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Fortnite controls & keybinds

Fortnite's defaults split into combat keys and a separate building layer. On PC the function keys pick building pieces; on controller the Builder Pro layout puts every piece on a shoulder or trigger.

The keys people look up first

Fortnite 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	PlayStation	Xbox
Crouch	`Left Ctrl`	`R3`	`RS`
Jump	`Space`	`Cross`	`A`
Reload	`R`	`Square`	`X`
Aim / ADS	`Mouse 2`	`L2`	`LT`
Interact	`E`
Inventory	`I`	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`
Map	`M`	`Touchpad`	`View`
Emote	`B`	`D-pad Down`	`D-pad Down`

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.

45 bindings keyboard26controller19settings11 in 3 FN controls You are here 2 inputs keyboardyescontrolleryestouchscreenno FN input lab Scores a build layout against one rule: can your left hand stay on WASD.

LMBFireRMBAim down sights, Change materialMMBunboundM4unboundM5unboundScroll ↑Cycle weaponsScroll ↓Cycle weapons

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`
Jump	`Space`
SprintHold. Auto-run is = by default.	`Left Shift`
CrouchToggle by default; switch to hold in Settings › Keyboard Controls.	`Left Ctrl`
Mantle / climbAutomatic when jumping into a ledge.	`Space`
Combat
Fire	`Mouse 1`
Aim down sights	`Mouse 2`
Reload	`R`
Use / interactDoors, chests, revives, vehicles.	`E`
Weapon slots	`1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5`
Harvesting toolAlso selectable by cycling with the mouse wheel.	`F1`
Cycle weapons	`Scroll Up / Scroll Down`
Building
WallIn Build mode the F-keys select pieces; press again to place.	`F1`
Floor	`F2`
Stairs	`F3`
Roof	`F4`
Trap / place item	`F5`
Edit	`G`
Rotate piece	`R`
Change materialWood → stone → metal while a piece is selected.	`Mouse 2`
Interface
Map	`M`
InventoryTab also opens it.	`I`
Emote	`B`
Push to talk	`Y`
Chat	`Enter`
Place marker / pingHold for the ping wheel.	`Left Alt`

Show

Action	PlayStation	Xbox	Switch
Movement
Move / sprintAuto-sprint is on by default; press the stick to toggle.	`L3`	`LS`	`L3`
Look	`R3`	`RS`	`R3`
Jump	`Cross`	`A`	`B`
CrouchPress the right stick.	`R3`	`RS`	`R3`
Combat
Fire	`R2`	`RT`	`ZR`
Aim	`L2`	`LT`	`ZL`
Reload / interact	`Square`	`X`	`Y`
Next / previous weapon	`R1 / L1`	`RB / LB`	`R / L`
Harvesting tool	`Triangle`	`Y`	`X`
Building
Build modeBuilder Pro: pieces sit on the shoulders and triggers once in Build mode.	`Circle`	`B`	`A`
Wall (Build mode)	`R2`	`RT`	`ZR`
Floor (Build mode)	`L1`	`LB`	`L`
Stairs (Build mode)	`L2`	`LT`	`ZL`
Roof (Build mode)	`R1`	`RB`	`R`
EditHold while aiming at your own piece.	`Circle`	`B`	`A`
Interface
Emote wheel	`D-pad Down`	`D-pad Down`	`D-pad Down`
Map	`Touchpad`	`View`	`Touchpad`
Inventory	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`
Ping	`D-pad Left`	`D-pad Left`	`D-pad Left`

Switch labels are derived from the PlayStation and Xbox layouts where the game uses the standard mapping; games without a Switch release show the equivalent position only.

Settings that change how the bindings feel

Recommended starting settings

Fortnite's build settings are the game, and Epic states one caveat about them plainly that almost nobody repeats: Simple Edit is turned off for you in competitive modes. A habit built on it does not come with you — worth knowing before it becomes a habit.

Game

Turbo Building On OnOff

Holding the fire button keeps placing the selected piece instead of asking for a press per wall. Every other setting on this list is an argument; this one is not, because without it the game's own build speed is out of reach.

Confirm Edit on Release On OnOff

The edit commits the moment you let go, which removes one whole input from every edit you make. In a box fight that input is the one you did not have time for.

Simple Edit Mobility On OnOff

One press edits the tile you are looking at, with no dragging across the grid. The catch Epic states plainly and almost nobody repeats: it is turned off for you in competitive modes, so a habit built on it does not come with you into a tournament.

Tap To Simple Edit On OnOff

The companion switch to the one above: on, a single press does the edit; off, you hold and drag and the edit timer decides. Off is the one to pick if you want the same motion whether Simple Edit happens to be available in that mode.

Edit Hold Time Mobility 0.100 0.100 – 0.500 seconds

How long the edit key must be held before the game treats it as a hold rather than a press. The floor is the right answer for anyone editing deliberately; raising it only helps if your hand rests on the key.

Reset Build Choice Off OnOff

On, the game drops back to the wall after every placement. Off keeps whatever you last selected, which is what you want when you are ramping: a stair followed by a stair should not need the stair key twice.

Toggle Sprint Mobility On OnOff

Fortnite sprints for most of a match, and holding Shift through it conflicts with every build key sitting near the little finger. This is the setting that frees that hand.

Toggle Targeting Off OnOff

The opposite call to sprint, for the opposite reason. Leaving a scope is as time-critical as entering one, and a toggle makes that a decision instead of letting go.

Input → Mouse

Building Sensitivity Multiplier 1.6 – 2.0 0.10 – 3.00

Building is the one part of Fortnite where you want to turn faster than you aim — a 180 behind you to wall off is not a shot. Most builders run this above 1.5 while keeping the combat sensitivity where their aim lives. PC

What that multiplier is worth in eDPI

Editing Sensitivity Multiplier 1.6 – 2.0 0.10 – 3.00

Same argument, applied to the edit grid. Kept equal to the building multiplier so that placing and editing feel like one motion rather than two speeds. PC

Controller

Build Configuration Builder Pro Old SchoolQuick BuilderCombat ProBuilder ProCustom

Builder Pro is the reason building is possible on a pad at all: every piece gets its own face button or shoulder, so nothing is cycled. Combat Pro shoots better and builds worse, which in this game is the wrong trade. Controller

Reach check · your keyboard, this game

Can your board actually play Fortnite?

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 Fortnite loses 5 keys. F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5 are not on that board at all — so harvesting tool, wall, floor, stairs 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.

W / A / S / D Move
Space Jump
Left Shift Sprint
Left Ctrl Crouch
Space Mantle / climb
Mouse 1 Fire
Mouse 2 Aim down sights
R Reload
E Use / interact
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 Weapon slots
F1 Harvesting tool
Scroll Up / Scroll Down Cycle weapons
F1 Wall
F2 Floor
F3 Stairs
F4 Roof
F5 Trap / place item
G Edit
R Rotate piece
Mouse 2 Change material
M Map
I Inventory
B Emote
Y Push to talk
Enter Chat
Left Alt Place marker / ping

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.

Fortnite control lab

The default build binds cannot be played

This is the widest gap between a default and reality of any game on this site. Fortnite ships its five build pieces on the F-row, above the numbers — your left hand has to leave WASD completely to reach any of them, and building is something you do while sprinting, jumping and being shot at. Nobody who builds uses these. The colour below is reach while still moving, and it tells the whole story.

F1 Wall Hand leaves movement entirely
F2 Floor Hand leaves movement entirely
F3 Stairs Hand leaves movement entirely
F4 Roof Hand leaves movement entirely
F5 Trap Out of reach while moving
G Edit Stretch: A and D are released for a moment
R Rotate piece Index finger, movement kept
Mouse 2 Change material Right hand, always available

Competing for the same hand

Left Shift Sprint — held throughout, by the same little finger that reaches Ctrl
Left Ctrl Crouch, and a toggle by default, which is why players crouch-build by accident
Space Jump, pressed constantly while building upwards

Wall, floor and stairs are the three you place in the first second of a fight, and all three are on keys you cannot reach without stopping. Move them to the keys your hand already holds — Q, F and the two mouse side buttons are what almost every builder converges on, with Edit on the remaining mouse button or C. That is not a preference or a pro setting: the defaults make building physically impossible at the speed the game is played, and rebinding them is the difference between building and watching someone build.

One line per question

How to do the things people search for in Fortnite

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

How to crouch in Fortnite on PC and controller?

To crouch in Fortnite, press Left Ctrl on PC, R3 on PlayStation and RS on Xbox. Toggle by default; switch to hold in Settings › Keyboard Controls.

How to jump in Fortnite on PC and controller?

To jump in Fortnite, press Space on PC, Cross on PlayStation and A on Xbox.

How to reload in Fortnite on PC and controller?

To reload in Fortnite, press R on PC, Square on PlayStation and X on Xbox.

How to aim down sights in Fortnite on PC and controller?

To aim down sights in Fortnite, press Mouse 2 on PC, L2 on PlayStation and LT on Xbox.

How to interact or pick things up in Fortnite on PC?

To interact or pick things up in Fortnite, press E on PC. Doors, chests, revives, vehicles.

How to open the inventory in Fortnite on PC and controller?

To open the inventory in Fortnite, press I on PC, D-pad Up on PlayStation and D-pad Up on Xbox. Tab also opens it.

How to open the map in Fortnite on PC and controller?

To open the map in Fortnite, press M on PC, Touchpad on PlayStation and View on Xbox.

How to emote in Fortnite on PC and controller?

To emote in Fortnite, press B on PC, D-pad Down on PlayStation and D-pad Down on Xbox.

Quick answers

How do I edit a build in Fortnite on PC?

Look at a piece you built and press G, then click the tiles you want removed and press G again (or confirm with the mouse) to apply. Reset a selection with Mouse 2.

What is the sprint key in Fortnite?

Left Shift while moving. Auto-run (=) keeps you running without holding anything, which most players prefer on keyboard.

How do I switch building materials?

With a piece selected in Build mode, press Mouse 2 to cycle wood, stone and metal. Each material has its own inventory count shown above the piece.

Which controller layout should I use?

Builder Pro is the default and the fastest for building because every piece is one shoulder or trigger press. Combat Pro moves pieces to the D-pad and suits players who never build.

How do I ping in Fortnite?

Tap Left Alt to place a marker where you are looking; hold it for the wheel with enemy, loot and danger pings. On controller press D-pad Left.

Why is Simple Edit not working in ranked?

Epic turns it off in competitive modes. It is not a bug and not your settings — a habit built on Simple Edit does not come with you into ranked or a tournament, which is worth knowing before it becomes a habit.

Which Fortnite settings actually matter for building?

Turbo Building and Confirm Edit on Release, both in the Game tab. The first keeps placing pieces while fire is held, the second commits an edit the moment you let go — one whole input removed from every edit you make.

Where to go from here

Next steps for Fortnite

Sensitivity converterBring the cm/360 you already trust into FN instead of guessing a number.eDPI calculatorWork out where your FN sensitivity sits and what it becomes if you change DPI.Gamepad testerSee every button, trigger and stick of your controller live, before blaming the game.Controller deadzone tunerFind the smallest deadzone that hides drift without swallowing slow aim in FN.Stick drift testFive-second resting sample, so a wandering camera is not blamed on the game.