VLC has a keyboard shortcut for a lot of what you click every day. Here are 37 that work on Windows, grouped by what you’re trying to do.
We checked every one against VLC Desktop User Documentation 3.0: Hotkeys on October 21, 2026.
Playback
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Play or pause |
| S | Stop playback |
| N | Play the next item in the playlist |
| P | Play the previous item in the playlist |
| E | Step forward one frame |
| F | Turn full screen on or off |
| Esc | Leave full screen |
Jumping
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shift + Left Arrow | Jump back a few seconds (very short jump) |
| Shift + Right Arrow | Jump forward a few seconds (very short jump) |
| Alt + Left Arrow | Jump back 10 seconds |
| Alt + Right Arrow | Jump forward 10 seconds |
| Ctrl + Left Arrow | Jump back 1 minute |
| Ctrl + Right Arrow | Jump forward 1 minute |
| Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow | Jump back 5 minutes |
| Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow | Jump forward 5 minutes |
Volume and Speed
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Up Arrow | Turn the volume up |
| Ctrl + Down Arrow | Turn the volume down |
| M | Mute or unmute |
| + | Play faster |
| – | Play slower |
| = | Return to normal speed |
| ] | Play slightly faster (fine step) |
| [ | Play slightly slower (fine step) |
Subtitles and Audio
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| V | Cycle through subtitle tracks |
| Shift + V | Turn subtitles on or off |
| H | Delay the subtitles |
| G | Make the subtitles appear earlier |
| B | Cycle through audio tracks |
| K | Delay the audio |
| J | Make the audio play earlier |
Playlist and Files
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + O | Open a file |
| Ctrl + L | Show or hide the playlist |
| Ctrl + Y | Save the playlist |
| Ctrl + I | Show media information |
General
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shift + S | Take a snapshot of the current video frame |
| Ctrl + P | Open Preferences |
| Ctrl + Q | Quit VLC |
Good to know: Jump lengths and every key can be changed in Tools > Preferences > Hotkeys, where you can also set global hotkeys that work when VLC is in the background.
Get the Excel and PDF Version
Everything above is free. Bookmark this page and use it anytime.
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 37 shortcuts, for $0.99.
Want One Key to Do More?
Built-in shortcuts only work while VLC is the active window, and you can’t add new ones. These tools let you pick your own hotkeys:
- Prompt Assistant: paste a stream URL you use often into VLC’s Open Network Stream box with a hotkey you pick
- Second Keyboard Manager: turn a number keypad into a VLC remote: one key to play, jump back, or slow down
- Windows 11 Power User Tools: more of our hotkey tools for everyday Windows work
