iTunes has a keyboard shortcut for a lot of what you click every day. Here are 36 that work on Windows, grouped by what you’re trying to do.
We checked every one against Apple Support: Keyboard shortcuts in iTunes on PC on October 21, 2026.
Playback
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Start or stop playing the selected song |
| Enter | Play the selected song |
| Right Arrow | Play the next song in the list (while playing) |
| Left Arrow | Play the previous song in the list (while playing) |
| Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow | Move forward within the song |
| Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow | Move backward within the song |
| Shift + Right Arrow | Play the next album in the list |
| Shift + Left Arrow | Play the previous album in the list |
| Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow | Go to the next chapter (if available) |
| Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow | Go to the previous chapter (if available) |
| Ctrl + L | Show the currently playing song in the list |
Volume
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Up Arrow | Turn the volume up |
| Ctrl + Down Arrow | Turn the volume down |
| Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow | Mute or unmute (the song keeps playing) |
Playlists
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | Create a new playlist |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Create a playlist from the selected songs |
| Ctrl + Alt + N | Create a new Smart Playlist |
Library
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + O | Add a file to your library |
| Ctrl + U | Stream an audio file from a web address |
| Ctrl + F | Jump to the search field |
| Ctrl + R | Show where the song file is stored |
| Ctrl + I | Open the Info window for the selected song or CD |
| F2 | Rename the selected item |
| Ctrl + A | Select all songs in the list |
| Ctrl + Shift + A | Deselect all songs in the list |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo your last typing change while editing |
View
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + M | Switch to the MiniPlayer |
| Ctrl + Shift + F | Enter or leave full screen |
| Ctrl + B | Show or hide the Column Browser |
| Ctrl + T | Turn the visualizer on or off |
| Ctrl + J | Open View Options for the selected source |
| F5 | Refresh the source list |
| Ctrl + W | Close the iTunes window |
General
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + , | Open iTunes Preferences |
| Ctrl + E | Eject a CD |
| Ctrl + Break | Stop the current task (burning, syncing, converting) |
Good to know: On Windows 10 and 11, Apple also offers separate Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Devices apps. These shortcuts are for iTunes for Windows.
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 36 shortcuts, for $0.99.
Want One Key to Do More?
Built-in shortcuts only work while iTunes is the active window, and you can’t add new ones. These tools let you pick your own hotkeys:
- Prompt Assistant: type the same genre, artist or comment tags into the Info window with a short abbreviation you choose
- Second Keyboard Manager: use a number keypad as a remote for play, next song and volume
