Best Adobe Lightroom Shortcuts to Master Lightroom in 2025
Bogging down clicking through the menus in Lightroom is a tiring task for the beginners.
Talking about my start let me feel the issues that I faced while using Lightroom.
Learning each function and advanced tools is actually a challenging thing to do.
However, mastering Adobe Lightroom Shortcuts is the best way to have relief from it. Let us discuss all the shortcuts to make Lightroom easy and smooth.
Tip: On Mac, use Command + Option + / to see a list of Lightroom shortcuts.
On Windows, use Ctrl + Alt + /.
Remember, Mac uses “Command” instead of “Ctrl”.
Taking the time to customize these shortcuts to your liking can really speed up your editing process! We’ll explore different shortcut categories next.
What are the Basic Navigation And Organization Shortcuts?
All the basic navigation and organization shortcuts for Mac and Windows are described below.
Using these keys will let you understand the editing work more easily and reach the desired outcomes.
Crop & Rotate (C)
- MacOS: C
- Windows: C
Easily cut and straighten your photos with the Crop & Rotate tool. It helps you frame your pictures perfectly.
Detail (D)
- MacOS: D
- Windows: D
Make those tiny details pop with just one click (or keystroke)! This feature helps sharpen your photos to bring out the finer points.
Edit (E)
- MacOS: E
- Windows: E
To edit your photo in detail, hit the “Edit” shortcut. It will take you right to the Develop module to use the powerful editing tools.
Full Screen (F)
- MacOS: F
- Windows: F
To see your photo bigger and clearer, use the “Full Screen” shortcut to hide everything else on your screen and focus just on your photo.
Grid (G)
- MacOS: G
- Windows: G
To see your photos all at once, use the Grid view shortcut to quickly browse through your entire photo library. It lets you see many pictures on your screen at the same time.
Info (I)
- MacOS: I
- Windows: I
“Info” shortcut helps you to see things like date taken, size, and more.
Keywords (K)
- MacOS: K
- Windows: K
To organize your images you can use the “K” shortcut to add keywords.
Cut (Command + X / Ctrl + X), Copy (Command + C / Ctrl + C), and Paste (Command + V / Ctrl + V)
- MacOS: Command + X, Command + C, Command + V
- Windows: Ctrl + X, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V
Organize photos faster! Use cut, copy, and paste shortcuts to move them around effortlessly.
Undo (Command + Z / Ctrl + Z) and Redo (Shift + Command + Z / Shift + Ctrl + Z)
- MacOS: Command + Z and Shift + Command + Z
- Windows: Ctrl + Z and Shift + Ctrl + Z
Fix mistakes in a snap. Undo and redo shortcuts let you easily fix any edits without losing control.
Don’t forget to use the AI advancements in Lightroom along with keyboard shortcuts to enhance the beauty of your images.
Additional Common Lightroom Shortcuts
Minimize (Command + M / Ctrl + M)
- MacOS: Command + M
- Windows: Ctrl + M
Quickly minimize Lightroom to your taskbar (Windows) or dock (Mac) to access other programs.
Auto Tone (Shift + A)
- MacOS: Shift + A
- Windows: Shift + A
Use the Auto Tone feature to automatically adjust lighting and colors.
Edit in Photoshop (Shift + Command + E / Shift + Ctrl + E)
- MacOS: Shift + Command + E
- Windows: Shift + Ctrl + E
Send photos directly to Photoshop for even more powerful editing tools.
Rotate Left (CCW) (Command + [ / Ctrl + [) & Rotate Right (CCW) (Command + ] / Ctrl + ])
- MacOS: Command + [ and Command + ]
- Windows: Ctrl + [ and Ctrl + ]
Use the built-in tools to easily straighten your images.
Zoom In (Command + = / Ctrl + =) & Zoom Out (Command + – / Ctrl + -)
- MacOS: Command + = and Command + –
- Windows: Ctrl + = and Ctrl + –
Use these shortcuts to zoom in for details, switch to a grid view for browsing, and access photo information quickly.
Select None (Shift + Command + A / Shift + Ctrl + A)
- MacOS: Shift + Command + A
- Windows: Shift + Ctrl + A
Use this shortcut to quickly clear your selection and begin choosing new photos.
Paste Selected Settings (Shift + Ctrl + V / Shift + Ctrl + V)
- MacOS: Shift + Ctrl + V
- Windows: Shift + Ctrl + V
Copy & Paste Edits lets you quickly apply the adjustments from one photo to another, saving you time.
Preferences (Command + , / Ctrl + ,)
- MacOS: Command + ,
- Windows: Ctrl + ,
Use the preferences menu to adjust settings and shortcuts to your liking.
Search (Command + F / Ctrl + F)
- MacOS: Command + F
- Windows: Ctrl + F
Use the search bar to look for pictures by date, location, or even keywords.
Note: You may also check the older versions of the Lightroom.
| Action | macOS Shortcut | Windows Shortcut |
| Crop & Rotate | C | C |
| Detail | D | D |
| Edit | E | E |
| Full Screen | F | F |
| Grid | G | G |
| Info | I | I |
| Keywords | K | K |
| Cut | Command + X | Ctrl + X |
| Copy | Command + C | Ctrl + C |
| Paste | Command + V | Ctrl + V |
| Undo | Command + Z | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Shift + Command +Z | Shift + Ctrl +Z |
| Minimize | Command + M | Ctrl + M |
| Auto Tone | Shift + A | Shift + A |
| Edit in Photoshop | Shift + Command + E | Shift + Ctrl + E |
| Rotate Left (CCW) | Command + [ | Ctrl + [ |
| Rotate Right (CCW) | Command + ] | Ctrl + ] |
| Zoom In | Command + = | Ctrl + = |
| Zoom Out | Command + – | Ctrl + – |
| Select None | Shift + Command + A | Shift + Ctrl + A |
| Paste Selected Settings | Shift + Ctrl + V | Shift + Ctrl + V |
Source: Adobe
Panel And Module-Specific Shortcuts
Expand/Retract Light Panel (Command + 1 / Ctrl + 1)
Toggle the Light Panel on and off for easy access to exposure and contrast adjustments.
Expand/Retract Color Panel (Command + 2 / Ctrl + 2)
Quickly access color adjustments by toggling the Color Panel.
Expand/Retract Effects Panel (Command + 3 / Ctrl + 3)
Toggle the Effects Panel to apply post-processing effects efficiently.
Expand/Retract Details Panel (Command + 4 / Ctrl + 4)
Access the Details Panel for sharpening and noise reduction with ease.
Expand/Retract Optics Panel (Command + 5 / Ctrl + 5)
Toggle the Optics Panel to correct lens distortion and aberrations.
Expand/Retract Geometry Panel (Command + 6 / Ctrl + 6)
Effortlessly access the Geometry Panel to correct perspective and distortion.
Open Presets Panel (Shift + P / Shift + P)
Quickly access your presets for one-click editing enhancements.
Show/Hide Histogram (Command + 0 / Ctrl + 0)
Analyze your photo’s histogram for precise editing adjustments.
| Action | macOS Shortcut | Windows Shortcut |
| Expand/Retract Light Panel | Command + 1 | Ctrl + 1 |
| Expand/Retract Color Panel | Command + 2 | Ctrl + 2 |
| Expand/Retract Effects Panel | Command + 3 | Ctrl + 3 |
| Expand/Retract Details Panel | Command + 4 | Ctrl + 4 |
| Expand/Retract Optics Panel | Command + 5 | Ctrl + 5 |
| Expand/Retract Geometry Panel | Command + 6 | Ctrl + 6 |
| Open Presets Panel | Shift + P | Shift + P |
| Show/Hide Histogram | Command + 0 | Ctrl + 0 |
Brush And Adjustment Shortcuts
Increase Brush Size ([)
- MacOS: [
- Windows: [
Decrease Brush Size (])
- MacOS: ]
- Windows: ]
Increase Brush Feather (Shift + [)
- MacOS: Shift + [
- Windows: Shift + [
Read Also: How to Soft Proof your images in Lightroom?
Decrease Brush Feather (Shift + ])
- MacOS: Shift + ]
- Windows: Shift + ]
Adjustment Brush (B)
- MacOS: B
- Windows: B
Use the Adjustment Brush to make adjustments like brightening shadows or boosting color in just the parts of your photo you want.
Healing Brush (H)
- MacOS: H
- Windows: H
Use the Healing Brush to easily remove dust, blemishes, or other imperfections from your photos.
Why Lightroom Keyboard Shortcuts Matter?
Editing isn’t as easy as you think. There are ultimate difficulties that let the users know the pitfalls of their editing skills.
Therefore, to reduce your time, work with efficiency, and a faster editing workflow the use Lightroom keyboard shortcuts. Let us check out what you will get after using the keyboard shortcuts while editing in Lightroom.
Speed & Efficiency
Using menus or a mouse helps you to perform actions within seconds. Over time, those seconds saved on each task add up to hours.
Improved Workflow
The amazing trick to stay on your improved editing workflow is to maintain your focus and momentum when your hands know how to use a keyboard while editing, it becomes easy to stabilise your ongoing momentum.
Productivity Boost
Lightroom keyboard shortcuts act as a productivity boost as they accomplish your tasks in less time. You can submit your work before meeting deadlines.
Precision & Consistency
Shortcuts often trigger exact commands without misclicking or navigating complex menus, which reduces errors.
Accessibility
Lightroom keyboard shortcuts make navigating and using the software much easier than relying on fine mouse movements.
Conclusion
Using the Adobe Lightroom shortcuts help you to perform stunning edits in a quick way. Beginners who are just trying to learn Lightroom will find the shortcuts like magic. Still if you are not comfortable with Lightroom, check out the best Lightroom alternatives.
