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Pro Tools Keyboard Shortcuts
Complete Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts reference — 325 shortcuts across 43 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & macOS.
Pro Tools shortcuts are organized around a concept the manual calls Keyboard Focus, and understanding it explains most of the layout. With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled, single letter keys become editing commands rather than text input, so a single tap fades, trims, or nudges the current selection. That mode is the difference between a session that feels fast and one that feels like menu diving.
The four Edit modes - Shuffle, Slip, Spot, and Grid - are on F1 through F4, and the Edit tools sit on F5 through F10. Because every edit behaves differently depending on the active mode, checking the mode before an edit is a habit worth forming: the same drag produces a ripple in Shuffle and a free move in Slip. Tab to Transient, when enabled, walks the cursor from one attack to the next, which is how most editors navigate a drum take.
Fades, playlists, and memory locations round out the working set. Cmd/Ctrl-F opens the fades dialog on a selection, and the numeric keypad recalls memory locations directly, which is how longer sessions stay navigable. For comping, playlist cycling shortcuts move between takes without reaching for the track dropdown - one of the clearest speed gains available in a vocal or drum session.
Alternate Keyboard Shortcuts Presets (9)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Alt + O Open Dashboard (Alternate Keyboard Shortcuts Presets) Ctrl + S Sign in or Sign out (Alternate Keyboard Shortcuts Presets) Ctrl + 4 Select Getting Started tab (Alternate Keyboard Shortcuts Presets) Ctrl + F Toggle between Files types (WAV or AIFF) Ctrl + B Toggle through Bit Depth options (16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit (Alternate Keyboard Shortcuts Presets) Ctrl + R Toggle through Sample Rate options (Alternate Keyboard Shortcuts Presets) Ctrl + I Toggle through the available IO Setup options (Alternate Keyboard Shortcuts Presets) Ctrl + G Enable or disable the Interleaved option (Alternate Keyboard Shortcuts Presets) Ctrl + O Open from Disk (sessions only)
Playback (5)
Shortcut Action Space Start/stop playback (Playback) Shift + Space Half-speed playback Ctrl + J Enable/disable online playback (Playback) Alt + [ Play Edit selection Ctrl + Win + P Dynamic Transport Mode toggle (Playback)
Recording (7)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Space Start record Space Stop record (Recording) Ctrl + Shift + Space Half-speed record Ctrl + Alt + Space Enable/disable online record Alt + L Loop Record toggle (Recording) Ctrl + Shift + T TrackPunch toggle (Pro Tools Ultimate only) Ctrl + Shift + P QuickPunch toggle (Recording)
Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad) (9)
Shortcut Action 0 Play/Stop (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 1 Rewind (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 2 Fast Forward (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 3 Record Enable (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 4 Loop Playback mode on/off (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 5 Loop Record mode on/off (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 6 QuickPunch mode on/off (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 8 Countoff on/off (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 9 MIDI Merge/Replace mode on/off (Transport Mode (Numeric Keypad))
Shuttle Mode (Numeric Keypad) (6)
Shortcut Action 6 1 x Forward playback speed (Shuttle Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 4 1 x Rewind playback speed (Shuttle Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 9 2 x Forward playback speed 8 (Shuttle Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 7 2 x Backward playback speed 8 (Shuttle Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 3 1/16 x Forward playback speed 2 (Shuttle Mode (Numeric Keypad)) 1 1/16 x Backward playback speed 2 Loop playback of Edit Selec (Shuttle Mode (Numeric Keypad))
Scrub (Jog)/Shuttle (2)
Shortcut Action 0 Shuttle Lock stop (Classic or Transport mode) Space Exit Shuttle Lock mode (Classic or Transport mode)
Edit Modes and Edit Tools (13)
Shortcut Action F1 Shuffle mode F2 Slip mode F3 Spot mode F4 Grid mode F1 + F4 Enable Snap to Grid and Shuffle mode F2 + F4 Enable Snap to Grid and Slip mode F3 + F4 Enable Snap to Grid and Spot mode F5 Zoomer tool F6 Trimmer tool F7 Selector tool 8 Grabber tool F (Edit Modes and Edit Tools) 9 Scrubber tool F (Edit Modes and Edit Tools) 6 + F7 Smart Tool F
Edit Selection, Definition, and Navigation (10)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Alt + T Enable or disable Tab to Transients command (Edit Selection, Definition, and Navigation) Tab Locate cursor to next transient (Edit Selection, Definition, and Navigation) Ctrl + Tab Locate cursor to previous transient Win + Tab Go to and select next Clip Ctrl + Win + Tab Go to and select previous Clip Win + Enter Go to Song Start Shift + Win + Enter Extend selection to Song Start Shift + Tab Extend selection to next Clip-boundary (Edit Selection, Definition, and Navigation) Ctrl + Shift + Tab Extend selection to previous Clip-boundary Win + Shift + Tab Extend selection to include next Clip
MIDI Note Editing (28)
Shortcut Action Up Transpose up one semitone Down Transpose down one semitone Alt + Up Copy and transpose up one semitone Alt + Down Copy and transpose down one semitone Shift + Up Transpose up one octave Shift + Down Transpose down one octave Alt + Shift + Up Copy and transpose up one octave Alt + Shift + Down Copy and transpose down one octave (MIDI Note Editing) Win + Up Transpose up in key Win + Down Transpose down in key Alt + Win + Up Copy and transpose up in key Alt + Win + Down Copy and transpose down in key Ctrl + Up Increase velocity by five Ctrl + Down Decrease velocity by five Ctrl + Shift + Up Increase velocity by fifteen (MIDI Note Editing) Ctrl + Shift + Down Decrease velocity by fifteen (MIDI Note Editing) Left Select previous note Right Select next note Shift + Left Add previous note to the current selection (MIDI Note Editing) Shift + Right Add next note to the current selection (MIDI Note Editing) Win + Left Trim note start to the left Win + Right Trim note start to the right Alt + Left Trim note end to the left (MIDI Note Editing) Alt + Right Trim note end to the right Win + Shift + Left Trim note start to the left by the next value Win + Shift + Right Trim note start to the right by the next value Alt + Shift + Left Trim note end to the left by the next value Alt + Shift + Right Trim note end to the right by the next value
Clip Gain (7)
Shortcut Action Win + Shift + E Add a Clip Gain breakpoint at the current Edit location Win + Shift + Up Nudge the selected clip gain up Win + Shift + Down Nudge the selected clip gain down Win + Shift + B Clear Clip Gain Win + Shift + X Cut Clip Gain Win + Shift + C Copy Clip Gain Ctrl + V Paste Clip Gain (Clip Gain)
Clip Effects (5)
Shortcut Action Alt + 6 Show or hide the Clip Effects display (Pro Tools Ultimate an (Clip Effects) Ctrl + Alt + Win + B Clear Clip Effects Ctrl + Alt + Win + X Cut Clip Effects (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only) Ctrl + Alt + Win + C Copy Clip Effects (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only) Ctrl + V Paste Clip Effects (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only)
Track Compositing (16)
Shortcut Action Shift + S Solo the Playlist lane containing the Edit cursor Ctrl + Shift + Right To designate the Target playlist for the playlist containing (Track Compositing) Shift + Right To show the Target playlist as the Main Playlist (Track Compositing) Shift + Left To toggle between the current and most recent Main playlists (Track Compositing) Alt + Win + V playlist Alt + Shift + T Move the selection to the Target playlist Alt + Shift + Down Copy the selection to a new playlist (Track Compositing) Alt + Shift + N Move the selection to a new playlist Ctrl + Shift + Up To cycle in material in the Edit selection from the previous (Track Compositing) Ctrl + Shift + Down To cycle in material in the Edit selection from the next pla (Track Compositing) Win + \ Create a new playlist for the first selected track in the se Win + Alt + \ Create a new playlist for each track in the session Win + Alt + Shift + \ Create a new playlist for each selected track in the session Ctrl + Win + \ Duplicate the main playlist for the first selected track in Ctrl + Alt + Win + \ Duplicate the main playlist for each track in the session Ctrl + Alt + Win + Shift + \ Duplicate the main playlist for each selected track in the s
Zoom (2)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + ] Horizontal zoom in or out Ctrl + Win + [ Zoom to show entire session horizontally
Memory Locations and Markers (4)
Shortcut Action Enter Create Memory Location (Marker) on the targeted ruler or tra (Memory Locations and Markers) Ctrl + Enter Add marker to the Marker ruler at the current edit location (Memory Locations and Markers) Ctrl + A Select all memory locations in the Memory Locations window w (Memory Locations and Markers) Delete Delete a memory location in the Memory Locations window (Memory Locations and Markers)
Automation (2)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Alt + H Copy Automation to Send Ctrl + Alt + T Thin Automation (Automation)
Fades (3)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + F Create Fades (open Fades dialog) Win + D Fade to Start Win + G Fade to End
Clip List (6)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Shift + F Find Clip (Clip List) Ctrl + Shift + D Clear Find Ctrl + Shift + 1 Show/Hide Audio Clips Ctrl + Shift + 2 Show/Hide MIDI Clips Ctrl + Shift + 3 Show/Hide Video Clips Ctrl + Shift + 4 Show/Hide Clip Groups
Plugin Inserts and Sends (9)
Shortcut Action Shift + A Bypass (or unbypass) all inserts on selected tracks Shift + 2 Bypass (or unbypass) inserts A–E on selected tracks Shift + 3 Bypass (or unbypass) inserts F–J on selected tracks Shift + E Bypass (or unbypass) all EQ plugins on selected tracks Shift + C Bypass (or unbypass) all Dynamics plugins on selected tracks Shift + V Bypass (or unbypass) all Reverb plugins on selected tracks Shift + D Bypass (or unbypass) all Delay plugins on selected tracks Shift + W Bypass (or unbypass) all Modulation plugins on selected trac Shift + 4 Mute (or unmute) Sends A–E on selected tracks
File Menu (15)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + N New Session (File Menu) Ctrl + O Open Session (File Menu) Ctrl + Alt + Win + O Open Sketch Ctrl + Alt + O Open Dashboard (File Menu) Ctrl + Shift + O Open Most Recent Ctrl + Shift + W Close session Ctrl + S Save Session (File Menu) Ctrl + Win + S Save As (sessions) or Save As New Version (projects) Ctrl + Win + O Open Revision History window (projects only) Ctrl + Alt + B Bounce Mix Shift + Alt + I Import Session Data Ctrl + Shift + I Import Audio Ctrl + Alt + L Import MIDI (File Menu) Ctrl + Alt + Shift + I Import Video Ctrl + P Print Score from Pro Tools Session (File Menu)
Edit Menu (7)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Z Undo Ctrl + Shift + Z Redo Ctrl + Alt + Z Restore Last Selection Ctrl + X Cut Ctrl + C Copy Ctrl + V Paste (Edit Menu) Ctrl + B Clear (Edit Menu)
View Menu (7)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Alt + M View Narrow Mix window option Alt + 7 Show/Hide Universe display Win + Alt + Shift + = Show/Hide docked MIDI Editor Alt + 8 Show/Hide docked Melodyne Editor Win + Alt + 8 Open Melodyne Editor to full height Alt + 6 Show/Hide docked Clip Effects (View Menu) Win + Shift + U Show/Hide Track Transcription Lane
Track Menu (12)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Shift + N New Track Ctrl + G Group Tracks (Track Menu) Alt + Shift + D Duplicate Tracks Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N Move to New Folder Alt + Shift + C Commit Track Ctrl + Alt + Shift + B Bounce Track Alt + Shift + P Save Track Preset (Track Menu) Alt + K Auto Input Monitoring/Input Only Monitoring (Pro Tools only) Alt + C Clear all Clip indicators (Track Menu) Ctrl + Shift + Right Designate as Target Playlist (Track Menu) Shift + Right Show Target Playlist (Track Menu) Shift + Left Toggle Recent Playlist (Track Menu)
Clip Menu (14)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + L Lock/Unlock Clips (Clip Menu) Alt + Win + L Time Lock/Unlock the selected Clip Alt + Shift + F Bring to Front Alt + Shift + B Send to Back Ctrl + Alt + G Group Clips Ctrl + Alt + U Ungroup Clips Ctrl + Alt + R Regroup Clips Ctrl + Alt + L Loop Clip (Clip Menu) Ctrl + R Capture Clip (Clip Menu) Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R Rename Ctrl + 0 Quantize Clip to Nearest Grid Ctrl + Alt + 0 Quantize MIDI to Nearest Grid Win + Shift + A Edit selected audio clip with Melodyne Alt + 5 Open Elastic Properties windows
Event Menu (10)
Shortcut Action Alt + 1 Open Time Operations window Alt + 2 Open Tempo Operations window Alt + 3 Open MIDI Operations window (Event Menu) Alt + 0 Quantize (in MIDI Operations window) Alt + P Change Duration (in MIDI Operations window) Alt + T Transpose (in MIDI Operations window) Alt + Y Select/Split Notes (in MIDI Operations window) Alt + 4 Open Real Time Properties window Ctrl + 8 Open Beat Detective window Ctrl + I Identify Beat (Event Menu)
Options Menu (13)
Shortcut Action Alt + L Loop Record (Options Menu) Ctrl + Shift + P QuickPunch (Options Menu) Ctrl + Shift + T TrackPunch (Options Menu) Ctrl + J Transport Online (Options Menu) Ctrl + Shift + J Video Track Online Ctrl + K Pre/Post-Roll Ctrl + Shift + L Loop Playback Ctrl + Win + P Dynamic Transport (Options Menu) Shift + T Enable/Disable Link Track and Edit selection Ctrl + Alt + Tab Enable/Disable Tab to Transients Shift + J Cycle Video Track Online through all shown video tracks (Pro Ctrl + P Auto-Spot Clips (Options Menu) Win + Shift + T Edit Tool Mode Keyboard Lock Additional Options menu command
Setup Menu (2)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + 2 Session Setup window (Setup Menu) Win + Shift + K Keyboard Shortcuts
Window Menu (2)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Alt + Win + W Hide All Floating Windows Ctrl + Alt + J Show Window Configuration List
Revision History (5)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Win + O Open Revision History window (Revision History) Esc Close Revision History window (Revision History) R Restore the selected version in the Revision History list I Import data from the selected version in the Revision Histor D Delete the selected version in the Revision History list
Missing Files Dialog (5)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + S Skip all missing files (Missing Files Dialog) Ctrl + M Manually find and relink all missing files (Missing Files Dialog) Ctrl + A Automatically find and relink all missing files (Missing Files Dialog) Ctrl + R Regenerate missing fades (Missing Files Dialog) Ctrl + D Regenerate missing render files (Missing Files Dialog)
Batch Track Rename and Batch Clip Rename Dialogs (4)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + R Replace (Batch Track Rename and Batch Clip Rename Dialogs) Ctrl + T Trim (Batch Track Rename and Batch Clip Rename Dialogs) Ctrl + D Add (Batch Track Rename and Batch Clip Rename Dialogs) Ctrl + N Numbering (Batch Track Rename and Batch Clip Rename Dialogs)
Save Track Presets Dialog (5)
Shortcut Action Alt + Shift + P To open the Save Tracks Presets dialog for selected tracks (Save Track Presets Dialog) Ctrl + I To enable or disable the Include Audio and Media Clips optio (Save Track Presets Dialog) Ctrl + N To enable or disable the Clips in Edit Selection Only option (Save Track Presets Dialog) Ctrl + T To enable or disable the Auto-populate Tags from Track Data (Save Track Presets Dialog) Ctrl + R To open the Track Data To Recall Dialog (Save Track Presets Dialog)
MIDI Events List (8)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Enter Enter start time field for editing (MIDI Events List) Ctrl + F Show Event Filter dialog (MIDI Events List) Ctrl + G Go to (MIDI Events List) Ctrl + M Insert another event (MIDI Events List) Ctrl + N Insert note (MIDI Events List) Ctrl + P Insert Program Change (MIDI Events List) Ctrl + L Insert Controller (MIDI Events List) Ctrl + O Insert Poly Pressure (MIDI Events List)
MIDI Operations (8)
Shortcut Action Alt + O Open or close MIDI Operations window Quantize (MIDI Operations) Alt + T Open or close MIDI Operations window Transpose (MIDI Operations) Alt + Y Open or close MIDI Operations window Split Selected Notes (MIDI Operations) Alt + P Open or close MIDI Operations window Duration (MIDI Operations) Alt + 3 Open or close MIDI Operations window (MIDI Operations) Enter Choose Apply in active panel and close Event Ops window (MIDI Operations) Tab Activate next number or text field in active panel (MIDI Operations) Shift + Tab Activate previous number or text field in active panel (MIDI Operations)
Step Input (11)
Shortcut Action 1 Whole note (Step Input) 2 1/2 note (Step Input) 4 1/4 note (Step Input) 5 1/8 note (Step Input) 6 1/16 note (Step Input) 7 1/32 note (Step Input) 8 1/64 note (Step Input) 3 Toggle Tuplet on/off (Step Input) Enter Next step (Step Input) 0 Undo step (Step Input) / Edit Selection indicators
Peripherals Dialog (7)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + 1 Go to Synchronization page (Peripherals Dialog) Ctrl + 2 Go to Machine Control page (Peripherals Dialog) Ctrl + 3 Go to MIDI Controllers page (Peripherals Dialog) Ctrl + 4 Go to Ethernet Controllers page (Peripherals Dialog) Ctrl + 5 Go to Mic Preamps page (Pro Tools Ultimate only) Ctrl + 6 Go to Satellites page Ctrl + 7 Go to VENUE page
Preferences Dialog (3)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + 1 Go to Display page (Preferences Dialog) Ctrl + 2 Go to Operation page (Preferences Dialog) Ctrl + 3 Go to Editing page (Preferences Dialog)
Import Session Data Dialog (12)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + A Select all source tracks and toggle to new tracks or none, a (Import Session Data Dialog) Ctrl + N Trigger the Add button (Import Session Data Dialog) Ctrl + B Triggers the Clear button (Import Session Data Dialog) Ctrl + M Triggers the Match button (Import Session Data Dialog) Ctrl + F Filter tracks by name (Import Session Data Dialog) Ctrl + E Toggle Exact Match option on/off Ctrl + U Toggle UInlink on/off A Add M Match C Clear U Unlink E Exact match
Import Audio Dialog (7)
Shortcut Action Alt + P Start/stop audition of currently selected audio file/Clip (Import Audio Dialog) Alt + I Import selected audio files (Import Audio Dialog) Alt + C Convert and import selected audio files (Import Audio Dialog) Alt + O Convert and import selected Clips (Import Audio Dialog) Tab Move between file windows (Import Audio Dialog) Esc Cancel (Import Audio Dialog) Alt + E Done
Global Workspace Shortcuts (9)
Shortcut Action Alt + I Open a new Workspace (default) Alt + Win + I Open new Workspace (Soundbase) Alt + O Open a new Workspace browser focused on the Project (Global Workspace Shortcuts) Alt + J Bring all browsers to the foreground Alt + Shift + J Send all browsers to the back Ctrl + F Simple search (Global Workspace Shortcuts) Ctrl + Shift + F Advanced search on a selected or checked items in the Locati (Global Workspace Shortcuts) Win + 1 View presets in Workspace browsers Ctrl + Alt + ] vertically preview
Auditioning (5)
Shortcut Action Space Browser Item: Start or stop auditioning from head (when Spac (Auditioning) Alt + Space Browser Item: Start or stop loop auditioning from head Ctrl + P Start or stop preview when browser is front-most window (Auditioning) Esc Stop preview when browser is front-most window (Auditioning) Alt + P Import Audio dialog: Start or stop auditioning (Auditioning)
Delete or Duplicate (4)
Shortcut Action Delete Clip List: Delete selected Clip from the timeline Browser It (Delete or Duplicate) Ctrl + Delete Delete locked files selected in a browser Alt + Delete Delete any selected browser item, and suppresses any warning Ctrl + D Create duplicates of any selected files (Delete or Duplicate)
Soundbase (3)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + Alt + Win + T Show/Hide Tags pane Alt + Win + T Show/Hide Assign Tags pop-up window Win + F Enable/Disable Favorites in the Assign
General Deck Control Commands (4)
Shortcut Action Ctrl + \ Toggle Transport Master Ctrl + Left Cue to Selection Start Ctrl + Right Cue to Selection End Alt + Left Cue to Selection Start Minus Preroll (General Deck Control Commands)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Commands Keyboard Focus? A mode that turns single letter keys into editing commands rather than text input, so one tap fades, trims, or nudges the current selection. It is the basis of most Pro Tools speed.
Where are the Edit modes and Edit tools? Edit modes - Shuffle, Slip, Spot, Grid - are on F1 through F4. Edit tools are on F5 through F10. The active mode changes what the same drag does.
How do I move between transients in a take? Enable Tab to Transient; the Tab key then moves the cursor from one attack to the next, which is how most editors navigate drum and vocal takes.