What are the J, K, and L keys in Premiere Pro?

J plays backward, K pauses, and L plays forward. Tapping L or J repeatedly speeds playback up to several times normal speed, and holding K while tapping J or L gives slow shuttle. They are the fastest way to scrub a clip while reviewing.

How do I cut a clip at the playhead?

Press Cmd K or Ctrl K to add an edit at the playhead on the targeted track, or Cmd Shift K / Ctrl Shift K to cut across all tracks. You can also press C to switch to the Razor tool and click where you want the cut.

What is the difference between lift and extract?

Lift (semicolon) removes the marked In-to-Out range and leaves a gap on the timeline. Extract (apostrophe) removes the same range and ripples the following clips left to close the gap, so no empty space remains.

Do the single-letter tool shortcuts always work?

Single-letter shortcuts such as V for the selection tool or C for the razor only fire when the Timeline panel has focus. If nothing happens, click the timeline first so it is the active panel, then press the key.

Can I change these shortcuts?

Yes. Open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor with Cmd Option K or Ctrl Alt K to remap any command, save preset layouts, and switch to other editors' keymaps. This reference shows Premiere's default layout, so a custom preset may differ.

Adobe Premiere Pro Shortcuts

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Premiere Pro editing lives in the keyboard: the JKL shuttle, single-key tool selection, and ripple edits keep your hands off the mouse. This reference lists the default shortcuts and shows the right keys for your platform.

How it works

Each shortcut stores the action, a category, and a key pattern with a Mod placeholder that renders as Cmd on macOS and Ctrl on Windows, with matching Option/Alt handling. The search box matches all three fields and the category selector limits the table to one stage of the workflow such as Trimming or Export. Single-letter tool shortcuts only apply while the Timeline panel is focused, which is the most common reason a key seems to do nothing.

Tips and examples

Learn the JKL shuttle first: J reverse, K pause, L forward, with repeated taps speeding playback up.
, (insert) and . (overwrite) drop a source clip onto the timeline using the In and Out points without dragging.
Q and W trim the previous or next edit up to the playhead — a fast way to tighten cuts.
The Export dialog opens with Cmd/Ctrl + M, the same chord used by many Adobe apps for media export.

This is Premiere’s default layout. Because every command is remappable in the Keyboard Shortcuts editor (Cmd/Ctrl + Alt/Option + K), a custom or imported preset may not match these entries.