MPV Keyboard Shortcuts

MPV is a free, open-source command-line multimedia player. Unlike graphical players like VLC Media Player, MPV allows you to load any supported media file straight from your terminal. Furthermore, MPV also supports a wide range of codecs and formats. This means you can use MPV to play simple MP3 files as well as high-fidelity 4K HEVC movies.

Essential MPV Keyboard Shortcuts

By default, MPV provides command-line flags for its various features similar to ffmpeg. This can be useful if you want to play a video file through MPV using the rc shell. However, this approach will not let you modify a media file during playback — which is exactly where this list of MPV keyboard shortcuts comes in.

This cheatsheet will give you a list of keybindings to optimize your experience with MPV. Furthremore, these shortcuts will make it easier for you to access some of MPV’s advanced features, such as Real Time AV Delay and Color Correction.

Shortcut	Function
Timeline Seeking
Left Arrow	Go back 5 seconds in the media.
Right Arrow	Go forward 5 seconds in the media.
Down Arrow	Go back 1 minute in the media.
Up Arrow	Go forward 1 minute in the media.
Shift + Page Up	Go forward 10 minutes in the media.
Shift + Page Down	Go back 10 minutes in the media.
Page Up	Go to the beginning of the next chapter.
Page Down	Go to the beginning of the previous chapter.
Ctrl + Left Arrow	Go to the previous frame with subtitles.
Ctrl + Right Arrow	Go to the next frame with subtitles.
Subtitle Manipulation
V	Either display or hide subtitles for the currently playing media.
Shift + J	Select the previous subtitle file available.
J	Select the next subtitle file available.
Ctrl + Shift + Left	Synchronize the subtitle with the previous frame.
Ctrl + Shift + Right	Synchronize the subtitle with the next frame.
Z	Increase the subtitle delay by 100 milliseconds.
Shift + Z	Decrease the subtitle delay by 100 milliseconds.
Shift + G	Increase the subtitle font by 10%.
Shift + F	Decrease the subtitle font by 10%.
R	Shift the subtitle placement in the video upwards.
Shift + R	Shift the subtitle placement in the video downwards.
U	Switch the currently active subtitle to a compatible SubStation Alpha format.
Playback Controls
[	Slow the media playback down by 10%.
]	Speed the media playback up by 10%.
Shift + [	Drop the playback speed by 50%.
Shift + ]	Increase the playback speed by 50%.
L	Mark the current position as a playback loop.
Shift + L	Create an infinite loop between two marked points.
Backspace	Return the media playback speed back to 100%.
/ or 9	Decrease the media volume by 1 point.
* or 0	Increase the media volume by 1 point.
M	Mute the sound of the currently playing media.
Shift + `	Go through the available video tracks in the media file.
Shift + 3	Go through the available audio tracks in the media file.
S	Take the current video frame and save it as a screenshot.
Shift + S	Take a screenshot of the current frame and remove all subtitles.
Ctrl + S	Take a screenshot of the current player window.
Ctrl +	Increase the audio delay by 100 milliseconds.
Ctrl –	Decrease the audio delay by 100 milliseconds.
Picture Controls
Shift + A	Force a different aspect ratio for the currently playing media.
D	Toggle the realtime video deinterlacer.
1	Decrease the contrast of the video.
2	Increase the contrast of the video.
3	Decrease the brightness of the video.
4	Increase the brightness of the video.
5	Decrease the gamma of the video.
6	Increase the gamma of the video.
7	Decrease the saturation of the video.
8	Increase the saturation of the video.
Ctrl + H	Enable Hardware Decoding Support.
Shift + W	Increase the picture cropping for the currently playing media.
W	Decrease the picture cropping for the currently playing media.
Alt + Up Arrow	Move the picture in the window upwards.
Alt + Down Arrow	Move the picture in the window downwards.
Alt + Left Arrow	Move the picture in the window leftwards.
Alt + Right Arrow	Move the picture in the window rightwards.
Alt +	Zoom into the currently playing media.
Alt –	Zoom out of the currently playing media.
Alt + Backspace	Restore the original position and zoom of the picture.
Player Controls
> or Enter	Play the next file in a playlist.
<	Play the previous file in a playlist.
P or Space	Toggle the player’s pause function.
.	Pause the file and display the next frame.
,	Pause the file and display the previous frame.
F	Turn the player into a fullscreen window.
Esc	Turn the player back to its original size.
T	Force the player to stay on top of other windows.
O or Shift + P	Display the current progress bar.
I or Shift + I	Print the technical details of the currently playing file in the screen.
`	Pause the file and display the previous frame.
Q	Stop the currently playing file and exit the player.
Shift + Q	Stop the currently playing file, save its playback position then exit the player.
Mouse-Specific Controls
Right Click	Toggle the pause function.
Double Left Click	Turn the player into a fullscreen window.
Scroll Up	Go forward 10 seconds in the media.
Scroll Down	Go backwards 10 seconds in the media.

_{Image Credit: Unsplash}