Introduction to Audacity Keyboard Shortcut
Audacity keyboard shortcuts make our work easy in this software and with these shortcuts you can do any work in a very quick manner not only pre-defined shortcuts, but audacity also offers custom shortcuts of the keyboard that means you can delete any pre-assigned short cut of particular command for doing any task in this software and then assigned your own keys of the keyboard to that command. You can have a full list of keyboard shortcuts of this software from the Keyboard Preferences option and can do changes in them according to you from the dialog box of this option.
Today we will take you through some important shortcuts of different commands of this software which we use frequently during working on our project work. we will also tell you one thing about shortcuts of this software that shortcuts are not generally used are not in the list of shortcuts of Keyboard Preferences but you can access them from the Interface Preference option by enabling the Show Extra menu option.
One more thing we will discuss with you that Mac users should use the Command key of the keyboard in place of the Ctrl key of the keyboard of Windows and for the Alt key of Windows, Mac users use the Option key. You will have some command with the ‘Unassigned’ word in the bracket with them in Keyboard Preferences option that means you can be assigned a key to them.
File Menu shortcuts
Pressing Ctrl + N keys of the keyboard (Command key + N for mac user) will go for creating a new emptying project window for starting our fresh work or for starting work on imported tracks. When you press Ctrl + O keys you can choose your desired audio file, an Audacity project file, or a list of files from an ‘Open’ dialog box for opening them in this software.
There is an option for opening the most recently used files such as the list of 12 recently open files, saved files, or frequently used audio files and this is an unassigned shortcut that means you can choose your own keys for this option. Ctrl + W button of the keyboard can use for closing the current project tab of this software and once you press these keys it will ask you for confirmation whether you want to really close the current tab or not (if you have saved your project then there will be no such message shown).
You can press Ctrl + Q for closing all project windows if you have a number of windows opened in this software at the time of quitting software or for exiting from Audacity software.
Ctrl + S keys of the keyboard can be used for saving the current project tab.AUP file extension which is its native file format. For exporting any audio file in any other supported file format you can press Ctrl + Shift + E keys of the keyboard.
Ctrl + Shift + I keys of the keyboard can be used for importing any audio file or track in your existing project that means your selected file will open in your current tab, not in a separate tab.
Edit Menu shortcuts:
Undo is used for coming backward from recently done step in any editing work in this software and for this press Ctrl + Z keys of the keyboard. You can use any shortcut number of times by pressing the shortcut key of that command again and again.
If by mistake you used undo command for any step then you can again go back to that last step which is removed due to using of undo command and for that press Ctrl + Y keys of the keyboard for the redo command.
Press Ctrl + X keys of keyboard for cutting any selected region data of audio and it will save it in the clipboard of this software which you can paste by pressing the Ctrl + V button if required in another place. The pasting command can also use for placing copied elements.
Ctrl + K keys of the keyboard will delete selected data and it will not save in the clipboard for further use.
Ctrl + C keys will help in making copies of selected audio data without disturbing originally selected data.
Ctrl+ D keys will create a new track that will use the current selection as a new clip.
Press Ctrl + P keys of keyboard for going through Preferences option and by this option you can make a different type of changes in behaviors and interface of Audacity as per your choice.
Split Cut is used for cutting data from the track but data which are at the right side of selection will not shift and the short cut key of it is Ctrl + Alt + X keys of the keyboard.
Split Delete also works as Delete command which we discussed above but data that are at the right side of selection will not shift so its shortcut is Ctrl + Alt + K keys of the keyboard.
For replacing currently selected audio with absolute silence you can press the Ctrl + L keys of the keyboard.
You can press the Ctrl + B button of a keyboard for creating a new or empty label at the cursor point of a mouse or at the selected region of track or audio.
Press Ctrl + M keys of keyboard for the new or empty label at current playback or recording position of track or audio.
Alt + Ctrl + X is similar to the split cut command but it will operate on labeled audio regions.
Alt + Ctrl + X is similar to the split delete command but it will operate on labeled audio regions.
These were some important keyboard shortcuts of Audacity which we need generally during working with this software and there is a number of commands which is unassigned and you can assign shortcut keys to all of them if required.
Conclusion
Now we will suggest you to start your work on this software and use shortcuts keys of the keyboard for almost all commands and option during working with this software. You may face difficulties at starting because you have not remembered these shortcuts but later on you will automatically become habitual of them.
Recommended Articles
This is a guide to Audacity Keyboard Shortcut. Here we discuss the Introduction, File Menu shortcuts, Edit Menu shortcuts. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more – Edit Menu shortcuts
