Cubase Keyboard Shortcuts: The Complete 2026 Cheat Sheet (Free PDF)

Most DAWs assign shortcuts by mnemonic — S for solo, M for mute, and after that you're on your own. Cubase does something different, and once you see it the whole keyboard makes sense: it assigns them by where your left hand already is.

Zoom out is G. Zoom in is H. They're next to each other. Previous event is B, next event is N — next to each other. Punch in is I, punch out is O — next to each other. It isn't a naming system. It's a physical one, and it's why Cubase feels fast to people who've learned it and arbitrary to people who haven't.

Below is Cubase's default key command set, current for Cubase 15. Cross-checked key by key against the layout printed on our own Cubase keyboard. There's a free printable PDF of the whole thing too.

Why the number row is the thing to learn first

Open Cubase and the toolbar sits along the top of the Project window: Select, Range, Split, Glue, Erase, Zoom, Mute, Draw, Play, Drumstick. Nine tools plus one.

Now press 1. Then 3. Then 1 again. Those numbers map to the toolbar left to right, in order. Not a single one is a mnemonic — 3 doesn't stand for Split — but you don't need it to be, because your fingers already know where 3 is.

This is the pattern that runs through the whole default set, and it's why the way to learn Cubase's keyboard is not to memorise a list of names. It's to learn the positions, in groups, in the order they earn their keep.

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 once you're actually working, with an idea in your head and both hands on the keyboard.

So we've laid the same commands out as a printable PDF, grouped by task and sized to read at arm's length. Print it, pin it by the desk, and stop breaking flow to look things up.

A note on Mac and PC

Cubase is one of the few serious DAWs that runs properly on both, and Steinberg keeps a single command set across the two. Wherever you see Ctrl/Cmd below, that's Ctrl on Windows and Command on Mac. Alt on Windows is Option on Mac.

One Windows-only exception: the Insert key drops a marker. Mac keyboards don't have one, so Mac users use the Markers window or assign their own.

What's on this page

• Why the number row is the thing to learn first
• The single-key commands
• The toolbox on the number row
• How the colour coding works
• Transport and the numeric keypad
• Locators, cycle and punch
• Markers
• Editing
• Selection and navigation
• Zoom
• Windows, panels and editors
• Workspaces
• Project and file
• Automation
• Frequently asked questions

The single-key commands

No modifier. Press the letter on its own. Learn these by position rather than alphabetically — that's how your hands will recall them.

Action	Key
Start / stop playback	Space
Activate Metronome	C
Quantize	Q
Solo	S
Mute	M
Record Enable	R
Write automation	W
Snap on / off	J
Auto-Scroll on / off	F
Group Editing on selected tracks	K
Zoom In	H
Zoom Out	G
Locate Next Event	N
Locate Previous Event	B
Locate Selection Start	L
Set Locators to Selection Range	P
Activate Punch In	I
Activate Punch Out	O
Left Selection Side to Cursor	E
Right Selection Side to Cursor	D
Move to Front (Uncover)	U
Crossfade	X
Adjust Fades to Range	A
Exchange Time Formats	.
Open / close Editor	Return

Look at where those sit. G and H are zoom out and in, side by side. B and N are previous and next event, side by side. I and O are punch in and punch out, side by side.

The toolbox on the number row

Action	Key
Select (Object Selection)	1
Range	2
Split	3
Glue	4
Erase	5
Zoom	6
Mute	7
Draw	8
Play	9
Drumstick	0
Next Tool	F10
Previous Tool	F9

Left to right along the toolbar, left to right along the number row. F9 and F10 step backwards and forwards through the same list if you'd rather cycle than jump.

How the colour coding works

This is worth a moment, because it's the thing that makes a printed layout learnable rather than just dense.

Cubase has no colour system of its own — Steinberg's Key Commands window is a plain list. So on the Editors Keys Cubase keyboard the colours do two jobs at once. The key colour tells you what family a command belongs to:

Colour	Family
Yellow	The toolbox — the number row
Green	Navigation, selection and zoom
Blue	Editing, windows and editors
Orange	Recording and mixing — Solo, Mute, Write, Metronome
Pink	The transport, on the numeric keypad

And the red legend is always the Shift layer. Every command printed in red at the top of a key is that key with Shift held. B is previous event, red B is previous marker. X is crossfade, red X is split range. One rule, learned once, and half the layout stops needing to be memorised at all.

Transport and the numeric keypad

Cubase puts a complete transport on the numeric keypad, which is the main reason a full-size keyboard beats a compact one for Cubase work.

Action	Key
Start / stop	Space
Start	Enter
Stop	Num 0
Record	Num *
Cycle on / off	Num /
Forward	Num +
Rewind	Num -
Fast Forward	Shift + Num +
Fast Rewind	Shift + Num -
Go to Project Start	Num .
Go to Left Locator	Num 1
Go to Right Locator	Num 2
Nudge Cursor Left	Ctrl/Cmd + Num -
Nudge Cursor Right	Ctrl/Cmd + Num +
Play Selection Range	Alt + Space
Retrospective MIDI Record	Shift + Num *
Transport panel	F2

Locators, cycle and punch

Select a range, press P, press Num /. Locators set, cycle on, ready to loop — three keystrokes and no mouse.

Action	Key
Set Locators to Selection Range	P
Set Left Locator to Cursor	Ctrl/Cmd + Num 1
Set Right Locator to Cursor	Ctrl/Cmd + Num 2
Enter Left Locator	Shift + L
Enter Right Locator	Shift + R
Enter Project Cursor Position	Shift + P
Activate Punch In	I
Activate Punch Out	O
Enter Punch In Position	Shift + I
Enter Punch Out Position	Shift + O
Loop Selection	Alt + P
Enter Tempo	Shift + T
Enter Time Signature	Shift + C
Use External Synchronisation	Alt + Shift + T

Markers

Ctrl/Cmd to set, Shift to visit. Same number both times.

Action	Key
Insert Marker (Windows only)	Insert
Set Marker 1	Ctrl/Cmd + 1
Set Marker 2	Ctrl/Cmd + 2
Set Markers 3–9	Ctrl/Cmd + 3 to 9
Go to Marker 1	Shift + 1
Go to Marker 2	Shift + 2
Go to Markers 3–9	Shift + 3 to 9
Locate Next Marker	Shift + N
Locate Previous Marker	Shift + B
Recall Cycle Markers 1–9	Shift + Num 1 to 9
Open Markers window	Ctrl/Cmd + M

Editing

Action	Key
Undo	Ctrl/Cmd + Z
Redo	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z
Cut	Ctrl/Cmd + X
Copy	Ctrl/Cmd + C
Paste	Ctrl/Cmd + V
Paste at Origin	Alt + V
Paste Relative to Cursor	Shift + V
Cut Time	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X
Paste Time	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V
Delete Time	Shift + Backspace
Insert Silence	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + E
Delete	Delete or Backspace
Duplicate	Ctrl/Cmd + D
Repeat	Ctrl/Cmd + K
Split at Cursor	Alt + X
Split Range	Shift + X
Group	Ctrl/Cmd + G
Ungroup	Ctrl/Cmd + U
Lock	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + L
Unlock	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + U
Mute Events	Shift + M
Unmute Events	Shift + U
Mute / Unmute Objects	Alt + M
Select All	Ctrl/Cmd + A
Select None	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + A
Move to Cursor	Ctrl/Cmd + L
Find Track / Channel	Ctrl/Cmd + F
Invert	Alt + F
Expand / Reduce	Alt + E
Stationary Cursor	Alt + C

Selection and navigation

In the Key Editor these change meaning: the arrows move the selected note by a semitone, and Shift + Up/Down moves it a full octave.

Action	Key
Select previous / next	Left / Right Arrow
Select next track up / down	Up / Down Arrow
Extend selection left / right	Shift + Left / Right Arrow
Extend selection up / down	Shift + Up / Down Arrow
Select top track	Home
Select bottom track	End
Toggle Selection	Ctrl/Cmd + Space

Zoom

Action	Key
Zoom In	H
Zoom Out	G
Zoom In Vertically	Shift + H
Zoom Out Vertically	Shift + G
Zoom In Tracks	Ctrl/Cmd + Down Arrow
Zoom Out Tracks	Ctrl/Cmd + Up Arrow
Zoom Tracks Exclusive	Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + Down Arrow
Zoom to Selection	Alt + S
Zoom to Event	Shift + E
Zoom Full	Shift + F

Windows, panels and editors

The function row is where Cubase keeps its windows: F3 MixConsole, F4 connections, F6 automation, F7 offline processing, F8 video, F11 instruments, F12 performance.

Action	Key
MixConsole	F3
MixConsole in Project window	Alt + F3
Audio Connections	F4
Automation Panel	F6
Direct Offline Processing	F7
Video Player	F8
VST Instruments	F11
Audio Performance	F12
Transport panel	F2
On-Screen Keyboard	Alt + K
Open / close Editor	Return
Open Score Editor	Ctrl/Cmd + R
Edit In-Place	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + I
Show / hide Controller Lanes	Alt + L
Open Pool	Ctrl/Cmd + P
Open Markers	Ctrl/Cmd + M
Open Tempo Track	Ctrl/Cmd + T
Open Browser	Ctrl/Cmd + B
Project Setup	Shift + S
Remove Selected Tracks	Shift + Delete
Next panel	Tab
Previous panel	Shift + Tab

Workspaces

Workspaces are saved window arrangements — one for tracking, one for editing, one for mixing. Set the screen up, press Alt + U to store it, and Alt + Num 1 to snap back to it from anywhere.

Action	Key
Workspace 1–9	Alt + Num 1 to 9
New Workspace	Ctrl/Cmd + Num 0
Update Workspace	Alt + U
No Workspace	Alt + Num 0

Project and file

Action	Key
New	Ctrl/Cmd + N
Open	Ctrl/Cmd + O
Save	Ctrl/Cmd + S
Save As	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S
Save New Version	Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + S
Close	Ctrl/Cmd + W
Quit	Ctrl/Cmd + Q

Automation

Action	Key
Open Automation Panel	F6
Read Automation, All Tracks	Alt + R
Write Automation, All Tracks	Alt + W
Write (selected)	W
Activate / Deactivate Focused Object	Alt + A

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Cubase keyboard shortcuts to learn first?

Three groups, in this order. The number row 1–9 for the toolbox, because you use tools constantly and the mapping is purely positional. The numeric keypad for the transport — Enter play, Num 0 stop, Num * record, Num / cycle. Then the single letters: C metronome, Q quantize, S solo, M mute, R record enable, G and H to zoom, B and N to jump between events.

Are Cubase shortcuts the same on Mac and Windows?

Almost entirely, yes. Steinberg keeps one command set across both platforms. Ctrl on Windows becomes Command on Mac, and Alt becomes Option — that's the whole conversion. The only Windows-only default worth mentioning is the Insert key for dropping a marker, since Mac keyboards don't have one.

Why have my Cubase keyboard shortcuts stopped working?

Nine times out of ten the On-Screen Keyboard is open. Cubase reserves the letter and number keys for it so you can play notes from your computer keyboard, which blocks almost every other command. Press Alt + K to close it. If that isn't it, a custom key command preset has probably been loaded — open Key Commands and click Defaults to reset.

How do I set my own keyboard shortcuts in Cubase?

Open the Key Commands dialog, find the command in the category list, click in the Type in Key field, press the combination you want, and click Assign. If it's already in use Cubase tells you what it's assigned to before you overwrite it. You can save the whole set as a preset and carry it between machines.

What is a Workspace in Cubase?

A saved arrangement of windows and zones. Set the screen up the way you want it for tracking, press Alt + U to update, then Alt + Num 1 to jump back to it instantly from anywhere in the project. Most Cubase users never set one up, and it's one of the biggest workflow wins the application offers.

Which version of Cubase do these shortcuts apply to?

Cubase 15, the current release as of 2026. Steinberg's default assignments have been remarkably stable across versions, so these hold on Cubase 14, 13 and most of 12 as well. They're shared with Nuendo too.

Can I print the Cubase shortcuts?

Yes — the free PDF on this page is built for it. A4, grouped by task, Mac and PC modifiers shown together, and laid out to be read at arm's length rather than squinted at.

Related reading

• Logic Pro keyboard shortcuts: the complete 2026 cheat sheet
• Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts: the complete 2026 cheat sheet
• DaVinci Resolve keyboard shortcuts: the complete 2026 cheat sheet
• Avid Media Composer keyboard shortcuts: the complete 2026 cheat sheet
• The Editors Keys Cubase keyboard

Cross-checked key by key against the mapping printed on the Editors Keys Cubase keyboard. Anything the two sources disagreed on was left out. Covers the default assigned key commands only. Cubase is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. Editors Keys is not affiliated with Steinberg.