Adobe After Effects keyboard shortcuts

Adobe After Effects is the standard tool for motion graphics, compositing and visual effects. Its timeline rewards keyboard mastery more than almost any other creative app: single-letter keys reveal layer properties, trim layers and manage keyframes, so knowing the defaults can double your animation speed. This cheat sheet covers 91 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

File & Project

New project	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`NCmd`+`Option`+`N`
New composition	`Ctrl`+`NCmd`+`N`
Composition settings	`Ctrl`+`KCmd`+`K`
Open project	`Ctrl`+`OCmd`+`O`
Save	`Ctrl`+`SCmd`+`S`
Save as	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`SCmd`+`Shift`+`S`
Increment and save	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`SCmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`S`
Import file	`Ctrl`+`ICmd`+`I`
Add composition to render queue	`Ctrl`+`MCmd`+`M`
Add composition to Media Encoder queue	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`MCmd`+`Option`+`M`
Undo	`Ctrl`+`ZCmd`+`Z`
Redo	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ZCmd`+`Shift`+`Z`
Project settings	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`KCmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`K`

Tools

Selection tool	`VV`
Hand tool	`HH`
Zoom tool	`ZZ`
Rotation tool	`WW`
Camera tools (cycle)	`CC`
Pan behind (anchor point) tool	`YY`
Shape tools (cycle)	`QQ`
Pen tool (cycle)	`GG`
Type tool	`Ctrl`+`TCmd`+`T`
Brush / clone / eraser tools (cycle)	`Ctrl`+`BCmd`+`B`
Puppet pin tool	`Ctrl`+`PCmd`+`P`

Layer Properties (Reveal)

Position	`PP`
Scale	`SS`
Rotation	`RR`
Opacity	`TT`
Anchor point	`AA`
Audio levels	`LL`
Audio waveform	`L, LL, L`
Masks	`MM`
Mask properties (all)	`M, MM, M`
Effects	`EE`
Expressions	`E, EE, E`
Properties with keyframes	`UU`
All modified properties	`U, UU, U`
Add property to current reveal	`Shift`+`Property keyShift`+`Property key`

Creating Layers

New solid layer	`Ctrl`+`YCmd`+`Y`
Solid settings	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`YCmd`+`Shift`+`Y`
New adjustment layer	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`YCmd`+`Option`+`Y`
New null object	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`YCmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`Y`
New text layer	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`TCmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`T`
New light	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`LCmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`L`
New camera	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`CCmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`C`

Layer Management

Duplicate layer	`Ctrl`+`DCmd`+`D`
Split layer at playhead	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`DCmd`+`Shift`+`D`
Precompose selected layers	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`CCmd`+`Shift`+`C`
Rename selected layer	`EnterReturn`
Move layer up / down in stack	`Ctrl`+`] / Ctrl`+`[Cmd`+`] / Cmd`+`[`
Move layer to front / back	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`] / Ctrl`+`Shift`+`[Cmd`+`Shift`+`] / Cmd`+`Shift`+`[`
Lock selected layer	`Ctrl`+`LCmd`+`L`
Unlock all layers	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`LCmd`+`Shift`+`L`
Select all	`Ctrl`+`ACmd`+`A`
Deselect all	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ACmd`+`Shift`+`A`
Center anchor point in layer content	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`HomeCmd`+`Option`+`Home`
Center layer in composition	`Ctrl`+`HomeCmd`+`Home`
Fit layer to composition	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`FCmd`+`Option`+`F`

Timeline & Trimming

Start / stop preview	`SpaceSpace`
Go to composition start / end	`Home / EndHome / End`
Next / previous frame	`Page Down / Page UpPage Down / Page Up`
Ten frames forward / back	`Shift`+`Page Down / Shift`+`Page UpShift`+`Page Down / Shift`+`Page Up`
Go to time (type timecode)	`Alt`+`Shift`+`JOption`+`Shift`+`J`
Go to layer in / out point	`I / OI / O`
Move layer in point to playhead	`[[`
Move layer out point to playhead	`]]`
Trim layer in point to playhead	`Alt`+`[Option`+`[`
Trim layer out point to playhead	`Alt`+`]Option`+`]`
Set work area start / end	`B / NB / N`
Zoom timeline in / out	`= / -= / -`
Zoom timeline to single-frame view toggle	`;;`

Keyframes & Animation

Easy Ease selected keyframes	`F9F9`
Easy Ease In	`Shift`+`F9Shift`+`F9`
Easy Ease Out	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`F9Cmd`+`Shift`+`F9`
Go to next / previous keyframe	`K / JK / J`
Add or remove keyframe for Position	`Alt`+`Shift`+`POption`+`Shift`+`P`
Add or remove keyframe for Scale	`Alt`+`Shift`+`SOption`+`Shift`+`S`
Add or remove keyframe for Rotation	`Alt`+`Shift`+`ROption`+`Shift`+`R`
Add or remove keyframe for Opacity	`Alt`+`Shift`+`TOption`+`Shift`+`T`
Toggle graph editor	`Shift`+`F3Shift`+`F3`

Viewers & Effects

Effect Controls panel	`F3F3`
Apply last effect again	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`ECmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`E`
Remove all effects from layer	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ECmd`+`Shift`+`E`
Zoom in / out in composition panel	`. / ,. / ,`
Fit composition to panel	`Shift`+`/Shift`+`/`
Zoom to 100% in composition panel	`//`
Show / hide grid	`Ctrl`+`'Cmd`+`'`
Show / hide rulers	`Ctrl`+`RCmd`+`R`
Show / hide guides	`Ctrl`+`;Cmd`+`;`
Maximize / restore panel under cursor	``
Toggle title / action safe overlays	`''`

Put your top Adobe After Effects shortcuts on real keys

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

UU Reveal keyframed properties The fastest way to audit any layer's animation; motion designers press it constantly.

F9F9 Easy Ease Applied to nearly every keyframe pair in motion graphics work.

Ctrl+Shift+CCmd+Shift+C Precompose Core organizational move in every project; a three-key chord worth one button.

Ctrl+Shift+DCmd+Shift+D Split layer Slices layers at the playhead for staggered edits without reaching for a chord.

Alt+[Option+[ Trim layer in point to playhead Constant use when timing layers to music or narration.

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

See the macropads

Adobe After Effects shortcut FAQs

What do P, S, R, T and A do in After Effects?

With a layer selected they reveal a single transform property in the timeline: P for Position, S for Scale, R for Rotation, T for Opacity and A for Anchor Point. Hold Shift while pressing another property key to add it to the current view.

How do I show only keyframed properties in After Effects?

Select the layers and press U to reveal every property that has keyframes or expressions. Press U twice quickly (UU) to reveal every property that has been modified from its default.

What does F9 do in After Effects?

F9 applies Easy Ease to the selected keyframes, smoothing the animation in and out. Shift+F9 eases only the incoming interpolation and Ctrl+Shift+F9 (Cmd+Shift+F9 on Mac) eases only the outgoing.

How do I trim a layer to the playhead in After Effects?

Press Alt+[ (Option+[ on Mac) to trim the layer's in point to the current time, and Alt+] (Option+]) to trim the out point. Plain [ and ] move the whole layer so its in or out point sits at the playhead.

How do I render a composition in After Effects?

Press Ctrl+M (Cmd+M on Mac) to add the active composition to the render queue, or Ctrl+Alt+M (Cmd+Option+M) to send it to Adobe Media Encoder for background rendering and more format options.