Amarok Keyboard Shortcuts: The Complete List (Linux/KDE)
Amarok keyboard shortcuts are key combinations that control playback, the playlist, and the music library inside Amarok, the open-source music player built for KDE on Linux. There are two kinds: in-app shortcuts that work while the Amarok window is focused (for example, Space to play/pause), and KDE global shortcuts that control Amarok from anywhere in your desktop session (for example, Meta + P to toggle the main window). The full, verified list is below, organized by category, with a free PDF you can download.
Quick answer: Press Space to play or pause a track, Right / Left to seek forward or back 10 seconds, + / − to change volume, and Ctrl + J to search within the playlist.
What Is Amarok?
Amarok is a free, open-source audio player developed by the KDE community, primarily for Linux and BSD desktops (it also has community builds for Windows and macOS, though those are not officially supported). It organizes large music collections by artist, album, and genre, plays formats such as MP3, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, and AAC, and integrates online sources like Last.fm, Magnatune, and Jamendo through its Service Framework. Because Amarok runs on KDE, its shortcuts come in two layers: the application’s own bindings and KDE’s system-wide global shortcuts.
Amarok Player & Playback Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Play / Pause | Space |
| Play Media… | Ctrl + O |
| Increase Volume | + |
| Decrease Volume | – |
| Seek Forward 2 seconds | Ctrl + Right |
| Seek Forward 10 seconds | Right |
| Seek Forward 60 seconds | Shift + Right |
| Seek Backward 2 seconds | Ctrl + Left |
| Seek Backward 10 seconds | Left |
| Seek Backward 60 seconds | Shift + Left |
Amarok Playlist Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Search in Playlist | Ctrl + J |
| Shuffle Playlist | Ctrl + H |
| Queue Track | Ctrl + D |
| Save Playlist | Ctrl + S |
| Select All | Ctrl + A |
| Activate Search Bar | Ctrl + F |
| Previous Browser | Backspace |
| Rename (selected item) | F2 |
Amarok Editing & Track Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Edit Details of Selected Track | Ctrl + E |
| Copy Current Artist & Title to Clipboard | Ctrl + C |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z |
| Toggle Full Screen | Ctrl + Shift + F |
| Quit Amarok | Ctrl + Q |
KDE Global Shortcuts for Amarok
Global shortcuts are KDE key combinations that control Amarok from anywhere in your desktop, even when the window isn’t focused. On most keyboards the Meta key is the Super / Windows key. Media keys refer to the dedicated multimedia keys on many keyboards.
| Action | Global Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle Main Window | Meta + P |
| Play / Pause | Media Play |
| Stop | Media Stop |
| Next Track | Media Next |
| Previous Track | Media Previous |
| Add Media… | Meta + A |
| Increase Volume | Meta + + |
| Decrease Volume | Meta + – |
| Mute Volume | Meta + M |
| Seek Forward | Meta + Shift + + |
| Seek Backward | Meta + Shift + – |
| Show Notification Popup | Meta + O |
| Last.fm: Love Current Track | Meta + L |
| Last.fm: Skip Current Track | Meta + S |
| Rate Current Track: 1–5 stars | Meta + 1 … Meta + 5 |
How to Customize Amarok Shortcuts
Every Amarok shortcut can be reassigned, and you can reset all of them to default at any time:
- Open Amarok and go to Settings → Configure Shortcuts…
- Use the Search box to find an action by name.
- Select the action a panel appears with two options: Default (the built-in key) and Custom (your own key).
- Choose Custom and press the key combination you want to assign.
- To undo all changes, click Reset to Defaults.
- Click OK to save.
To set system-wide global shortcuts, open System Settings → Shortcuts → Global Shortcuts in KDE and select Amarok from the component list. If your keyboard has dedicated multimedia keys, you can enable them here too.
Download Amarok Shortcuts PDF
Get the complete list of Amarok keyboard and global shortcuts as a printable one-page cheat sheet:
Download the Amarok Shortcuts PDF →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the play/pause shortcut in Amarok?
Inside the Amarok window, press Space. To play or pause from anywhere on your KDE desktop, use the Media Play key.
What does the Meta key mean in Amarok shortcuts?
Meta is KDE’s name for the Super key, which on most keyboards is the Windows key. Amarok’s global shortcuts use Meta because it rarely conflicts with other apps.
How do I reset Amarok shortcuts to default?
Go to Settings → Configure Shortcuts… and click Reset to Defaults, then OK. This restores every in-app binding.
Does Amarok work on Windows or macOS?
There are community Windows and macOS builds, but the KDE team officially supports Amarok on Linux and BSD only. Shortcuts may behave differently outside Linux.
Is Amarok still maintained?
Amarok is a long-standing KDE project. Active development has slowed considerably, and many former users have moved to Clementine or Strawberry, but Amarok still installs and runs on current Linux distributions.
Why don’t my Amarok shortcuts match this list?
The keys here are Amarok 2.8 defaults. If yours differ, they were likely customized previously, or your distribution shipped a modified config reset them via Configure Shortcuts → Reset to Defaults.
Can I change the seek duration?
Yes. The 2-, 10-, and 60-second seek intervals are configurable in the amarokrc configuration file.
Conclusion
Amarok’s shortcuts split cleanly into two groups: in-app keys like Space (play/pause) and Ctrl + J (search playlist), and KDE global keys like Meta + P and the media keys that work across your whole desktop. Learn the dozen you’ll use most, customize the rest through Configure Shortcuts, and keep the PDF nearby until they’re muscle memory.
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