Cinema 4D has a keyboard shortcut for most of its tools and commands. This article lists the default shortcuts in Cinema 4D 2026, grouped by the part of the program they belong to.
To find a shortcut quickly, press CTRL + F in your browser (CMD + F on macOS) and type the name of the command.
Note: Using a Mac? On macOS, use these keys in place of the Windows keys:
- CTRL becomes Command (CMD)
- ALT becomes Option
- BACKSPACE becomes Delete
- SHIFT stays Shift
For example, Save Project is CTRL + S on Windows and CMD + S on macOS. Undo works with both CMD + Z and Control + Z.
How to read the shortcuts
- CTRL + S means hold down CTRL, then press S.
- M then S means press M, let go, then press S. After you press the first key, a small window pops up and shows all the commands you can pick with the second key. In the Command Manager, these two-key shortcuts are written with a tilde, for example M~S.
- 1 + drag means hold down the 1 key and drag with the left mouse button in the viewport.
Some keys do different things in different windows. Cinema 4D uses the shortcut that belongs to the window under your mouse cursor. For example, S frames the selected elements when the cursor is over the viewport, but it scrolls to the selected object when the cursor is over the Object Manager. If a shortcut doesn't do what you expect, check where your mouse cursor is.
Tip: Open a tool's options first Some commands have an options window. In the menus, these commands show a small cogwheel icon. To open the options window before the command runs, hold SHIFT when you press the last key of the shortcut. For example, U then S runs Subdivide right away, and U then SHIFT + S opens the Subdivide options first.
No shortcuts match your search.
Most used shortcuts
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Commander (search for any command by name) | SHIFT + C |
| Undo | CTRL + Z |
| Redo | CTRL + Y |
| Save Project | CTRL + S |
| Move tool | E |
| Rotate tool | R |
| Scale tool | T |
| Switch between the active tool and the selection tool | SPACE |
| Make Editable | C |
| Orbit the camera | ALT + left mouse button drag |
| Move (pan) the camera | ALT + middle mouse button drag |
| Scale (zoom) the camera | ALT + right mouse button drag |
| Frame Selected Objects | O |
| Frame Geometry (fit the whole scene) | H |
| Render View (render in the active viewport) | CTRL + R |
| Render to Picture Viewer | SHIFT + R |
| Record Active Objects (set a keyframe) | F9 |
| Play Forwards | F8 |
All shortcuts by area
Click an area to open its list of shortcuts.
General
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Commander (search for any command by name) | SHIFT + C |
| Switch between the active tool and the selection tool | SPACE |
| Switch between the last two tools | SHIFT + SPACE |
| General pop-up menu | V |
| Modeling pop-up menu | CTRL + ALT + V |
| Snapping pop-up menu | P |
| Undo | CTRL + Z |
| Redo | CTRL + Y |
| Undo (Action) | SHIFT + Z |
| Delete | BACKSPACE or DELETE |
| Preferences | CTRL + E |
| Project Settings | CTRL + D |
| Full-Screen Mode for the window under the cursor | CTRL + TAB |
| Full-Screen (Group) Mode | CTRL + SHIFT + TAB |
| Open the help for the parameter or element under the cursor | CTRL + F1 |
File
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Project | CTRL + N |
| Open | CTRL + O |
| Merge | CTRL + SHIFT + O |
| Save Project | CTRL + S |
| Save Project As | CTRL + SHIFT + S |
| Save Incremental | CTRL + ALT + S |
| Close Project | CTRL + F4 |
| Close All Projects | CTRL + SHIFT + F4 |
| Quit Cinema 4D | ALT + F4 |
Opening managers and windows
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Object Manager | SHIFT + F1 |
| Material Manager | SHIFT + F2 |
| Node Editor | SHIFT + ALT + F2 |
| Timeline (Dope Sheet) | SHIFT + F3 |
| Timeline (F-Curve) | SHIFT + ALT + F3 |
| Layer Manager | SHIFT + F4 |
| Attribute Manager | SHIFT + F5 |
| Picture Viewer | SHIFT + F6 |
| Coordinate Manager | SHIFT + F7 |
| Asset Browser | SHIFT + F8 |
| Structure Manager | SHIFT + F9 |
| Console | SHIFT + F10 |
| Script Manager | SHIFT + F11 |
| Command Manager | SHIFT + F12 |
| Close the window under the cursor | CTRL + W |
Viewport and camera
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Move (pan) the camera | 1 + drag, or ALT + middle mouse button drag |
| Scale (zoom) the camera | 2 + drag, or ALT + right mouse button drag |
| Orbit the camera | 3 + drag, or ALT + left mouse button drag |
| Frame Selected Elements | S or ALT + S |
| Frame Selected Objects | O or ALT + O |
| Frame Geometry (fit the whole scene) | H or ALT + H |
| Undo View | CTRL + SHIFT + Z |
| Redo View | CTRL + SHIFT + Y |
| Switch to View 1, 2, 3 or 4 | F1, F2, F3, F4 |
| Show all four views | F5 |
| Make a viewport full size or switch back | Click the viewport with the middle mouse button |
| Show or hide the axis handles | ALT + D |
| Configure the viewport | SHIFT + V |
| Configure all viewports | ALT + V |
| Redraw the viewport | A |
| Isoline Editing | ALT + A |
Viewport display modes
Press N, then the second key.
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Gouraud Shading | N then A |
| Gouraud Shading (Lines) | N then B |
| Quick Shading | N then C |
| Quick Shading (Lines) | N then D |
| Constant Shading | N then E |
| Hidden Line | N then F |
| Lines | N then G |
| Wireframe | N then H |
| Isoparms | N then I |
| Box | N then K |
| Skeleton | N then L |
| Tags (use Display tag settings) | N then O |
| Backface Culling | N then P |
| Materials (show textures) | N then Q |
| X-Ray | N then R |
Tools, modes and axes
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Move tool | E |
| Rotate tool | R |
| Scale tool | T |
| Lasso Selection | 8 |
| Brush Selection | 9 |
| Rectangle Selection | 0 |
| Move the object without the Move tool | 4 + drag |
| Scale the object without the Scale tool | 5 + drag |
| Rotate the object without the Rotate tool | 6 + drag |
| Move the parent object | 7 + drag |
| Switch back to the last modeling mode (points, edges or polygons) | ENTER |
| Make Editable | C |
| Enable Axis (edit the object's axis) | L |
| Coordinate System (switch between world and object) | W |
| Lock or unlock the X-Axis / Pitch | X |
| Lock or unlock the Y-Axis / Heading | Y |
| Lock or unlock the Z-Axis / Bank | Z |
| Enable Snap | SHIFT + S |
| Enable Quantizing | SHIFT + Q |
| Locked Workplane | SHIFT + X |
| Enable Symmetry | ALT + W |
| Modeling Settings | SHIFT + M |
Modeling tools
Most modeling tools use two keys. Press M (or U, or K), let go, then press the second key.
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Create Point | M then A |
| Bridge | B, or M then B |
| Brush | M then C |
| Close Polygon Hole | M then D |
| Polygon Pen | M then E |
| Edge Cut | M then F |
| Iron | M then G |
| Symmetrize | M then H |
| Magnet | M then I |
| Plane Cut | K then J, or M then J |
| Line Cut | K then K, or M then K |
| Loop/Path Cut | K then L, or M then L |
| Connect Points/Edges | M then M |
| Dissolve | M then N, or CTRL + BACKSPACE |
| Slide | M then O |
| Stitch and Sew | M then P |
| Weld | M then Q |
| Weight Subdivision Surface | M then R, or . |
| Bevel | M then S |
| Extrude | D, or M then T |
| Set Point Value | M then U |
| Spin Edge | M then V |
| Inset | I, or M then W |
| Matrix Extrude | M then X |
| Smooth Shift | M then Y |
| Normal Move | M then Z |
| Normal Scale | M then - |
| Normal Rotate | M then , |
| Align Normals | U then A |
| Collapse | U then C |
| Disconnect | U then D |
| Remove N-gons | U then E |
| Retriangulate N-gons | U then G |
| Volume Mesh | U then H |
| Optimize | U then O |
| Split | U then P |
| Reverse Normals | U then R |
| Subdivide | U then S |
| N-gon Triangulation | U then T |
| Untriangulate | U then U |
| Melt | U then Z, or ALT + BACKSPACE |
Selection
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select All | CTRL + A |
| Deselect All | CTRL + SHIFT + A |
| Invert | U then I |
| Ring Selection | U then B |
| Fill Selection | U then F |
| Phong Break Selection | U then N |
| Shrink Selection | U then K |
| Loop Selection | U then L |
| Path Selection | U then M |
| Outline Selection | U then Q |
| Symmetrize Selection | U then V |
| Select Connected | U then W |
| Convert Selection | U then X |
| Grow Selection | U then Y |
Object Manager
These work when the mouse cursor is over the Object Manager.
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Group Objects | ALT + G |
| Ungroup Objects | SHIFT + G |
| Toggle Parent Generator (turn a generator on or off) | Q |
| Scroll to Selection | S |
| Show Search Bar | CTRL + F |
| Show Filter | CTRL + U |
| Scene Information | CTRL + I |
| Create a new object as the parent of the selected object | Hold ALT while you create the object |
| Create a new object as a child of the selected object | Hold SHIFT while you create the object |
| Create a new object at the same level as the selected object | Hold CTRL while you create the object |
| Select an object and all of its children | Click it with the middle mouse button |
Attribute Manager
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open a new Attribute Manager | SHIFT + F5 |
| Change a value faster or slower with the arrow buttons | Hold ALT or SHIFT while you drag the arrows |
| Reset a value to its default | Right-click the arrow buttons |
Material Manager
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| New default material | CTRL + N, or double-click an empty area |
| New PBR Material | CTRL + SHIFT + N |
| New Node Material | CTRL + ALT + N |
| Load Materials | CTRL + SHIFT + O |
| Replace a material on every object that uses it | Hold ALT and drag one material onto another |
Node Editor
These work when the mouse cursor is over the Node Editor.
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Add Nodes | C |
| Group Nodes | ALT + G |
| Ungroup Nodes | SHIFT + G |
| Group In Scaffold | CTRL + G |
| Arrange All Nodes | SHIFT + L |
| Arrange Selected Nodes | L |
| Select All Nodes | CTRL + A |
| Select Connected Nodes | U then W |
| Select Downstream Nodes | SHIFT + S |
| Center Selected | ALT + S |
| Frame Selected | S |
| Frame All | H |
| Zoom in or out | + or - |
| New Note | CTRL + / |
Animation and Timeline
Some of these only work when the mouse cursor is over the Timeline.
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Play Forwards | F8 (Space in the Timeline) |
| Play Backwards | F6 |
| Stop | F7 |
| Record Active Objects (set a keyframe) | F9 |
| Autokeying | CTRL + F9 |
| Go to Start | SHIFT + F |
| Go to End | SHIFT + G |
| Go to Previous Frame | F |
| Go to Next Frame | G |
| Go to Previous Key | CTRL + F |
| Go to Next Key | CTRL + G |
| Set the preview range start | SHIFT + I |
| Set the preview range end | SHIFT + O |
| Change the current frame by dragging in the viewport | J + drag |
| Switch between Key, F-Curve and Motion mode | TAB |
| Record Current State | Q |
| Go to Current Frame | O |
| Frame Selected | S |
| Frame All | H |
| Frame Preview Range | ALT + H |
| Go to First Key | CTRL + P |
| Go to Last Key | CTRL + O |
| Go to First Marker | CTRL + SHIFT + P |
| Go to Last Marker | CTRL + SHIFT + O |
| Go to Previous Marker | SHIFT + P |
| Go to Next Marker | SHIFT + N |
| Create a marker | CTRL + click in the Timeline ruler |
| Region Tool | R |
| Ripple Edit | ALT + R |
| Automatic Mode | ALT + A |
| Enable Frame Snapping | X |
| Show Search Bar | CTRL + F |
| Show Filter | CTRL + U |
Key interpolation
Select the keys in the Timeline first. For the T shortcuts, press T, let go, then press the second key.
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Auto Tangents | A, or T then 1 |
| Break Tangents | B, or T then 2 |
| Zero Angle (Tangent) | 0, or T then 3 |
| Zero Length (Tangent) | L, or T then 4 |
| Clamp | C, or T then 5 |
| Linear | ALT + L, or T then 6 |
| Step | ALT + T, or T then 7 |
| Soft | ALT + S, or T then 8 |
| Ease Ease | ALT + E, or T then 9 |
| Ease In | ALT + I, or T then I |
| Ease Out | ALT + O, or T then O |
Rendering
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Render View (render in the active viewport) | CTRL + R |
| Render to Picture Viewer | SHIFT + R |
| Team Render to Picture Viewer | CTRL + SHIFT + R |
| Render Settings | CTRL + B |
| Make Preview | ALT + B |
Picture Viewer
These work when the mouse cursor is over the Picture Viewer.
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open Image | CTRL + O |
| Save Image As | CTRL + SHIFT + S |
| Full-Screen Mode | CTRL + F |
| Play Forwards | SPACE |
| Go to Previous Image | F or LEFT ARROW |
| Go to Next Image | G or RIGHT ARROW |
| Set as A | A |
| Set as B | B |
| Swap A and B | S |
| Set as Preview Start | I |
| Set as Preview End | O |
| Zoom in or out | + or - |
| Auto Zoom Mode | H |
| Switch between 100% and fit to window | Double-click the image |
Asset Browser
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open the Asset Browser | SHIFT + F8 |
| Search | CTRL + F |
| Browser Preferences | CTRL + E |
| Rename the selected asset | SHIFT + ENTER |
Structure Manager
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Import ASCII Data | CTRL + SHIFT + O |
| Points mode | P |
| Polygons mode | O |
| UVWs mode | U |
| Vertex Map mode | V |
| Jump to the next selected element | N |
| Jump to the previous selected element | SHIFT + N |
| Jump one page up or down | PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN |
| Jump to the start or end | HOME or END |
Script Manager
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Script | CTRL + N |
| Open Script | CTRL + O |
| Save Script | CTRL + S |
| Save Script As | CTRL + SHIFT + S |
Sculpting
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Smooth with any brush | Hold SHIFT while you sculpt |
| Invert the brush effect | Hold CTRL while you sculpt |
| Brush size | Middle mouse button + drag left or right |
| Brush pressure | Middle mouse button + drag up or down |
| Brush size smaller or larger | [ or ] (also , or .) |
| Brush pressure lower or higher | ' or \ |
| Toggle Symmetry Plane X, Y or Z | ALT + X, ALT + Y, ALT + Z |
| Toggle wireframe | W |
| Show or hide the stencil | Q |
| Move, scale or rotate the stencil | T + left, right or middle mouse button drag |
BodyPaint 3D
| Command | Windows shortcut |
|---|---|
| Brush size smaller or larger | [ or ] (also , or .) |
| Brush hardness lower or higher | SHIFT + [ or SHIFT + ] |
| Brush pressure lower or higher | CTRL + [ or CTRL + ] |
| Rotate the brush counterclockwise or clockwise | ALT + [ or ALT + ] |
| Non-Uniform Scale | SHIFT + T |
| UV Transform | CTRL + T |
| Texture View: show all | H |
Change or add your own shortcuts
You can change any shortcut or give a shortcut to a command that doesn't have one. You do this in the Command Manager.
- Open the Command Manager. Choose Window > Customization > Command Manager, or press SHIFT + F12.
- In the search field at the top, type the name of the command you want, for example Cube. Click the command in the list.
- At the bottom of the window, click the shortcut field and press the keys you want to use.
- Click Assign to replace the old shortcut, or Add to keep the old shortcut and add the new one.
If the shortcut is already used by another command, Cinema 4D asks you if you want to replace it. Click Yes only if you don't need the other command's shortcut anymore.
Pro tip: Keep your own shortcut set, or go back to the defaults
The Command Manager's File menu lets you work with shortcut sets. A shortcut set is a saved list of shortcuts.
- Duplicate makes a copy of the current set and switches to it. Make a copy before you change shortcuts, so the default set stays untouched.
- Presets lists all of your shortcut sets. Pick one to switch to it. The default set is always in this list, and you can't delete or rename it, so you can always switch back to it.
- Load opens a shortcut set file (.res). You can use this to bring your own set from an older version of Cinema 4D.
Your own shortcut sets are saved in this folder:
Windows: C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Roaming\Maxon\<Cinema 4D version>\prefs\shortcutsTo open your preferences folder on Windows or macOS, open Cinema 4D and choose Edit > Preferences, then click Open Preferences Folder... at the bottom of the window.
Pro tip: F1 to F12 keys don't work on my Mac
On many Mac keyboards, the F1 to F12 keys control things like screen brightness and volume. To use them in Cinema 4D, hold the Fn key when you press the F key.
To make the F keys work without Fn, open the Apple menu, choose System Settings > Keyboard, click Keyboard Shortcuts..., select Function Keys, and turn on Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.
TL;DR
- The tables in this article show the default Windows shortcuts for Cinema 4D 2026. On macOS, use CMD instead of CTRL and Option instead of ALT.
- M then S means press M, let go, then press S. Hold SHIFT on the last key to open the tool's options first.
- Many shortcuts depend on the window under your mouse cursor, so the same key can do different things in the viewport, the Object Manager, and the Timeline.
- Press SHIFT + C to open the Commander and search for any command by name, even if you don't know its shortcut.
- Change or add shortcuts in the Command Manager (SHIFT + F12).
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please submit a support ticket, and our team will be happy to help.
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