HandBrake has a keyboard shortcut for a lot of what you click every day. Here are 12 that work on Windows, grouped by what you’re trying to do.
We checked every one against HandBrake source code: Windows main window menus (MainView.xaml) on October 21, 2026.
Source and Output
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Alt + O | Open a source video, folder or disc |
| Ctrl + S | Choose where to save the output file |
Encoding
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + E | Start encoding |
| Alt + P | Pause encoding |
| Ctrl + K | Stop encoding |
Queue
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Alt + A | Add the current title to the queue |
| Ctrl + Alt + A | Add all titles to the queue |
| Ctrl + Shift + A | Choose which titles to add to the queue |
| Ctrl + Q | Open the queue window |
General
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + L | Open the activity log |
| F1 | Open the HandBrake documentation |
| Alt + F4 | Exit HandBrake |
Good to know: HandBrake’s online docs have no shortcut page, so these come from the shortcut labels in HandBrake’s own Windows menus and its release notes. The Mac version uses different keys.
Good to know: Only a small set of shortcuts exists. Hover over a toolbar button to see its shortcut.
Get the Excel and PDF Version
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If you’d rather have it on your desk, the download below is a sortable Excel file plus a printable one-page PDF of all 12 shortcuts, for $0.99.
Want One Key to Do More?
Built-in shortcuts only work while HandBrake is the active window, and you can’t add new ones. These tools let you pick your own hotkeys:
- Prompt Assistant: type your usual output folder path or file naming pattern into the Save As box with a hotkey you pick
- YouTuber Tools: more of our picks for recording and preparing videos
- Quick Desktop Record: record your screen with a hotkey, then shrink the file in HandBrake
