Modo Keyboard Shortcuts: Complete List for Windows & Mac

TL;DR:

• Modo is a 3D modeling, sculpting, painting, and animation application developed by Foundry.
• The most-used shortcuts are Move (W), Rotate (E), Scale (R), Bevel (B), and Extrude (Shift+X).
• Modo supports 260+ customizable keyboard shortcuts across modeling, navigation, sculpting, animation, and rendering all editable via the Input Editor.
• This list is verified against Modo 17.1. On Mac, replace Ctrl with Cmd. Free PDF below.

Modo keyboard shortcuts map common commands to single key presses, cutting clicks and speeding up everything from modeling and sculpting to rigging, animation, and rendering. Modo, developed by Foundry, is used across the film, games, and product-design industries, and almost every command in it can be triggered or remapped from the keyboard.

This is the complete, category-by-category list for Windows and Mac, verified against Foundry’s official documentation. Further down you’ll find how to assign your own custom shortcuts, a Windows-vs-Mac note, an FAQ, and a downloadable PDF cheat sheet.

What Is Modo?

Modo is a 3D content-creation application for polygon and subdivision-surface modeling, sculpting, 3D painting, and animation, developed by Foundry. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Because any command in Modo can be mapped to a key via the Input Editor, the shortcuts below are the defaults yours may differ if you’ve customized them.

Windows vs Mac: The One Rule to Remember

On most shortcuts, the only difference between platforms is the modifier key:

On Mac laptops with a limited keyboard, replace Ctrl with Cmd. A handful of viewport “Bottom/Back/Left” views use Windows key + number on Windows and Shift + number on Mac (noted in the table).

Most-Used Modo Shortcuts

General / System Shortcuts

Navigation Shortcuts (Viewport)

3D Viewport Options Shortcuts

Enter values on the numeric keypad and move the pointer over the target viewport to select.

Floating Windows Shortcuts

General Modeling Shortcuts

Tools Shortcuts

Transform

Deform

Duplicate

Mesh Edit

Curves & Vertex Tools

Modeling Selection Shortcuts

Action Center / Axis Shortcuts

Work Plane Shortcuts

Snapping Shortcuts

Hide / Lock Geometry Shortcuts

Pie Menus Shortcuts

Paint & Sculpt Shortcuts

Camera Shortcuts

Animation Shortcuts

Selection & Hierarchy

Timeline (must be in Items selection mode)

Setting Keyframes

Graph Editor

Render Shortcuts

Download Modo Shortcuts PDF

Want an offline copy? Download the Modo Shortcuts PDF cheat sheet and keep it next to your keyboard, or print the one-page version for your studio wall.

How to Assign a Custom Keyboard Shortcut in Modo

Almost every command in Modo can be mapped to a key. The fastest method uses the Command History:

1. Perform the command once from the Modo interface (menu, button, or tool).
2. Open the Command History viewport (lower-right of the interface, or press F5).
3. Find the command at the bottom of the list, right-click it, and choose Map Command to Key.
4. Press the key combination you want to assign, then confirm.

For scripts or tools that aren’t in the default interface, use the Input Editor instead: go to System → Input Editor, find or add the command, and assign your key. Invalid commands appear in red right-click and choose Edit Command to fix them.

How to Reset or Clear a Modo Shortcut

To remove a mapping, open the Input Editor (System → Input Editor), right-click the shortcut, and choose Clear Mapping (removes the command) or Clear Key (removes the key). To restore Modo’s defaults entirely, reset your configuration from System → Preferences, or delete your custom config file so Modo regenerates the default one on restart.

Modo Shortcuts FAQ

What is the Move shortcut in Modo?

Press W to activate the Move tool. E activates Rotate and R activates Scale.

How do I create a custom shortcut in Modo?

Perform the command, open the Command History viewport (F5), right-click the command, and choose Map Command to Key. Or use System → Input Editor for scripts and hidden commands.

Do Modo shortcuts work the same on Mac?

Mostly yes. Replace Ctrl with Cmd and Alt with Option. A few viewport views (Bottom/Back/Left) use Windows key + number on Windows but Shift + number on Mac.

How do I reset Modo shortcuts to default?

Use the Input Editor to clear individual mappings, or reset your Modo configuration file from System → Preferences to restore all defaults.

What Modo version are these shortcuts for?

This list is verified against Modo 17.1. Defaults are stable across recent versions, but if you’ve customized your config, your keys may differ.

Why doesn’t my shortcut work?

Many shortcuts are context-sensitive. For example, S triggers Edge Slide in component mode but keys a channel in Item mode, and several timeline shortcuts only work in Items selection mode. Check which mode and viewport you’re in.

Final thoughts

Mastering even a handful of these Modo shortcuts Move (W), Rotate (E), Scale (R), Bevel (B), and Extrude (Shift+X) will noticeably speed up your modeling and free you from hunting through menus. Bookmark this page or download the PDF cheat sheet so the full list is always one glance away, and remember that nothing here is fixed: through Modo’s Input Editor you can remap any command to the keys that fit your own workflow. As you build muscle memory, the shortcuts you reach for most will start to feel automatic, and that’s when your real speed gains kick in.

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