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Adobe Lightroom Keyboard Shortcuts (Classic 2024) — Complete Cheat Sheet
Speed up your Lightroom photo editing and culling workflow with essential shortcuts for the Library, Develop, and Slideshow modules.
44 shortcuts across 3 categories · Windows · macOS
Adobe Lightroom Classic's keyboard shortcuts turn what feels like a slow culling and editing process into a rapid, flowing workflow. From flagging hundreds of photos with P and X in Library to switching between the Develop tools with single-key shortcuts, photographers who learn Lightroom's shortcuts process shoots in a fraction of the time compared to mouse-only workflows.
Library Module
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Import Photos | Ctrl + Shift + I | Open the Import dialog |
| Export Photos | Ctrl + Shift + E | Open the Export dialog |
| Flag as Pick | P | Flag the selected photo as a Pick |
| Flag as Rejected | X | Flag the selected photo as Rejected |
| Remove Flag | U | Clear any flag from the selected photo |
| Rate 1–5 Stars | 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 | Apply a star rating to the selected photo |
| Increase Rating | . | Increase the star rating by one |
| Decrease Rating | , | Decrease the star rating by one |
| Toggle Color Label Red | 6 | Apply a red color label |
| Toggle Color Label Yellow | 7 | Apply a yellow color label |
| Toggle Color Label Green | 8 | Apply a green color label |
| Auto Advance | Caps Lock | Automatically move to the next photo after flagging or rating |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Select all photos in the current view |
| Deselect All | Ctrl + D | Deselect all photos |
| Delete Rejected Photos | Ctrl + Backspace | Delete all photos flagged as Rejected |
Develop Module
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Go to Develop | D | Switch to the Develop module |
| Auto Tone | Ctrl + U | Apply automatic tone adjustments |
| Auto White Balance | Ctrl + Shift + U | Apply automatic white balance |
| Before / After View | Y | Toggle between before and after comparison |
| Reset to Default | Ctrl + Shift + R | Reset all develop settings to default |
| Copy Develop Settings | Ctrl + Shift + C | Copy the current develop settings |
| Paste Develop Settings | Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste develop settings onto selected photo |
| Sync Settings | Ctrl + Shift + S | Sync develop settings across selected photos |
| Crop Tool | R | Activate the crop overlay tool |
| Spot Removal Tool | Q | Activate the spot removal tool |
| Red Eye Tool | E | Activate the red eye correction tool |
| Graduated Filter | M | Activate the graduated filter |
| Radial Filter | Shift + M | Activate the radial filter |
| Adjustment Brush | K | Activate the adjustment brush |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Undo last action |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y | Redo last undone action |
Navigation & View
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Library Module | G | Go to the Library Grid view |
| Loupe View | E | Show selected photo in Loupe (full) view |
| Compare View | C | Compare two photos side by side |
| Survey View | N | Show multiple selected photos for comparison |
| Full Screen | F | Toggle full screen mode |
| Zoom In / Out | Z | Toggle between fit and 100% zoom |
| Zoom In Further | Ctrl + + | Zoom in on the photo |
| Zoom Out Further | Ctrl + - | Zoom out of the photo |
| Previous Photo | ← | Go to the previous photo |
| Next Photo | → | Go to the next photo |
| Hide / Show Panels | Tab | Toggle side panels to maximise the photo area |
| Show / Hide Toolbar | T | Toggle the toolbar below the photo |
| Lights Out | L | Dim or black-out the surrounding interface |
Adobe Lightroom Tips & Tricks
- Use Caps Lock for Auto Advance culling: Turn on Caps Lock before you start culling. Every time you press P (pick) or X (reject), Lightroom instantly moves to the next photo — no arrow key needed. You can rate an entire shoot twice as fast.
- Copy-paste settings across photos instantly: After editing one photo, press Ctrl+Shift+C to copy just the settings you want (exposure, colour grade, etc.), select multiple other photos, then Ctrl+Shift+V to paste. Use Ctrl+Shift+S (Sync) when you need to choose which settings to apply per batch.
- Press Y to see your before/after before export: Always check the Before/After view (Y) before exporting. It reveals if you've accidentally over-processed a photo that looks fine at 100% but is clearly wrong compared to the original.
Frequently Asked Questions — Adobe Lightroom
- What is the fastest way to cull photos in Lightroom?
- Turn on Caps Lock before you start culling. Press P to flag a photo as a Pick and X to mark it as Rejected — with Caps Lock on, Lightroom automatically advances to the next photo after each key press. You can also use the number keys 1–5 to rate photos and . or , to increase or decrease ratings.
- How do I compare photos in Lightroom with the keyboard?
- Press C to enter Compare view to see two photos side by side. Press N to enter Survey view and see several selected photos at once. Press E to return to Loupe (single photo) view and G to go back to the Grid.
- How do I sync edits across multiple photos in Lightroom?
- Edit one photo in the Develop module, then select all the photos you want to apply the same settings to. Press Ctrl+Shift+S (Cmd+Shift+S on Mac) to open the Sync Settings dialog, choose which settings to copy, and click Synchronize. All selected photos will be updated instantly.
- How do I reset all Develop settings in Lightroom?
- Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) to reset all Develop settings back to the default (no edits). You can also reset individual sliders by double-clicking them. Press Ctrl+Z to undo individual adjustments one at a time.
How to Learn Adobe Lightroom Keyboard Shortcuts
Adobe Lightroom Classic's keyboard shortcut system is specifically designed around the most time-consuming part of photography: the culling and editing workflow that follows a shoot. Photographers who have photographed an event or landscape session may come home with 500 to 2,000 images and face the task of systematically reviewing every one, flagging the keepers, rejecting the failures, and then developing the selects. Without keyboard shortcuts, this process is exhaustingly slow — clicking reject, then next, then reject again across hundreds of images. With the P key to flag, X key to reject, and right arrow to advance, the same review process flows rapidly and even rhythmically, which keeps focus sharper over long culling sessions.
In the Develop module where editing happens, Lightroom's shortcuts are equally important. The O key cycles through overlay modes in the crop tool. The backslash key shows before and after views for the current edit. The brackets [ and ] adjust brush size in the adjustment brush and healing tools. Pressing Y switches between the before and after split view. The numbers 1–5 apply star ratings and Shift+numbers set color labels — a rating system that only makes sense to use if you can apply it with single keystrokes during review. Professional photographers who use Lightroom daily almost universally report that adopting its keyboard shortcut system was one of the most impactful changes they made to their post-processing workflow.