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Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide
Version 8.0.3
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Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide
(for Pro Tools SE on Mac and Windows)
For increased operational speed and ease of use, there are many Pro Tools® SE keyboard and Right-click shortcuts to give you fast
access to a wide variety of tasks. This guide lists a variety of keyboard shortcuts and Right-click shortcuts available in each window
of Pro Tools, and are grouped by functional area for your added convenience and quick reference.
Menu commands that have a keyboard shortcut display their keyboard shortcut on-screen,
to the right of the menu command.
Conventions Used in This Guide
Our guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands:
Convention Action
File > Save Session Choose Save Session from the File menu.
Command+N/Control+N Hold down the Command (Apple) key (Mac) or the Control (Ctrl) key (Windows) and
press the N key.
Option+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys Hold down the Option key and press the Plus (+) or Minus (–) key (on numeric keypad
Command-click (Mac Only) Hold down the Command key and click the mouse button.
Right-click Click with the right mouse button.
or QWERTY, as noted).
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide 1
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard Shortcuts in the Main Pro Tools Window
The following shortcuts can be used in the main Pro Tools window for the features noted.
Action Mac Windows
Fine Tune adjustment
• Plug-in parameter editing • fader movement • automation data trimming
Fine Tune (Fine Adjust mode) Command-click on applicable
fader/pot/breakpoint function (applicable functions bulleted above)
Multi-select
• Tracks • Regions
Select multiple contiguous items (tracks, regions) Click to select first item, then
Shift-click another to select all similar
items between (applicable items
bulleted above)
Ctrl-click on applicable
fader/pot/breakpoint function (applicable functions bulleted above)
Click to select first item, then
Shift-click another to select all similar
items between (applicable items
bulleted above)
Select multiple non-contiguous items (tracks, regions) Click to select first item, then Com-
mand-click another to select all similar
items between (applicable items
bulleted above)
Click to select first item, then Ctrl-click
another to select all similar items
between (applicable items
bulleted above)
Playback
Start/stop playback Spacebar Spacebar
Pause (pre-prime deck for instant playback and record) Control+Spacebar, or Option-click, on
Transport Play button
Center on selection start/end Left/Right Arrow keys (when selection
exceeds window view)
Loop playback toggle Command+Shift+L, or Control-click on
Transport Play button
Half-speed playback Shift+Spacebar Shift+Spacebar
Enter/Exit record during playback Command+Spacebar, F12, or click
Transport Record button
Start+Spacebar, or Alt-click on Transport Play button
Left/Right Arrow keys (when selection
exceeds window view)
Ctrl+Shift+L, or Start-click on Transport Play button
Command+Spacebar, F12, or click
Transport Record button
Record
Start record Command+Spacebar, F12, or 3 (on
numeric keypad)*
Ctrl+Spacebar, or F12, or 3 (on
numeric keypad)
Stop record Spacebar Spacebar
Loop record toggle Option+L Alt+L
*Some Pro Tools recording shortcuts use the same key commands as some Mac OS X shortcuts. If you want to retain use of these key
commands in Pro Tools, these Mac OS X shortcuts must be disabled. For more information, see the Avid Pro Tools SE User Guide.
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide2
Action Mac Windows
Transport Mode using Numeric Keypad
Play/Stop 0 0
Rewind 1 1
Fast Forward 2 2
Record 3 3
Loop Playback mode on/off 4 4
Loop Record mode on/off 5 5
Click on/off 7 7
Countoff on/off 8 8
Auditioning
Cue Transport to selection start/end Command+Left/Right Arrow keys Command+Left/Right Arrow keys
Edit Modes and Tools
Snap to Grid button on/off F4, or Option+4 (on QWERTY keyboard) F4, or Ctrl+4 (on QWERTY keyboard)
Zoomer tool F5, or Command+1 (on QWERTY key-
board)
Trimmer tool F6, or Command+2 (on QWERTY key-
board)
Selector tool F7, or Command+3 (on QWERTY key-
board)
Grabber tool F8, or Command+4 (on QWERTY key-
board)
Pencil tool F10, or Command+6 (on QWERTY key-
board, if Mac OS X Expose is disabled)
Cycle through Edit tools Escape (Esc) key Escape (Esc) key, or Center-click
Enable or disable Tab to Transients command Command+Option+Tab Ctrl+Alt+Tab
F5, or Ctrl+1 (on QWERTY keyboard)
F6, or Ctrl+2 (on QWERTY keyboard)
F7, or Ctrl+3 (on QWERTY keyboard)
F8, or Ctrl+4 (on QWERTY keyboard)
F10, or Ctrl+6 (on QWERTY keyboard)
Edit Selection, Definition, and Navigation
Locate cursor to next region-boundary Tab (if Tab to Transients button is dis-
abled)
Locate cursor to previous region boundary Option+Tab (if Tab to Transients button
is disabled)
Go to and select next region Control+Tab Start+Tab
Go to and select previous region Control+Option+Tab Start+Ctrl+Tab or Start+Ctrl
Tab (if Tab to Transients button is
enabled)
Ctrl+Tab (if Tab to Transients button is
enabled)
Go to end of session Option+Return Ctrl+Enter
Extend selection to Song Start Shift+Return Shift+Enter
Extend selection to end of session Option+Shift+Return Ctrl+Shift+Enter
Set selection start/end during playback Down/Up Arrow keys Down/Up Arrow keys
Select entire region in Edit window Double-click with Selector Double-click with Selector tool
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide 3
Action Mac Windows
Select entire track in Edit window Triple-click with Selector, or single-click
in track and press Command+A
Select all regions in all tracks in Edit window Return, then press Command+A Enter, then press Ctrl+A
Move the selection backward by the selection amount Command+Control+Option+L Ctrl+Alt+Start+L
Halve the length of the selection Command+Control+Option+Shift+L Ctrl+Alt+Start+Shift+L
Triple-click with Selector tool, or single-click in track and press Ctrl+A
Record enable tracks that contain the Edit cursor or Edit
selection
Solo tracks that contain the Edit cursor or Edit selectio Shift+S Shift+S
Mute tracks that contain the Edit cursor or Edit selection Shift+M Shift+M
Move the insertion to the beginning of the Edit selection Down arrow Up arrow
Move the insertion to the end of the Edit selection Down arrow Up arrow
Shift+R Shift+R
Editing, Nudging, and Trimming
• In the following shortcuts, the Plus/Minus (+/–) key usage is on the numeric keypad only.
Change Grid value Control+Option+Plus/Minus (+/–)
keys
Change Nudge value Command+Option+Plus/Minus (+/–)
keys
Nudge back by next Nudge value (Nudge Edit
selection and any regions entirely inside the Edit selection)
Nudge forward by next Nudge value (Nudge Edit
selection and any regions entirely inside the Edit selection)
Nudge start/end data to right/left by Nudge value
(keeps underlying audio and moves start/end)
Nudge data within current region to right/left by
Nudge value (keeps region start/end and moves underlying
audio)
Minus (–) key (on numeric keypad) Minus (–) key (on numeric keypad)
Plus (+) key (on numeric keypad) Plus (+) key (on numeric keypad)
Shift+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys Shift+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys
Control+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys Start+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys
Start+Alt+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys
Ctrl+Alt+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys
Nudge left selection boundary right/left by Nudge
value
Nudge right selection boundary right/left by Nudge
value
Trim left edge of region to right/left by Nudge value Option+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys Alt+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys
Trim right edge of region to right/left by Nudge value Command+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys Ctrl+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys
Reverse Trimmer tool direction when trimming region Option+Trimmer tool Alt+Trimmer tool
Trim up to, but not over, adjacent regions Hold down Control key while trimming Hold down Start key while trimming
Duplicate region(s) in Edit window Option-click selection and drag to des-
Delete selection Backspace or Delete (on QWERTY key-
Constrain audio region to vertical movement Control-click to move audio region with
Snap region start to stationary playhead or Edit selection
start
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide4
Option+Shift+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys Alt+Shift+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys
Command+Shift+Plus/Minus (+/–)
keys
tination
board)
Grabber tool
Control-click new region with Grabber
tool
Ctrl+Shift+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys
Alt-click selection and drag to destination
Backspace or Delete (on QWERTY keyboard)
Start-click to move audio region with
Grabber tool
Start-click new region with Grabber tool
Action Mac Windows
Snap region end to stationary playhead or Edit selection
start
Command-Control-click new region
with Grabber tool
Ctrl-Start-click new region with Grabber
tool
Zoom
Horizontal zoom in or out Command+ ] or [ Ctrl+ ] or [
Zoom to show entire session horizontally Command+Control+[ Ctrl+Start+[
File Menu Commands
• The following are shortcuts of commands found in the File Menu
New Session Command+N Ctrl+N
Open Session Command+O Ctrl+O
Open Recent Command+Shift+O Ctrl+Shift+O
Close session Command+Shift+W Ctrl+Shift+W
Save Session Command+S Ctrl+S
Export Audio Command+Option+B Ctrl+Alt+B
Import Audio Command+Shift+I Ctrl+Shift+I
Import MIDI Command+Option+l Ctrl+Alt+l
Import Movie Option+Shift+Command+I Alt+Shift+Ctrl+I
Print Score from Pro Tools Session Command+P Ctrl+P
Edit Menu Commands
• The following are shortcuts of commands found in the Edit Menu (some commands do not appear in the Edit Menu)
Undo Command+Z Ctrl+Z
Redo Command+Shift+Z Ctrl+Shift+Z
Cut Command+X Ctrl+X
Copy Command+C Ctrl+C
Paste Command+V Ctrl+V
Select All Command+A Ctrl+A
Paste Special to Current Automation Type Command+Control+V Ctrl+Start+V
Duplicate Selection Command+D Ctrl+D
Insert Silence Command+Shift+E Ctrl+Shift+E
Trim Region to Selection Command+T Ctrl+T
Trim Region Start to Insertion Option+Shift+7 Alt+Shift+7
Trim Region End to Insertion Option+Shift+8 Alt+Shift+8
Separate Region at Selection Command+E Ctrl+E
Heal Separation Command+H Ctrl+H
Combine selection Option+Shift+3 Alt+Shift+3
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide 5
Action Mac Windows
Marker Location and Markers
Create Marker Location Enter (on numeric keypad) Enter (on numeric keypad)
Delete Marker Location Option-click on a Memory Location
marker
Recall a Marker Location using the numeric keypad Period (.)+Memory Location num-
ber+Period (.)
Alt-click on a Memory Location marker
Period (.)+Memory Location number+Period (.)
Automation
Vertically constrain automation movement Press Shift and move automation with
Grabber tool
Write new breakpoint to next automation value Press and hold Option+Shift while writ-
ing a breakpoint (by clicking with the
Grabber tool in a track’s Automation
lane)
Write new breakpoint to previous automation value Press and hold Command+Option
while writing a breakpoint (by clicking
with the Grabber tool in a track’s Automation lane)
Delete* Backspace Backspace
Cut* Command+X Ctrl+X
Copy* Command+C Ctrl+C
Duplicate* Command+D Ctrl+D
Clear* Command+B Ctrl+B
Press Shift and move automation with
Grabber tool
Press and hold Alt+Shift while writing a
breakpoint (by clicking with the Grabber tool in a track’s Automation lane)
Press and hold Ctrl+Alt while writing a
breakpoint (by clicking with the Grabber tool in a track’s Automation lane)
*Hold Down Control during the shortcut to affect all Automation parameters on the track
Fades
Create Fades Command+F Ctrl+F
Track Menu Commands
• The following are shortcuts of commands found in the Track Menu
New Track Command+Shift+N Ctrl+Shift+N
Duplicate Tracks Option+Shift+D Alt+Shift+D
Region Commands
• The following are shortcuts for region operations
Mute/Unmute Regions Command+M Ctrl+M
Bring to Front Option+Shift+F Alt+Shift+F
Send to Back Option+Shift+B Alt+Shift+B
Quantize Region to Nearest Grid Command+0 (zero) Ctrl+0 (zero)
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide6
Action Mac Windows
Elastic Audio
• The following shortcuts apply to tracks in Elastic Time view
Relocate a Warp marker (without applying warping) With the Grabber or the Pencil tool,
Control-click and drag a Warp marker
to a new location
Delete a Warp marker Double-click a Warp marker, or with the
Grabber or the Pencil tool, Option-click
a Warp marker
Delete all Warp markers in a selection Press Delete or Backspace Press Delete or Backspace
With the Grabber or the Pencil tool,
Start-click and drag a Warp marker to a
new location
Double-click a Warp marker, or with the
Grabber or the Pencil tool, Alt-click a
Warp marker
Preferences Dialog
• The following shortcuts apply to the Preferences dialog
Go to Audio tab Command+1 Ctrl+1
Go to Control Surfaces tab Command+2 Ctrl+2
Go to Sessions tab Command+3 Ctrl+3
Window Menu Commands
• The following are shortcuts of commands found in the Window Menu
Open Loops Option+Semi-Colon (;) Alt+Semi-Colon (;)
Open MIDI Editor Option+Control+Equal (=) Alt+Start+Equal (=)
Mixing
• The following shortcuts apply to the Mixer section of each track
Reset a control to default value Option-click on control Alt-click on control
Clear peak or clip-hold from meter Click on indicator Click on indicator
Bypass effect Command-click on effect name Ctrl-click on effect name
Clear all Clip indicators Option+C Alt+C
Numeric Entry
• The following shortcuts apply to current Location Counter
Edit Current Location and Big Counters Asterisk (*) (on numeric keypad) Asterisk (*) (on numeric keypad)
Move sub-unit selection to the right Period (.) Period (.)
Move sub-unit selection to the left/right Left/Right Arrow keys Left/Right Arrow keys
Increment/decrement the current sub-unit Up/Down Arrow keys Up/Down Arrow keys
Apply entered numeric value Enter Enter
Clear entered numeric value and exit Time Entry
mode
Esc (Escape) key Esc (Escape) key
Tex t Entr y
• The following shortcuts apply to all dialogs containing text fields
Move down or up rows Tab or Shift+Tab Tab or Shift+Tab
Move to beginning or end of edit contents Up/Down Arrow keys Up/Down Arrow keys
Move single letters at a time across a name label Left/Right Arrow keys Left/Right Arrow keys
Select entire word Double-click on word Double-click on word
Select entire line Triple-click on a word in the line Triple-click on a word in the line
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide 7
Action Mac Windows
Miscellaneous
Quit Pro Tools Command+Q Alt+F4
Scroll Wheel Commands
• The following shortcuts apply to moving scrollbars on systems with a scroll wheel.
Scroll horizontally Shift+Scroll Wheel Shift+Scroll Wheel
Fine-tune scroll (Fine Adjust mode) Shift+Command+Scroll Wheel Shift+Ctrl+Scroll Wheel
Zoom in/out of timeline Option+Scroll Wheel in timeline Alt+Scroll Wheel in timeline
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide8
Loops Window Shortcuts
The following shortcuts are available in the Loops window.
Action Mac Windows
Auditioning
Start or stop loop audition Spacebar Spacebar
Delete or Duplicate
Delete selected loops from the Loops dialog/disk Delete Delete
Create duplicates of any selected Loops Command+D Ctrl+D
Mouse Click
Select contiguous items Shift-click Shift-click
Column Headers: Make a secondary sort order
Option-click Alt-click
– or –
Loops dialog Find button: Cancel a search, and closes the
Search pane
Loops window Up button: Open menu for navigating up several levels
Command-click Ctrl-click
Drag and Drop
From one folder to another folder on the same volume, create a copy of that item in the target location
Import loop to Timeline and create a new track Shift-drag and drop Shift-drag and drop
Option-drag and drop Alt-drag and drop
Navigation
Selection up Up Arrow key Up Arrow key
Selection down Down Arrow key Down Arrow key
Scroll Page up Page Up Page Up
Scroll Page down Page Down Page Down
Scroll to top of browser Home Home
Scroll to bottom of browser End End
Up one browser level (same as Up arrow icon) Command+Up Arrow key Ctrl+Up Arrow key
Enter/exit Name Edit field Enter or Return Enter
Revert to original text Escape (Esc) key Escape (Esc) key
Open/close Search pane Command+F Ctrl+F
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide 9
Right-Click Shortcuts
The following Right-click shortcuts apply to both Mac and Windows systems equipped with a two-button mouse. Right-clicking
on the noted features allow you to perform commands and access menus (if applicable).
Feature Shor tcut
Edit Window
Region, region selection, or point in
region
(Waveform Track view)
Region, region selection, or point in
region
(Warp Track view)
•Cut
•Copy
•Paste
• Select loop Record Take
• Duplicate
• Rename
• Separate
• Combine
• Conform to Tempo
• Snap to Next
• Snap to Previous
• Snap to Grid
• Transpose
• Export as loop
• Learn About
• Remove Warp
• Remove Transpose
• Transpose
• Learn About
MIDI Editor Window
Midi Editor window • Cut
•Copy
•Paste
• Duplicate
• Separate
• Combine
• Snap to Grid
• Transpose
• Learn About
Pro Tools SE Shortcuts Guide10
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