Metroidvania · PC · PlayStation · Xbox · Switch

Hollow Knight: Silksong controls & keybinds

Silksong keeps Hollow Knight's philosophy: a few keys with precise timing. Attack, jump, dash and the needle skills cover almost everything, with tools and crests on the shoulder buttons.

The keys people look up first

Hollow Knight: Silksong 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
Sprint / run	`C`	`R2`	`RT`
Jump	`Z`	`Cross`	`A`
Interact	`W`	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`
Inventory	`I`	`Options`	`Menu`

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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	`A / D`
Look up / downHold to scroll the camera.	`W / S`
JumpHold for a higher jump.	`Z`
Dash / sprintHold to sprint once unlocked.	`C`
Combat
Attack (needle)Combine with W or S for up and down strikes.	`X`
Bind (heal)Default heal is on the Focus/Bind key: hold the key shown in Options › Bind; on keyboard it is A by default for Quick Cast layouts and can be rebound.	`A (hold) … see note`
Tool / skill (silk)Uses the equipped needle skill.	`F`
Quick tool	`Q`
Interface
Inventory	`I`
Map	`Tab`
Quick map	`Tab (hold)`
InteractPress up at benches, doors and NPCs.	`W`
Pause	`Escape`

Show

Action	PlayStation	Xbox	Switch
Movement
Move	`L3 / D-pad`	`LS / D-pad`	`L3 / D-pad`
Jump	`Cross`	`A`	`B`
Dash / sprint	`R2`	`RT`	`ZR`
Combat
Attack	`Square`	`X`	`Y`
Bind (heal)	`Circle (hold)`	`B (hold)`	`Circle (hold)`
Needle skill	`Triangle`	`Y`	`X`
Quick tool	`R1`	`RB`	`R`
Tool / crest wheel	`L1`	`LB`	`L`
Interface
Interact	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`
Map	`Touchpad`	`View`	`Touchpad`
Inventory	`Options`	`Menu`	`+`

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.

Reach check · your keyboard, this game

Can your board actually play Hollow Knight: Silksong?

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 / D Move
W / S Look up / down
Z Jump
C Dash / sprint
X Attack (needle)
A (hold) … see note Bind (heal)
F Tool / skill (silk)
Q Quick tool
I Inventory
Tab Map
Tab (hold) Quick map
W Interact
Escape Pause

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.

Hollow Knight: Silksong control lab

A gamepad layout squeezed onto six keys

Silksong's keyboard defaults are a controller translated into the bottom-left corner of the board. Movement sits on A and D, and jump, attack and dash sit on Z, X and C directly underneath — so both jobs are done by one hand in a space about four keys wide, while the other hand has nothing to do. This is why the layout feels cramped rather than wrong.

Action	Controller	Keyboard	What it costs you
Jump	`Cross / A — right thumb`	`Z`	A thumb button becomes the little finger, on the same hand that is steering
Attack	`Square / X — right thumb`	`X`	Sits next to jump, so pogo chains ask one hand to alternate two adjacent keys at speed
Dash	`R2 / RT — right index`	`C`	A trigger you could hold becomes a third key under the same crowded hand
Quick tool	`R1 / RB — right index`	`Q`	The searched one. Q is above the movement keys, so using a tool interrupts moving
Needle skill	`Triangle / Y`	`F`	Reachable, and one of the few defaults that lands somewhere sensible
Bind, to heal	`Circle / B held`	`A held`	Held on the same key that moves you left, so healing and retreating fight each other
Interact	`D-pad Up`	`W`	W is look-up as well, so benches and doors share a key with the camera

Move the four action keys onto the right hand and the layout stops fighting you: jump, attack, dash and quick tool are the ones to relocate, and any four keys your right hand rests on will do. Healing on a held A is the one worth changing first — bind is your only heal, and the default asks you to hold the key that also walks you into whatever you were running from. Nothing here is a difficulty setting; it is a controller layout that never got redrawn for two hands.

One line per question

How to do the things people search for in Hollow Knight: Silksong

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

How to sprint in Hollow Knight: Silksong on PC and controller?

To sprint in Hollow Knight: Silksong, press C on PC, R2 on PlayStation and RT on Xbox. Hold to sprint once unlocked.

How to jump in Hollow Knight: Silksong on PC and controller?

To jump in Hollow Knight: Silksong, press Z on PC, Cross on PlayStation and A on Xbox. Hold for a higher jump.

How to interact or pick things up in Hollow Knight: Silksong on PC and controller?

To interact or pick things up in Hollow Knight: Silksong, press W on PC, D-pad Up on PlayStation and D-pad Up on Xbox. Press up at benches, doors and NPCs.

How to open the inventory in Hollow Knight: Silksong on PC and controller?

To open the inventory in Hollow Knight: Silksong, press I on PC, Options on PlayStation and Menu on Xbox.

Quick answers

How do I heal in Silksong?

Hold the Bind key (Circle/B on controller) with enough silk; Hornet binds several masks at once, unlike Hollow Knight's one-at-a-time Focus. Check Options › Controls for the keyboard bind if the default does not match your layout.

How do I attack up or down?

Hold W or S (up or down on the stick) while pressing Attack. The downward strike pogo-bounces off enemies and spikes.

How do I use tools?

Equip tools at a bench, then press Q (R1/RB) for the quick tool; the wheel on L1/LB shows the rest. Tools use shell shards to replenish.

Is keyboard or controller better?

Either works; the game is designed for a D-pad or stick plus face buttons. On keyboard most players move Jump to Space and Attack to J or a mouse button.

How do I open the quick map?

Hold Tab (View/Touchpad) to peek at the map without pausing; tap it to open the full map once you have bought the area's map.

Where to go from here

Next steps for Hollow Knight: Silksong

Mouse DPI analyzerMeasure the DPI your mouse really delivers before you change anything in game.Controller deadzone tunerFind the smallest deadzone that hides drift without swallowing slow aim in HKS.Stick drift testFive-second resting sample, so a wandering camera is not blamed on the game.Keyboard ghosting testCheck the combinations HKS holds down at once actually reach the game.

Help more players find this

Every Hollow Knight: Silksong binding in one place, dated, with the notes the in-game menu leaves out

Control pages are the kind of thing people look for once and then look for again. Posting it once helps the next person find it.

Your post · keymap.io

Every Hollow Knight: Silksong binding in one place — dated, sourced, and free to read

https://keymap.io/controls/hollow-knight-silksong/

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