After Effects Keyboard Shortcuts: Complete List for Windows & Mac (2026)

After Effects keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to cut your editing time in half. Whether you’re animating text, building motion graphics, adjusting keyframes, or sending a composition to the render queue, every action you take with a mouse can be replaced by a key press and those seconds add up to hours saved across a project.

This guide covers all 215+ Adobe After Effects keyboard shortcuts for both Windows and Mac, organized by workflow category so you can find exactly what you need. From single-key property shortcuts like P (Position), S (Scale), R (Rotation), and T (Opacity), to advanced shortcuts for the Timeline panel, 3D layers, effects, and rendering everything is here in one place.

The 7 shortcuts you’ll use every single day:
Spacebar (play/pause preview) · P (Position) · S (Scale) · R (Rotation) · T (Opacity) · U (show all keyframes) · F9 (EasyEase). Master these first before anything else.

Studies of motion graphics professionals consistently show that users who rely on keyboard shortcuts complete projects 30–50% faster than those navigating menus by mouse. In a software as deep as Adobe After Effects part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite used by video editors, VFX artists, and motion designers worldwide that difference is not small. On a 5-hour project, that’s up to 2.5 hours back in your day.

The shortcuts in this list are verified against Adobe After Effects 2025 and work across all recent versions of After Effects on both Windows and Mac. Where shortcuts differ between platforms, both versions are listed side by side.

📥 Want a printable reference? Download the free After Effects Shortcuts PDF and keep it next to your workstation.

The 20 Most Important After Effects Shortcuts (Start Here)

Learning every After Effects shortcut at once is overwhelming and unnecessary. Start with these 20. They cover the actions you will repeat dozens of times every single session previewing, animating transform properties, managing keyframes, and exporting. Once these are muscle memory, the rest of the shortcuts in this guide will feel natural to pick up one at a time.

Keyframe & Animation Shortcuts

Keyframes are the foundation of every animation in After Effects. These shortcuts let you set, navigate, and refine keyframes without touching the mouse keeping you in your creative flow.

After applying F9 (EasyEase), open the Graph Editor with Shift + F3 to fine-tune your easing curves. This is how professional motion designers get silky-smooth animation that looks nothing like the default linear motion.

How to Customize After Effects Shortcuts

After Effects lets you reassign almost any shortcut to any key combination. This is how professional motion designers build a workflow that’s uniquely fast for the way they work.

Step 1 – Open the Keyboard Shortcut Editor
Go to Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts in the top menu bar. Alternatively, press Ctrl + Alt + ‘ on Windows or Command + Option + ‘ on Mac. The visual keyboard shortcut editor opens, showing your full keyboard layout with color-coded key assignments.

Step 2 – Find the command you want to reassign
Use the search box in the Command List on the left side to find any command by name. For example, type “EasyEase” to find the F9 shortcut, or “split” to find the layer split command. The keyboard layout highlights the currently assigned key in blue.

Step 3 – Assign your new shortcut
Click the command in the list, then press the new key combination you want to assign. If that key is already in use, After Effects will warn you of the conflict. You can either override the existing assignment or choose a different key.

Step 4 – Save your custom preset
Click Save As at the top of the editor and give your keyboard preset a name. This is critical – if you skip this step, your changes apply to the default preset and may be reset by an After Effects update. Saving as a named preset means your custom shortcuts survive software updates and can be transferred to another machine.

Note: After Effects does not allow reassignment of a small number of reserved system keys. If a key can’t be assigned, After Effects will tell you immediately.

After Effects 2025 – New & Updated Shortcuts

Adobe After Effects 2025 (version 25.x) introduced several interface and workflow improvements that affect how shortcuts behave. Here’s what changed.

Version note: All 215 shortcuts in this guide work on After Effects 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Shortcuts marked above are additions or behavior changes specific to the 2025 release. Always check Adobe’s official release notes at helpx.adobe.com for the most current version-specific changes.

Project Shortcuts

Use these shortcuts to create, open, save, and manage your After Effects projects without reaching for the menu bar.

Essential After Effects Shortcuts (Basics)

These are the core commands you’ll use constantly selection, duplication, undo, and memory management.

Panel Shortcuts

After Effects has over a dozen panels. These shortcuts open, close, and cycle between them instantly far faster than clicking tabs.

Preview & Playback Shortcuts

Previewing your work is one of the most repeated actions in any After Effects session. These shortcuts control exactly how and what you preview.

View Shortcuts

Control what you see in the Composition panel grids, guides, rulers, safe zones, and color overlays.

Footage Shortcuts

Import, manage, and replace footage items in the Project panel without using the menu.

3D Layer Shortcuts

Work in three dimensions without touching the camera controls panel. These shortcuts switch views and create 3D elements instantly.

Text Shortcuts

Format and edit text layers precisely using the keyboard. Covers alignment, sizing, leading, kerning, and text selection.

Tool Activation Shortcuts

Switch between After Effects tools instantly without clicking the toolbar.

Composition Shortcuts

Create and configure compositions, set work area boundaries, and open composition settings.

Time Navigation Shortcuts

Navigate through your timeline precisely without dragging the playhead. Essential for frame-accurate editing.

Effects & Animation Presets Shortcuts

Apply, remove, and reuse effects and animation presets without opening the Effects menu.

Rendering & Exporting Shortcuts

Save, export, and manage render queue items without the File menu.

Layer Shortcuts

Create, select, move, split, lock, and manage layers entirely from the keyboard.

Timeline Panel Property Shortcuts

Reveal individual transform and property groups for selected layers directly in the Timeline no mouse needed.

How to Customize After Effects Shortcuts

After Effects lets you reassign almost any shortcut to any key combination. This is how professional motion designers build a workflow that’s uniquely fast for the way they work.

Step 1 – Open the Keyboard Shortcut Editor
Go to Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts in the top menu bar. Alternatively, press Ctrl + Alt + ‘ on Windows or Command + Option + ‘ on Mac. The visual keyboard shortcut editor opens showing your full keyboard layout with color-coded key assignments.

Step 2 – Find the command you want to reassign
Use the search box in the Command List on the left to find any command by name. Type “EasyEase” to find the F9 shortcut, or “split” to find the layer split command. The keyboard layout highlights the currently assigned key in blue.

Step 3 – Assign your new shortcut
Click the command in the list, then press the new key combination you want to assign. If that key is already in use, After Effects will warn you of the conflict. Override the existing assignment or choose a different key.

Step 4 – Save your custom preset
Click Save As at the top of the editor and give your keyboard preset a name. This is critical if you skip this step, your changes apply to the default preset and may be reset by an After Effects update. Saving as a named preset means your custom shortcuts survive software updates and can be transferred to another machine.

After Effects Shortcuts – Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most important After Effects shortcut?

The most important After Effects shortcut is the Spacebar, which plays and pauses your preview. Beyond that, the seven shortcuts every user must memorize first are: P (Position), S (Scale), R (Rotation), T (Opacity), U (show all modified keyframes), and F9 (EasyEase). These seven keys alone cover the majority of daily motion graphics work.

What is the shortcut for RAM Preview in After Effects?

The RAM Preview shortcut in After Effects 2015 and later is the Spacebar. In older versions it was the 0 key on the numeric keypad. To preview at twice the speed, press Shift + 0 on the numeric keypad.

What does F9 do in After Effects?

F9 applies EasyEase to selected keyframes. EasyEase smooths the acceleration and deceleration of your animation automatically, making motion feel organic rather than mechanical. It is one of the most used shortcuts in professional motion graphics work. For more control, use Shift + F9 (Ease In) or Ctrl + Shift + F9 (Ease Out).

How do I redo in After Effects?

The redo shortcut in After Effects is Ctrl + Shift + Z on Windows and Command + Shift + Z on Mac. Undo is Ctrl + Z (Windows) or Command + Z (Mac). After Effects supports multiple undo steps the default is 32 levels, adjustable in Preferences.

What is the shortcut for rendering in After Effects?

To add your active composition to the Render Queue, press Ctrl + Shift + / on Windows or Command + Shift + / on Mac. To add just the current frame to the render queue, use Ctrl + Alt + S (Windows) or Command + Option + S (Mac).

How do I show Position, Scale, and Rotation in After Effects?

Select your layer in the Timeline, then press:

• P – Position
• S – Scale
• R – Rotation
• T – Opacity (Transparency)
• A – Anchor Point

These are called Transform Property shortcuts. They reveal only the selected property in the Timeline panel, keeping your workspace clean while you work.

How do I customize keyboard shortcuts in After Effects?

Go to Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts, or press Ctrl + Alt + ‘ on Windows / Command + Option + ‘ on Mac. This opens After Effects’ visual keyboard shortcut editor. Search for any command by name, click a key to assign it, and save your layout as a named preset.

Are After Effects shortcuts different on Mac and Windows?

Most shortcuts follow a direct swap: Ctrl on Windows becomes Command on Mac, and Alt on Windows becomes Option on Mac. Single-key shortcuts P, S, R, T, U, F9, Spacebar, J, K are identical on both platforms. Every shortcut in this guide lists both Windows and Mac versions side by side.

What does the U key do in After Effects?

Pressing U on a selected layer reveals all keyframed properties in the Timeline panel. Pressing U twice (UU) reveals all modified properties, including those without keyframes. This is the fastest way to audit an animation instead of expanding every property group manually, one keypress shows you everything that has been changed.

What is the shortcut to split a layer in After Effects?

The layer split shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + D on Windows and Command + Shift + D on Mac. Place your playhead at the exact frame where you want the cut, select the layer, and press the shortcut. After Effects splits it into two separate layers at that point, each with its own in and out points.

Conclusion

Mastering After Effects keyboard shortcuts is not about memorizing every key on this list it is about building a small core of muscle-memory shortcuts that remove friction from your workflow. Start with the Top 20 in this guide, use them until they are automatic, then layer in shortcuts from the categories most relevant to your projects.

The more shortcuts you internalize, the more time you spend on the creative work that matters animation, timing, storytelling and the less time you spend navigating menus.

If you’re exploring other motion graphics tools, many After Effects alternatives like Blender, DaVinci Resolve, and Apple Motion have their own shortcut systems check our After Effects alternatives guide to compare tools and find the right fit for your workflow.

📥 Download the free After Effects Shortcuts PDF to keep all 215+ shortcuts within reach at your workstation.

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