Keyboard shortcuts

Use these keyboard shortcuts to play, navigate, and edit in GarageBand.

Action

Shortcut

Start or stop playback

Space bar

Go to beginning

Return

Go to end of last region

Option-Return

Move forward

Period (.)

Move back

Comma (,)

Move forward by cycle area length

Shift-Command-Period (.)

Move back by cycle area length

Shift-Command-Comma (,)

Move forward by visible width of the timeline

End

Move back by visible width of the timeline

Home

Turn Catch mode on/off

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Zoom out

Command–Left Arrow

Zoom in

Command–Right Arrow

Create a new track

Option-Command-N

Create a new audio track

Option-Command-A

Create a new software instrument track

Option-Command-S

Duplicate the selected track

Command-D

Delete the selected track

Command-Delete

Rename the selected track

Shift-Return

Select the next higher track

Up Arrow

Select the next lower track

Down Arrow

Extend track selection up

Shift–Up Arrow

Extend track selection down

Shift–Down Arrow

Mute/Unmute the selected track

M

Solo/Unsolo the selected track

S

Turn monitoring for the selected track on/off

Control-I

Show/Hide automation for the selected track

A

Delete all automation on the selected track

Control-Shift-Command-Delete

Unmute all tracks

Control-Option-Command-M

Unsolo all tracks

Control-Option-Command-S

Undo

Command-Z

Redo

Shift-Command-Z

Cut

Command-X

Cut an arrangement marker together with its regions

Option-Command-Delete

Copy

Command-C

Paste

Command-V

Delete

Delete

Select all

Command-A

Select previous region on the selected track

Left Arrow

Select next region on the selected track

Right Arrow

Split selected region or event at the playhead

Command-T

Join selected regions or notes

Command-J

Loop selected region continuously

L

Add selected region to the Apple Loops Library

Control-Shift-O

Rename the selected region

Shift-N

Turn Snap to Grid on/off

Command-G

Show/Hide alignment guides

Option-Command-G

Start recording

R

Turn the Record Enable button for the selected track on/off

Control-R

Turn the cycle area on/off

C

Turn the metronome on/off

K

Turn count-in on/off

Shift-K

Transpose selected notes up one semitone

Option–Up Arrow

Transpose selected notes down one semitone

Option–Down Arrow

Transpose selected notes up one octave

Option-Shift–Up Arrow

Transpose selected notes down one octave

Option-Shift–Down Arrow

Select the next score event

Right Arrow

Select the previous score event

Left Arrow

Select the next staff event

Down Arrow

Select the previous staff event

Up Arrow

Print score notation

Command-P

Show/Hide the Musical Typing window

Command-K

Show/Hide Smart Controls

B

Show/Hide the Score Editor

N

Show/Hide the Piano Roll Editor

P

Show/Hide the Loop Browser

O

Show/Hide the Library

Y

Show/Hide the Editor

E

Show/Hide the Note Pad

Option-Command-P

Show/Hide the Media Browser

F

Show/Hide the Arrangement track

Shift-Command-A

Show/Hide the Movie track

Shift-Command-O

Show/Hide the Transposition track

Shift-Command-X

Show/Hide the Tempo track

Shift-Command-T

Show/Hide the master track

Shift-Command-M

Open a Movie

Option-Command-O

Create a new project

Command-N

Open an existing project

Command-O

Close the current window or project

Command-W

Minimize the GarageBand window

Command-M

Save the current project

Command-S

Save As

Shift-Command-S

Show GarageBand preferences

Command-Comma (,)

Hide GarageBand

Command-H

Quit GarageBand

Command-Q

Open detailed Help (move the pointer over an interface item)

Command–Question Mark (?)