Producer tool

Music production shortcuts.

Searchable keyboard shortcuts for Ableton Live and FL Studio. Switch between DAW and operating system (macOS / Windows) at the top. Your choice is remembered for next visit.

DAW

Verified for Ableton Live 11 and 12. Showing 70 shortcuts.

Transport

Play / StopSpace
Continue playback from stop point⇧+Space
Record (arrangement)F9
Back to arrangementF10
Toggle metronomeO
Capture MIDI⌘+⇧+C

Views

Toggle Session / Arrangement viewTab
Toggle Detail (Clip / Device) view⇧+Tab
Toggle full-screen mode⌘+F
Toggle second window⌘+⇧+W
Hide / show Browser⌘+⌥+B
Hide / show Mixer⌘+⌥+M
Hide / show Plug-in window⌘+⌥+P

Editing

Undo⌘+Z
Redo⌘+⇧+Z
Cut⌘+X
Copy⌘+C
Paste⌘+V
Duplicate selection⌘+D
Duplicate time (Arrangement)⌘+⇧+D
Cut time (Arrangement)⌘+⇧+X
Paste time (Arrangement)⌘+⇧+V
Split clip at insert marker⌘+E
Consolidate selection into clip⌘+J
Crop selected clip(s)⌘+⇧+J
Insert silence⌘+I
Loop selection / toggle Loop brace⌘+L
Rename selected item⌘+R
Select all⌘+A

Tracks

Insert audio track⌘+T
Insert MIDI track⌘+⇧+T
Insert return track⌘+⌥+T
Group selected tracks⌘+G
Ungroup tracks⌘+⇧+G
Fold / unfold selected tracksU
Solo selected trackS
Arm track for recordingC
Deactivate selected track0
Bounce selection to new track⌘+B

Clips & MIDI

Activate / deactivate selected clip or device0
Create empty MIDI clip⌘+⇧+M
Quantize selection⌘+U
Quantize settings⌘+⇧+U
Toggle draw mode (pencil)B
Toggle automation modeA
Highlight scale (MIDI editor)K
Invert note selection (MIDI editor)⌘+⇧+A
Reverse audio clip selectionR

Grid

Narrow grid⌘+1
Widen grid⌘+2
Triplet grid⌘+3
Snap to grid on / off⌘+4
Bypass snapping while draggingCmd (hold)

Browser

Search browser⌘+F
Hot-swap selected deviceQ
Load selected itemEnter
Preview selected file⇧+Enter

Zoom

Zoom to selectionZ
Zoom back from selectionX
Zoom in / out time ruler+ / -
Optimize Arrangement widthW
Optimize Arrangement heightH

Mapping

Toggle MIDI Map mode⌘+M
Toggle Key Map mode⌘+K

File

New Live set⌘+N
Open Live set⌘+O
Save⌘+S
Save As⌘+⇧+S
Export audio / video⌘+⇧+R
Open Settings⌘+,

How to use

Pick your DAW (Ableton or FL Studio) using the toggle at the top.
Pick your operating system (macOS shows ⌘ ⌥ ⇧ glyphs, Windows shows literal Ctrl / Alt / Shift).
Type in the search field to filter — works on both descriptions ("save") and key combos ("Cmd+S").

🔒 100% browser-side. Your DAW and OS choice is stored locally so you don't have to set it again.

Ableton Live keyboard shortcuts

Transport

Play / Stop — Mac: Space · Windows: Space
Continue playback from stop point — Mac: Shift+Space · Windows: Shift+Space
Record (arrangement) — Mac: F9 · Windows: F9
Back to arrangement — Mac: F10 · Windows: F10
Toggle metronome — Mac: O · Windows: O
Capture MIDI — Mac: Cmd+Shift+C · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+C

Views

Toggle Session / Arrangement view — Mac: Tab · Windows: Tab
Toggle Detail (Clip / Device) view — Mac: Shift+Tab · Windows: Shift+Tab
Toggle full-screen mode — Mac: Cmd+F · Windows: F11
Toggle second window — Mac: Cmd+Shift+W · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+W
Hide / show Browser — Mac: Cmd+Opt+B · Windows: Ctrl+Alt+B
Hide / show Mixer — Mac: Cmd+Opt+M · Windows: Ctrl+Alt+M
Hide / show Plug-in window — Mac: Cmd+Opt+P · Windows: Ctrl+Alt+P

Editing

Undo — Mac: Cmd+Z · Windows: Ctrl+Z
Redo — Mac: Cmd+Shift+Z · Windows: Ctrl+Y
Cut — Mac: Cmd+X · Windows: Ctrl+X
Copy — Mac: Cmd+C · Windows: Ctrl+C
Paste — Mac: Cmd+V · Windows: Ctrl+V
Duplicate selection — Mac: Cmd+D · Windows: Ctrl+D
Duplicate time (Arrangement) — Mac: Cmd+Shift+D · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+D
Cut time (Arrangement) — Mac: Cmd+Shift+X · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+X
Paste time (Arrangement) — Mac: Cmd+Shift+V · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+V
Split clip at insert marker — Mac: Cmd+E · Windows: Ctrl+E
Consolidate selection into clip — Mac: Cmd+J · Windows: Ctrl+J
Crop selected clip(s) — Mac: Cmd+Shift+J · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+J
Insert silence — Mac: Cmd+I · Windows: Ctrl+I
Loop selection / toggle Loop brace — Mac: Cmd+L · Windows: Ctrl+L
Rename selected item — Mac: Cmd+R · Windows: Ctrl+R
Select all — Mac: Cmd+A · Windows: Ctrl+A

Tracks

Insert audio track — Mac: Cmd+T · Windows: Ctrl+T
Insert MIDI track — Mac: Cmd+Shift+T · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+T
Insert return track — Mac: Cmd+Opt+T · Windows: Ctrl+Alt+T
Group selected tracks — Mac: Cmd+G · Windows: Ctrl+G
Ungroup tracks — Mac: Cmd+Shift+G · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+G
Fold / unfold selected tracks — Mac: U · Windows: U
Solo selected track — Mac: S · Windows: S
Arm track for recording — Mac: C · Windows: C
Deactivate selected track — Mac: 0 · Windows: 0
Bounce selection to new track — Mac: Cmd+B · Windows: Ctrl+B

Clips & MIDI

Activate / deactivate selected clip or device — Mac: 0 · Windows: 0
Create empty MIDI clip — Mac: Cmd+Shift+M · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+M
Quantize selection — Mac: Cmd+U · Windows: Ctrl+U
Quantize settings — Mac: Cmd+Shift+U · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+U
Toggle draw mode (pencil) — Mac: B · Windows: B
Toggle automation mode — Mac: A · Windows: A
Highlight scale (MIDI editor) — Mac: K · Windows: K
Invert note selection (MIDI editor) — Mac: Cmd+Shift+A · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+A
Reverse audio clip selection — Mac: R · Windows: R

Grid

Narrow grid — Mac: Cmd+1 · Windows: Ctrl+1
Widen grid — Mac: Cmd+2 · Windows: Ctrl+2
Triplet grid — Mac: Cmd+3 · Windows: Ctrl+3
Snap to grid on / off — Mac: Cmd+4 · Windows: Ctrl+4
Bypass snapping while dragging — Mac: Cmd (hold) · Windows: Alt (hold)

Browser

Search browser — Mac: Cmd+F · Windows: Ctrl+F
Hot-swap selected device — Mac: Q · Windows: Q
Load selected item — Mac: Enter · Windows: Enter
Preview selected file — Mac: Shift+Enter · Windows: Shift+Enter

Zoom

Zoom to selection — Mac: Z · Windows: Z
Zoom back from selection — Mac: X · Windows: X
Zoom in / out time ruler — Mac: + / - · Windows: + / -
Optimize Arrangement width — Mac: W · Windows: W
Optimize Arrangement height — Mac: H · Windows: H

Mapping

Toggle MIDI Map mode — Mac: Cmd+M · Windows: Ctrl+M
Toggle Key Map mode — Mac: Cmd+K · Windows: Ctrl+K

File

New Live set — Mac: Cmd+N · Windows: Ctrl+N
Open Live set — Mac: Cmd+O · Windows: Ctrl+O
Save — Mac: Cmd+S · Windows: Ctrl+S
Save As — Mac: Cmd+Shift+S · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+S
Export audio / video — Mac: Cmd+Shift+R · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+R
Open Settings — Mac: Cmd+, · Windows: Ctrl+,

FL Studio keyboard shortcuts

Views

Toggle Playlist — Mac: F5 · Windows: F5
Toggle Channel Rack (Step Sequencer) — Mac: F6 · Windows: F6
Toggle Piano Roll — Mac: F7 · Windows: F7
Open Plugin Picker — Mac: F8 · Windows: F8
Show / hide Sample Browser — Mac: Opt+F8 · Windows: Alt+F8
Show / hide Mixer — Mac: F9 · Windows: F9
Show / hide MIDI Settings — Mac: F10 · Windows: F10
Show / hide Song Info — Mac: F11 · Windows: F11
Close all windows — Mac: F12 · Windows: F12
Close current window — Mac: Esc · Windows: Esc
Toggle max / min Playlist — Mac: Enter · Windows: Enter
Rearrange windows — Mac: Cmd+Shift+H · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+H

Transport

Play / Stop — Mac: Space · Windows: Space
Start / pause playback — Mac: Cmd+Space · Windows: Ctrl+Space
Switch Pattern / Song mode — Mac: L · Windows: L
Toggle recording — Mac: R · Windows: R
Toggle metronome — Mac: Cmd+M · Windows: Ctrl+M
Toggle recording metronome precount — Mac: Cmd+P · Windows: Ctrl+P
Toggle "wait for input" to start recording — Mac: Cmd+I · Windows: Ctrl+I
Toggle Step Edit mode — Mac: Cmd+E · Windows: Ctrl+E
Stop sound (panic) — Mac: Cmd+H · Windows: Ctrl+H
Toggle typing keyboard as MIDI input — Mac: Cmd+T · Windows: Ctrl+T

Editing

Undo (toggle last action) — Mac: Cmd+Z · Windows: Ctrl+Z
Undo step-by-step — Mac: Cmd+Opt+Z · Windows: Ctrl+Alt+Z
Cut — Mac: Cmd+X · Windows: Ctrl+X
Copy — Mac: Cmd+C · Windows: Ctrl+C
Paste — Mac: Cmd+V · Windows: Ctrl+V
Select all — Mac: Cmd+A · Windows: Ctrl+A
Deselect — Mac: Cmd+D · Windows: Ctrl+D
Delete selection — Mac: Delete · Windows: Delete

Patterns

Next pattern — Mac: + · Windows: +
Previous pattern — Mac: - · Windows: -
Select patterns 1 to 9 — Mac: 1…9 (numpad) · Windows: 1…9 (numpad)
Next empty pattern (with naming dialog) — Mac: F4 · Windows: F4
Next empty pattern (no dialog) — Mac: Cmd+F4 · Windows: Ctrl+F4
Rename selected pattern — Mac: F2 · Windows: F2

Piano Roll

Draw (pencil) tool — Mac: P · Windows: P
Paint (brush) tool — Mac: B · Windows: B
Delete tool — Mac: D · Windows: D
Select tool — Mac: E · Windows: E
Slice tool — Mac: C · Windows: C
Mute tool — Mac: T · Windows: T
Playback tool — Mac: Y · Windows: Y
Zoom tool — Mac: Z · Windows: Z
Slide note (toggle) — Mac: S · Windows: S
Quick Quantize — Mac: Cmd+Q · Windows: Ctrl+Q
Open Quantize tool — Mac: Opt+Q · Windows: Alt+Q
Quick legato — Mac: Cmd+L · Windows: Ctrl+L
Glue selected & touching notes — Mac: Cmd+G · Windows: Ctrl+G
Transpose selection up / down 1 octave — Mac: Cmd+Up / Down · Windows: Ctrl+Up / Down
Duplicate selection to the right — Mac: Cmd+B · Windows: Ctrl+B
Import MIDI file — Mac: Cmd+M · Windows: Ctrl+M
Open Riff machine — Mac: Opt+E · Windows: Alt+E
Open Arpeggiator — Mac: Opt+A · Windows: Alt+A
Open Randomize tool — Mac: Opt+R · Windows: Alt+R
Open Strum tool — Mac: Opt+S · Windows: Alt+S
Open Chop tool — Mac: Opt+U · Windows: Alt+U

Playlist

Draw (pencil) tool — Mac: P · Windows: P
Paint (brush) tool — Mac: B · Windows: B
Slice tool — Mac: C · Windows: C
Select tool — Mac: E · Windows: E
Delete tool — Mac: D · Windows: D
Mute tool — Mac: T · Windows: T
Slip edit tool — Mac: S · Windows: S
Playback tool — Mac: Y · Windows: Y
Zoom tool — Mac: Z · Windows: Z
Duplicate selection to the right — Mac: Cmd+B · Windows: Ctrl+B
Group selected clips — Mac: Shift+G · Windows: Shift+G
Quick quantize clip start times — Mac: Shift+Q · Windows: Shift+Q
Add Time marker — Mac: Cmd+T · Windows: Ctrl+T
Toggle Performance Mode — Mac: Cmd+P · Windows: Ctrl+P
Consolidate pattern / audio clips to audio — Mac: Cmd+Opt+C · Windows: Ctrl+Alt+C

Mixer

Solo current track — Mac: S · Windows: S
Alt solo (track + routed tracks) — Mac: Opt+S · Windows: Alt+S
Rename selected mixer track — Mac: F2 · Windows: F2
Select all mixer tracks — Mac: Cmd+A · Windows: Ctrl+A
Link selected channel to mixer track — Mac: Cmd+L · Windows: Ctrl+L
Render armed tracks to WAV — Mac: Opt+R · Windows: Alt+R
Move selected track left / right — Mac: Opt+Left / Right · Windows: Alt+Left / Right

File

Open file — Mac: Cmd+O · Windows: Ctrl+O
Save — Mac: Cmd+S · Windows: Ctrl+S
Save new version (auto-increment) — Mac: Cmd+N · Windows: Ctrl+N
Save As… — Mac: Cmd+Shift+S · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+S
Export WAV — Mac: Cmd+R · Windows: Ctrl+R
Export MP3 — Mac: Cmd+Shift+R · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+R
Export MIDI file — Mac: Cmd+Shift+M · Windows: Ctrl+Shift+M
Open recent file 0…9 — Mac: Opt+0…9 · Windows: Alt+0…9

Frequently asked questions

Why are some FL Studio shortcuts the same on Mac and Windows?

FL Studio was originally a Windows app and its tool-letter shortcuts (P, B, C, E, etc. in the Piano Roll and Playlist) are identical on both operating systems. The only difference is in system-level shortcuts like Save and Undo, which use Cmd on Mac and Ctrl on Windows.

Are these shortcuts up to date?

Yes. The Ableton list is verified for Live 11 and Live 12. The FL Studio list is verified for FL Studio 21. Image-Line and Ableton occasionally change defaults between major versions — if you find a shortcut that's wrong on the latest version, let me know.

Can I add my own custom shortcuts?

This page lists the default shortcuts. Both DAWs support customizing key mappings in their preferences. Ableton: Preferences → Link, Tempo & MIDI for MIDI mappings, or hold Cmd and click items in the menu to remap. FL Studio: Settings → Shortcuts.

Why are Ableton's modifier glyphs (⌘ ⌥ ⇧) shown on Mac?

That's the Mac convention — physical Apple keyboards have the glyphs printed on the keys, so the symbols are instantly recognizable. On Windows we use the literal "Ctrl", "Alt", "Shift" labels because Windows keyboards don't have equivalent printed glyphs.

Which DAW is better, Ableton or FL Studio?

Both are professional tools used to make hit records. Ableton is famous for live performance and session-view sketching, popular in electronic / house / techno scenes. FL Studio is famous for its pattern-based workflow and step sequencer, dominant in hip-hop and trap. The right one is whichever one you'll actually open.