Keyboard shortcuts are the real workflow hack when learning to work quickly inside your DAW of choice, as they help to significantly cut down on time to complete tasks. Here are our top 50 Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts to help you speed up your sessions!

Use:
Cmd (macOS)
Ctrl (Windows)

General Editing

1. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Z]: Undo.
2. [Shift] + [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Z]: Redo.
3. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [C]: Copy.
4. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [V]: Paste.
5. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [X]: Cut.
6. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [D]: Duplicate.
7. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [E]: Separate clip at selection.
8. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [F]: Fade menu.
9. [Shift] + [D]: Clear clip gain.
10. [Option/Alt] + [Click]: Duplicate selected clip.

Navigation

11. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [=]: Toggle Mix and Edit window.
12. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [1-9] (Numeric Keypad): Access different tools (Zoom, Trim, etc.).
13. [Option/Alt] + [A]: Zoom out to show all.
14. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Left/Right Arrow]: Nudge selection by grid.
15. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Up/Down Arrow]: Move selection between tracks.
16. [Option/Alt] + [Shift] + [Scroll Wheel]: Horizontal zoom.

Playback and Recording

17. [Spacebar]: Start/Stop playback.
18. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Spacebar]: Start recording.
19. [3] (Numeric Keypad): Record.
20. [0] (Numeric Keypad): Play.
21. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [.]: Cancel recording.
22. [Shift] + [R]: Enable/Disable record arm.
23. [Shift] + [S]: Solo track.
24. [Shift] + [M]: Mute track.

Mixing

25. [Option/Alt] + [Click Fader]: Reset fader to 0 dB.
26. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Click Pan Knob]: Center pan.
27. [Shift] + [Cmd/Ctrl] + [N]: Create a new track.
28. [Option/Alt] + [Click Insert]: Bypass insert.
29. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Click Send]: Mute send.
30. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [U]: Open Universe window.

Automation

31. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [4] (Numeric Keypad): Enable Automation window.
32. [Option/Alt] + [A]: Show all automation.
33. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Click Automation Lane]: Select all nodes.
34. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Shift] + [N]: Create a new playlist.
35. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Click on Node]: Remove automation node.

Clip Gain

36. [Shift] + [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Up/Down Arrow]: Increase/Decrease clip gain.
37. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Shift] + [E]: Add clip gain line.
38. [Option/Alt] + [Shift] + [Scroll Wheel]: Adjust clip gain.

Zooming

39. [T]: Zoom in.
40. [R]: Zoom out.
41. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [1-5]: Recall zoom preset.
42. [Option/Alt] + [Click on Ruler]: Zoom to selection.
43. [Shift] + [Cmd/Ctrl] + [[: Zoom to previous edit.
44. [Shift] + [Cmd/Ctrl] + []]: Zoom to next edit.

Miscellaneous

45. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Shift] + [G]: Suspend groups.
46. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [H]: Heal separation.
47. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Shift] + [P]: Toggle pre-roll.
48. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Shift] + [D]: Duplicate playlist.
49. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Shift] + [S]: Save as.
50. [Cmd/Ctrl] + [Q]: Quit Pro Tools.

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