# Keyboard shortcuts

> Every Curtains shortcut, and how to change them.

Source: https://curtains.app/help/keyboard-shortcuts/

Curtains has global shortcuts that work in any app, so you can pause, switch layouts or focus a window without bringing Studio back over your meeting.

To see them in Studio, click **Shortcuts** in the left rail.

*Image: Studio's Keyboard shortcuts sheet. Under Global: Live / Paused, Next layout, Focus or unfocus the active window, Undo stroke, Clear all ink, Show Studio and search sources, and Show or hide the floating remote. Under Focus a window: Window 1 to Window 6. Below, “Defaults use Control Option” and a Change in Settings button.*

## Global shortcuts

They work from any app, even while Studio is behind it. The defaults use `⌃⌥` (Control and Option) on a Mac, and `Ctrl+Alt` on Windows.

| Action | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Live / Paused | `⌃⌥P` | Switches the session between Live and Paused. |
| Next layout | `⌃⌥]` | Steps to the next layout. |
| Focus or unfocus the active window | `⌃⌥F` | Focuses the shared window in front, or takes the focus off it if it is already focused. With no shared window in front, it ends a focus that fills the canvas. |
| Undo stroke | `⌃⌥Z` | Removes your last stroke of ink. |
| Clear all ink | `⌃⌥C` | Clears all ink. |
| Show Studio and search sources | `⌃⌥S` | Brings Studio forward, with the search box in Sources ready to type in. |
| Show or hide the floating remote | `⌃⌥R` | Shows or hides the floating remote. |
| Focus window 1 to 6 | `⌃⌥1` to `⌃⌥6` | Focuses the window in that place in the order. Pressing it again doesn't take the focus off. |

Focus makes a window the big one. In **Focus** it becomes the main window above the filmstrip, and in Grid, Follow and Free it fills the canvas until you unfocus it. See [Focus](https://curtains.app/help/focus/).

Show or hide the floating remote works only with a session running. See [Floating remote and menu bar](https://curtains.app/help/floating-remote-and-menu-bar/).

Each combo can have its own shortcut too. They are listed under **Combos** in the sheet. See [Combos](https://curtains.app/help/combos/).

> **Note**
>
> There are no shortcuts for draw mode, blur mode or the laser. You draw and blur with the pointer, on Studio's preview or from the toolbar under a shared window. See [Draw on your windows](https://curtains.app/help/draw-on-your-windows/).

## Shortcuts in Studio

These work when Studio is in front.

| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Swap two windows, or make one the big one | Drag it onto another. |
| Focus or unfocus a window | Double-click it on the preview, or press `B` in the Layout panel or on the preview. |
| Unfocus, back to the layout | `Esc` |
| Bring a window's app to the front | Hover it, then click its top-right button, or press `F` in the Layout panel or on the preview. |
| Place a window freely in the Free layout | Hold `⌥` while dragging. |
| Remove a blur region | Hover it, then click ×. |

## Without a mouse

| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move a window in the order (Layout panel) | `⌥` with `↑` or `↓` |
| Move a window on the preview | `⌥` with the arrow keys |
| Make it the big window (Focus, Follow) | `Enter` |
| Draw on the preview | Arrow keys, then `Space` |
| Move a window in the Free layout | Arrow keys |
| Resize it | `Shift` with the arrow keys |
| Add a blur region | Tools, then Add |
| Move or resize a blur region (Tools) | Arrow keys, or `Shift` with the arrow keys |
| Remove a blur region (Tools) | `Delete` |

On Windows, `⌥` is `Alt`.

## Change a shortcut

## 1. Open the shortcuts settings

Open **Settings › Shortcuts**, or click **Change in Settings** in the shortcuts sheet.

## 2. Click a shortcut

Click the shortcut you want to change.

*Image: Settings, Shortcuts, Hotkeys: “Global shortcuts. Defaults use Ctrl+Option. Click a shortcut, then press the new keys.” Rows for Undo stroke, Clear all ink, Live / Paused, Next layout, Show Studio sources, Focus or unfocus the active window, Show or hide the floating remote and Focus source 1 to 6, each with its shortcut.*

## 3. Press the new keys

Hold a modifier (Ctrl, Alt or Shift) and press a key. Press `Esc` to cancel.

Curtains refuses a shortcut that another Curtains action already uses, and says "is already used". A shortcut needs a modifier, so it never gets in the way of typing.

To set a combo's shortcut, open the **Combos** panel, click in its **Hotkey** box and press the keys. Click the × beside it to clear it.

If macOS or another app has already taken a shortcut, Curtains shows "Some hotkeys are unavailable" and names the ones it couldn't register. Pick a different shortcut for those.

## Related

- [Floating remote and menu bar](https://curtains.app/help/floating-remote-and-menu-bar/): the same controls as buttons.
- [Focus](https://curtains.app/help/focus/): what focusing a window does in each layout.
- [Settings](https://curtains.app/help/settings/): every option in Settings.