Keyboard shortcuts in Final Cut Pro on macOS make your editing quicker and easier. For example, if you press “B”, you can use the Blade tool to make accurate cuts. By pressing “N”, you can turn on or off the snapping feature for lining up clips. The “Command + B” shortcut can help you cut at the playhead’s spot instantly. The more you practice and use these shortcuts, the more time you can save for creative tasks.

File

Shortcut	Action
Command + N	Create a New Project
Option + N	Create a New Event
Option + G	Create Compound Clip
Command + I	Import Media
Command + E	Export/Share Project
Shift + F	Reveal in Browser
Option + Shift + F	Reveal in Project
Shift + Command + R	Reveal in Finder
Command + Left Arrow	Move to Trash

General

Shortcut	Action
Command + H	Hide Final Cut Pro
Shift + Command + H	Hide all Applications Except Final Cut Pro
Option + Command + K	Open Keyboard Command Editor
Command + M	Minimize Final Cut Pro
Command + O	Open/Create a Library
Command + Comma	Open Final Cut Pro Preferences
Command + Q	Quit Final Cut Pro
Command + Z	Undo Last Action
Command + Shift + Z	Redo Last Action
Command + F	Find
Command + J	Open Project Properties
Control + R	Render Section
Control + Shift + R	Render Current Project

Timeline

Shortcut	Action
V	Turn Clip On/Off
Q	Add from Browser/Insert Above Timeline
W	Add from Browser/Insert into Timeline
E	Add from Browser/Insert at End of Timeline
I	Mark In Point
O	Mark Out Point
P	Reposition and Overwrite Clips
Hold S + move cursor	Skim your Timeline
J (Press repeatedly)	Play Backwards (Increase speed with more presses)
L (Press repeatedly)	Playback at High Speed (Increase speed with more presses)
;	Skip to Previous Start of Clip
‘	Skip to Next Start of Clip
Z	Zoom Tool
N	Turn Snapping On/Off
M	Mark Timeline/Clip

Editing

Shortcut	Action
Space Bar	Play Timeline
Delete / Left Arrow	Delete
Command + C	Copy
Command + V	Paste
Command + D	Duplicate
A	Select Tool
T	Trim Tool
P	Position Tool
R	Range Selection
B	Blade Tool
Z	Zoom
H	Hand
Option + [	Trim Start
Option + ]	Trim End
Option + \	Trim to Playhead
Command + B	Blade at Playhead
Command + Shift + B	Blade All Clips at Playhead
Command + =	Zoom In
Command + –	Zoom Out
Control + T	Add Basic Title
Control + Shift + T	Add Lower Third
Command + L	Adjust the Audio Volume Across All Selected Clips
Control + S	Expand Audio
Control + Shift + S	Collapse Audio
Command + Option + Click Audio	Change the connection point of an audio clip

Effects

Shortcut	Action
Shift + H	Create a 2-Second Hold Segment
Command + R	Open Retime Editor
Option + Command + X	Remove All Effects from the Selection
Shift + Command + X	Remove Selected Attributes from the Selection
Option + Shift + Tab	Navigate to the Previous Text Item
Command + Shift + V	Paste Selected Attributes and its Settings to the Selection
Option + Command + V	Paste Effects and its Settings to the Selection
Command + Option + B	Turn Balance Color Corrections On/Off
Option + Left Arrow	Reset the Controls in the Current Color Board Pane

Marking

Shortcut	Action
M	Add a Marker at Playhead
Option + M	Add a Marker and Edit the Marker’s Text
Control + M	Delete Selected Marker
Control + Shift + M	Delete All Markers in Selection
I	Set Range Start
O	Set Range End
X	Set Clip Range
Option + O	Clear Range End Point
Option + I	Clear Range Start Point
Control + C	Change the Browser Filter Settings to Show All Clips
Command + K	Show Keyword Editor
Control + 1 / 2 / 3, etc.	Apply Keywords to Selection 1 / 2 / 3, etc.
Control + O	Remove All Keywords

Organization

Shortcut	Action
Option + N	Create a New Event
Shift + Command + N	Create a New Folder
Shift + F	Reveal Clip in Browser
Option + Shift + Command + F	Reveal Project in Browser
Option + Command + G	Sync Selected Event Clips

Windows

Shortcut	Action
Command + 9	Show/Hide the Background Tasks Window
Command + 8	Go to Audio Enhancements
Command + 6	Go to Color Board
Command + 1	Go to Browser
Option + Command + 4	Go to Inspector
Command + 2	Go to Timeline
Command + 3	Go to Viewer
Control + Tab	Go to the Next Pane in the Inspector or the Color Board
Control + Shift + Tab	Go to the Previous Pane in the Inspector or the Color Board
Control + Command + 3	Show or Hide the Inspector