Overview
Hot Keys let you control cameras, switch tools, navigate sources, and manage your workspace using keyboard shortcuts — instead of clicking buttons. Every action that can be performed with the mouse in Iris Studio can also be triggered by pressing a key or key combination.
Hot Keys are tied to your personal account, not to a specific studio. This means your custom shortcuts follow you across any studio you join. Iris ships with a full set of default shortcuts out of the box, so you can start using them right away. If you'd like, you can reassign any shortcut to a different key, remove ones you don't need, or reset everything back to the defaults at any time.
What you need
An Iris account and access to at least one studio.
No special role or permission is required — every user can view and customize their own Hot Keys.
A physical keyboard. Hot Keys are not available via touch-only devices.
How to use Hot Keys
Using Hot Keys during a session
Open a studio in Iris.
With the video feed area in focus, press a keyboard shortcut to trigger the associated action.
For example, press J to switch to the Joystick tool, or press the ← / → arrow keys to pan the camera left/right.
The assigned shortcut for each toolbar tool is shown in a tooltip when you hover over its icon in the toolbar (e.g., "Joystick (J)").
A special shortcut worth knowing: the Activate Joystick key (default: Space) temporarily engages the Joystick tool while you hold it down. When you release it, you return to whatever tool you were using before. Your mouse cursor must be over the video feed for this to work.
Customizing your Hot Keys
Click your profile avatar in the top-right corner of Iris.
Select Hot Keys from the menu.
This opens the Account Settings panel on the Hot Keys tab (under Account).
You'll see the heading "Make your workflow more efficient by using and customizing Hot Keys."
Use the Categories dropdown to jump to a specific group, or scroll through all categories.
To change a shortcut:
Click the current key combination next to the action you want to change. An editor box appears with the prompt "Type new hot key."
Press the new key or key combination on your keyboard.
Press Enter or click away to confirm, or press Escape to cancel.
To remove a shortcut:
Click the × (remove) button next to the key combination, or select the shortcut and press Backspace or Delete.
When you're happy with your changes, click Save at the bottom of the panel. The Save button is only enabled when you have unsaved changes.
To discard your edits, click Cancel.
Resetting to defaults
At the bottom of the Hot Keys settings panel, click Reset to Default.
This button is disabled if your shortcuts already match the defaults.
All shortcuts revert to the factory defaults in the editor. You still need to click Save to persist the reset.
Default shortcut reference
Hot Keys are organized into five categories. Below are the defaults. On macOS, "Ctrl" is represented by ⌘ (Cmd), "Alt" by ⌥ (Option), and modifier separators are omitted (e.g., ⌘P). On Windows/Linux, modifiers are joined with + (e.g., Ctrl+P).
Essentials
Action | Default shortcut |
Click to Center | C |
Cine Center | Shift+C |
Fast Frame | F |
Cine Frame | Shift+F |
Joystick | J |
Activate Joystick (hold) | Space |
Move (Zoom tool) | Z |
Auto Tracking | A |
Zoom in | = |
Zoom out | - |
Add Preset | Ctrl+P / ⌘P |
Next preset group | ' |
Previous preset group | ; |
One-push focus | Ctrl+F / ⌘F |
Focus near | [ |
Focus far | ] |
Next video source | E |
Previous video source | Q |
Camera Controls
Action | Default shortcut |
Pan left | ← |
Pan right | → |
Tilt up | ↑ |
Tilt down | ↓ |
Quick pan left | Alt+← / ⌥← |
Quick pan right | Alt+→ / ⌥→ |
Quick tilt up | Alt+↑ / ⌥↑ |
Quick tilt down | Alt+↓ / ⌥↓ |
Quick zoom in | Alt+= / ⌥= |
Quick zoom out | Alt+- / ⌥- |
Decrease pan/tilt speed | Shift+→ |
Increase pan/tilt speed | Shift+← |
Decrease zoom speed | Shift+= |
Increase zoom speed | Shift+- |
Toggle focus mode | Alt+F / ⌥F |
Presets 1–10 | Shift+1 through Shift+0 |
Toolbar
Action | Default shortcut |
Click to Center | C |
Fast Frame | F |
Joystick | J |
Activate Joystick (hold) | Space |
Move (Zoom tool) | Z |
Auto Tracking | A |
Sources
Action | Default shortcut |
Toggle video arrangement | \` (backtick) |
Next video source | E |
Previous video source | Q |
Switch to Source 1–10 | 1 through 0 |
Miscellaneous
Action | Default shortcut |
Show presets tab | . |
Toggle Audio/Video tab | , |
Toggle Control/Image tab | / |
Limits and restrictions
One shortcut per action. Each action can have at most one key combination assigned.
No duplicate shortcuts. If you try to assign a key combination that is already used by another action, you'll see a red "Hot key already assigned" warning and the change will not be saved.
Modifier rules. A shortcut cannot use both Ctrl and Cmd (⌘) at the same time. If both are pressed, only Ctrl is registered.
Reserved fields. Hot Keys are automatically suppressed when your cursor is focused inside a text input, text area, or select dropdown, so typing in a form won't accidentally trigger camera controls.
Repeat key events are ignored. Holding down a key does not repeatedly fire the shortcut (except for PTZ movement keys which are handled separately by the interaction layer).
Key input is throttled. Global hot key processing is throttled to once every 100 ms to prevent accidental double-triggers.
Activate Joystick throttle. The hold-to-joystick shortcut is throttled to once every 250 ms.
Supported keys. You can assign letters (A–Z), numbers (0–9), arrow keys, Space, and common symbol keys (
;=,./```[\\\\]'). Function keys and other special keys are not supported.Supported modifiers. Ctrl (or ⌘ on Mac), Alt (or ⌥ on Mac), and Shift. You can combine these with any supported key.
What happens if…
You close the settings panel without saving? Your changes are discarded. Only clicking Save persists your custom shortcuts.
You assign a shortcut that conflicts with another action? A red error message ("Hot key already assigned") appears next to the field. The conflicting shortcut will not be committed — it is treated as a cancel.
You try to use a Hot Key while typing in a text field? The Hot Key is suppressed. Normal text entry continues without triggering any camera or tool action.
You hold the Activate Joystick key but your mouse isn't over the video feed? Nothing happens. The joystick override only engages when the pointer is inside the video area.
You use Hot Keys while Auto Tracking is protecting the camera? If auto-tracking control protection is active, attempting to engage the joystick via the hold shortcut will show a control alert instead of moving the camera.
Your camera hasn't been calibrated? Certain tools (Click to Center, Fast Frame, Auto Tracking) are disabled until calibration is complete. Pressing their Hot Key will have no effect.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
Hot key does nothing | Focus is in a text input or search box | Click on the video feed area or elsewhere on the page first |
Hot key does nothing | The shortcut was removed or reassigned | Open Hot Keys settings and verify the binding |
"Hot key already assigned" error | Another action uses the same combination | Choose a different key combination, or remove the other binding first |
Shortcut appears different on another machine | Different operating system | Iris shows OS-appropriate modifier symbols (⌘ vs. Ctrl). The underlying key is the same |
Changes didn't persist | Settings panel was closed without saving | Re-open Hot Keys settings, make changes, and click Save |
Activate Joystick (Space) doesn't work | Mouse cursor is outside the video feed | Move the cursor over the video feed before pressing Space |
FAQ
Where do I find the Hot Keys settings? Click your profile avatar → Hot Keys. It's under the Account tab in Settings.
Are Hot Keys shared across studios? Yes. Your Hot Keys are saved to your personal account preferences, so they apply in every studio you join.
Can I export or import my Hot Key layout? Not currently. Shortcuts are stored in your user preferences and cannot be exported.
Do I need a paid plan to use Hot Keys? No. Hot Keys are available to all users regardless of plan.
Can two actions share the same shortcut? No. Each key combination can only be
mapped to one action. Attempting to create a duplicate will show an error.
What if I just want the defaults back? Click Reset to Default at the bottom of the Hot Keys settings panel, then click Save.
Does the "Activate Joystick" shortcut switch my tool permanently? No. It's a momentary override — the Joystick is active only while you hold the key. Releasing it returns you to your previous tool.
Can I use Hot Keys in the Iris desktop app and the web app? Yes. Hot Keys work in both the desktop (Electron) app and the browser-based web app.
Are there Hot Keys for recording or streaming? Not at this time. Hot Keys currently cover camera control, tool selection, source switching, focus, presets, and panel navigation.
Will Hot Keys interfere with browser shortcuts? Iris prevents default browser behavior for matched Hot Key events. If a key is not mapped to any Iris action, it will behave normally. Standard browser shortcuts (like Ctrl+T for a new tab) that aren't in the Hot Key map still work as expected.