Adobe Audition keyboard shortcuts

Adobe Audition is Adobe's professional audio workstation for recording, restoring, and mixing audio in both waveform and multitrack views. Podcast editors and audio engineers spend hours scrubbing, splitting, and cleaning up takes, so keeping your hands on the keyboard for transport, selection, and noise-reduction work pays off fast. This cheat sheet covers 48 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

File & Session

New multitrack session	`Ctrl`+`NCmd`+`N`
New audio file	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`NCmd`+`Shift`+`N`
Open file	`Ctrl`+`OCmd`+`O`
Import file	`Ctrl`+`ICmd`+`I`
Save	`Ctrl`+`SCmd`+`S`
Save as	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`SCmd`+`Shift`+`S`
Save all	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`SCmd`+`Option`+`S`
Close file	`Ctrl`+`WCmd`+`W`
Close all files	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`WCmd`+`Shift`+`W`
Quit Audition	`Ctrl`+`QCmd`+`Q`

Playback & Transport

Play / stop	`SpaceSpace`
Record	`Shift`+`SpaceShift`+`Space`
Move playhead to start	`HomeHome`
Move playhead to end	`EndEnd`
Toggle loop playback	`Ctrl`+`LCmd`+`L`

Editing

Undo	`Ctrl`+`ZCmd`+`Z`
Redo	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ZCmd`+`Shift`+`Z`
Cut	`Ctrl`+`XCmd`+`X`
Copy	`Ctrl`+`CCmd`+`C`
Copy to new file	`Shift`+`Alt`+`CShift`+`Option`+`C`
Paste	`Ctrl`+`VCmd`+`V`
Paste to new file	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`VCmd`+`Option`+`V`
Mix paste	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`VCmd`+`Shift`+`V`
Delete selection	`DeleteDelete`
Crop to selection	`Ctrl`+`TCmd`+`T`
Select all	`Ctrl`+`ACmd`+`A`
Deselect all	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ACmd`+`Shift`+`A`
Convert sample type	`Shift`+`TShift`+`T`

Markers

Add cue marker at playhead

MM

Noise Reduction & Processing

Capture noise print	`Shift`+`PShift`+`P`
Noise reduction (process)	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`PCmd`+`Shift`+`P`

Tools

Time selection tool	`TT`
Move tool	`VV`
Razor tool	`RR`
Marquee selection tool (spectral)	`EE`
Lasso selection tool (spectral)	`DD`
Paintbrush selection tool (spectral)	`PP`
Spot healing brush	`BB`

View & Zoom

Zoom in horizontally	`==`
Zoom out horizontally	`--`
Zoom in vertically (amplitude)	`Alt`+`=Option`+`=`
Zoom out vertically (amplitude)	`Alt`+`-Option`+`-`
Zoom out full	`\\`
Toggle spectral frequency display	`Shift`+`DShift`+`D`
Maximize active panel	``

Multitrack

Split selected clips at playhead	`Ctrl`+`KCmd`+`K`
Group clips	`Ctrl`+`GCmd`+`G`
Ungroup clips	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`GCmd`+`Shift`+`G`

Put your top Adobe Audition shortcuts on real keys

The five Adobe Audition actions most worth binding to a physical macropad key:

Shift+SpaceShift+Space Record One physical key to drop into record saves fumbling at the exact moment a take starts.

Ctrl+KCmd+K Split clips at playhead Podcast and dialogue editing is hundreds of splits per session.

Shift+PShift+P Capture noise print First step of every cleanup pass; pairs perfectly with a neighboring noise reduction key.

Ctrl+Shift+PCmd+Shift+P Noise reduction (process) The most repeated restoration action in spoken-word workflows.

MM Add cue marker Marking edit points during playback without touching the mouse keeps review passes fast.

I hand-build small-batch programmable macropads (QMK/VIA) in Barcelona. One press, any shortcut, any app.

See the macropads

Adobe Audition shortcut FAQs

How do I record in Adobe Audition with the keyboard?

Press Shift+Space to start recording in either the Waveform or Multitrack editor. Plain Space toggles play and stop.

What is the shortcut for noise reduction in Audition?

First select a section of room tone and press Shift+P to capture a noise print, then press Ctrl+Shift+P (Cmd+Shift+P on Mac) to open the Noise Reduction process dialog.

How do I split a clip in Audition's multitrack editor?

Select the clip, place the playhead where you want the cut, and press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac). You can also use the Razor tool by pressing R.

How do I switch to spectral view in Audition?

Press Shift+D to toggle the spectral frequency display in the Waveform editor. The spectral selection tools are E (marquee), D (lasso), and P (paintbrush).

Can I customize keyboard shortcuts in Adobe Audition?

Yes. Open Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts to remap almost any command, and you can save custom shortcut sets per workflow.