iTunes Keyboard Shortcuts 
The first rule of any power user is
to use keyboard shortcuts. This hack introduces you to all the shortcuts
available to iTunes users.
Apple engineers have been kind enough to include a veritable
bounty of keyboard shortcuts in iTunes. In fact, after learning all of
these shortcuts, you can toss your mouse out the window—well, not quite.
However, Mac and Windows users alike can control iTunes much more
quickly and easily with these keyboard shortcuts than by navigating with
a mouse.
Tables 4-1 through 4-13 list the keyboard shortcuts available for
iTunes. Windows users should substitute the
key with the Control key. Of course, you can also
right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) to display a list of commonly available options.
Table 4-1. Playback shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Play the selected song immediately | Return |
Listen to the next or previous album in a
list | Option–right arrow or left arrow (or Option-click
the Skip Forward or Skip Backward controls in the upper-left
corner of the iTunes window) |
Rewind or fast-forward to the next song in a
list | -left arrow or right arrow (or click the Skip
list Forward or Skip Backward controls in the upper-left corner
of the iTunes window) |
Table 4-2. Library and playlist shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Create a playlist from a selection of
songs | Shift-click the Add (+) button (or drag the songs
to the white area of the Source list) |
Create a new Smart Playlist | Option-click the Add (+) button |
Reshuffle the current playlist | Option-click the Shuffle button |
Delete the selected playlist from your Source list
without confirming you want to delete it | -Delete |
Delete the selected playlist and all the songs it contains from your
library | Option-Delete |
Delete the selected song from your library and
Option-Delete all playlists | Option-Delete |
Table 4-3. iTunes Music Store shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Go to the next page in the Music
Store | -right bracket (]) |
Go to the previous page in the Music
Store | -left bracket ([) |
Table 4-4. File and window shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Check or uncheck all the songs in a
list | -click the checkbox next to a
song |
Change the song information columns you see | Control-click a column heading |
Expand or collapse all the triangles in the Radios
Stream’s list | -click a triangle |
Shrink the iTunes window to show only the playback
controls | Click the Zoom control in the upper-left corner of the
iTunes window |
Zoom the window to an ideal size | Option-click the Zoom control in the upper-left
corner of the iTunes window |
See the iTunes window resize while you are resizing
it | -drag the resize box in the lower-right
corner of the window |
Shrink the iTunes window to show only the playback
controls | Click the zoom control in the upper-left corner of
the iTunes window |
In the Get Info window, see the info for the next
or previous song in the list | -N or -P |
Go to the previous or next pane in the Get Info or
Preferences window | -click left bracket ([) or right bracket
(]) |
Table 4-5. iPod shortcut
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Prevent iPod from automatically updating when you connect it to
your computer | -Option as you connect the iPod to your
computer (hold the keys down until the iPod appears in the
iTunes Source list) |
Table 4-6. Audible shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Go to the next chapter (if
available) | -Shift–right arrow |
Go to the last chapter (if
available) | -Shift–left arrow |
Table 4-7. iTunes menu shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Open iTunes preferences | -, (comma) |
Hide the iTunes window | -H |
Hide all other applications | Option- -H |
Quit the iTunes application | ;C-Q |
Table 4-8. File menu shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Create a new playlist | -N |
Create a new playlist with the selected songs | Shift- -N |
Create a new Smart Playlist | Option- -N |
Add a file to the Library | -O |
Close the iTunes window | -W |
Import a song, playlist, or library
file | Shift- -O |
Open the song or CD Info window for the selected song or CD | -I |
Show where a song file is located | -R |
Show the currently playing song in the
list | -L |
Table 4-9. Edit menu shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Undo your last action | -Z |
Cut the selected song’s information | -X |
Copy the selected song’s information | -C |
Paste the selected song’s
information | -V |
Select all the songs in the list | -A, |
Deselect all the songs in the list | Shift- -A |
Hide or show the Artist and Album
columns | -B |
Hide or show the song artwork | -G |
Open the View Options window for the selected
source | -J |
Table 4-10. Controls menu shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Stop or start playing the selected song | Spacebar |
Move to the next song | Up arrow |
Move to the previous song | Down arrow |
Play a song | Return |
When a song is playing, play the next song in a
list | Right arrow |
When a song is playing, play the previous song in a
list | Left arrow |
Increase the volume | Up arrow |
Decrease the volume | Down arrow |
Mute the sound (song keeps playing) | Option- –down arrow |
Table 4-11. Visualizer menu shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Turn the visualizer on or off | -T |
Make visual effects take up the entire screen
(when visualizer is on) | -F |
Table 4-12. Advanced menu shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Stream the audio file at a specific URL to
iTunes | -U |
Table 4-13. Window menu shortcuts
Action | Shortcut |
|---|
Put the iTunes window in the Dock (Mac only) or
switch to mini iTunes player (Windows only) | -M |
View the iTunes window | -1 |
View the Equalizer window | -2 |
