MOBA · PC

Dota 2 controls & keybinds

Dota 2's defaults put abilities on Q, W, E and R, items on the numpad-style cluster Z, X, C, V, B, N and courier actions on their own keys. Nearly every player enables quick cast and rebinds items, so treat these as the starting layout.

The keys people look up first

Dota 2 controls at a glance

Default bindings for the actions searched for most. The full lists, the settings that change how they feel and the printable layout are below.

Action	PC
Chat / voice	`Enter / Left Shift + Enter`
Scoreboard	`Tab`

The rest of this game, drawn

Two pages, and they are not interchangeable: this is the reference you look a binding up in, the other measures the hand pressing it. Both figures below are counted from what each page holds.

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LMBPing / alertRMBMove / attack-move targetMMBCamera gripM4unboundM5unboundScroll ↑unboundScroll ↓unbound

Highlighted keys carry a default action; hover or tap a key for every action bound to it.

Action	Default key
Movement
Move / attack-move target	`Mouse 2`
Attack (move)Press A then click, or A + click on a unit to attack it.	`A`
Stop	`S`
Hold position	`H`
Abilities
Ability 1 / 2 / 3	`Q / W / E`
Ability 4 / 5 (extra)Only heroes with extra abilities use them.	`D / F`
Ultimate	`R`
Level up ability	`Left Ctrl + Q / W / E / R`
Items
Item slots 1–6	`Z / X / C / V / B / N`
Neutral item slot	`0`
TP scroll slot	`T`
Courier
Courier: deliver items	`F3`
Courier: select	`F4`
Interface
Select heroDouble-tap to center the camera.	`F1`
Select all units	`F2`
Shop	`F5`
Scoreboard	`Tab`
Chat / all chat	`Enter / Left Shift + Enter`
Voice (push to talk)	`G`
Ping / alertAlt-click the minimap or an ability to alert allies.	`Left Alt + Mouse 1`
Glyph	`Left Alt + G`
Scan	`Left Alt + F`
Camera
Camera grip	`Mouse 3 (hold)`
Center camera on hero	`F1 (double-tap)`

Settings that change how the bindings feel

Recommended starting settings

Two settings here remove a click from every order you give. A third removes a whole class of mistake nobody talks about: the dead window that stops a fast cursor from sending your hero across the map on a minimap click you never meant to make.

Options → Game

Quick Attack On OnOff

The attack-move happens where the cursor already is, with no second click. It is the single largest change you can make to how Dota feels in your hands, because last-hitting stops being press-then-click and becomes one press. PC

Quick Move On OnOff

The same saving applied to movement. Leave one of the pair off and your hand learns two rhythms for two orders that should feel identical, so these two are set together or not at all. PC

Double Tap Ability to Self Cast On OnOff

Press a targeted ability twice and it lands on you. The one most people should have on, with one warning: it competes with a fast repeat press, which is why the timeout further down this list exists. PC

Unified Orders with CTRL On OnOff

Ctrl sends the order to everything you control rather than to the selected unit. On any hero with summons that is one modifier instead of a selection, and on every other hero it costs nothing. PC

Auto Attack Never NeverStandardAlways

Never is the laning answer and it is not close: an automatic swing pushes the wave you were trying to hold and denies you the last hit you were setting up. Standard is a reasonable place to start while the timing is still being learned. PC

Teleport Requires Hold/Stop On OnOff

A move order will not cancel a teleport; you have to press Stop deliberately. On, a twitchy right-click no longer wastes a scroll and forty seconds of walking. PC

Options → Advanced Game

Quickcast On Key Down On OnOff

Quickcast normally fires when the key comes back up. On key down it fires when it goes in, which on a Blink out of a stun is the difference the stun leaves you. The cost is that a key you started pressing cannot be taken back. PC

Smart Attack Move On OnOff

The attack-move picks the unit nearest the cursor rather than the unit nearest your hero. That is the one you were pointing at, which is the entire reason you moved the cursor. PC

Shop Always Uses Hotkeys On OnOff

With the shop open, its hotkeys win over everything else. Off, a shop you forgot was open swallows an ability key at the worst possible moment; on, at least the rule is the same every time. PC

Options → Miscellaneous

Double-Tap Self Cast Timeout 0.3 – 0.5 s 0 – 1 second

How long the game waits before it decides two presses were one double tap. Set it too high and a genuine second cast heals you instead of your carry; this slider is where that bug in your own play actually lives. PC

Minimap Misclick Protection Time Mobility 0.2 – 0.4 s 0 – 1 second

A dead window after the cursor enters the minimap, during which a click does nothing. It is there to stop a fast cursor from sending your hero across the map on a click you never meant, and it is the most useful Dota setting almost nobody knows exists. PC

Options → Camera

Edge Pan Off OnOff

Off, and the reason is not preference: alt-tabbing, a shop click near the edge and a second monitor all drag the camera when edge pan is on. Bind camera movement to the arrow keys or the grip instead, where it only moves when you ask. PC

Reach check · your keyboard, this game

Can your board actually play Dota 2?

Every default bind, re-scored against the keyboard you own. Distance is measured from the left hand resting on WASD, because that is where it stays while you play.

On a 60% board Dota 2 loses 5 keys. F3, F4, F1, F2 and F5 are not on that board at all — so courier: deliver items, courier: select, select hero, select all units and 2 more have nowhere to live until you rebind them. Do that before the first match rather than during it. How that compares with every other game.

Mouse 2 Move / attack-move target
A Attack (move)
S Stop
H Hold position
Q / W / E Ability 1 / 2 / 3
D / F Ability 4 / 5 (extra)
R Ultimate
Left Ctrl + Q / W / E / R Level up ability
Z / X / C / V / B / N Item slots 1–6
0 Neutral item slot
T TP scroll slot
F3 Courier: deliver items
F4 Courier: select
F1 Select hero
F2 Select all units
F5 Shop
Tab Scoreboard
Mouse 3 (hold) Camera grip
F1 (double-tap) Center camera on hero
Enter / Left Shift + Enter Chat / all chat
G Voice (push to talk)
Left Alt + Mouse 1 Ping / alert
Left Alt + G Glyph
Left Alt + F Scan

On the keys: your hand is already there
Comfortable: a finger moves, the hand does not
Stretch: the hand lifts, movement wobbles
Off movement: you let go of A and D to press it
Not on this board: the key does not physically exist

Reach uses the same key geometry as BindIQ, which can rebuild the whole layout for you once you know what is out of reach. Mouse buttons always count as reachable — your right hand is already there.

How that compares

5 keys missing 60%5 gone65%5 gonetenkeylessall there 60% keyboard check 25 of the 70 games we score lose a key on a 60%, and this is one of them.

One line per question

How to do the things people search for in Dota 2

Generated from the default bindings above, so an action and its key can never disagree.

How to open chat in Dota 2 on PC?

To open chat in Dota 2, press Enter / Left Shift + Enter on PC.

How to open the scoreboard in Dota 2 on PC?

To open the scoreboard in Dota 2, press Tab on PC.

Quick answers

How do I turn on quick cast in Dota 2?

Settings › Hotkeys › Advanced Hotkeys lets you set Quick Cast per ability or per item, or Quick Cast on Key Down for everything. Most players use quick cast for targeted abilities and normal cast for skill shots.

How do I use the courier?

F3 delivers items in the courier's inventory to you; F4 selects the courier so you can move it. Ctrl + F3 sends it to the base or fountain in some presets.

How do I ping in Dota 2?

Hold Left Alt and click the minimap or an ability; Alt + Ctrl + click gives a retreat ping. Alt-clicking your cooldowns tells the team when they are ready.

How do I move the camera?

Push the mouse to the screen edge, hold Mouse 3 to grip and drag, or use the arrow keys. Double-tap F1 to snap back to your hero.

Why are items on Z–N instead of numbers?

Valve reserves the number row for control groups. Most players rebind items to Space, Mouse 4, Mouse 5, D, F and G through the Hotkeys menu.

How do I stop misclicking the minimap in Dota 2?

Options › Miscellaneous has Minimap Misclick Protection Time: a dead window after the cursor enters the minimap during which a click does nothing. Two to four tenths of a second stops a fast cursor from sending your hero across the map.

What is Quick Attack in Dota 2?

It makes the attack-move resolve at the cursor with no second click, so last-hitting becomes one press instead of press-then-click. Quick Move does the same for movement; set both or neither, or your hand learns two rhythms.

Similar games

Controls for similar games

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Where to go from here

Next steps for Dota 2

Mouse DPI analyzerMeasure the DPI your mouse really delivers before you change anything in game.Keyboard ghosting testCheck the combinations DOTA holds down at once actually reach the game.