Cubase Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete Cubase keyboard shortcuts reference — 220 shortcuts across 25 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & macOS.

Cubase is built around a small set of transport and tool keys that stay consistent across the Project, Key Editor, and MixConsole windows. The number pad drives transport - play, stop, record, and cycle - while the top-row number keys switch tools, so the object selection, range selection, split, and glue tools are always one keystroke away. Learning those two rows first makes every other shortcut easier to place.

Editing speed in Cubase comes from the interaction between snap, quantize, and the tool modifiers rather than from any single key. The snap toggle and quantize value shortcuts change how every subsequent edit lands, and Alt with the split tool creates repeated cuts at the same interval. In the Key Editor, the same quantize commands apply to MIDI notes, and step input lets you enter parts from a controller without recording in real time.

Mixing and routing have their own set: shortcuts for opening the MixConsole, toggling read and write automation, and cycling between channel visibility configurations. For long sessions, the window layout commands matter more than they first appear - being able to switch between edit and mix layouts without the mouse keeps attention on the audio rather than on window management.