The Best Time-Saving Premiere Pro Keyboard Shortcuts (80+ Hot Keys)

Premiere Pro 18/06/2021 5 min read

If you work with video editing, then learning about Adobe Premiere keyboard shortcuts is nothing short of a necessity. Taking the time to learn all of these different commands will help you work faster and become a more productive editor.

In this article, you will find a video with tips on how to use keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow, and a compressive list of Adobe Premiere keyboard shortcuts. We even made an easy reference infographic guide just for you. You’ll be editing like a true professional in no time!

Part 1: The Most Useful Premiere Pro Keyboard Shortcuts

Before we learn about all of the default and customizable keyboard shortcuts options, let’s go through the most useful ones first. Think of this as your quick cheat sheet for your most common tasks.

ResultsWindowsMac OS
New Project   Ctrl+Alt+NOpt+Cmd+N
New SequenceCtrl+NCmd+N
Import MediaCtrl+ICmd+I
Export MediaCtrl+MCmd+M
SaveCtrl+SCmd+S
Save AsCtrl+Shift+SCmd+Shift+S
Play/StopSpaceSpace
Shuttle LeftJJ
Shuttle RightKK
Render Effects in Work AreaEnterReturn
Selection ToolVV
Razor ToolCC
Ripple Edit ToolBB
Ripple Trim PreviousQQ
Ripple Trim NextWW
Ripple DeleteShift+DelShift+Del
Extend Selected Edit to PlayheadEE
Speed/DurationCtrl+RCmd+R
Zoom In==
Zoom Out
UndoCtrl+ZCmd+Z
RedoCtrl+Shift+ZShift+Cmd+Z
CopyCtrl+CCmd+C
CutCtrl+XCmd+X
PasteCtrl+VCmd+V
Insert,,
Overwrite..

Bonus: Premiere Pro Keyboard Shortcut Infographic Cheat Sheet

We created a very useful infographic for you! Feel free to share this handy quick reference guide to Premiere Pro shortcuts on your website.

With the most widely-used Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts under your belt, let’s dive in a bit deeper into an overview of the default options.

Part 2: The Main Default Premiere Pro Keyboard Shortcuts

In Adobe Premiere, there are two types of keyboard shortcuts:

  • Application shortcuts: Application shortcuts work throughout the application even without a specific panel in focus.
  • Panel shortcuts: Panel shortcuts will only work if you’re using that specific panel.

Note: In some cases, the same keys can be used for different commands in each of these categories (although this depends on your shortcut settings). For instance, the C key within the overall application is devoted to the Razor tool. But when focused on the specific “Titler” panel, it toggles to the Vertical Type tool instead — sophisticated, right?

On top of that, Adobe Premiere shortcuts can be further broken down into different segments. Understanding these types will make it should make it easier to learn. We’ll take a closer look at each of these in the next section.

  • Command Shortcuts: Perform tasks such as starting, closing, and saving projects.
  • Clipboard Shortcuts: Basic and advanced copy/paste commands.
  • Tool Shortcuts: Action tasks related to Premiere Pro tools.
  • Navigation Shortcuts: Helpful for reviewing your video projects.

Pro Tip: Tools and Navigation shortcuts will be the same for both PC and Mac users.

1. Command Shortcuts

The easiest way to think of command shortcuts is this: they’re related to the File menu options (the list below the title bar of the Window). Instead of having to click and scroll through the File dropdown, you can quickly press a couple of keys, and away you go! By using these existing shortcuts, think about how much easier it will be to get started on a new project to save, import, and more!

ResultsWindowsMac OS
New Project/ProductionCtrl+Alt+NOpt+Cmd+N
New SequenceCtrl+NCmd+N
New BinCtrl+B Cmd+B
TitleCtrl+TCmd+T
Open Project/ProductionCtrl+OCmd+O
Browse in Adobe BridgeCtrl+Alt+OOpt+Cmd+O
Close ProjectCtrl+Shift+WShift+Cmd+W
CloseCtrl+WCmd+W
SaveCtrl+SCmd+S
Save AsCtrl+Shift+SShift+Cmd+S
Save a CopyCtrl+Alt+SOpt+Cmd+S
Import from Media BrowserCtrl+Alt+IOpt+Cmd+I
Import MediaCtrl+ICmd+I
Export MediaCtrl+MCmd+M
Get Properties for SelectionCtrl+Shift+HShift+Cmd+H
Exit/Quit Premiere ProCtrl+QCmd+Q

2. Clipboard Shortcuts

Need to make a bulk change or copy something throughout your project? Well, these shortcuts will be your best friend to get the job done. Essentially, clipboard shortcuts make editing a little easier and are very similar to the functions on a word document. Fortunately, most of these are pretty straightforward, so let’s get to it.

ResultsWindowsMac OS
UndoCtrl+ZCmd+Z
RedoCtrl+Shift+ZShift+Cmd+Z
CutCtrl+XCmd+X
CopyCtrl+CCmd+C
PasteCtrl+VCmd+V
Paste InsertCtrl+Shift+VShift+Cmd+V
Paste AttributesCtrl+Alt+VOpt+Cmd+V
ClearDeleteForward Delete
Clear In & OutCtrl+Shift+XOpt+X
Ripple DeleteShift+DeleteShift+Forward Delete
DuplicateCtrl+Shift+/Shift+Cmd+/
Select AllCtrl+ACmd+A
Deselect AllCtrl+Shift+AShift+Cmd+A
FindCtrl+FCmd+F
Edit OriginalCtrl+ECmd+E

Okay, so we said most of these were self-explanatory. In case you did a double-take on Paste Insert, Paste Attributes, or Ripple Delete, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. You might not have heard of these before, but here’s the low-down.

  • Paste Insert: Insert copied clips without overwriting others.
  • Paste Attributes: Insert effects from another clip to your selected destination.
  • Ripple Delete: Delete clips and keep the extra space and your sequence intact. You can also now fill that deleted clip with something else.

3. Tool Shortcuts

Now we’re at the video editing shortcuts that you will definitely want to commit to memory. All the tools you need to make top-notch videos are located below. And likely for you, these keys are the same for both PC and Mac users. To make sure you’ve got this down 100 percent, we have explained the function of each tool below.

ResultsWindowsMac OS
Selection ToolVV
Track Select Forward ToolAA
Track Select Backward ToolShift+AShift+A
Ripple Edit ToolBB
Rolling Edit ToolNN
Rate Stretch ToolRR
Razor ToolCC
Slip ToolYY
Slide ToolUU
Pen ToolPP
Hand ToolHH
Zoom ToolZZ
  • Selection Tool (V): Select specific points so you can perform basic trims. It is also great just for selecting a particular section of your video from the timeline.
  • Track Select Tool (A): Select the clips available within a single sequence, except for the ones available in locked tracks.
  • Ripple Edit Tool (B): This tool not only lets you trim a clip but also ripple the effect to all remaining clips. It resolves any gaps between edited clips like magic.
  • Rolling Edit Tool (N): This tool lets you edit clips by rolling their end point. You can move the end point backward or forward. The adjustment causes the next clip’s in point to move as well.
  • Rate Stretch Tool (R): This is used to change the speed of a specific clip while having it stay within its duration. It’s effective for creating faster or slower clips within a sequence.
  • Razor Tool(C): You’ll be using the razor tool a lot. Staying true to its name, it splits a clip from where you select it. As a result, you can create as many clips as you want from a single one.
  • Slip Tool (Y): Adjust the in and out points of a clip without affecting its duration. The in and out points are adjusted simultaneously for the same duration. The clip’s duration stays the same, however.
  • Slide Tool (U): Move a clip to the left or right. It also adjusts the other clips in its vicinity. While the target clip has its duration intact, the other clips are adjusted.
  • Pen Tool (P): The pen tool helps you add masks to your clips over any freeform shapes. For instance, you can use it to blur a part of the video or as part of your color corrected arsenal.
  • Hand Tool (H): The hand tool is a navigation tool that lets you drag your position on the video’s timeline.
  • Zoom Tool (Z): This one is pretty self-explanatory. It lets you zoom in and out on a Premiere Pro video.

4. Navigation Shortcuts

Navigation shortcuts let you review playback and allow you to move through a video. You’ll be using this one a lot too when reviewing your edits. And similarly to the tools shortcuts, they are the same for both Windows and Mac OS users.

ResultsWindowsMac OS
Play/Stop ToggleSpaceSpace
Step BackLeft (←)Left (←)
Step ForwardRight (→)Right (→)
Go to Next Edit PointDownDown
Go to Previous Edit PointUpUp
Mark In PointII
Mark Out PointOO
Clear In & To OutCtrl+Shift+XOpt+X
Go to In PointShift+IShift+I
Go to Out PointShift+OShift+O
Shuttle LeftJJ
StopKK
Shuttle RightLL
Snap (Turn On/Off)SS

Part 3: How to Add, Sync, and Delete Custom Shortcuts

Not only does Premiere Pro have default shortcuts, but it also allows you to add your own. This might come in handy if you are left-handed or just want to have more control over your preferred workflows. Either way, the option is there for you, and adding custom shortcuts is so easy that it has its own shortcut.

  • Windows: Ctrl+Alt+K
  • Mac: Cmd+Opt+K

You will then be presented with a virtual keyboard interface. This will give you the ability to add, change, sync, or delete shortcuts. The interface is simple to use, and comes with a drag and drop feature that’s fairly intuitive. We recommend taking a look at this and seeing what’s possible. You might find there are a few edits that will create more efficiencies for you. And that’s what shortcuts are all about!


With keyword shortcuts, you can improve your workflows in Premiere Pro dramatically. Another benefit is that you might find that editing becomes a bit more enjoyable. The more work you’re able to complete, the more money you can make, and the more videos you can produce. Basically, it’s a win-win! We hope you enjoyed this shortcut guide and are on your way become a video editing pro.

If you are looking for additional shortcuts, we have additional resources available for After Effects keyboard shortcuts, Final Cut Pro keyboard shortcuts and DaVinci Resolve keyboard shortcuts.