Extraction shooter · PC

Escape from Tarkov controls & keybinds

Tarkov has one of the deepest keyboard layouts in gaming: leaning, stance heights, weapon inspection, tactical devices and magazine checks all have keys. The defaults below are the essentials plus the most-searched extras.

The keys people look up first

Escape from Tarkov 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
Sprint / run	`Left Shift`
Crouch	`C`
Prone	`Z`
Jump	`Space`
Melee	`V`
Aim / ADS	`Mouse 2`
Grenade	`G`
Interact	`F`

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

Action	Default key
Movement
Move	`W / A / S / D`
Sprint	`Left Shift`
Jump / vault	`Space`
CrouchToggle by default.	`C`
Prone	`Z`
Change stance height	`Left Ctrl + Scroll`
Walk / change speed	`Caps Lock or Scroll (with Ctrl)`
Lean left / rightHold Left Alt + A/D for a slow side-step lean.	`Q / E`
Combat
Fire	`Mouse 1`
Aim	`Mouse 2`
ReloadDouble-tap R for a quick reload that drops the magazine.	`R`
Primary / secondary / pistol	`1 / 2 / 3`
Melee	`V`
Grenade	`G`
Change fire mode	`B`
Check ammo / chamberAlt + T checks the magazine; Shift + T checks the chamber.	`Left Alt + T / Left Shift + T`
Inspect weapon	`L`
Fold / unfold stock	`Left Alt + L`
Toggle tactical device (laser / flashlight)Ctrl + T switches device modes.	`T`
Switch scope / magnificationLeft Alt + Mouse 2 changes zoom on variable scopes.	`Left Ctrl + Mouse 2`
Use medical / item (quick slots)	`4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9`
Interface
Interact / search / loot	`F`
Inventory	`Tab`
Map	`O`
Extractions list	`O (double-tap)`
Push to talk	`Y`
Toggle headset / audio	`Left Ctrl + Y`

Settings that change how the bindings feel

Recommended starting settings

Tarkov gives you a control setting no other game here has: for every single binding you choose whether it fires on press, on release, while held, or on a double tap. Two of its most important controls are not in the menu at all — walking speed and crouch height both live on the scroll wheel.

Settings → Controls (per binding)

Press type Mobility Continuous PressContinuousReleaseDouble click

The setting no other game in this library has. Tarkov does not offer hold-or-toggle as a global switch — it lets you choose, for every single binding, whether the action fires on press, on release, while held, or on a double tap. Rows where it cannot be changed say Unavailable. This is the whole control system and almost nobody touches it. PC

Alternative key Second column, per binding Any keyTwo keys held in sequence

Every action takes two bindings, and a binding can itself be two keys: hold the first, press the second, and the pair is recorded as one. That is how the combination binds this game runs on — check chamber, fold stock, fix malfunction — get shortened to something you can press in a fight. PC

In raid, not in the menu

Movement speed Mouse wheel, or Caps Lock Wheel: step through the rangeCaps Lock: jump to slowest and back

Not a settings row at all, which is why players miss it for hundreds of hours. Your walking speed is a continuous dial on the scroll wheel, and it sets how loud your footsteps are. Caps Lock snaps to the quietest and back. Sound is how you die in this game, and this is the control that governs it. PC

Stance height C + mouse wheel 7 crouch positions

Not a crouch button with one height but seven, scrolled through while holding C. Pressing C alone drops you to the lowest position or the last one you used. Being able to stop at the height of a window ledge is a mechanic most players never find. PC

Settings → Controls

Lean and side-step Q / E, and Alt + Q / E Any key

Q and E lean out of cover; the same keys with Alt take a physical step sideways instead. Two different actions on one pair of keys, separated by a modifier, and the second one is the one that wins gunfights around hard corners. PC

Mouse Sensitivity 0.15 – 0.30 0.01 – 1.00

The scale is far finer than any other game here, so numbers copied from a shooter guide are meaningless. Tarkov is aimed slowly on purpose: almost every fight is a held angle rather than a flick. PC

Convert a sensitivity you already trust

Aiming sensitivity 0.6 – 0.8 of the hip value 0.01 – 1.00

A separate multiplier for aimed movement. Below the hip value because the scopes magnify and because a shot in this game is a small correction on an angle you were already holding. PC

Zeroing Page Up / Page Down Any key

Adjusts the sight for range while aiming. It exists because bullets drop in this game and it is bound to two keys nobody's left hand can reach — the clearest case on this page for moving a binding somewhere your fingers already are. PC

Reach check · your keyboard, this game

Can your board actually play Escape from Tarkov?

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.

A 60% board has every key Escape from Tarkov asks for. 7 of its 27 default binds still need the left hand to leave WASD, so the board is not what holds you back here — the layout is. How that compares with every other game.

W / A / S / D Move
Left Shift Sprint
Space Jump / vault
C Crouch
Z Prone
Left Ctrl + Scroll Change stance height
Caps Lock or Scroll (with Ctrl) Walk / change speed
Q / E Lean left / right
Mouse 1 Fire
Mouse 2 Aim
R Reload
1 / 2 / 3 Primary / secondary / pistol
V Melee
G Grenade
B Change fire mode
Left Alt + T / Left Shift + T Check ammo / chamber
L Inspect weapon
Left Alt + L Fold / unfold stock
T Toggle tactical device (laser / flashlight)
Left Ctrl + Mouse 2 Switch scope / magnification
4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 Use medical / item (quick slots)
F Interact / search / loot
Tab Inventory
O Map
O (double-tap) Extractions list
Y Push to talk
Left Ctrl + Y Toggle headset / audio

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

0 keys missing 60%7 far65%all theretenkeylessall there 60% keyboard check 25 of the 70 games we score lose a key on a 60%. This is not one of them.

One line per question

How to do the things people search for in Escape from Tarkov

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

How to sprint in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To sprint in Escape from Tarkov, press Left Shift on PC.

How to crouch in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To crouch in Escape from Tarkov, press C on PC. Toggle by default.

How to go prone in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To go prone in Escape from Tarkov, press Z on PC.

How to jump in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To jump in Escape from Tarkov, press Space on PC.

How to melee in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To melee in Escape from Tarkov, press V on PC.

How to aim in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To aim in Escape from Tarkov, press Mouse 2 on PC.

How to throw a grenade in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To throw a grenade in Escape from Tarkov, press G on PC.

How to interact or pick things up in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To interact or pick things up in Escape from Tarkov, press F on PC.

How to open the inventory in Escape from Tarkov on PC?

To open the inventory in Escape from Tarkov, press Tab on PC.

Quick answers

How do I check how many bullets I have?

Hold Left Alt and press T to check the magazine, or Shift + T for the chamber. Your character estimates the count based on skill, so the number is approximate.

What is a quick reload?

Double-tap R: the magazine drops on the ground and a fresh one loads faster. Pick the dropped magazine up afterwards or lose it.

How do I see the extractions?

Double-tap O to show the list with timers. Some extracts need a condition such as a paid fee or a partner.

How do I lean slowly?

Hold Left Alt with A or D for a side-step lean that keeps your head low; Q and E are the full leans.

Why are there so many modifiers?

Tarkov binds Alt, Ctrl and Shift as layers so every action has a key without a long keyboard reach. Print the controls page and learn one layer at a time.

How do I change walking speed in Escape from Tarkov?

With the scroll wheel while moving, or Caps Lock to snap to the slowest and back. It is not in the settings menu at all, it is a continuous dial, and it sets how loud your footsteps are.

Can a Tarkov keybind be a toggle?

Yes, and with more control than any other game: every binding has a press type — Press, Continuous, Release or Double click. Rows where it cannot be changed say Unavailable.

Similar games

Controls for similar games

ARC RaidersExtraction shooter Apex LegendsBattle royale Battlefield 6First-person shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 & WarzoneFirst-person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4First-person shooter Counter-Strike 2Tactical shooter

Where to go from here

Next steps for Escape from Tarkov

Sensitivity converterBring the cm/360 you already trust into EFT instead of guessing a number.eDPI calculatorWork out where your EFT sensitivity sits and what it becomes if you change DPI.Input latency testReaction time, event-to-frame delay and controller update rate in one pass.Keyboard ghosting testCheck the combinations EFT holds down at once actually reach the game.