Must-Know Shortcuts for VLC: Your Key to Mastering the Media
Hey there! Ready to take your VLC game to the next level? I’ve got you covered with a set of essential shortcuts that every user should know. Trust me, once you get the hang of these, you’ll be navigating your media like a pro.
1. Playback Shortcuts
Let’s start with the basics. When you’re watching a video or listening to music, these shortcuts will help you stay in control:
- Space – Press it to play or pause your media. Super handy!
- S – Need to stop playback? Just hit this key, and you’re good to go.
- F – Need some fullscreen action? This shortcut will maximize your screen for an immersive experience.
- M – Press it to mute or unmute your media. No need to fumble with the volume.
2. Navigation Shortcuts
Now, let’s talk about moving around your media with ease:
- Ctrl + Left Arrow – Skip backward 10 seconds. A helpful way to catch something you missed.
- Ctrl + Right Arrow – Skip forward 10 seconds. Perfect for skipping those boring bits.
- Ctrl + Up Arrow – Increase the volume. Crank it up and enjoy the sound.
- Ctrl + Down Arrow – Decrease the volume. Sometimes, you just need it a bit quieter.
3. Playlist Shortcuts
When you’re managing playlists, these shortcuts will save you time and hassle:
- Ctrl + L – Open the playlist window. Easy access to organizing your media.
- Ctrl + P – Want to play the previous item in your playlist? This shortcut has got your back.
- Ctrl + N – Looking to play the next item in your playlist? Just hit this key, and you’re on it.
There you have it! With these must-know shortcuts, you’ll navigate VLC like a pro. So go ahead, give them a try and unlock a world of effortless media control. Happy watching and listening!
When it comes to watching videos on your computer, there’s no better option than VLC. It works on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, making it one of the most powerful video players out there. VLC is open-source, which means it can handle almost any format you throw at it – from your local files to DVDs, Blu-rays, and even streaming content from your browser’s URL. At TechJunkie, we’re big fans of this program because of its versatility and user-friendly interface. However, if you’re new to VLC, you might need some time to get used to how it works.
If you want to become a VLC power user, one of the first things you should do is learn the various keyboard shortcuts. Lucky for you, we’ve done the hard work and gathered a comprehensive list of essential shortcuts that every VLC user should know. These shortcuts cover everything from toggling full-screen mode and pausing your movie, to adjusting subtitles and changing the zoom level. They are essential shortcuts that you absolutely need to know.
VLC Keyboard Shortcuts
If you’re ready to learn how to use keyboard shortcuts in VLC, here’s our complete list. You’ll need to stay focused to learn all of these shortcuts, or you can simply bookmark this URL for easy reference. Don’t worry – you can also customize these shortcuts, which we’ll explain at the end of this guide.
I’ve got some handy shortcuts for you when using VLC. Check them out:
– F: Go fullscreen.
– Esc: Exit full screen mode.
– Spacebar: Pause or play the movie.
– V: Turn subtitles on or off.
– B: Select the audio track.
– Ctrl + up arrow: Increase the volume.
– Ctrl + down arrow: Decrease the volume.
– Right-click in the video: Access video controls.
– Ctrl + D: Open a disc.
– Ctrl + F: Open a folder.
– Ctrl + R: Open files with advanced options.
– Ctrl + O: Open a single file.
– Shift + Right arrow: Jump media 3 seconds forward.
– Shift + Left arrow: Jump media 3 seconds backwards.
– Alt + Right arrow: Jump 10 seconds forward.
– Alt + Left arrow: Jump 10 seconds backwards.
– Ctrl + Right arrow: Jump 1 minute forward.
– Ctrl + Left arrow: Jump 1 minute backwards.
– M: Toggle mute on or off.
– P: Play the movie from the beginning.
– S: Stop the movie.
– =: Playback at normal speed.
– C: Change screen format to 16:9 or 4:3.
– G: Decrease subtitle delay.
– H: Increase subtitle delay.
– J: Decrease audio delay.
– K: Increase audio delay.
– Z: Change zoom mode.
– Ctrl + 1 to 4: Play recent media files (up to four files).
– T: Show the media time elapsed or remaining.
– Ctrl + T: Go to a specific timestamp.
– E: Frame by frame mode.
– Ctrl + H: Hide control.
– Ctrl + P: Open preferences.
– Ctrl + E: Adjustments and effects.
– Ctrl + B: Edit bookmarks.
– Ctrl + M: Open messages.
– Ctrl + N: Open the network menu.
– Ctrl + C: Open a capture device.
– Ctrl + L: Open the playlist.
– Ctrl + Y: Save the playlist.
– Ctrl + I: Open the media information menu.
– D: Toggle deinterlace mode.
– N: Play the next movie from the playlist.
– F1: Show help.
– F11: Go window full-screen.
– Alt + C, then S: Take a screenshot.
– Ctrl + W: Quit VLC.
There you have it! Enjoy using VLC with these shortcuts.
Personalize your VLC keyboard shortcuts
If the standard shortcuts aren’t working for you for some reason, you have the power to change them to anything you like. Just like other programs, VLC allows you to configure your own shortcuts to better suit your needs, make it more accessible, or simply easier to use. Here’s how you can customize your VLC keyboard shortcuts.
- First, open VLC and go to Tools, then Preferences.
- Next, click on the Hotkeys tab.
- Find the hotkey you want to change and double-click on it.
- A popup window will appear, select the “Unset” option.
- Double-click on the hotkey again and assign your desired new shortcut to that action.
- If the shortcut you entered is already assigned to another action, a warning will appear. You can choose to “assign” the key or combination to replace the original action, or cancel and try another key.
- Once you’re finished, select “Save” in the Hotkeys tab.
If you want to reassign all of the keyboard shortcuts in VLC, simply repeat the steps above and customize to your heart’s desire.
VLC is an awesome media player that works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. It is lightweight and can play almost every popular media format right out of the box. And if it doesn’t support a specific format, you can add a codec pack to enhance its capabilities.
Whether you want to be more efficient or have specific accessibility requirements, keyboard shortcuts are here to help. I personally use most of these shortcuts regularly, although I must admit, I didn’t know about the incremental time jumps using Shift and arrows or Alt and arrows. Even I learned something new today!
If there are any other VLC keyboard shortcuts that I may have missed, please share them with us in the comments below!