Looking to improve your workflow in Ableton Live and learn how to navigate more quickly around your sessions? Take a look at these essential Ableton Live Keyboard Shortcuts to get you up and running – moving around your sessions like a pro.

Screen Real Estate

Screen real estate is important, especially if you’re working with a laptop or smaller screen size. By using the pattern of “Option + Command + (a letter)”, you’ll be able to toggle different parts of your screen.

⌥⌘O – Toggle the Overview bar

⌥⌘I – Toggle the Inputs/Outputs section

⌥⌘M – Toggle the Mixer/Faders

⌥⌘S – Toggle the Sends

⌥⌘L – Toggle the Devices / Clip section

⌥⌘B – Toggle the Browser

⌥⌘R – Toggle the Return channels

The coolest part? The Session view and Arrangement view are totally independent of each other in terms of which parts of your screen you have shown/hidden. So toggle away!

Navigation

Besides the “Shift +” and “-“ key commands to zoom in and out of your session, you’ll be glad you know how to bounce between Session view and Arrangement view, as well as between clips and devices.

⇧Tab – Toggle between Clips and Devices

Tab – Toggle between Session View and Arrangement View

Adding Devices

Whether you’re adding an instrument, a sample, or an audio effect, the fastest and best way to do it is by using this key command, which allows you to search for everything on your computer and quickly pull it into your session.

⌘F – Goes to “Find” in the browser, start typing what you’re looking for and it will show up!