FL Studio Shortcuts: Complete List for Windows & Mac (2026)
FL Studio (also known as Fruity Loops or FruityLoops) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Belgian company Image-Line, used by some of the world’s top music producers including Metro Boomin, Southside, and Lex Luger.
If you produce music in FL Studio, keyboard shortcuts are the single fastest way to improve your workflow. Research shows that using keyboard shortcuts regularly can save professionals up to 17 full workdays per year compared to mouse-only navigation and in a creative environment like FL Studio, staying in flow matters even more.
This guide covers 150+ FL Studio keyboard shortcuts for both Windows and Mac, organized by section:
- 🎹 Piano Roll shortcuts
- 🎚️ Mixer shortcuts
- 🎼 Playlist shortcuts
- 🥁 Channel Rack shortcuts
- 📁 File & export shortcuts
- 🖥️ Window navigation shortcuts
- 🔊 Playback & recording shortcuts
- And more including a free PDF cheat sheet download
On Mac? Every CTRL shortcut becomes CMD, and every ALT shortcut becomes OPT. A full Mac vs Windows comparison table is included below.
Which version? Shortcuts are verified for FL Studio 2025.2.5 (the latest stable release as of March 2026). The vast majority also apply to FL Studio 20 and FL Studio 21 version differences are noted where relevant.
The 10 Most Important FL Studio Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Spacebar | Start / Stop playback |
| CTRL + Z | Undo |
| CTRL + S | Save project |
| CTRL + R | Export WAV file |
| F7 | Open / close Piano Roll |
| F9 | Open / close Mixer |
| F5 | Open / close Playlist |
| F6 | Open / close Channel Rack |
| CTRL + N | Save new version |
| R | Toggle recording on / off |
Bookmark this page or download the free PDF below to keep these shortcuts handy.
File Operations Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open file | Ctrl + O | CMD + O |
| Save file | Ctrl + S | CMD + S |
| Save new version | Ctrl + N | CMD + N |
| Save as | Ctrl + Shift + S | CMD + Shift + S |
| Export WAV file | Ctrl + R | CMD + R |
| Export MP3 file | Ctrl + Shift + R | CMD + Shift + R |
| Export MIDI file | Ctrl + Shift + M | CMD + Shift + M |
| Open recent files (0–9) | Alt + 0…9 | OPT + 0…9 |
| Smart find | Ctrl + F | CMD + F |
Window Navigation Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Playlist | F5 | F5 |
| Toggle Step Sequencer / Channel Rack | F6 | F6 |
| Toggle Piano Roll | F7 | F7 |
| Show / hide Sample Browser | F8 | F8 |
| Show / hide Mixer | F9 | F9 |
| Show / hide MIDI settings | F10 | F10 |
| Show / hide Song Info window | F11 | F11 |
| Close all windows | F12 | F12 |
| Close all unfocused windows | Ctrl + F12 | CMD + F12 |
| Align all channel editors | Shift + F12 | Shift + F12 |
| Open Plugin Picker | Ctrl + F8 | CMD + F8 |
| Open Project Picker | Ctrl + Alt + F8 | CMD + OPT + F8 |
| Plugin database | Shift + F8 | Shift + F8 |
| Toggle max / min Playlist | Enter | Enter |
| Close active window | Esc | Esc |
| Help | F1 | F1 |
| Cycle through open windows | Tab | Tab |
| Arrange windows Realign | Ctrl + Shift + H | CMD + Shift + H |
Browser & Sample Browser Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open Sample Browser | Alt + F8 | OPT + F8 |
| Search in current folder | Shift + F | Shift + F |
| Browse search results forward | F3 | F3 |
| Browse search results backward | F2 | F2 |
| Navigate back through browsing history | Backspace | Backspace |
| Collapse all open folders | Ctrl + Up Arrow | CMD + Up Arrow |
| Preview / load selected sample | Enter | Enter |
| Navigate folders & samples | Up / Down Arrow | Up / Down Arrow |
| Open selected folder | Right Arrow | Right Arrow |
| Replace all instances of a sample in Playlist | Ctrl + Left Click | CMD + Left Click |
Playlist Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Paint tool | B | B |
| Slice tool | C | C |
| Delete tool | D | D |
| Select tool | E | E |
| Pencil tool | P | P |
| Slip edit tool | S | S |
| Mute tool | T | T |
| Playback tool | Y | Y |
| Zoom tool | Z | Z |
| Bypass snap | Alt | OPT |
| Select all | Ctrl + A | CMD + A |
| Duplicate selection | Ctrl + B | CMD + B |
| Copy selection | Ctrl + C | CMD + C |
| Paste selection | Ctrl + V | CMD + V |
| Cut selection | Ctrl + X | CMD + X |
| Deselect selection | Ctrl + D | CMD + D |
| Toggle Performance mode | Ctrl + P | CMD + P |
| Group selected clips | Shift + G | Shift + G |
| Ungroup selection | Alt + G | OPT + G |
| Invert selection | Shift + I | Shift + I |
| Open the Piano Roll | Alt + P | OPT + P |
| Add time marker | Alt + T | OPT + T |
| Jump to next song marker | Alt + * | OPT + * |
| Jump to previous song marker | Alt + / | OPT + / |
| Quick quantize clip start times | Shift + Q | Shift + Q |
| Move selection left | Shift + Left Arrow | Shift + Left Arrow |
| Move selection right | Shift + Right Arrow | Shift + Right Arrow |
| Move selection up | Shift + Up Arrow | Shift + Up Arrow |
| Move selection down | Shift + Down Arrow | Shift + Down Arrow |
| Center Playlist to playhead | Shift + 0 | Shift + 0 |
| Horizontal zoom level 1 | Shift + 1 | Shift + 1 |
| Horizontal zoom level 2 | Shift + 2 | Shift + 2 |
| Horizontal zoom level 3 | Shift + 3 | Shift + 3 |
| Horizontal zoom – show all | Shift + 4 | Shift + 4 |
| Zoom to selection | Shift + 5 | Shift + 5 |
| Fit Performance Zone to Playlist | Shift + 6 | Shift + 6 |
| Select time around selection | Ctrl + Enter | CMD + Enter |
| Select time before selection (equal length) | Ctrl + Left Arrow | CMD + Left Arrow |
| Select time after selection (equal length) | Ctrl + Right Arrow | CMD + Right Arrow |
| Grid color | Ctrl + Alt + G | CMD + OPT + G |
| Toggle resizing from left | Ctrl + Alt + Home | CMD + OPT + Home |
Channel Rack Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Mute / unmute channels 1–10 | 0…9 | 0…9 |
| Solo / unsolo channels 1–10 | Ctrl + 0…9 | CMD + 0…9 |
| Select previous channel | Up Arrow | Up Arrow |
| Select next channel | Down Arrow | Down Arrow |
| Move selected channels up | Shift + Up Arrow | Shift + Up Arrow |
| Move selected channels down | Shift + Down Arrow | Shift + Down Arrow |
| Next channel group | Page Up | Page Up |
| Previous channel group | Page Down | Page Down |
| Group selected channels | Alt + G | OPT + G |
| Zip selected channels | Alt + Z | OPT + Z |
| Unzip selected channels | Alt + U | OPT + U |
| Copy channel steps | Ctrl + C | CMD + C |
| Paste channel steps | Ctrl + V | CMD + V |
| Cut channel steps | Ctrl + X | CMD + X |
| Delete selected channels | Alt + Delete | OPT + Delete |
| Clone channels | Ctrl + Shift + C | CMD + Shift + C |
| Shift steps left | Shift + Left Arrow | Shift + Left Arrow |
| Shift steps right | Shift + Right Arrow | Shift + Right Arrow |
| Randomize | Alt + R | OPT + R |
| Send to Piano Roll | Alt + P | OPT + P |
| Show Keyboard Editor | K | K |
| Show Graph Editor | G | G |
| Restretch all channels | Ctrl + Alt + R | CMD + OPT + R |
Piano Roll Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Arpeggiator | Alt + A | OPT + A |
| View note helpers | Alt + B | OPT + B |
| Change color of selected notes | Alt + C | OPT + C |
| Riff machine | Alt + E | OPT + E |
| Flam | Alt + F | OPT + F |
| Ungroup selected notes | Alt + G | OPT + G |
| Open Limit tool | Alt + K | OPT + K |
| Open Articulate tool | Alt + L | OPT + L |
| Switch waveform helper view | Alt + N | OPT + N |
| Open LFO tool (Event Editor) | Alt + O | OPT + O |
| Quantize | Alt + Q | OPT + Q |
| Open Randomize tool | Alt + R | OPT + R |
| Open Strum tool | Alt + S | OPT + S |
| Glue selected notes | Alt + G | OPT + G |
| Open Chop tool | Alt + U | OPT + U |
| Toggle ghost channels | Alt + V | OPT + V |
| Open Claw Machine tool | Alt + W | OPT + W |
| Open Scale Levels tool | Alt + X | OPT + X |
| Open Score Flipper tool | Alt + Y | OPT + Y |
| Glue selected and touching notes | Ctrl + G | CMD + G |
| Insert current controller value | Ctrl + I | CMD + I |
| Quick legato | Ctrl + L | CMD + L |
| Import MIDI file | Ctrl + M | CMD + M |
| Quick quantize | Ctrl + Q | CMD + Q |
| Quick chop | Ctrl + U | CMD + U |
| Select all notes | Ctrl + A | CMD + A |
| Copy notes | Ctrl + C | CMD + C |
| Paste notes | Ctrl + V | CMD + V |
| Cut notes | Ctrl + X | CMD + X |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | CMD + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y | CMD + Y |
| Zoom in (horizontal) | Ctrl + Scroll Up | CMD + Scroll Up |
| Zoom out (horizontal) | Ctrl + Scroll Down | CMD + Scroll Down |
Playback, Recording & Transport Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Start / stop playback | Spacebar | Spacebar |
| Start / pause playback (in place) | Ctrl + Spacebar | CMD + Spacebar |
| Stop sound immediately | Ctrl + H | CMD + H |
| Toggle recording | R | R |
| Switch Pattern / Song mode | L | L |
| Fast forward | 0 (numpad) | 0 (numpad) |
| Previous bar | / (numpad) | / (numpad) |
| Jump 4 bars back | Ctrl + / | CMD + / |
| Next bar | * (numpad) | * (numpad) |
| Jump 4 bars forward | Ctrl + * | CMD + * |
| Toggle Step Edit mode | Ctrl + E | CMD + E |
| Toggle metronome | Ctrl + M | CMD + M |
| Toggle recording metronome precount | Ctrl + P | CMD + P |
| Toggle wait for input before recording | Ctrl + I | CMD + I |
| Toggle blend notes | Ctrl + B | CMD + B |
| Toggle typing keypad to piano keypad | Ctrl + T | CMD + T |
| Toggle line / none snap | Backspace | Backspace |
Pattern Selector Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Select patterns 1–9 | 1…9 | 1…9 |
| Next pattern | + | + |
| Previous pattern | – | – |
| Next empty pattern | F4 | F4 |
Mixer Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Move selected mixer track left | Alt + Left Arrow | OPT + Left Arrow |
| Move selected mixer track right | Alt + Right Arrow | OPT + Right Arrow |
| Select channels linked to selected track | Alt + L | OPT + L |
| Link selected channels to selected track | Ctrl + L | CMD + L |
| Link selected channels from selected track | Ctrl + Shift + L | CMD + Shift + L |
| Rename selected mixer track | F2 | F2 |
| Solo current track | S | S |
| Render armed tracks to WAV | Alt + R | OPT + R |
Frequently Asked Questions About FL Studio Shortcuts
What is the shortcut to open the Piano Roll in FL Studio?
Press F7 to open and close the Piano Roll in FL Studio on both Windows and Mac. The Piano Roll is FL Studio’s note editor and is widely regarded as the most powerful piano roll of any DAW. You can also open it from the Channel Rack by pressing Alt + P (Windows) or OPT + P (Mac).
How do I undo in FL Studio?
Press Ctrl + Z (Windows) or CMD + Z (Mac) to undo your last action. To step back through your full edit history one action at a time, press Ctrl + Alt + Z (Windows) or CMD + OPT + Z (Mac). You can view your complete undo history in the Project Browser under the History folder.
What is the shortcut to save in FL Studio?
Press Ctrl + S (Windows) or CMD + S (Mac) to save your project. To save a new version without overwriting your current file, press Ctrl + N (Windows) or CMD + N (Mac). To save as a new file with a different name, press Ctrl + Shift + S (Windows) or CMD + Shift + S (Mac).
Are FL Studio shortcuts different on Mac?
Yes, slightly. On Mac, every Ctrl shortcut becomes CMD, and every Alt shortcut becomes OPT. The Shift key and all function keys (F1–F12) remain the same on both platforms. For example, Ctrl + S on Windows becomes CMD + S on Mac. All shortcuts in this guide include both Windows and Mac versions.
What is the shortcut to start and stop playback in FL Studio?
Press Spacebar to start and stop playback in FL Studio on both Windows and Mac. To pause playback and keep the playhead in place (rather than returning to the start), press Ctrl + Spacebar (Windows) or CMD + Spacebar (Mac).
How do I export audio in FL Studio?
Press Ctrl + R (Windows) or CMD + R (Mac) to export your project as a WAV file. To export as an MP3, press Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or CMD + Shift + R (Mac). To export as a MIDI file, press Ctrl + Shift + M (Windows) or CMD + Shift + M (Mac).
What is the full screen shortcut in FL Studio?
Press Enter to toggle the Playlist between maximized and normal size. The same shortcut also maximizes the Mixer when it is the active window. There is no single true full-screen mode in FL Studio, but maximizing the Playlist gives the most screen real estate for arrangement work.
Does FL Studio 20 use different shortcuts than FL Studio 21?
The core shortcuts are identical between FL Studio 20, FL Studio 21, and FL Studio 2025. A small number of new shortcuts were added in later versions (primarily for new tools and features), but no existing shortcuts were removed or changed. All shortcuts in this guide apply to FL Studio 20, 21, and 2025.
Can I download FL Studio shortcuts as a PDF?
Yes. A free FL Studio shortcuts PDF cheat sheet is available for download on this page. It includes all 150+ shortcuts organized by category for Windows and Mac, formatted for printing or keeping open on a second screen while you produce.
Can I customize keyboard shortcuts in FL Studio?
Yes. Go to Options → Keyboard shortcuts in the main FL Studio menu to reassign any shortcut to a different key combination. This is useful if you are switching from another DAW and want to match familiar key bindings.
Final Thoughts: Master FL Studio Shortcuts One Section at a Time
Learning all 150+ FL Studio shortcuts at once is not the goal and not realistic. The producers who work fastest in FL Studio did not memorize every shortcut in a single session. They built the habit one workflow at a time.
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