diff --git a/src/explorer/Explorer.tsx b/src/explorer/Explorer.tsx
index 65fa8f66..2451e30d 100644
--- a/src/explorer/Explorer.tsx
+++ b/src/explorer/Explorer.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import {
     useHotkeys,
 } from '@blueprintjs/core';
 import { I18n, useI18n } from '@shopify/react-i18n';
-import React, { useCallback, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
+import React, { RefObject, useCallback, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import {
     ControlledTreeEnvironment,
     LiveDescriptors,
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ import {
 } from 'react-complex-tree';
 import { useDispatch } from 'react-redux';
 import { useSelector } from '../reducers';
+import Toolbar from '../utils/Toolbar';
 import { isMacOS } from '../utils/os';
+import { useRovingTabIndex } from '../utils/react';
 import { TreeItemContext, TreeItemData, renderers } from '../utils/tree-renderer';
 import {
     explorerActivateFile,
@@ -48,6 +50,8 @@ type ActionButtonProps = {
     tooltip: string;
     /** If false, prevent focus. Default is true. */
     focusable?: boolean;
+    /** Reference to the `<button>` HTML element. */
+    elementRef?: RefObject<HTMLButtonElement>;
     /** Callback for button click event. */
     onClick: () => void;
 };
@@ -56,6 +60,7 @@ const ActionButton: React.VoidFunctionComponent<ActionButtonProps> = ({
     icon,
     tooltip,
     focusable,
+    elementRef,
     onClick,
 }) => {
     const handleClick = useCallback<React.MouseEventHandler>(
@@ -72,6 +77,7 @@ const ActionButton: React.VoidFunctionComponent<ActionButtonProps> = ({
             icon={icon}
             title={tooltip}
             tabIndex={focusable === false ? -1 : undefined}
+            elementRef={elementRef}
             onFocus={focusable === false ? (e) => e.preventDefault() : undefined}
             onClick={handleClick}
         />
@@ -137,18 +143,28 @@ type HeaderProps = {
 };
 
 const Header: React.VoidFunctionComponent<HeaderProps> = ({ i18n }) => {
+    const archiveButtonRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
+    const exportButtonRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
+    const newButtonRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
     const dispatch = useDispatch();
 
+    const moveFocus = useRovingTabIndex(
+        archiveButtonRef,
+        exportButtonRef,
+        newButtonRef,
+    );
+
     return (
-        <div className="pb-explorer-header">
-            <ButtonGroup
-                minimal={true}
-                role="toolbar"
-                aria-label={i18n.translate(I18nId.HeaderToolbarTitle)}
-            >
+        <Toolbar
+            className="pb-explorer-header-toolbar"
+            aria-label={i18n.translate(I18nId.HeaderToolbarTitle)}
+            onKeyboard={moveFocus}
+        >
+            <ButtonGroup minimal={true}>
                 <ActionButton
                     icon="archive"
                     tooltip={i18n.translate(I18nId.HeaderToolbarExportAll)}
+                    elementRef={archiveButtonRef}
                     onClick={() => dispatch(explorerArchiveAllFiles())}
                 />
                 <ActionButton
@@ -157,15 +173,17 @@ const Header: React.VoidFunctionComponent<HeaderProps> = ({ i18n }) => {
                     // even though this is the "import" action
                     icon="export"
                     tooltip={i18n.translate(I18nId.HeaderToolbarImport)}
+                    elementRef={exportButtonRef}
                     onClick={() => dispatch(explorerImportFiles())}
                 />
                 <ActionButton
                     icon="plus"
                     tooltip={i18n.translate(I18nId.HeaderToolbarAddNew)}
+                    elementRef={newButtonRef}
                     onClick={() => dispatch(explorerCreateNewFile())}
                 />
             </ButtonGroup>
-        </div>
+        </Toolbar>
     );
 };
 
diff --git a/src/explorer/explorer.scss b/src/explorer/explorer.scss
index 2fa286da..c4aa3694 100644
--- a/src/explorer/explorer.scss
+++ b/src/explorer/explorer.scss
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 }
 
 .pb-explorer {
-    &-header {
+    &-header-toolbar {
         display: flex;
         justify-content: flex-end;
     }
diff --git a/src/utils/Toolbar.tsx b/src/utils/Toolbar.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e62de383
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/Toolbar.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+// Copyright (c) 2022 The Pybricks Authors
+
+import React, { AriaAttributes, KeyboardEventHandler, useCallback } from 'react';
+import { FocusAction } from './react';
+
+type ToolbarProps = Pick<AriaAttributes, 'aria-label' | 'aria-labelledby'> & {
+    /** CSS class name for the tooltip element. */
+    className?: string;
+    /** Indicates that the toolbar has a vertical orientation. */
+    vertical?: boolean;
+    /** Called when a keyboard event occurs. */
+    onKeyboard?: (action: FocusAction) => void;
+};
+
+/**
+ * An accessible toolbar component.
+ *
+ * For accessible keyboard navigation, this needs to be used with a focus
+ * manager like `useRovingTabIndex`.
+ *
+ * https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/toolbar_role
+ */
+const Toolbar: React.FunctionComponent<ToolbarProps> = ({
+    children,
+    vertical,
+    onKeyboard,
+    ...divProps
+}) => {
+    const handleKeyDown = useCallback<KeyboardEventHandler<HTMLDivElement>>(
+        (e) => {
+            // ignore all key presses with modifiers
+            if (e.altKey || e.ctrlKey || e.shiftKey || e.metaKey) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            if (e.key === (vertical ? 'ArrowUp' : 'ArrowLeft')) {
+                onKeyboard?.(FocusAction.MovePrev);
+            } else if (e.key === (vertical ? 'ArrowDown' : 'ArrowRight')) {
+                onKeyboard?.(FocusAction.MoveNext);
+            } else if (e.key === 'Home') {
+                onKeyboard?.(FocusAction.MoveFirst);
+            } else if (e.key === 'End') {
+                onKeyboard?.(FocusAction.MoveLast);
+            } else {
+                // allow everything else to propagate.
+                return;
+            }
+
+            // we consumed the key press
+            e.preventDefault();
+            e.stopPropagation();
+        },
+        [vertical, onKeyboard],
+    );
+
+    return (
+        <div
+            role="toolbar"
+            aria-orientation={vertical ? 'vertical' : undefined}
+            {...divProps}
+            onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
+        >
+            {children}
+        </div>
+    );
+};
+
+export default Toolbar;
diff --git a/src/utils/react.test.tsx b/src/utils/react.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50372572
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/react.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+// Copyright (c) 2022 The Pybricks Authors
+
+import { cleanup } from '@testing-library/react';
+import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';
+import React, { useRef } from 'react';
+import { testRender } from '../../test';
+import Toolbar from './Toolbar';
+import { useRovingTabIndex } from './react';
+
+afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup();
+});
+
+const TestToolbar: React.VoidFunctionComponent = () => {
+    const button1Ref = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
+    const button2Ref = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
+    const button3Ref = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
+
+    const moveFocus = useRovingTabIndex(button1Ref, button2Ref, button3Ref);
+
+    return (
+        <Toolbar onKeyboard={moveFocus}>
+            <button data-testid="button1" ref={button1Ref} />
+            <button data-testid="button2" ref={button2Ref} />
+            <button data-testid="button3" ref={button3Ref} />
+        </Toolbar>
+    );
+};
+
+describe('useRovingTabIndex', () => {
+    it('should focus the first element by default', async () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        const button1 = toolbar.getByTestId('button1');
+        const button2 = toolbar.getByTestId('button2');
+        const button3 = toolbar.getByTestId('button3');
+
+        () => expect(button1).toHaveAttribute('tabindex', '0');
+        () => expect(button2).toHaveAttribute('tabindex', '-1');
+        () => expect(button3).toHaveAttribute('tabindex', '-1');
+
+        userEvent.tab();
+
+        expect(button1).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+
+    it('should focus next with right arrow key', () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        toolbar.getByTestId('button1').focus();
+        userEvent.keyboard('[ArrowRight]');
+
+        expect(toolbar.getByTestId('button2')).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+
+    it('should focus previous with left arrow key', () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        toolbar.getByTestId('button3').focus();
+        userEvent.keyboard('[ArrowLeft]');
+
+        expect(toolbar.getByTestId('button2')).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+
+    it('should wrap focus next with right arrow key', () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        toolbar.getByTestId('button3').focus();
+        userEvent.keyboard('[ArrowRight]');
+
+        expect(toolbar.getByTestId('button1')).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+
+    it('should wrap focus previous with left arrow key', () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        toolbar.getByTestId('button1').focus();
+        userEvent.keyboard('[ArrowLeft]');
+
+        expect(toolbar.getByTestId('button3')).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+
+    it('should focus first with home key', () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        toolbar.getByTestId('button3').focus();
+        userEvent.keyboard('[Home]');
+
+        expect(toolbar.getByTestId('button1')).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+
+    it('should focus last with end key', () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        toolbar.getByTestId('button1').focus();
+        userEvent.keyboard('[End]');
+
+        expect(toolbar.getByTestId('button3')).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+
+    it('should not change focus with up arrow key', () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        toolbar.getByTestId('button2').focus();
+        userEvent.keyboard('[ArrowUp]');
+
+        expect(toolbar.getByTestId('button2')).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+
+    it('should not change focus with down arrow key', () => {
+        const [toolbar] = testRender(<TestToolbar />);
+
+        toolbar.getByTestId('button2').focus();
+        userEvent.keyboard('[ArrowDown]');
+
+        expect(toolbar.getByTestId('button2')).toHaveFocus();
+    });
+});
diff --git a/src/utils/react.ts b/src/utils/react.ts
index 7f681433..4999efa4 100644
--- a/src/utils/react.ts
+++ b/src/utils/react.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // helper functions for React components
 
-import { useState } from 'react';
+import { IRefObject } from '@blueprintjs/core';
+import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
 import { createCountFunc } from './iter';
 
 const nextId = createCountFunc();
@@ -16,3 +17,76 @@ export const useUniqueId = (prefix: string): string => {
     const [uniqueId] = useState(`${prefix}-${nextId()}`);
     return uniqueId;
 };
+
+/** Describes the requested interaction. */
+export enum FocusAction {
+    /** Move focus to the previous control. */
+    MovePrev,
+    /** Move focus to the next control. */
+    MoveNext,
+    /** Move focus to the first control. */
+    MoveFirst,
+    /** Move focus to the last control. */
+    MoveLast,
+}
+
+/**
+ * React hook to manage roving tab index for accessible keyboard navigation
+ * of components.
+ *
+ * @param elements References to elements to be focuses in the order they
+ * they should be focused. The number of elements and order must be constant!
+ *
+ * @returns A function that should be used to focus an element in reaction to
+ * a keyboard event. For example, this can be passed directly as the
+ * `onKeyboard` property of the `Toolbar` component.
+ */
+export function useRovingTabIndex(
+    ...elements: Array<IRefObject<HTMLElement>>
+): (action: FocusAction) => void {
+    // when the component is first mounted, the first item will be the focus target
+    useEffect(() => {
+        for (const [i, e] of elements.entries()) {
+            e.current?.setAttribute('tabindex', i === 0 ? '0' : '-1');
+        }
+    }, [...elements]);
+
+    return useMemo(() => {
+        function move(action: FocusAction): void {
+            // default is to focus the first element
+            let newFocusIndex = 0;
+
+            if (action === FocusAction.MoveFirst) {
+                // correct index is already selected
+            } else if (action === FocusAction.MoveLast) {
+                newFocusIndex = elements.length - 1;
+            } else {
+                // find the currently focused element, if any
+                const currentFocusIndex = elements.findIndex(
+                    (e) => e.current === document.activeElement,
+                );
+
+                if (currentFocusIndex >= 0) {
+                    if (action === FocusAction.MovePrev) {
+                        newFocusIndex = currentFocusIndex - 1;
+                    } else if (action === FocusAction.MoveNext) {
+                        newFocusIndex = currentFocusIndex + 1;
+                    }
+
+                    // handle wrap around
+                    newFocusIndex = (newFocusIndex + elements.length) % elements.length;
+                }
+            }
+
+            for (const [i, e] of elements.entries()) {
+                e.current?.setAttribute('tabindex', i === newFocusIndex ? '0' : '-1');
+
+                if (i === newFocusIndex) {
+                    e.current?.focus();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return move;
+    }, [...elements]);
+}