Almost every Avid Media Composer cheat sheet on the internet is wrong about at least one key. Not slightly out of date — actually wrong, because they were written in the Avid Xpress era and have been copied between sites ever since, errors and all.
This one isn't. Every shortcut below is Avid's default keyboard setting, cross-checked against the layout printed on our own Media Composer keyboards — which is a mapping we can't afford to get wrong, because ours is printed on the keys where there's nowhere to hide. Current as of Media Composer 2025.12, the release shipping in August 2026. There's a free printable PDF of the whole thing too.
The short answer
The Media Composer shortcuts worth learning first are the edit and marking keys. V splices into the sequence, B overwrites, Z lifts and X extracts. I and O mark In and Out, T marks the whole clip and G clears both marks.
These are identical on Mac and Windows — Media Composer's single-key shortcuts don't differ by platform.
The 20 Media Composer shortcuts worth learning first
Nobody learns the whole default keyboard. You learn a core, it becomes automatic, then you add more as you notice yourself reaching for a menu. These twenty are the core.
| What it does | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Play / stop | Space |
| Shuttle backward, pause, forward | J K L |
| Mark In | I |
| Mark Out | O |
| Mark Clip — In and Out on the whole clip | T |
| Clear both marks | G |
| Splice into the sequence | V |
| Overwrite into the sequence | B |
| Lift | Z |
| Extract | X |
| Enter Trim mode | U |
| Previous / next transition | A S |
| Toggle Source / Record monitor | Esc |
| Add Keyframe | ' (apostrophe) |
| Quick Transition dialog | \ |
| Focus the Timeline on the position indicator | H |
| Step back / forward one frame | ← → |
| Step back / forward ten frames | 1 2 |
| Trim left / right one frame | , . |
| Select / deselect V1 | 8 |
Want this as a printable PDF?
Everything on this page is free and staying free — the full list is below. But a browser tab is the wrong place for this the moment you're actually cutting, with both hands on the keyboard.
So we've laid the same shortcuts out as a printable PDF, colour-grouped like our keyboards and sized to be read at arm's length. Print it and pin it by the monitor, or take it on location. It also carries the Ctrl and Cmd modifier shortcuts in full, with separate Mac and Windows columns.
Media Composer Shortcuts — printable PDF
Free, A4, grouped by task. Every default single-key shortcut plus the Mac and Windows modifier combinations. Designed to be printed once and pinned up.
Pop your email in below and we'll send it straight over — it usually lands within a minute.
We'll email the PDF straight over, then the occasional editing tip. Unsubscribe any time.
What's on this page
- The Add Keyframe confusion, settled
- Playing and navigating
- Marking
- Editing
- Track selection
- Modes and trimming
- Timeline and tools
- Modifier shortcuts, Mac and Windows
- If your keys don't match this list
- Frequently asked questions
The Add Keyframe confusion, settled
If you've been cutting on Avid long enough, you'll remember Add Keyframe on the N key. That was the Avid Xpress mapping, and for a lot of editors it never stopped being muscle memory.
It moved. In the current Media Composer default keyboard, Add Keyframe is the apostrophe key — two keys to the right of L, past the semicolon. N is now Mouse Jog, and the semicolon beside it is Mouse Shuttle.
This trips people up constantly, including editors with decades of Avid behind them, and it's the single most common error in the cheat sheets floating around online. If you've been pressing N and wondering why nothing happens, that's why.
Worth being precise here, because "the key to the right of L" gets quoted a lot and it's off by one. On a standard layout the order is L, then semicolon (Mouse Shuttle), then apostrophe (Add Keyframe). Same physical positions on a UK, US or European board.
Playing and navigating
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Play / stop | Space |
| Play / stop — also mapped to | 5 Tab |
| Play In to Out | 6 |
| Play backward | J |
| Pause | K |
| Play forward | L |
| Step back / forward ten frames (eight in 24p) | 1 2 |
| Step back / forward one frame | 3 4 |
| Move footage back / forward one frame | ← → |
| Go to marked In / Out point | Q W |
| Go to start / end of clip or sequence | Home End |
| Previous / next video track in a group | ↑ ↓ |
| Toggle Source / Record monitor | Esc |
Worth clearing up: Source/Record is toggled with Esc, not Ctrl-Tab or Cmd-Tab. Those belong to Windows and macOS themselves and will pull you out of Avid entirely.
Marking
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Mark In | I or E |
| Mark Out | O or R |
| Mark Clip | T |
| Clear In mark | D |
| Clear Out mark | F |
| Clear both marks | G |
Mark In and Mark Out are on two keys each in Avid's default — I and O for the hand that's already near them, E and R for the hand that's on the edit keys. Both are standard, use whichever suits how you sit.
Editing
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Splice into sequence (pushes material along) | V |
| Overwrite into sequence | B |
| Lift (leaves a gap) | Z |
| Extract (closes the gap) | X |
| Copy to the Clipboard monitor | C |
| Add Keyframe (apostrophe key) | ' |
| Quick Transition dialog | \ |
Splice and Overwrite are the pair that define Avid. Splice (V) inserts and pushes everything after it down the timeline. Overwrite (B) drops the clip in and replaces whatever was there, leaving the overall duration unchanged. Lift (Z) and Extract (X) are the same distinction in reverse.
Track selection
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select / deselect V2 | 7 |
| Select / deselect V1 | 8 |
| Select / deselect A1 | 9 |
| Select / deselect A2 | 0 |
| Select / deselect A3 | – |
| Select / deselect A4 | = |
Modes and trimming
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Enter Source / Record mode | Y |
| Enter Trim mode | U |
| Select outgoing A-side | P |
| Select both sides (dual roller) | [ |
| Select incoming B-side | ] |
| Previous / next transition, dual roller | A S |
| Trim left ten frames (eight in 24p) | M |
| Trim left / right one frame | , . |
| Trim right ten frames (eight in 24p) | / |
Timeline and tools
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Focus the Timeline on the position indicator | H |
| Mouse Jog | N |
| Mouse Shuttle | ; |
| Mappable key (assign your own) | Return |
| Multicamera angles 1 to 4 | F9 – F12 |
| Help | F1 |
Modifier shortcuts, Mac and Windows
Everything above is a single key and identical on both platforms. These need a modifier, and that's where Mac and Windows part company.
| Action | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Cmd Z | Ctrl Z |
| Redo | Cmd R | Ctrl R |
| Save | Cmd S | Ctrl S |
| New bin | Cmd N | Ctrl N |
| Duplicate clip or sequence | Cmd D | Ctrl D |
| Add a video track | Cmd Y | Ctrl Y |
| Add an audio track | Cmd U | Ctrl U |
| Increase / decrease track height | Cmd L / K | Ctrl L / K |
| Fit the whole sequence in the Timeline | Cmd / | Ctrl / |
| More / less detail in the Timeline | Cmd ] / [ | Ctrl ] / [ |
| Find names, tapes, locators | Cmd F | Ctrl F |
| Select all tracks | Cmd A | Ctrl A |
| Command Palette | Cmd 3 | Ctrl 3 |
| Effect Palette | Cmd 8 | Ctrl 8 |
| Timeline window | Cmd 0 | Ctrl 0 |
| Settings for the active window | Cmd = | Ctrl = |
The PDF carries the rest, including the mouse and modifier techniques — snapping the position indicator to a head or tail frame, snapping segments to transitions, moving segments between tracks without losing sync, and the render-time shortcuts.
Made by Editors Keys since 2005
The reference that never needs another window
Our Media Composer keyboards and MacBook covers carry Avid's default layout printed onto the keys, grouped by colour so you learn them by position rather than by memory. Used by teams at the BBC, NASA, Warner Bros., Rockstar Games and Pinewood Studios, and every keyboard ships with a free three-year warranty.
Shop the Media Composer range →If your keys don't match this list
Every shortcut here is Avid's default keyboard setting. If something on your machine behaves differently, the keyboard setting has been changed at some point — settings carry across upgrades and follow a user profile between machines, so it's common on shared or second-hand systems and easy to inherit without realising.
Open Settings › Keyboard to see the layout currently loaded, and set it back to Avid's default. Creating a fresh User profile also loads the defaults. Once you're on standard, this page, Avid's documentation, every tutorial you watch and a shortcut keyboard will all agree with each other — which is the entire point of a default.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Add Keyframe shortcut in Avid Media Composer?
The apostrophe key, two keys to the right of L. It was on N in the Avid Xpress era, which is why so many long-time editors and older cheat sheets still say N. In the current default, N is Mouse Jog and the semicolon is Mouse Shuttle.
What's the difference between Splice and Overwrite?
Splice (V) inserts the clip and pushes everything after it further down the timeline, so the sequence gets longer. Overwrite (B) drops the clip in and replaces whatever was already there, leaving the overall duration unchanged. Lift (Z) and Extract (X) are the same distinction when removing material.
Are Media Composer shortcuts the same on Mac and Windows?
The single-key shortcuts are identical. Only the modifier combinations differ, and there it's the usual swap of Command for Control. The PDF lists both in separate columns.
How do I toggle between the Source and Record monitors?
Press Esc. Some guides list Ctrl-Tab or Cmd-Tab, but those are operating system shortcuts and will switch you out of Avid altogether.
Which Media Composer version do these apply to?
Media Composer 2025.12, the current release. Avid's default keyboard has been stable for many years, so these hold on earlier versions too.
Can I print the Media Composer shortcuts?
Yes — the free PDF above is designed for it, grouped by task and readable pinned up next to a monitor.
Related reading
- 20 essential Media Composer shortcuts every editor should know
- Final Cut Pro keyboard shortcuts: the complete 2026 cheat sheet
- Media Composer keyboards and covers
Layout verified against Media Composer's default keyboard settings, current for version 2025.12. Avid, Media Composer and Avid Xpress are trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. Editors Keys is not affiliated with Avid Technology, Inc.
