ComboShelf

Adobe Lightroom keyboard shortcuts

Adobe Lightroom, the cloud-based desktop app, opens its panels with single letters: E for Edit, C for Crop & Rotate, K for Keywords and I for Info. These are the default shortcuts for Lightroom on Windows and macOS, from Adobe's own list, which Adobe last edited in June 2025. Lightroom Classic has its own, longer set, and several keys differ: a pick is Z here, not P.

66 shortcutsWindows and MacChecked 27 September 2026

Checked against Adobe Lightroom User Guide — Default keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom Desktop, Adobe Lightroom — What's new in Lightroom on desktop and Adobe Lightroom Classic User Guide — Keyboard shortcuts. Version: Adobe Lightroom on desktop, current release (9.5, August 2026), default shortcuts; Adobe's list dated June 2025.

66 shortcuts

The top 16 are the Lightroom shortcuts this page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear here. The drill asks the marked ones first too, shuffled. Or tick your own and print those.

The 16 to learn first: the shortcuts the Lightroom page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear on it.

Your own sheet: the Lightroom shortcuts you ticked.

Views and panels

One letter each for the views and the main panels.

Practise these
Show the Grid view #WinGMacG
Show the Detail view #WinDMacD
Open the Edit panel #WinEMacE
Open Crop & Rotate # In Lightroom Classic, C is Compare view and R is the Crop tool.WinCMacC
Open the Info panel #WinIMacI
Open the Keywords panel #WinKMacK
Open the Presets panel #WinShift plusPMacShift plusP
Expand the Versions panel #WinShift plusVMacShift plusV
Show Photos # Not a pick flag: flag a pick with Z.WinPMacP
Switch to Full Screen # Adobe lists Shift+Cmd+F (F11 on Windows) separately, as Enter Full Screen.WinFMacF
Enter full screen #WinF11MacShift plusCommand plusF
Show or hide the filmstrip #WinSlashMacSlash
Open Preferences #WinControl plusCommaMacCommand plusComma

Light, Color and the other panels

Ctrl and a number from 1 to 6 (Cmd on a Mac) expands or collapses one panel each, from Light to Geometry.

Practise these
Expand or collapse the Light panel #WinControl plus1MacCommand plus1
Expand or collapse the Color panel #WinControl plus2MacCommand plus2
Expand or collapse the Effects panel #WinControl plus3MacCommand plus3
Expand or collapse the Details panel #WinControl plus4MacCommand plus4
Expand or collapse the Optics panel # Adobe's list spells it Optiocs.WinControl plus5MacCommand plus5
Expand or collapse the Geometry panel #WinControl plus6MacCommand plus6
Show or hide the histogram # Since version 9.4 (June 2026) you can adjust Exposure, Whites, Blacks, Highlights and Shadows directly in the histogram.WinControl plus0MacCommand plus0

Editing a photo

Practise these
Apply Auto Tone # Lightroom Classic uses Ctrl+U (Cmd+U on a Mac) for auto tone.WinShift plusAMacShift plusA
Show the original #WinBackslashMacBackslash
Turn the clipping indicators on or off #WinJMacJ
Zoom in #WinControl plusEqualsMacCommand plusEquals
Zoom out #WinControl plusMinusMacCommand plusMinus
Switch between zoom states #WinSpace barMacSpace bar
Rotate the photo left #WinControl plusLeft bracketMacCommand plusLeft bracket
Rotate the photo right # Adobe's list labels this CCW, the same as rotating left.WinControl plusRight bracketMacCommand plusRight bracket
Select Guided Upright #WinShift plusGMacShift plusG
Cycle the overlay #WinOMacO
Paste the selected settings # Adobe's Mac column gives Ctrl here, not Cmd.WinControl plusShift plusVMacControl plusShift plusV
Create a version # Adobe gives different keys on the two systems: Shift+M on a Mac, Ctrl+Shift+S on Windows.WinControl plusShift plusSMacShift plusM

Brushes, gradients and masks

Single letters pick the local-adjustment tools. The bracket keys size the brush.

Practise these
Select the Adjustment brush #WinBMacB
Select the Healing brush #WinHMacH
Select the Linear Gradient #WinLMacL
Select the Radial Gradient # In Lightroom Classic, R is the Crop tool.WinRMacR
Select the White Balance Sampler #WinWMacW
Turn on Visualize Spots # With the Healing brush selected.WinAMacA
Make the brush bigger # As Adobe's list gives it. Lightroom Classic is the other way round: ] makes its brush bigger.WinLeft bracketMacLeft bracket
Make the brush smaller #WinRight bracketMacRight bracket
Increase the brush feather # As Adobe's list gives it. In Lightroom Classic, Shift+] increases the feathering.WinShift plusLeft bracketMacShift plusLeft bracket
Decrease the brush feather #WinShift plusRight bracketMacShift plusRight bracket
Cycle through the mask colours #WinShift plusOMacShift plusO

Flags, ratings and stacks

Practise these
Flag the photo as a pick # Z, not P: in Lightroom P shows Photos. Lightroom Classic uses P.WinZMacZ
Remove the pick flag #WinUMacU
Flag the photo as rejected #WinXMacX
Rate the photo from one to five stars # Adobe lists each number as its own row.Win1or2or3or4or5Mac1or2or3or4or5
Set the rating to zero #Win0Mac0
Group the photos into a stack #WinControl plusGMacCommand plusG
Ungroup the stack #WinControl plusShift plusGMacShift plusCommand plusG
Select all #WinControl plusAMacCommand plusA
Select none # Until June 2025 Adobe's list gave Shift+Ctrl+A (Shift+Cmd+A), and some English editions of the page still do.WinControl plusDMacCommand plusD
Add photos #WinControl plusShift plusIMacShift plusCommand plusI
Remove the photo # The Delete key on either keyboard.WinDeleteMacDelete

Clipboard, export and the app

Practise these
Undo #WinControl plusZMacCommand plusZ
Redo #WinControl plusShift plusZMacShift plusCommand plusZ
Cut #WinControl plusXMacCommand plusX
Copy #WinControl plusCMacCommand plusC
Paste #WinControl plusVMacCommand plusV
Export with the previous settings # In Lightroom Classic the same keys open the photo in Adobe Photoshop.WinControl plusEMacCommand plusE
Open the Export dialog box # Adobe's list calls it Export Dialog (Custom…).WinShift plusEMacShift plusE
Open the photo in Adobe Photoshop # In Lightroom Classic the same keys export the selected photos.WinControl plusShift plusEMacShift plusCommand plusE
Close the window #WinControl plusWMacCommand plusW
Hide other apps #WinControl plusAlt plusHMacOption plusCommand plusH
Quit Lightroom #WinControl plusQMacCommand plusQ

Next

Lightroom Classic

In Adobe Lightroom Classic, culling runs on single keys: P and X flag picks and rejects, 1 to 5 set stars, and G, E, C and N switch the Library's views.

292 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

Illustrator

In Adobe Illustrator nearly every tool has a single letter, so V, A, P and T switch between selecting, editing points, drawing and type without the toolbar.

150 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

macOS

These work in the Finder and, with few exceptions, in every app that follows Apple's conventions.

156 shortcuts · Mac

Windows

These are the system shortcuts: they work on the desktop and inside almost any app, because Windows handles them before the app ever sees the key press.

149 shortcuts · Windows

Adobe Lightroom keyboard shortcuts — comboshelf.com. Checked 27 September 2026 against Adobe Lightroom User Guide — Default keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom Desktop.