Here at Lifehacker, we're big fans of keyboard shortcuts, whether it's for your operating system, web browser, or any web application. They help you get more done in less time without having to lift your fingers from the keyboard or take your eyes off whatever you're looking at (if your muscle memory is adequately trained).
In fact, you can find keyboard shortcuts in more places than you think, including desktop and web applications for Windows and macOS. Of course, the desktop client is easy to use without them, but they can be really helpful when you need to skip a song or lower the volume.
We'll mention some of our favorite Spotify songs here, but you can see the full list by pressing Ctrl+? (Windows) or Cmd+? (Apple system). If you use Cmd instead of Ctrl (or vice versa), most shortcuts are the same in both operating systems, and they should work fine in both the desktop client and the web application player.
Basic playback controls
Start and stop playback: Is there a video call coming in? Someone yelling at you from another room? Press the space bar to pause audio playback, then click again to resume playback.
Shuffle and Repeat: If you want to mix the current playlist or hear the same song (or both) again, press Ctrl/Cmd+S to toggle shuffle mode, then Ctrl/Cmd+R to toggle repeat.
Jump forward and backward: Navigating playlists is a key part of using Spotify, Ctrl/Cmd+Right Arrow and Ctrl/Cmd+Left Arrow will jump forward and backward.
Search forward and backward: If you want to jump within a track, on Windows, you can use Shift+right arrow or Shift+left arrow . On macOS, also hold down the Cmd key.
Increase or decrease the volume: If you need to make some adjustments to your Spotify audio volume, use Ctrl/Cmd+Up Arrow or Ctrl/Cmd+Down Arrow to increase or decrease the volume as needed.
Like the current track: Sometimes you'll want to like the current track on Spotify without having to search for it - use Shift+Alt+B on Windows or Shift+Option+B on macOS.
Playlists and music
Access your playlists: You can view your playlists using the Shift+Alt+1 (Windows) or Shift+Option+1 (macOS) shortcut; replace 1 with 0 to jump to the Your Library screen .
Create a new playlist: The keyboard shortcut for creating a new Spotify playlist is Ctrl/Cmd+N ; if you want to create a new playlist folder, hold down the Shift key at the same time.
Filter tracks in the current playlist: If you want to select tracks in the current playlist, use Ctrl/Cmd+F — a search bar will appear at the top of the playlist for you to fill in.
Search for something to listen to: If you want to search the entire Spotify catalog, use Ctrl/Cmd+K to bring up the quick search box and add a search query.
Search within your library: To run a search limited to tracks saved to your Spotify library, use Ctrl+Alt+F (Windows) or Cmd+Option+F (macOS).
Select everything: Several screens will appear where you can select all the tracks on the screen, whether they're albums, playlists, or something else - Ctrl/Cmd+A is the shortcut.
Layout and navigation
Open context menu: If you need to access the context menu for a track, album, or anything else selected in Spotify, you can use Alt+J on Windows or Option+J on macOS.
Check out your queue: Want to know what's next in your Spotify queue? Use Alt+Shift+Q (Windows) or Option+Shift+Q (macOS) to view the queue on the right.
Jump to the currently playing track: If you've navigated to a playing playlist and want to go back, tap Alt+Shift+J on Windows or Option+Shift+J on macOS.
Check out new content: If you need to listen to something new, Shift+Alt+N (Windows) or Shift+Option+N (macOS) will take you directly to Spotify's new music page.
Toggle the sidebar: Use Shift+Alt+L and Shift+Alt+R (Windows), or Shift+Option+L and Shift+Option+R (macOS) to show or hide the left and right sidebars in the Spotify app Sidebar.
Open Spotify Preferences: If you need to customize any aspect of your Spotify experience, hit Ctrl/Cmd+, (comma) to go directly to the main settings screen.
