Spotify keyboard shortcuts

Spotify's desktop app is where most power listening happens: playlists, queues, and search. Its keyboard shortcuts cover playback, volume, navigation, and playlist editing, so you can control the music without leaving your work. A handful of keys replace nearly every click in the player bar. This cheat sheet covers 32 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

Playback

Play / pause	`SpaceSpace`
Next track	`Ctrl`+`Right arrowCmd`+`Right arrow`
Previous track	`Ctrl`+`Left arrowCmd`+`Left arrow`
Seek forward	`Shift`+`Right arrowShift`+`Right arrow`
Seek backward	`Shift`+`Left arrowShift`+`Left arrow`
Toggle repeat	`Ctrl`+`RCmd`+`R`
Toggle shuffle	`Ctrl`+`SCmd`+`S`
Play selected track	`EnterEnter`

Volume

Volume up	`Ctrl`+`Up arrowCmd`+`Up arrow`
Volume down	`Ctrl`+`Down arrowCmd`+`Down arrow`
Set volume to maximum	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Up arrowCmd`+`Shift`+`Up arrow`
Mute (volume to zero)	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Down arrowCmd`+`Shift`+`Down arrow`

Search & Navigation

Open search	`Ctrl`+`KCmd`+`K`
Focus the search bar	`Ctrl`+`LCmd`+`L`
Go back	`Alt`+`Left arrowCmd`+`Option`+`Left arrow`
Go forward	`Alt`+`Right arrowCmd`+`Option`+`Right arrow`
Show keyboard shortcuts overlay	`Ctrl`+`/Cmd`+`/`
Filter tracks in current playlist	`Ctrl`+`FCmd`+`F`

Playlists & Library

Create new playlist	`Ctrl`+`NCmd`+`N`
Select all tracks	`Ctrl`+`ACmd`+`A`
Copy selected track link	`Ctrl`+`CCmd`+`C`
Copy selected track Spotify URI	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`CCmd`+`Option`+`C`
Cut selected tracks	`Ctrl`+`XCmd`+`X`
Paste tracks into playlist	`Ctrl`+`VCmd`+`V`
Remove selected track from playlist	`DeleteDelete`
Undo playlist edit	`Ctrl`+`ZCmd`+`Z`
Redo playlist edit	`Ctrl`+`YCmd`+`Shift`+`Z`

App

Open preferences/settings	`Ctrl`+`PCmd`+`,`
Log out	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`WCmd`+`Shift`+`W`
Quit Spotify	`Alt`+`F4Cmd`+`Q`
Minimize window	no default`Cmd`+`M`
Hide window	no default`Cmd`+`H`

Put your top Spotify shortcuts on real keys

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

SpaceSpace Play / pause The universal music key; a macropad binding works even when Spotify is not focused via media-key emulation.

Ctrl+Right arrowCmd+Right arrow Next track Skipping songs is the most frequent action while listening during work.

Ctrl+Left arrowCmd+Left arrow Previous track Instant replay of a track without reaching for the app.

Ctrl+Shift+Down arrowCmd+Shift+Down arrow Mute (volume to zero) A panic-mute key for calls and interruptions.

Ctrl+KCmd+K Open search One press to find any song, artist, or playlist.

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

See the macropads

Spotify shortcut FAQs

How do I skip to the next song in Spotify with the keyboard?

Press Ctrl+Right arrow on Windows or Cmd+Right arrow on Mac. Ctrl/Cmd+Left arrow goes to the previous track.

How do I see all keyboard shortcuts inside Spotify?

Press Ctrl+/ on Windows or Cmd+/ on Mac in the desktop app to open Spotify's built-in shortcuts overlay.

Is there a Spotify shortcut to mute the music?

Yes. Ctrl+Shift+Down arrow (Cmd+Shift+Down on Mac) drops the volume to zero, and Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow restores maximum volume.

Do Spotify keyboard shortcuts work in the web player?

Some do, but the full set (volume control, preferences, logout) only works in the desktop app for Windows and macOS. Media keys on your keyboard also control the desktop app.

How do I search Spotify without touching the mouse?

Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) to open search, or Ctrl+L (Cmd+L) to jump focus straight to the search bar, then type and press Enter.