Keyboard shortcut concepts

Understand the concepts behind keyboard shortcuts in the Unity Editor.

This page explains the difference between global and contextual commands. It describes the three types of commands and provides information about shortcut profiles.

For information about how to view, assign, and manage shortcuts, refer to Shortcuts window reference and Manage keyboard shortcuts.

Global commands, contextual commands, and conflicts

Editor shortcuts can be global or contextual.

• Global shortcuts are always available. For example, by default the command to Undo an action uses the shortcut Ctrl/Cmd + Z. Using that shortcut always undoes the most recent action, regardless of which windows are open and which tools are active.

• Contextual shortcuts only work when you use a particular view or set of tools. For example, by default the square bracket keys [ and ] have different uses in the TerrainThe landscape in your scene. A Terrain GameObject adds a large flat plane to your scene and you can use the Terrain’s Inspector window to create a detailed landscape. More info
  See in Glossary tool and the Grid Painting tool. When you use the bracket shortcut, Unity executes the command for whichever tool is active.

You can assign any keyboard shortcut to either:

• One global command.
• One or more contextual commands from different contexts.

Context-based conflicts

You get a shortcut conflict if you assign the same keyboard shortcut to:

• More than one global command.
• More than one contextual command from the same context.
• A global command and a contextual command.

When you create a conflict, the Editor displays a warning icon in the Shortcuts window. You can resolve the conflict by changing one of the conflicting shortcuts.

Exceptions to context-based conflicts

The Editor has a few global commands that can share shortcuts without creating conflict, because something other than context differentiates them. For example, the Q, W, and E keys:

• In the SceneA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info
  See in Glossary and Game views, use these keys to toggle the View, Move, and Rotate tools.
• In the Flythrough mode, use these keys to move down, forward, and up.

Command types

There are three types of commands in Unity:

• Action: Triggers once, when you press the shortcut.

• Clutch: Triggers twice, when you press the shortcut and when you release it.

• Menu: Activates a main menu option.

  Tip: You can also access menu items from the Search window. For more information, refer to Search the Unity Editor main menu.

Profiles

The Editor saves keyboard shortcuts to profiles. You can create multiple profiles and move between them without restarting the Editor. With this, you can customize your shortcuts for different workflows, package sets, or custom tools. For more information, refer to Manage shortcut profiles.

Additional sources

• Shortcuts window reference
• Manage shortcuts
• Manage shortcut profiles