s')))) delta.z += -1.f;
+    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(ImGuiKey_A)) delta.x += 1.f;
+    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(ImGuiKey_D)) delta.x += -1.f;
+    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(ImGuiKey_Q)) delta.y += 1.f;
+    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(ImGuiKey_E)) delta.y += -1.f;
+    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(ImGuiKey_W)) delta.z += 1.f;
+    if (ImGui::IsKeyDown(ImGuiKey_S)) delta.z += -1.f;
 
     if (glm::length(delta) > 0.) {
       hasMovement = true;