Is there a way to create new desktop spaces from keyboard only?

Solution 1:

You can do it with some AppleScript. This will create a new desktop every time you run it:

tell application "System Events"
    do shell script "/Applications/Mission\\ Control.app/Contents/MacOS/Mission\\ Control"
    tell process "Dock"
        set countDesktops to count buttons of list 1 of group 1
        --new desktop
        click button 1 of group 1
        --switch to new desktop
        repeat until (count buttons of list 1 of group 1) = (countDesktops + 1)
        end repeat
        click button (countDesktops + 1) of list 1 of group 1
    end tell
end tell

You can save this as a Universal Service you can assign a globally-available shortcut key combination to call it.

Credit where credit is due.

Solution 2:

It is possible to create a new desktop space with the keyboard, but it's really cumbersome:

• enable Mouse Key toggle (5 times alt) in System Preferences > Accesibility > Mouse & Trackpad > Options > enable "Press the Option key..."
• hit F3
• hit alt 5 times
• move the cursor with the respective keys and navigate near the right upper corner
• hit either i or 5 (depending on your keyboard)
• hit alt 5 times
• hit F3 and switch to the new space "with a keyboard shortcut".