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OpenCut provides comprehensive keyboard shortcuts to speed up your editing workflow. All shortcuts can be customized in the settings.
View the shortcuts dialog anytime by clicking the keyboard icon in the editor header or pressing ?.

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Playback

Control video playback without touching the mouse:
ShortcutActionDescription
SpacePlay/PauseToggle playback on and off
KPlay/PauseAlternative play/pause shortcut
JSeek backwardJump backward 1 second
LSeek forwardJump forward 1 second
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:20-40
The J, K, L shortcuts are borrowed from professional editing software and provide one-handed playback control.

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Navigation

Move through your timeline with precision:

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Frame stepping

ShortcutActionDescription
→Frame step forwardMove forward one frame
←Frame step backwardMove backward one frame
Perfect for finding the exact frame to make a cut or adjustment.

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Jumping

ShortcutActionDescription
Shift + →Jump forwardJump forward 5 seconds
Shift + ←Jump backwardJump backward 5 seconds

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Timeline navigation

ShortcutActionDescription
HomeGo to startJump to the beginning of the timeline
EnterGo to startAlternative shortcut for timeline start
EndGo to endJump to the end of the timeline
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:41-72

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Editing

Core editing operations for cutting and manipulating your content:

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Splitting and cutting

ShortcutActionDescription
SSplitSplit elements at playhead (keeps both sides)
QSplit leftSplit and remove everything before playhead
WSplit rightSplit and remove everything after playhead
Split operations work on all selected elements. If nothing is selected, they affect all elements under the playhead.

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Clipboard operations

ShortcutActionDescription
Ctrl/Cmd + CCopyCopy selected elements to clipboard
Ctrl/Cmd + VPastePaste elements at playhead position
Ctrl/Cmd + DDuplicateDuplicate selected element immediately after original

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Deleting

ShortcutActionDescription
BackspaceDelete selectedRemove selected elements from timeline
DeleteDelete selectedAlternative delete shortcut

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Toggle features

ShortcutActionDescription
NToggle snappingEnable/disable snap to playhead and elements
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:73-107

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Selection

Quickly select and manipulate multiple elements:
ShortcutActionDescription
Ctrl/Cmd + ASelect allSelect all elements in the timeline
Click + DragBox selectCreate selection box to select multiple elements
Ctrl/Cmd + ClickAdd to selectionAdd individual elements to current selection

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Element visibility and audio

These shortcuts work on selected elements:
ShortcutActionDescription
(No default)Mute/unmuteToggle mute state for selected elements
(No default)Show/hideToggle visibility for selected elements
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:108-125
You can assign custom shortcuts to element mute/hide actions in the keyboard shortcuts settings.

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Timeline

Manage timeline markers and bookmarks:
ShortcutActionDescription
(No default)Toggle bookmarkAdd/remove bookmark at playhead position
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:126-129

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History

Undo and redo any editing action:
ShortcutActionDescription
Ctrl/Cmd + ZUndoUndo the last action
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + ZRedoRedo the last undone action
Ctrl/Cmd + YRedoAlternative redo shortcut
OpenCut supports unlimited undo/redo for all editing operations. Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:130-139

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Shortcut categories

Shortcuts are organized into logical categories:
Controls for playing, pausing, and seeking through your timeline.Includes:
  • Play/Pause toggles
  • Forward and backward seeking
  • Stop playback
Core editing operations for modifying timeline content.Includes:
  • Split operations
  • Copy/paste
  • Delete
  • Duplicate
  • Toggle snapping
Selecting and managing multiple elements.Includes:
  • Select all
  • Box selection
  • Multi-select
  • Element visibility toggles
Undo and redo operations.Includes:
  • Undo
  • Redo (two shortcuts)
Timeline-specific features.Includes:
  • Bookmark management
General interface controls.Reserved for future features.
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:3-10

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Customizing shortcuts

All keyboard shortcuts in OpenCut can be customized to match your preferred workflow:
1

Open shortcuts dialog

Click the keyboard icon in the editor header or press ?.
2

Find the action

Browse or search for the action you want to customize.
3

Assign new shortcut

Click on the current shortcut and press your desired key combination.
4

Save changes

Your custom shortcuts are saved automatically and sync across devices.

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Tips for efficient editing

Learn the basics first

Start with play/pause (Space), split (S), and delete (Backspace/Delete). These cover 80% of basic editing.

Use J-K-L for review

Keep one hand on J-K-L for quick play/pause/seek while reviewing footage.

Frame stepping for precision

Use arrow keys to find exact frames when making precise cuts.

Toggle snapping

Press N to quickly toggle snapping on when you need precision, off when you don’t.

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Shortcut conflicts

If you assign a shortcut that’s already in use:
  • OpenCut will warn you about the conflict
  • You can choose to override the existing shortcut
  • Or cancel and choose a different key combination
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/index.ts

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