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DaVinci Resolve Keyboard Shortcuts (19) — Complete Cheat Sheet
DaVinci Resolve keyboard shortcuts for editing, color grading, timeline navigation, and audio. Cut and grade faster in Resolve 19.
41 shortcuts across 4 categories · Windows · macOS · Linux
DaVinci Resolve's keyboard shortcuts cover all its major pages — Cut, Edit, Fusion, Color, Fairlight, and Deliver — each with their own shortcut sets optimized for that workflow. Professional colorists and editors use Resolve shortcuts to work at broadcast speed, especially when time-sensitive color grading or assembly cutting under deadline.
Playback
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Play / Stop | Space | Toggle playback from the playhead position |
| Play Reverse (J) | J | Play in reverse; press again for 2×, 4× speed |
| Pause (K) | K | Pause playback |
| Play Forward (L) | L | Play forward; press again for 2×, 4× speed |
| Step One Frame Forward | → | Advance one frame at a time |
| Step One Frame Back | ← | Go back one frame at a time |
| Go to Beginning | Home | Jump the playhead to the start of the timeline |
| Go to End | End | Jump the playhead to the end of the timeline |
| Loop Playback | Ctrl + / | Toggle looped playback of the timeline |
Editing
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Blade / Cut at Playhead | Ctrl + B | Split the clip at the current playhead position |
| Ripple Delete | Shift + Backspace | Delete selected clip and close the gap |
| Lift / Delete with Gap | Backspace | Delete selected clip and leave a gap |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Undo the last action |
| Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo the last undone action |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Copy selected clip |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Paste copied clip at playhead |
| Insert Edit | F9 | Insert the source clip at the playhead, pushing existing clips down |
| Overwrite Edit | F10 | Overwrite the timeline at the playhead with the source clip |
| Replace Edit | F11 | Replace the selected clip with the source clip |
| Mark In Point | I | Set an In point in the viewer or timeline |
| Mark Out Point | O | Set an Out point in the viewer or timeline |
| Go to In Point | Shift + I | Jump the playhead to the In point |
| Go to Out Point | Shift + O | Jump the playhead to the Out point |
Timeline Navigation
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom In Timeline | = | Zoom into the timeline for more detail |
| Zoom Out Timeline | - | Zoom out to see more of the timeline |
| Fit Timeline to Window | Shift + Z | Fit the entire timeline into the visible area |
| Previous Edit Point | ↑ | Jump to the previous clip boundary |
| Next Edit Point | ↓ | Jump to the next clip boundary |
| Enable / Disable Clip | D | Toggle the selected clip off without removing it |
| Link / Unlink Audio-Video | Ctrl + Alt + L | Toggle audio/video link on selected clip |
| Add a Marker | M | Add a marker at the current playhead position |
| Go to Next Marker | Shift + ↓ | Jump to the next marker in the timeline |
Pages & Color
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Go to Cut Page | Shift + 2 | Switch to the Cut page for fast editing |
| Go to Edit Page | Shift + 3 | Switch to the Edit page for detailed trimming |
| Go to Fusion Page | Shift + 4 | Switch to the Fusion VFX compositing page |
| Go to Color Page | Shift + 5 | Switch to the Color grading page |
| Go to Fairlight Page | Shift + 6 | Switch to the Fairlight audio mixing page |
| Go to Deliver Page | Shift + 7 | Switch to the Deliver export page |
| Reset Current Grade | Ctrl + Home | Reset the color grade for the selected clip to default |
| Flag Clip | G | Add a flag to the selected clip for review |
| Add Color Node | Alt + S | Add a serial (linked) node to the node graph on the Color page |
DaVinci Resolve Tips & Tricks
- J-K-L is universal — works in every NLE: J plays reverse, K pauses, L plays forward. Hold K and tap J or L to nudge one frame at a time. Press L twice for 2× speed, three times for 4×. This JKL scrubbing works in Premiere, Final Cut, Avid, and Resolve.
- F9 / F10 for insert vs overwrite edits: F9 (insert) pushes existing clips down the timeline to make room for the new clip. F10 (overwrite) replaces whatever is at the playhead. Choosing the right one prevents accidental rippling that shifts your entire edit.
- Shift+Z fits the timeline — always your first move: When you open a project or get lost in a zoomed view, Shift+Z instantly fits the entire timeline into the window so you can orient yourself before navigating to a specific clip.
Frequently Asked Questions — DaVinci Resolve
- How do I cut a clip in DaVinci Resolve?
- Position the playhead where you want to cut and press Ctrl+B (Cmd+B on Mac) to split the clip at that point. In the Cut page, you can also use the Blade tool or press B to activate it and click on clips to cut.
- How do I switch between pages in DaVinci Resolve?
- Press Shift+2 for the Cut page, Shift+3 for Edit, Shift+4 for Fusion, Shift+5 for Color, Shift+6 for Fairlight audio, and Shift+7 for Deliver. Each page has its own set of keyboard shortcuts optimized for that workflow.
- What are the most essential DaVinci Resolve shortcuts for beginners?
- Start with Space to play/pause, J/K/L for shuttle control (reverse/pause/forward), I and O to mark In and Out points, F9 to insert edit, and Ctrl+Z to undo. These cover the core editing workflow without a mouse.
How to Learn DaVinci Resolve Keyboard Shortcuts
DaVinci Resolve is unique among video editing and color grading tools in that it combines what used to be separate specialized applications — an edit timeline, a node-based color grading suite, audio post-production, visual effects, and a delivery pipeline — into a single application. Each of these pages (Cut, Edit, Fusion, Color, Fairlight, and Deliver) has its own shortcut set optimized for the workflow of that specific discipline. For editors coming from Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, the DaVinci Resolve shortcuts feel familiar in structure but differ in specifics — the J, K, L shuttle system is the same, but the ripple delete and trim shortcuts differ enough to require dedicated practice.
The DaVinci Resolve shortcuts that matter most depend on where you spend the most time. For editors on the Edit page, the blade tool (B), selection tool (A), and the in/out marking shortcuts (I and O) are constant. For colorists on the Color page, the shortcut for next clip (Down arrow) and previous clip (Up arrow), the shortcuts for splitting nodes, and the Alt+S to add a serial node are used dozens of times per session. DaVinci Resolve supports extensive keyboard customization via the Keyboard Customization dialog (DaVinci Resolve → Keyboard Customization on Mac, or File → Keyboard Customization on Windows), which allows you to map any operation to any key — a powerful feature worth exploring once you're comfortable with the default layout.