Audacity Keyboard Shortcuts: Full List & How to Use Them

Updated 6 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Audacity keyboard shortcuts let you control recording, playback, editing, and navigation without touching the mouse. You can view and customize every shortcut in the app, and this article lists the most useful defaults for the current stable version (3.x).

Why Learn Audacity Shortcuts

Audacity is a free, open-source audio editor used for podcasting, music production, and audio repair. Its menus are deep, and many common tasks—like splitting a clip or zooming to fit—require several clicks if you use only the mouse. Keyboard shortcuts reduce that to a single keystroke, which speeds up editing significantly. They also help you keep your eyes on the waveform instead of hunting through menus.

How to View and Customize Shortcuts

Audacity lets you see every shortcut and change any of them to suit your workflow. The shortcut manager is built into the app, so you don’t need to edit configuration files.

Open Audacity and go to Edit > Preferences (on Windows/Linux) or Audacity > Preferences (on Mac).
Select the Keyboard category from the left sidebar.
You’ll see a searchable list of all commands and their current shortcuts. Click any row, then press the new key combination to assign it.
Use the Clear button to remove a shortcut, or Defaults to restore all shortcuts to the factory settings.

You can also export or import shortcut sets from this same panel—useful if you want to sync your setup across computers.

Essential Playback and Recording Shortcuts

These are the shortcuts you’ll use most when capturing or reviewing audio. The defaults are consistent across platforms, except where noted.

Space – Play/Stop. Press again to resume from where you stopped.
Shift + Space – Play from the cursor position (or the start of the selection).
R – Start recording. Press again to stop recording and leave the cursor at the end.
Shift + R – Record from the cursor position, or append if the cursor is at the end.
X – Stop recording and return the cursor to where it was when you started.
Home – Jump to the start of the project.
End – Jump to the end of the project.

For quick playback of a specific section, select the region with the mouse and press Space—Audacity plays only that selection.

Editing and Selection Shortcuts

Editing in Audacity relies heavily on selecting exactly the right portion of audio. These shortcuts make that process faster.

Ctrl + A (Cmd + A on Mac) – Select all audio in the project.
Ctrl + I (Cmd + I) – Split the selected clip at the cursor position. This is one of the most used editing shortcuts.
Ctrl + K (Cmd + K) – Split the clip at the cursor and delete the section to the right of the cursor, closing the gap.
Ctrl + L (Cmd + L) – Split the clip at the cursor and silence the section to the right.
Ctrl + Z (Cmd + Z) – Undo. Audacity supports unlimited undo steps by default.
Ctrl + Y (Cmd + Y) – Redo.
Delete – Delete the selected audio and close the gap (ripple delete).
Ctrl + X (Cmd + X) – Cut the selection to the clipboard.
Ctrl + C (Cmd + C) – Copy the selection.
Ctrl + V (Cmd + V) – Paste at the cursor position.

To select an entire track, click the track’s control panel (the area with the name and mute/solo buttons) to highlight it, then press Ctrl + A to select all audio on that track only.

Navigation and Zoom Shortcuts

When you’re working with long recordings, moving around quickly is essential. These shortcuts let you zoom and scroll without touching the scrollbar.

Ctrl + 1 – Zoom in (on Mac, Cmd + 1).
Ctrl + 2 – Zoom out.
Ctrl + 3 – Zoom to fit the entire project horizontally.
Ctrl + F – Zoom to fit the selected audio exactly.
Ctrl + E – Zoom to fit the selection width, but keep the vertical zoom unchanged.
Shift + Up/Down arrow – Scroll vertically between tracks.
Shift + Left/Right arrow – Scroll horizontally through the timeline.

For precise cursor placement, use the Left/Right arrow keys to move the cursor by a small amount, and Ctrl + Left/Right to move by a larger jump (the exact amount depends on the zoom level).

Common Problems and Fixes

Even with the correct shortcut, things don’t always work as expected. Here are the most common issues and their solutions.

Shortcut does nothing – The focus might be on a text field (like a label). Click on the waveform first to give Audacity focus, then try again.
Space doesn’t start playback – If you have a label track selected, Space might edit the label instead of playing. Click on an audio track first.
Shortcut conflicts with a system shortcut – For example, Ctrl + I might be used for italic in some operating systems. You can change Audacity’s shortcut in Preferences.
Custom shortcuts lost after update – Audacity stores shortcuts in a file called audacity.cfg. Export your shortcuts before updating to be safe.

If a shortcut seems to have stopped working, check the Keyboard preferences to see if it was reassigned or cleared.

Comparing Audacity to Other Audio Editors

Audacity’s shortcut system is more flexible than many paid editors. For example, Adobe Audition has a similar customizable shortcut manager, but it’s hidden in a more complex preferences dialog. GarageBand (Mac) has fewer default shortcuts and doesn’t allow full customization. Audacity’s advantage is that it’s free, open-source, and runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux—so your shortcuts transfer across platforms if you export and import them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I reset Audacity shortcuts to default?

Go to Edit > Preferences > Keyboard, then click the Defaults button. This restores all shortcuts to the original factory settings. If you’ve customized a lot, you might want to export your current set first to keep a backup.

Can I use Audacity shortcuts on a Mac?

Yes. Audacity uses the same shortcuts on Mac, but with the Command (⌘) key instead of Ctrl. For example, Save is Cmd + S instead of Ctrl + S. The shortcut manager shows the Mac-specific keys automatically.

Why doesn’t the spacebar work in Audacity?

The most common reason is that focus is on a text field or a label. Click on the waveform area first. If that doesn’t help, check if the shortcut was changed in Preferences. Also, make sure no other app is intercepting the spacebar (like a screen reader or a global hotkey tool).

How do I create a custom shortcut for a menu command?

Open Preferences > Keyboard, find the command in the list, click it, and press the new key combination. If the combination is already in use, Audacity will warn you and ask if you want to reassign it. Click OK to apply.

Is there a way to see all shortcuts at a glance?

Yes. In the Keyboard preferences, you can search for a command, or simply scroll the list. There’s no built-in printable cheat sheet, but you can export the list to a file (using the Export button) and print it.

Do shortcuts work in the middle of recording?

Most editing shortcuts are disabled during recording to prevent accidental changes. You can press Space to stop playback, but you can’t edit while recording. This is a safety feature to protect the audio you’re capturing.

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