Keyboard Shortcut Reference
From Audacity Manual
This page provides a list of all keyboard shortcuts that can be used in Audacity, arranged in similar functional groupings used by the Menu Bar and Toolbars.
- Some shortcuts do not have an equivalent menu item. In the tables below, these shortcuts will not have a link to a menu item. For shortcuts associated with a menu item, click on the Action name for a full description of the command.
- Many menu and other commands do not have a pre-defined shortcut, but you can assign a shortcut to them in Keyboard Preferences. For convenience, these are listed at the end of the tables below. It is also possible to assign shortcuts to individual Effects, Analyze commands and Generate commands.
- Similarly, you can change the pre-defined shortcut for any item in Keyboard Preferences.
Mac OS X users: CTRL = COMMAND; ALT = OPTION. So, for example, CTRL + ALT + K = COMMAND + OPTION + K
File Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New | CTRL + N | Creates a new and empty project window to start working on new or imported Tracks. |
| Open... | CTRL + O | Presents you with a standard dialog box where you can select either audio files, a list of files (.LOF) or an Audacity Project file to open. |
| Close | CTRL + W | Closes the current project window, prompting you to save your work if you haven't saved. |
| Save Project | CTRL + S | Saves the current Audacity project .AUP file. |
| Import > Audio... | CTRL + SHIFT + I | Similar to 'Open', except that the file is added as a new track to your existing project. |
| Export... | CTRL + SHIFT + E | Exports to an audio file. |
| Export Multiple... | CTRL + SHIFT + L | Exports multiple audio files in one process, one file for each track if there are multiple audio tracks, or labels can be added which then define the length of each exported file. |
| Exit | CTRL + Q | Closes all project windows and exits Audacity. If there are any unsaved changes to your project, Audacity will ask if you want to save them. |
| Menu items assignable in Keyboard Preferences: Save Project As; Save Compressed Copy of Project...; Check Dependencies; Open Metadata Editor; Import Labels; Import MIDI; Import Raw Data; Export Selection; Export Labels; Export MIDI; Apply Chain; Edit Chains; Page Setup; Print. | ||
Edit Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | CTRL + Z | Undoes the most recent editing action. |
| Redo | CTRL + Y (Mac/Linux: CTRL + SHIFT + Z ) |
Redoes the most recently undone editing action. |
| Remove Audio or Labels > Cut | CTRL + X | Removes the selected audio data and/or labels and places these on the clipboard. By default, any audio or labels to right of the selection are shifted to the left. |
| Remove Audio or Labels > Delete | CTRL + K | Removes the selected audio data and/or labels without copying these to the clipboard. By default, any audio or labels to right of the selection are shifted to the left. |
| Remove Audio or Labels > Split Cut | CTRL + ALT + X | Same as Cut, but none of the audio data or labels to right of the selection are shifted. |
| Remove Audio or Labels > Split Delete | CTRL + ALT + K | Same as Delete, but none of the audio data or labels to right of the selection are shifted. |
| Remove Audio or Labels > Silence Audio | CTRL + L | Replaces the currently selected audio with absolute silence. Does not affect label tracks. |
| Remove Audio or Labels > Trim Audio | CTRL + T | Deletes all audio but the selection. If there are other separate clips in the same track these are not removed or shifted unless trimming the entire length of a clip or clips. Does not affect label tracks. |
| Clip Boundaries > Split | CTRL + I | Splits the current clip into two clips at the cursor point, or into three clips at the selection boundaries. |
| Clip Boundaries > Split New | CTRL + ALT + I | Does a Split Cut on the current selection in the current track, then creates a new track and pastes the selection into the new track. |
| Clip Boundaries > Join | CTRL + J | If you select an area that overlaps one or more clips, they are all joined into one large clip. Regions in-between clips become silence. |
| Clip Boundaries > Detach at Silences | CTRL + ALT + J | In a selection area that includes absolute silences, creates individual non-silent clips between the regions of silence. The silence becomes blank space between the clips. |
| Copy | CTRL + C | Copies the selected audio data to the clipboard without removing it from the project. |
| Paste | CTRL + V | Inserts whatever is on the clipboard at the position of the selection cursor in the project, replacing whatever audio data is currently selected, if any. |
| Paste Text to New Label | CTRL + ALT + V | Pastes the text on the clipboard at the cursor position in the currently selected label track. If there is no selection in the label track a point label is created. If a range is selected in the label track a range label is created. If no label track is selected one is created, and a new label is created. |
| Duplicate | CTRL + D | Creates a new track containing only the current selection as a new clip. |
| Labeled Audio > Cut | ALT + X | Same as the Cut command, but operates on labeled audio regions. |
| Labeled Audio > Delete | ALT + K | Same as the Delete command, but operates on labeled audio regions. |
| Labeled Audio > Split Cut | SHIFT + ALT + X | Same as the Split Cut command, but operates on labeled audio regions. |
| Labeled Audio > Split Delete | SHIFT + ALT + K | Same as the Split Delete command, but operates on labeled audio regions. |
| Labeled Audio > Silence Audio | ALT + L | Same as the Silence Audio command, but operates on labeled audio regions. |
| Labeled Audio > Copy | SHIFT + ALT + C | Same as the Copy command, but operates on labeled audio regions. |
| Labeled Audio > Split | ALT + I | Same as the Split command, but operates on labeled audio regions or points. |
| Labeled Audio > Join | ALT + J | Same as the Join command, but operates on labeled audio regions or points. You may need to select the audio and use to join all regions or points. |
| Labeled Audio > Detach at Silences | SHIFT + ALT + J | Same as the Detach at Silences command, but operates on labeled audio regions. |
| Select > All | CTRL + A | Selects all of the audio in all of the tracks. |
| Select > None | CTRL + SHIFT + A | Deselects all of the audio in all of the tracks. |
| Select > Left at Playback Position | [ | When Audacity is playing or recording, sets the left boundary of a potential selection by moving the cursor to the current position of the green playback cursor (or red recording cursor). |
| Select > Right at Playback Position | ] | When Audacity is playing or recording, sets the right boundary of the selection, thus drawing the selection from the cursor position to the current position of the green playback cursor (or red recording cursor). |
| Select > Track Start to Cursor | SHIFT + J | Selects a region in the selected track(s) from the start of the track to the cursor position. |
| Select > Cursor to Track End | SHIFT + K | Selects a region in the selected track(s) from the cursor position to the end of the track. |
| Select > In All Tracks | CTRL + SHIFT + K | Extends the current selection up and/or down into all tracks in the project. |
| Select > In All Sync-Locked Tracks | CTRL + SHIFT + Y | Extends the current selection up and/or down into all sync-locked tracks in the currently selected track group. |
| Find Zero Crossings | Z | Moves the edges of a selection region (or the cursor position) slightly so they are at a rising zero crossing point. |
| Move Cursor to Selection Start | LEFT | When there is a selection, moves the cursor to the start of the selection and removes the selection. |
| Move Cursor to Selection End | RIGHT | When there is a selection, moves the cursor to the end of the selection and removes the selection. |
| Move Cursor to Track Start | J | Moves the cursor to the start of the selected track. |
| Move Cursor to Track End | K | Moves the cursor to the end of the selected track. |
| Preferences | CTRL + P (Mac: COMMAND + , ) |
Opens the Preferences dialog. |
| Selection to Start | SHIFT + HOME | Selects all audio from beginning of the track to the cursor. |
| Selection to End | SHIFT + END | Selects all audio from the cursor to the end of the track. |
| Delete Key | BACKSPACE | Deletes the selection. |
| Delete Key 2 | DELETE | Deletes the selection. |
| Selection Extend Left | SHIFT + LEFT | Increases the size of the selection by extending it to the left. The amount of increase is dependent on the zoom level. If there is no selection one is created starting at the cursor position. |
| Selection Extend Right | SHIFT + RIGHT | Increases the size of the selection by extending it to the right. The amount of increase is dependent on the zoom level. If there is no selection one is created starting at the cursor position. |
| Selection Contract Left | CTRL + SHIFT + LEFT | Decreases the size of the selection by contracting it from the right. The amount of decrease is dependent on the zoom level. If there is no selection no action is taken. |
| Selection Contract Right | CTRL + SHIFT + RIGHT | Decreases the size of the selection by contracting it from the left. The amount of decrease is dependent on the zoom level. If there is no selection no action is taken. |
| Cursor Left | LEFT | When there is no selection, moves the cursor one screen pixel to left. If the key is held down, the cursor speed depends on the length of the tracks. |
| Cursor Right | RIGHT | When there is no selection, moves the cursor one screen pixel to right. If the key is held down, the cursor speed depends on the length of the tracks. |
| Cursor Short Jump Left(1) | , | Moves the cursor one second left. |
| Cursor Short Jump Right(1) | . | Moves the cursor one second right. |
| Cursor Long Jump Left(1) | SHIFT + , | Moves the cursor 15 seconds left. |
| Cursor Long Jump Right(1) | SHIFT + . | Moves the cursor 15 seconds right. |
| Set (or Extend) Left Selection | (User-assigned) | Same as Selection Extend Left. |
| Set (or Extend) Right Selection | (User-assigned) | Same as Selection Extend Right. |
| Menu items assignable in Keyboard Preferences: Region Save; Region Restore; Play Region Lock; Play Region Unlock.
Holding SHIFT then left-clicking in the waveform creates a selection between the editing cursor and the click point (or extends the existing selection from its nearest edge). This shortcut cannot be configured in Keyboard Preferences.
| ||
| (1) | The long and short jump times can be set in the Seek Time When Playing section of Playback Preferences. |
View Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom In | CTRL + 1 | Zooms in on the horizontal axis of the audio displaying more detail about less time. |
| Normal Zoom | CTRL + 2 | Zooms to the default view which displays about one inch per second. |
| Zoom Out | CTRL + 3 | Zooms out displaying less detail about more time. |
| Fit In Window | CTRL + F | Zooms out until the entire project just fits in the window. |
| Fit Vertically | CTRL + SHIFT + F | Adjusts the height of all the tracks until they fit in the project window. |
| Zoom to Selection | CTRL + E | Zooms in until the selected audio fills the width of the screen to show the selection in more detail. |
| Collapse All Tracks | CTRL + SHIFT + C | Collapses all tracks to take up the minimum amount of space. |
| Expand All Tracks | CTRL + SHIFT + X | Expands all tracks to their original size before the last collapse. |
| Full screen on/off | F11 (Mac: COMMAND + / ) |
Toggles between normal and full-screen mode. |
| Menu items assignable in Keyboard Preferences: Show Clipping; History...; Karaoke...; Mixer Board...; Toolbars > Control, Device, Edit, Meter, Mixer, Selection, Tools, Transcription, Reset Toolbars.
PAGE UP scrolls the project rightwards and PAGE DOWN scrolls the project leftwards, equivalent to a single click in the white area either side of the horizontal scrollbar. These shortcuts cannot be configured in Keyboard Preferences.
| ||
Transport Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Loop Play | SHIFT + SPACE | Plays the selection over and over again. |
| Pause | P | Temporarily pauses playing or recording without losing your place. |
| Skip to Start | HOME | Moves the cursor to the beginning of the project. |
| Skip to End | END | Moves the cursor to the end of the project. |
| Record | R | Recording begins on a new track at either the current cursor location or at the beginning of the current selection. |
| Timer Record... | SHIFT + T | Brings up the Timer Record dialog. |
| Append Record | SHIFT + R | Starts recording at the end of the currently selected track(s). |
| Play/Stop | SPACE | Toggles playback on and off. When stopped, it is the same as the Play command. When playing, it is the same as the Stop command. |
| Play/Stop and Set Cursor | SHIFT + A | Toggles playback on and off, but also sets the restart position to the stop point. When stopped, this is the same as the Play command. When playing, using this shortcut will stop playback and move the cursor (or the start of the selection) to the position where playback was stopped. |
| Play One Second | 1 | Plays for one second centered on the current pointer position (not from the current cursor position). See this page for an example. |
| Play To Selection | B | Plays to or from the current pointer position to or from the start or end of the selection, depending on the pointer position. See this page for more details. |
| Play Cut Preview | C | Plays for 1 second before the current selection and one second after the current selection, as if the current selection had been cut or deleted. This is useful for previewing what the audio will sound like after the cut. The length of time that is played before and after the selection can be set in the Cut Preview section of Playback Preferences. |
| Short Seek Left during Playback(1) | LEFT or , |
Skips the playback cursor back one second. |
| Short Seek Right during Playback(1) | RIGHT or . |
Skips the playback cursor forward one second. |
| Long Seek Left during Playback(1) | SHIFT + LEFT or SHIFT + , |
Skips the playback cursor back 15 seconds. |
| Long Seek Right during Playback(1) | SHIFT + RIGHT or SHIFT + . |
Skips the playback cursor forward 15 seconds. |
| Play | (User-assigned) | Single command to start standard speed playback immediately. |
| Stop | (User-assigned) | Single command to stop playing or recording immediately. |
| Play-at-speed | (User-assigned) | Equivalent to clicking the Play-at-speed button on the Transcription Toolbar. |
| Adjust playback speed | (User-assigned) | Displays the Playback Speed dialog. You can type a new value for the playback speed (between 0.01 and 3), or press Tab then use the left and right arrow keys to adjust the slider. |
| Increase playback speed | (User-assigned) | Each key press will increase the playback speed by 0.03. You need to then use the Play-at-speed shortcut above to restart playback at the new speed. |
| Decrease playback speed | (User-assigned) | Each key press will decrease the playback speed by 0.03. You need to then use the Play-at-speed shortcut above to restart playback at the new speed. |
| Menu items assignable in Keyboard Preferences: Overdub (on/off); Software Playthrough (on/off); Sound Activated Recording (on/off); Sound Activation Level...; Rescan Audio Devices.
Holding CTRL (or CMD on a Mac) while playing, then left-clicking in the waveform moves the playback position to the click point. This shortcut cannot be configured in Keyboard Preferences.
| ||
| (1) | The long and short seek times can be set in the Seek Time When Playing section of Playback Preferences. |
Tracks Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Add New > Audio Track | CTRL + SHIFT + N | Creates a new empty audio track. |
| Mute All Tracks | CTRL + U | Mutes all the audio tracks in the project as if you had used the mute buttons from the Track Control Panel on each track. |
| Unmute All Tracks | CTRL + SHIFT + U | Unmutes all the audio tracks in the project as if you had released the mute buttons from the Track Control Panel on each track. |
| Add Label at Selection | CTRL + B | Creates a new, empty label at the cursor or at the selection region. |
| Add Label at Playback Position | CTRL + M (Mac: COMMAND + . ) |
Creates a new, empty label at the current playback or recording position. |
| Mix and Render to New Track | CTRL + SHIFT + M | Same as Tracks > Mix and Render, except that the original tracks are preserved and a new track is created containing the resulting mix. |
| Move Focus to Previous Track(1) | UP | Changes the track that responds to keyboard input to the previous (upper) track. If the top track currently has focus no action is taken. |
| Move Focus to Previous and Select(1) | SHIFT + UP | As above, but if there is a selection in the current track that selection is extended into the track above. |
| Move Focus to Next Track(1) | DOWN | Changes the track that responds to keyboard input to the next (lower) track. If the bottom track currently has focus no action is taken. |
| Move Focus to Next and Select(1) | SHIFT + DOWN | As above, but if there is a selection in the current track that selection is extended into the track below. |
| Toggle Focused Track(1) | RETURN or ENTER |
Changes the focused track from selected to not selected, or from selected to not selected. |
| Change pan on focused track | SHIFT + P | Brings up the Pan dialog for the focused track where you can enter a pan value, or use the slider for finer control of panning than is available when using the track pan slider. |
| Pan left on focused track | ALT + SHIFT + LEFT | Controls the pan slider on the focused track. Each keypress changes the pan value by 10% left. |
| Pan right on focused track | ALT + SHIFT + RIGHT | Controls the pan slider on the focused track. Each keypress changes the pan value by 10% right. |
| Change gain on focused track | SHIFT + G | Brings up the Gain dialog for the focused track where you can enter a gain value, or use the slider for finer control of gain than is available when using the track pan slider. |
| Increase gain on focused track | ALT + SHIFT + UP | Controls the gain slider on the focused track. Each keypress increases the gain value by 1 dB. |
| Decrease gain on focused track | ALT + SHIFT + DOWN | Controls the gain slider on the focused track. Each keypress decreases the gain value by 1 dB. |
| Mute/Unmute focused track | SHIFT + U | Toggles the Mute button on the focused track. |
| Open menu on focused track | SHIFT + M | Opens the Track Drop-Down Menu on the focused track. Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to navigate the menu and ENTER to select a menu item. Use RIGHT arrow to open the "Set Sample Format" and "Set Rate" choices or LEFT arrow to leave those choices. |
| Solo/Unsolo focused track | SHIFT + S | Toggles the Solo button on the focused track. |
| Remove focused track | SHIFT + C | Removes the focused track. |
| Menu items assignable in Keyboard Preferences: Add New Stereo Track; Add New Label Track; Add New Time Track; Stereo to Mono; Mix and Render; Resample...; Remove Tracks; Link Audio and Label Tracks; Edit Labels; Sort Tracks By Start Time; Sort Tracks By Name.
Holding SHIFT while clicking above or below a selected track adds the SHIFT-clicked track to the selection. This shortcut cannot be configured in Keyboard Preferences.
| ||
| (1) | See Audacity Selection for examples of changing track focus and selection. |
Generate Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| All Generate menu items can be assigned an unused keyboard shortcut in Keyboard Preferences. | ||
Effect Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat Last Effect | CTRL + R | Repeats the last used effect at its last used settings and without displaying any dialog. |
| All classes of effects in the Effect Menu can be assigned an unused keyboard shortcut in Keyboard Preferences. | ||
Analyze Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast... | CTRL + SHIFT + T | Displays the Contrast dialog. |
| All other Analyze menu items can be assigned an unused keyboard shortcut in Keyboard Preferences. | ||
Help Menu
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Menu items assignable in Keyboard Preferences: About Audacity; Quick Help (in web browser); Manual (in web browser); Show Log; Screenshot Tools; Run Benchmark; Audio Device Info. | ||
Device Toolbar
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change audio host | SHIFT + H | Displays the Select Audio Host dialog for choosing the particular interface with which Audacity communicates with your chosen playback and recording devices. |
| Change output device | SHIFT + O | Displays the Select Output Device dialog for choosing the playback device, but only if the "Output Device" drop-down menu in Device Toolbar has entries for devices. Otherwise, an output error message will be displayed. |
| Change input device | SHIFT + I | Displays the Select Input Device dialog for choosing the recording device, but only if the "Input Device" drop-down menu in Device Toolbar has entries for devices. Otherwise, an input error message will be displayed. |
| Change input channels | SHIFT + N | Displays the Select Input Channels dialog for choosing the number of channels to be recorded by the chosen recording device. |
Mixer Toolbar
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adjust Output Gain | (User-assigned) | Displays the Output Volume dialog. You can type a new value for the output volume (between 0 and 1), or press Tab then use the left and right arrow keys to adjust the slider. |
| Increase Output Gain | (User-assigned) | Each key press will increase the output gain by 0.1. |
| Decrease Output Gain | (User-assigned) | Each key press will decrease the output gain by 0.1. |
| Adjust Input Gain | (User-assigned) | Displays the Input Volume dialog. You can type a new value for the input volume (between 0 and 1), or press Tab then use the left and right arrow keys to adjust the slider. |
| Increase Input Gain | (User-assigned) | Each key press will increase the input gain by 0.1. |
| Decrease Input Gain | (User-assigned) | Each key press will decrease the input gain by 0.1. |
Selection Toolbar
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Snap To On | (User-assigned) | Equivalent to checking the Snap to control in the Selection Toolbar. |
| Snap To Off | (User-assigned) | Equivalent to unchecking the Snap to control in the Selection Toolbar. |
Tools Toolbar
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Selection Tool | F1 | Chooses the Selection tool. |
| Envelope Tool | F2 | Chooses the Envelope tool. |
| Draw Tool | F3 | Chooses the Draw tool. |
| Zoom Tool | F4 | Chooses the Zoom tool. |
| Time Shift Tool | F5 | Chooses the Time Shift tool. |
| Multi-Tool | F6 | Chooses the Multi-tool. |
| Next Tool | D | Cycles through the tools: Selection to Envelope to Draw to Zoom to Time Shift to Multi-tool to Selection and similar. |
| Previous Tool | A | Cycles through the tools: Selection to Multi-tool to Time Shift to Zoom to Draw to Envelope to Selection and similar. |
Keyboard focus
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Move backward through Dock, Track View, and Selection Bar | CTRL + SHIFT + F6 | Each use moves the keyboard focus as indicated. |
| Move forward through Dock, Track View, and Selection Bar | CTRL + F6 | Each use moves the keyboard focus as indicated. |
