Keyboard shortcuts

You can use your keyboard to quickly accomplish many tasks in iTunes. To find the shortcuts for common commands, look in the menus (or see the list at the bottom of this page). Many items in iTunes (for example, songs and column headings) also have contextual menus. To see a contextual menu, Control-click or right-click the item.

To turn on full keyboard navigation, choose Edit > Preferences, click General, and select “Enable full keyboard navigation.”

Some screen readers override keyboard combinations built into iTunes; check the screen reader documentation for instructions on customizing key combinations.

To do an action, press the shortcut keys indicated below.

Action
Shortcut

Playback shortcuts

Play the selected song immediately

Enter

Move forward or backward within a song

Control-Alt-Arrow

Listen to the next or previous album in a list

Alt-Right Arrow or Left Arrow (or Alt-click the Skip Forward or Skip Backward controls in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window)

Go to the next or previous song in a list

Left Arrow or Right Arrow (or click the Skip Forward or Skip Backward controls in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window)

Library and playlist shortcuts

Select or deselect all the songs in a list

Control-click the checkbox next to a song

Create a playlist from a selection of songs

Shift-click the Add (+) button (Or drag the songs to the white area of the source pane)

Create a new Smart Playlist

Shift-click the Add (+) button

Reshuffle the current playlist

Alt-click the Shuffle button

Refresh the Radio or iTunes DJ list (when selected, below Library)

F5

iTunes Store shortcuts

Go to the next page in the iTunes Store

Control-Right bracket ( ] )

Go to the previous page in the iTunes Store

Control-Left bracket ( [ )

Check for new podcast episodes (when Podcasts is selected, below Library)

F5

Initiate a search in the iTunes Store (from anywhere in iTunes)

Type in Search field and press Shift-Return.

Open the Store menu

Alt-S

File and window shortcuts

Expand or collapse all the triangles in the Radio’s Stream list

Control-click a triangle

Shrink the iTunes window to show only the playback controls

Control-M

In the Get Info window, see the info for the next or previous song in the list

Alt-N or Alt-P

Select the search field

Control-Alt-F

See more options when a visual effect is showing

Press ?, then press the indicated key to use an option (not all visual effects support this)

Choose artwork for the selected video

While the video is playing, press the Control key, click the movie, and then choose Set Poster Frame

iPod shortcuts

Prevent iPod from automatically updating when you connect it to your computer

Shift-Control as you connect the iPod to your computer (hold the keys down until the iPod appears in the iTunes window)

iPhone shortcuts

Prevent iPhone from automatically updating when you connect it to your computer

Shift-Control as you connect the iPhone to your computer (hold the keys down until the iPod appears in the iTunes window)

Spoken word shortcuts

Go to the next or last chapter (if available)

Control-Shift-Right Arrow or Left Arrow

File menu shortcuts

Create a new playlist

Control-N

Create a new folder

Shift-Control-N

Add a file to your music library

Control-O

Close the iTunes window

Control-W

Import a song, playlist, or library file

Shift-Control-O

Open the song or CD Info window for the selected song or CD

Control-I

Show where a song file is located

Control-R

Show the currently playing song in the list

Control-L

Edit menu shortcuts

Open iTunes preferences

Control-comma

Undo your last typing change while still in edit mode

Control-Z

Cut the selected song’s information or artwork

Control-X

Copy the selected song’s information or artwork

Control-C

Paste the selected song’s information or artwork

Control-V

Select all the songs in the list

Control-A

Deselect all the songs in the list

Shift-Control-A

Controls menu shortcuts

Stop or start playing the selected song

Space Bar

When a song is playing, play the next song in a list

Right Arrow

When a song is playing, play the previous song in a list

Left Arrow

Increase the volume

Control-Up Arrow

Decrease the volume

Control-Down Arrow

Mute the sound (song keeps playing)

Control-Alt-Down Arrow

Eject a CD

Control-E

Window menu shortcuts

Eject a CD

Control-E

View menu shortcuts

Hide or show the Browser (Artist and Album columns)

Control-B

Hide or show song artwork

Control-G

Turn the visualizer on or off

Control-T

Switch between visual effects taking up the entire screen or appearing in the iTunes window (when visualizer is on)

Control-F

Open the View Options window for the selected source

Control-J

Advanced menu shortcuts

Stream audio file at a specific URL to iTunes

Control-U

Help menu shortcuts

Open iTunes Help

Control-?

General shortcuts

Open iTunes in “safe mode” (without external plug-ins)

Control-Shift (while opening iTunes)

Edit the name of the currently selected item

F2

Refresh source list

F5

Interrupt the current process (burning a CD, syncing, converting a file, and so on)

Control-Break

With full keyboard navigation enabled

Tab

Select the next control

Click the currently selected control

Enter

Open or close the selected item’s disclosure triangle

Left Arrow or Right Arrow, or + and – on the numeric keybad

Keyboard shortcuts