149 Bitwig Studio Keyboard Shortcuts + Cheat Sheet
Bitwig Studio is a powerful DAW for music production, sound design, and live performance but using it efficiently depends a lot on how well you know the keyboard shortcuts. Instead of clicking through menus again and again, shortcuts help you edit faster, move clips quickly, adjust the grid, quantize notes, control snap settings, and speed up your overall workflow.
In this guide, I’ve shared a complete list of Bitwig Studio shortcuts for Windows, including the most-used commands for editing, arranging, tools, navigation, snap/grid control, and more. Whether you’re working on a simple loop or a full track arrangement, these shortcut keys will help you stay focused and finish projects quicker.
Tip: Bookmark this page or download the cheat sheet so you can access it anytime while producing.
Most Used Bitwig Studio Shortcuts
If you don’t want to memorize everything, start with these most used Bitwig Studio shortcut keys. These are the shortcuts you’ll use daily for saving projects, editing clips, duplicating parts, snapping, quantizing, looping, and faster navigation.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Project | Ctrl + N |
| Open Project | Ctrl + O |
| Save | Ctrl + S |
| Save As | Ctrl + Shift + S |
| Close | Ctrl + W |
| Quit Bitwig | Ctrl + Q |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y |
| Copy | Ctrl + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V |
| Duplicate | Ctrl + D |
| Consolidate | Ctrl + J |
| Bounce In Place | Ctrl + B |
| Split | Ctrl + E |
| Loop Selected Region | Ctrl + L |
| Quantize | Q |
| Toggle Snap | S |
| Commander | Ctrl + Enter |
| Focus / Toggle Browser Panel | Alt + B |
| Pointer Tool | 1 |
| Time Selection Tool | 2 |
| Pen Tool | 3 |
| Eraser Tool | 4 |
| Knife Tool | 5 |
| Insert From Library | 6 |
Top 10 Bitwig Studio Shortcuts You Should Memorize
- Save → Ctrl + S
- Undo → Ctrl + Z
- Copy → Ctrl + C
- Paste → Ctrl + V
- Duplicate → Ctrl + D
- Split → Ctrl + E
- Quantize → Q
- Loop Selected Region → Ctrl + L
- Toggle Snap → S
- Commander → Ctrl + Enter
Bitwig Editing Shortcuts
These Bitwig Studio editing shortcuts help you quickly cut, copy, paste, duplicate, group, and split clips without touching the mouse too much. If you do a lot of arrangement editing, this section is gold.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Copy | Ctrl + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V |
| Delete | Backspace |
| Alternate Delete | Ctrl + Backspace |
| Duplicate | Ctrl + D |
| Group | Ctrl + G |
| Ungroup | Ctrl + Shift + G |
| Rename | Ctrl + R |
| Split | Ctrl + E |
| Consolidate | Ctrl + J |
| Bounce In Place | Ctrl + B |
| Auto-Fade | Ctrl + F |
| Auto-Crossfade | Ctrl + Shift + F |
| Reset Fades | Ctrl + Alt + F |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y |
| Toggle Active | Ctrl + A |
Time & Arrangement Shortcuts
These shortcuts are useful when you’re editing longer projects, moving parts around, and controlling time-based edits like cut time, paste time, and silence insertion.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Cut Time | Ctrl + Shift + X |
| Paste Time | Ctrl + Shift + V |
| Duplicate Time | Ctrl + Shift + D |
| Insert Silence | Ctrl + Shift + P |
| Remove Time | Shift + Backspace |
| Loop Selected Region | Ctrl + L |
| Slide Content Left | Alt + Left Arrow Key |
| Slide Content Right | Alt + Right Arrow Key |
| Make Events One Bar Longer | Shift + Up Arrow Key |
| Make Events One Bar Shorter | Shift + Down Arrow Key |
| Nudge Events One Bar Backward | Shift + Left Arrow Key |
| Nudge Events One Bar Forward | Shift + Right Arrow Key |
| Nudge Events One Step Backward | Left Arrow Key |
| Nudge Events One Step Forward | Right Arrow Key |
Tools Shortcuts
Bitwig tools control how you interact with clips, notes, and events. Switching tools instantly makes editing smoother and faster.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Pointer Tool | 1 |
| Time Selection Tool | 2 |
| Pen Tool | 3 |
| Eraser Tool | 4 |
| Knife Tool | 5 |
Snap / Grid / Quantize Shortcuts
Snap and grid shortcuts are extremely important in Bitwig Studio because they directly control how clean and tight your edits feel. These shortcuts help you stay locked to the beat (or go fully free when needed).
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle Snap | S |
| Toggle Snap to Events | Shift + / |
| Toggle Snap to Grid | Shift + , |
| Toggle Snap to Grid Offset | Shift + . |
| Larger Beat Grid | . |
| Smaller Beat Grid | , |
| Toggle Adaptive Beat Grid | / |
| Next Beat Grid Subdivision | Alt + . |
| Previous Beat Grid Subdivision | Alt + , |
| Quantize | Q |
| Quantize… | Alt + Q |
| Quantize Length | Ctrl + Alt + L |
| Make Legato | Ctrl + Shift + Alt + L |
Browser & Panel Navigation Shortcuts
These shortcuts help you move around Bitwig’s interface faster, switch tabs/panels, and keep your workflow smooth during production.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Focus / Toggle Browser Panel | Alt + B |
| Commander | Ctrl + Enter |
| Focus next field | Tab |
| Focus panel above | Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow Key |
| Focus panel below | Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow Key |
| Focus panel to the left | Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow Key |
| Focus panel to the right | Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow Key |
| Select Next Project | Ctrl + Tab |
| Select Previous Project | Ctrl + Shift + Tab |
| Select Next Tab | Ctrl + Down Arrow Key |
| Select Previous Tab | Ctrl + Up Arrow Key |
| Settings | Ctrl + , |
Gain + Transpose Shortcuts
If you’re working with audio clips or MIDI notes, these shortcuts help you quickly adjust gain and transpose without opening extra panels.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Gain +6dB | Alt + Up Arrow Key |
| Gain +1dB | Shift + Alt + Up Arrow Key |
| Gain -6dB | Alt + Down Arrow Key |
| Gain -1dB | Shift + Alt + Down Arrow Key |
| Transpose a Semitone Up | Alt + + |
| Transpose a Semitone Down | Alt + – |
| Transpose an Octave Up | Shift + Alt + + |
| Transpose an Octave Down | Shift + Alt + – |
Selection & Cursor Movement Shortcuts
Selection shortcuts make Bitwig editing much faster because you can move, extend, and control selection precisely without constantly clicking.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select All | Ctrl + A |
| Unselect All | Esc |
| Toggle selection of item at cursor | Ctrl + Spacebar |
| Select first item | Home |
| Select last item | End |
| Select item above | Up Arrow Key |
| Select item below | Down Arrow Key |
| Select item to left | Left Arrow Key |
| Select item to right | Right Arrow Key |
| Extend selection range to first item | Shift + Home |
| Extend selection range to last item | Shift + End |
| Extend selection range to item above | Shift + Up Arrow Key |
| Extend selection range to item below | Shift + Down Arrow Key |
| Extend selection range to item to left | Shift + Left Arrow Key |
| Extend selection range to item to right | Shift + Right Arrow Key |
| Extend selection to first item | Ctrl + Shift + Home |
| Extend selection to last item | Ctrl + Shift + End |
| Extend selection to item above | Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow Key |
| Extend selection to item below | Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow Key |
| Extend selection to item to left | Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow Key |
| Extend selection to item to right | Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow Key |
Bitwig Studio Shortcuts Not Working? (Fixes)
If your Bitwig Studio shortcuts aren’t working, don’t worry most of the time it’s not a bug. It usually happens because Bitwig is focused on the wrong panel, the keyboard layout changed, or another app is capturing the keys.
Here are the most common fixes you should try:
1. Click Inside the Correct Panel First
Many shortcuts only work when Bitwig is focused on the right area. For example:
- If you’re editing clips, click inside the Arranger/Clip Launcher
- If you’re working with notes, click inside the Piano Roll
- If your browser shortcuts aren’t working, toggle the Browser Panel (Alt + B)
Quick fix: click once inside the area you’re working in and try the shortcut again.
2. Close Plugin Windows That Steal Keyboard Input
Some VST plugins can “capture” your keyboard and stop Bitwig shortcuts from working.
Fix:
- Close the plugin window
- Or click back into Bitwig’s main editor
3. Check If Windows Global Shortcuts Are Conflicting
Windows shortcuts sometimes clash with DAW shortcuts, especially if you’re using:
- screen recorders
- overlay apps
- hotkey tools
- gaming mode apps
Fix: Try turning off background hotkey apps or overlays and test again.
4. Use Commander to Run Any Command Instantly
Even if you forget a shortcut or it’s not responding, Commander is the fastest workaround.
Shortcut: Commander → Ctrl + Enter
Then type what you want (example: “Quantize”, “Split”, “Bounce”, “Consolidate”).
5. Check Your Keyboard Layout (US vs UK / Language Layout)
Sometimes the shortcut keys change just because the keyboard layout is different.
Fix: Go to Windows Settings → Language & Keyboard → confirm layout.
6. Reset Shortcuts (If Something Got Remapped)
If you customized key bindings earlier and now things feel broken, resetting can fix it.
Tip: Open Settings (Ctrl + ,) and look for keyboard shortcut preferences.
7. Restart Bitwig (Simple but Works)
If Bitwig has been running for hours, or after updates/plugins, shortcuts can sometimes act weird.
Fix: Save your project → restart Bitwig → test again.
FAQs About Bitwig Studio Shortcut Keys
The most used Bitwig shortcuts include Ctrl + S (Save), Ctrl + Z (Undo), Ctrl + D (Duplicate), Ctrl + E (Split), Q (Quantize), and S (Toggle Snap).
You can open Commander using: Ctrl + Enter
Split → Ctrl + E
Common reasons include focus being on the wrong panel, plugin windows capturing keyboard input, Windows shortcut conflicts, or changed keyboard layout settings.
Yes. Bitwig allows shortcut customization from settings/preferences, so you can remap keys to match your workflow.
Bitwig Studio becomes much faster (and honestly more fun) once you start using shortcut keys daily. Start by learning the Most Used shortcuts, then slowly add editing, snap/grid, quantize, and navigation keys into your routine. Within a week, your workflow will feel noticeably smoother.
If you want, I can also help you create a clean PDF cheat sheet, a download button, and a table-of-contents layout to improve your ranking even more.
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