Keyboard Shortcuts
Spend less time finding commands and more time making music. Browse free quick-reference charts for Sibelius, MuseScore Studio 4, and Flat.io. Useful for students, adult arrangers, and educators.
Choose your notation program.
Each guide covers common score-writing tasks and includes Windows and macOS shortcuts where they differ. Download, save, or print a chart to keep beside your work.
Sibelius
Keypad note durations, note entry, intervals, articulation, playback, and score editing.
Note values use the numeric keypad with the default feature set.
Download free PDFMuseScore Studio 4
Note input, durations, notation symbols, voices, editing, and navigation.
Number keys select note durations during note entry.
Download free PDFFlat.io
Composing and articulation modes, note entry, durations, editing, and playback.
Shortcuts change with the active workflow mode.
Download free PDFSwitching programs?
The number keys work differently across notation editors. Here’s one practical example from the default note-entry modes.
| Note value | Sibelius | MuseScore Studio 4 | Flat.io |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note | Numeric keypad 6 | 7 | 1 |
| Half note | Numeric keypad 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Quarter note | Numeric keypad 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Eighth note | Numeric keypad 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Sixteenth note | Numeric keypad 2 | 3 | 5 |
Sibelius uses the numeric keypad in its default feature set. Flat.io requires Composing mode for these values. Settings and custom keyboard mappings can change shortcuts.
Compare all three
Keep equivalent shortcuts together when moving between notation programs.
Download comparison PDFPrint the complete set
A four-page PDF includes all three individual guides and the comparison sheet.
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The software is a tool. The musical decisions remain yours. If you’re setting up a sketch, explore the RoyalStar Sketch Process or use the Sketch Notebook to document your ideas.
RoyalStar Concepts · Updated October 2026. Guides summarize default shortcuts based on publisher documentation; verify against your software version and customized keyboard settings. RoyalStar is not affiliated with Avid, MuseScore, or Flat.