The list below serves as a reference of default hotkeys/keyboard-shortcuts that can be used in Maya 2011 from Autodesk, which is a leading software product used for 3D modeling and animation. Although Maya is a commercial product, a free 30-day trial is available, and the Autodesk Education Community also makes the software available for free to eligible individuals, such as students and faculty members. The shortcuts cover various aspects of the user interface, manipulator tools, full-body inverse-kinematics (FBIK) effectors, selection and editing of vertices, edges, faces, polygons, and more.

Autodesk Maya Hotkeys and Shortcuts

Note: Maya’s hotkeys are case sensitive, such that you may need to hold down the Shift key for some keyboard shortcuts. For example, the p-key and P-key shortcuts have exactly the opposite effect on parent associations.

Hotkey	Description	Category
a	Fit all in active panel (with marking menu)	Modeling Panel
A	Change the cameras to frame all objects in all views	Window
Ctrl + a	Open the Attribute Editor or swap with Channel Box	Miscellaneous
Alt + a	Toggle wireframe on or off	Artisan
Alt + A	Decrement the center of a 3D fluid sub-container and use the Show Manipulator tool on a fluid to view a sub-container	Fluid Effects
b	Activate modify upper brush radius, or modify paint effects brush scale	Brush Tools
B	Activate modify lower brush radius, or modify paint effects brush size	Brush Tools
Ctrl + b	Edit the brush settings that will be applied to subsequent strokes (i.e., template brush)	Paint Effects
Alt + b	Cycle the background color from dark to light	Display
c	Toggle snap-to-curve (same as C)	Status Line
C	Toggle snap-to-curve (same as c)	Status Line
Ctrl + c	Copy the selected object(s)	Edit
Ctrl + Alt + c	Copy vertex skin weights	Artisan
Alt + c	Toggle color-feedback on or off	Artisan
d	Enter tool edit-mode (same as Insert)	Tools
D	Duplicate with Transform	Edit
Ctrl + d	Duplicate the selected object(s)	Edit
Ctrl + D	Duplicate the selected object(s), special mode	Edit
Alt + d	Set keys on FBIK-related joints and effectors using the keying-mode “all”	Animate
Alt + D	Delete construction history on selected object(s)	Edit
e	Rotate tool with snap marking menu (pop down when released)	Tools
E	Set key for Rotate	Animate
Alt + e	Toggle Rotate pinned-state on selected effectors (FBIK)	Skeleton
f	Fit selection in active panel	Modeling Panel
F	Change the cameras to frame selected object(s) in all views	Window
Ctrl + f	Set keys on FBIK-related joints and effectors	Animate
Alt + f	Flood with the current value (surfaces)	Artisan
g	Repeat last	Edit
G	Repeat last action at current mouse-position	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + g	Group the selected object(s)	Edit
Alt + g	Increase HyperGraph depth-traversal	Window
h	UI menu-bar tab switcher marking menu (pop down when released)	Miscellaneous
H	Show all selected objects	Display
Ctrl + h	Hide the selected object(s)	Display
Ctrl + H	Show the last hidden item	Display
Alt + h	Hide all objects that are not selected	Display
i	Activate insert-key mode (tool)	Tools
I	Isolate select	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + i	Select the next intermediate object	Miscellaneous
j	Move, Rotate, Scale and Show manipulator-tool toggle snap-mode	Modify
J	Toggle relative snap-mode of Move, Rotate and Scale tool	Modify
Alt + j	Toggle multi-color feedback on or off	Artisan
k	Activate virtual Time Slider, i.e., “dragger tool” (deactivate when released)	Tools
l	Lock distance between CVs on selected curve(s)	Edit Curves
m	Activate modify maximum displacement, or modify paint effect surface offset	Brush Tools
M	Toggle panel menu-bar visibility	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + m	Toggle main menu-bar visibility	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + M	Toggle model editor bar visibility	Miscellaneous
Alt + m	Hotbox display style: rows visible (i.e., full hotbox)	Miscellaneous
n	Activate modify paint-value	Artisan
Ctrl + n	Create a new scene	File
o	Polygon brush operation (with marking menu)	Artisan
Ctrl + o	Open a scene	File
p	Parent the selected object(s) to the last selected object	Edit
P	Disassociate parent for the selected object(s)	Edit
q	Select tool options marking menu (pop down when released)	Tools
Q	Select tool component marking menu (pop down when released)	Tools
Ctrl + q	Quit	File
Alt + q	Select tool polygon marking menu (pop down when released)	Tools
r	Scale tool with snap marking menu (pop down when released)	Tools
R	Set key for Scale	Animate
Ctrl + r	Create a reference	File
Alt + r	Toggle reflection on or off	Artisan
s	Select object(s) to key	Animate
S	Key-frame and tangent marking menu	Animate
Ctrl + s	Save the current scene	File
Alt + s	Toggle both Translate and Rotate pinned-states on selected effectors (FBIK)	Skeleton
Alt + S	Increment the center of a 3D fluid sub-container and use the Show Manipulator tool on a fluid to view a sub-container	Fluid Effects
t	Show manipulator tool	Tools
T	Create and assign a shader (material) to the selected objects	Lights and Shading
Ctrl + t	Universal Manipulator: Select any object(s)	Modify
Alt + t	Decrease HyperGraph depth-traversal	Window
u	Maya artisan operation (with marking menu)	Artisan
U	Activate artisan sculpt-ref UV-vector screen-slider	Artisan
v	Toggle snap-to-point (same as V)	Status Line
V	Toggle snap-to-point (same as v)	Status Line
Ctrl + v	Paste selection	Edit
Ctrl + Alt + v	Paste vertex skin weights	Artisan
Alt + v	Toggle playback on or off	Playback Controls
Alt + V	Go to “min” frame	Miscellaneous
w	Translate tool with snap marking menu (pop down when released)	Tools
W	Set key for Translate	Animate
Ctrl + w	Select objects or components to modify with a curve-based fall-off	Modify
Alt + w	Toggle Translate pinned-state on selected effectors (FBIK)	Skeleton
Ctrl + x	Cut selection	Edit
Alt + x	Set keys on FBIK-related joints and effectors using the keying-mode “body part”	Animate
x	Toggle snap-to-grid (same as X)	Status Line
X	Toggle snap-to-grid (same as x)	Status Line
y	Non-sacred tool	Tools
z	Undo the last action (same as Ctrl+z)	Edit
Z	Redo the last undone action	Edit
Ctrl + z	Undo the last action (same as z)	Edit
F1	Opens online table-of-contents in an HTML browser	Help
F2	Show animation User Interface (UI)	Application
F3	Show polygons UI	Application
F4	Show surfaces UI	Application
F5	Show dynamics UI	Application
F6	Show rendering UI	Application
F8	Toggle object or component editing (mode)	Status Line
F9	Select polygon and subdivision surface vertices (mask)	Status Line
Ctrl + F9	Convert selection to selected vertices	Polygon Select
Alt + F9	Select polygon vertex faces (mask)	Status Line
F10	Select polygon and subdivision surface edges	Status Line
Ctrl + F10	Convert selection to selected edges	Polygon Select
F11	Select polygon and subdivision surface faces (mask)	Status Line
Ctrl + F11	Convert selection to selected faces	Polygon Select
F12	Select polygon and subdivision-surface UVs	Status Line
Ctrl + F12	Convert selection to selected UV-components	Polygon Select
0	Default polygon display quality setting	Miscellaneous
1	Low quality display setting	Miscellaneous
Alt + 1	Set reach to 0 when keying FBIK related effectors (FK option)	Animate
2	Medium quality display setting	Miscellaneous
Alt + 2	Reach will not be keyed when keying FBIK-related effectors (simple option)	Animate
3	High quality display setting	Miscellaneous
Alt + 3	Set reach to 1 when keying FBIK-related effectors (IK option)	Animate
4	Wireframe display	Modeling Panel
Alt + 4	Set keys on FBIK-related joints and effectors using the keying-mode “selected”	Animate
5	Shaded display	Modeling Panel
Alt + 5	Toggle visibility of FBIK Forward-Kinematics (FK) skeleton	Skeleton
6	Shaded and textured display	Modeling Panel
7	Turn on light display	Modeling Panel
8	Open Paint Effects panel	Paint Effects
-	Decrease manipulator size	Manipulator
,	Go to previous key	Playback Controls
Ctrl + ,	Previous skin-paint mode	Artisan
Alt + ,	Move backward a single frame in time	Playback Controls
.	Go to next key	Playback Controls
Ctrl + .	Next skin-paint mode	Artisan
Alt + .	Move forward a single frame in time	Playback Controls
/	Activate pick-color mode	Artisan
\	Toggle camera 2D pan and zoom	Display
[	Previous view	Edit
]	Next view	Edit
`	Switch the Select, Translate/Move, Rotate or Scale tool-tweak mode on or off (when pressed or released, respectively)	Modify
Ctrl + `	Toggle the display of smoothing shapes	Display
Alt + `	Create subdivision surface	Subdiv Surfaces
{	Display previous view-arrangement in view history	Window
}	Display next view-arrangement in view history	Window
~	Display both smoothing shapes	Display
Ctrl + ~	Add polygons to the selected proxy objects	Polygons
Alt + ~	Create subdivision surface options	Subdiv Surfaces
+	Increase manipulator size (same as =)	Manipulator
=	Increase manipulator size (same as +)	Manipulator
<	Shrink the selected region along the polygon surface	Polygon Select
>	Grow the selected region along the polygon surface	Polygon Select
Space	Show or hide the hotbox (when pressed or released, respectively)	Hotbox
Ctrl + Space	Toggle all the UI elements	Display
Return	Complete current tool (for example, connect first and last vertices in polygon create tool)	Tools
Insert	Enter tool edit mode (same as d)	Tools
Page-Down	Decrease smoothing-level for object	Display
Ctrl + Page-Down	Walk out within the current hierarchy	Miscellaneous
Page-Up	Increase smoothing-level for object	Display
Ctrl + Page-Up	Walk in within the current hierarchy	Miscellaneous
Left	Walk left in the current hierarchy	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + Left	Display next image (render view)	Window
Alt + Left	Move left a single pixel	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + Alt + Left	Spin selected polygon edges backwards	Edit Mesh
Right	Walk right in the current hierarchy	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + Right	Display previous image (render view)	Window
Alt + Right	Move right a single pixel	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + Alt + Right	Spin selected polygon edges forwards	Edit Mesh
Up	Walk up the current hierarchy	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + Up	Coarser subdivision level	Subdiv Surfaces
Alt + Up	Move up a single pixel	Miscellaneous
Down	Walk down the current hierarchy	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + Down	Subdivision create region	Subdiv Surfaces
Alt + Down	Move down a single pixel	Miscellaneous
Ctrl + Shift + click on menu item	Add an existing menu item to the current Shelf	Shelf