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OpenCut provides comprehensive keyboard shortcuts to speed up your editing workflow. All shortcuts can be customized in the settings.
View the shortcuts dialog anytime by clicking the keyboard icon in the editor header or pressing ?.

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Playback

Control video playback without touching the mouse: Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:20-40
The J, K, L shortcuts are borrowed from professional editing software and provide one-handed playback control.

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Navigation

Move through your timeline with precision:

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Frame stepping

Perfect for finding the exact frame to make a cut or adjustment.

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Jumping

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Timeline navigation

Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:41-72

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Editing

Core editing operations for cutting and manipulating your content:

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Splitting and cutting

Split operations work on all selected elements. If nothing is selected, they affect all elements under the playhead.

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Clipboard operations

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Deleting

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Toggle features

Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:73-107

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Selection

Quickly select and manipulate multiple elements:

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Element visibility and audio

These shortcuts work on selected elements: Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:108-125
You can assign custom shortcuts to element mute/hide actions in the keyboard shortcuts settings.

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Timeline

Manage timeline markers and bookmarks: Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:126-129

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History

Undo and redo any editing action: OpenCut supports unlimited undo/redo for all editing operations. Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:130-139

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Shortcut categories

Shortcuts are organized into logical categories:
Controls for playing, pausing, and seeking through your timeline.Includes:
  • Play/Pause toggles
  • Forward and backward seeking
  • Stop playback
Core editing operations for modifying timeline content.Includes:
  • Split operations
  • Copy/paste
  • Delete
  • Duplicate
  • Toggle snapping
Selecting and managing multiple elements.Includes:
  • Select all
  • Box selection
  • Multi-select
  • Element visibility toggles
Undo and redo operations.Includes:
  • Undo
  • Redo (two shortcuts)
Timeline-specific features.Includes:
  • Bookmark management
General interface controls.Reserved for future features.
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/definitions.ts:3-10

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Customizing shortcuts

All keyboard shortcuts in OpenCut can be customized to match your preferred workflow:
1

Open shortcuts dialog

Click the keyboard icon in the editor header or press ?.
2

Find the action

Browse or search for the action you want to customize.
3

Assign new shortcut

Click on the current shortcut and press your desired key combination.
4

Save changes

Your custom shortcuts are saved automatically and sync across devices.

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Tips for efficient editing

Learn the basics first

Start with play/pause (Space), split (S), and delete (Backspace/Delete). These cover 80% of basic editing.

Use J-K-L for review

Keep one hand on J-K-L for quick play/pause/seek while reviewing footage.

Frame stepping for precision

Use arrow keys to find exact frames when making precise cuts.

Toggle snapping

Press N to quickly toggle snapping on when you need precision, off when you don’t.

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Shortcut conflicts

If you assign a shortcut that’s already in use:
  • OpenCut will warn you about the conflict
  • You can choose to override the existing shortcut
  • Or cancel and choose a different key combination
Source: apps/web/src/lib/actions/index.ts