Stardew Valley Controls & Best Keybinds for Your Keyboard (2026)

The keys people look up first

Stardew Valley 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	`Left Shift`	`Circle (hold)`	`B (hold)`
Interact	`Mouse 2`	`Cross`	`A`
Inventory	`E`	`Triangle`	`Y`
Map	`M`	`Touchpad`	`View`
Emote	`Y`
Chat / voice	`T`
Screenshot	`Options button`

LMBUse tool / attackRMBInteract / check / eatMMBunboundM4unboundM5unboundScroll ↑Cycle toolsScroll ↓Cycle tools

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`
RunToggle Always Run in Options to make walking the modifier instead.	`Left Shift`
Actions
Use tool / attack	`Mouse 1`
Interact / check / eat	`Mouse 2`
Toolbar slots	`1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 0 / - / =`
Cycle toolbar rows	`Tab`
Cycle tools	`Scroll Up / Scroll Down`
Interface
InventoryEscape also opens it.	`E`
Journal (quests)	`F`
Map	`M`
Chat (multiplayer)	`T`
Emote menu	`Y`
Toggle tool hit locationEnable in Options › Show Tool Hit Location.	`Options`
Zoom	`Options slider`
Screenshot (full map)	`Options button`

Show

Action	PlayStation	Xbox	Switch
Movement
Move	`L3`	`LS`	`L3`
Run	`Circle (hold)`	`B (hold)`	`Circle (hold)`
Actions
Use tool	`R2`	`RT`	`ZR`
Interact / check	`Cross`	`A`	`B`
Attack / use (alternate)	`Square`	`X`	`Y`
Toolbar left / right	`L1 / R1`	`LB / RB`	`L1 / R1`
Cycle toolbar rows	`L2 (hold) + L1 / R1`	`LT (hold) + LB / RB`	`L2 (hold) + L1 / R1`
Interface
Inventory	`Triangle`	`Y`	`X`
Journal	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`
Map	`Touchpad`	`View`	`Touchpad`
Menu	`Options`	`Menu`	`+`
Emotes	`D-pad Down`	`D-pad Down`	`D-pad Down`

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 Stardew Valley?

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.

W / A / S / D Move
Left Shift Run
Mouse 1 Use tool / attack
Mouse 2 Interact / check / eat
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 0 / - / = Toolbar slots
Tab Cycle toolbar rows
Scroll Up / Scroll Down Cycle tools
E Inventory
F Journal (quests)
M Map
T Chat (multiplayer)
Y Emote menu
Options Toggle tool hit location
Options slider Zoom
Options button Screenshot (full map)

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.

Stardew Valley control lab

Mouse for the farm, controller for the mine

Stardew is one of the few games where the input you choose changes what the game is, not just how it feels. A mouse points at an exact tile. A controller does not — it acts on the tile you are facing, and the game decides which one that is. Neither is better; they are better at different halves of the game, and most people end up switching depending on what they are doing that day.

Action	Controller	Keyboard	What it costs you
Watering a specific tile	`The tile you face, one at a time`	`Any tile under the cursor`	The mouse wins on a planted field. Turning to face each crop is the slowest thing you will do all season
Chopping and mining	`Faces the nearest target automatically`	`You aim each swing`	The controller wins here — auto-facing is doing free work for you in the mines
Combat	`Auto-facing keeps the sword on the slime`	`You track it with the cursor`	The controller is calmer in a crowd; the mouse is more precise against a single target
Reaching the toolbar	`L1 and R1 step through, one at a time`	`Twelve slots on twelve keys, instantly`	The clearest gap. Switching axe to watering can is one key or four presses
Second toolbar row	`L2 held plus a bumper`	`Tab`	A chord versus a single key — worth keeping consumables where you rarely have to reach them
A three-hour evening	`Hands rest, you can sit back`	`Wrist on a desk, cursor tracking constantly`	The reason people who own both play winter on a controller

The split that works is farm work on the mouse and everything underground on the controller — and because Stardew accepts both at once on PC, you can move between them without opening a menu. If you stay on the mouse, turn on Show Tool Hit Location in the options: it draws the tile you are about to hit, which removes the mouse's only real weakness and stops a season's worth of watering the wrong square. If you stay on the controller, put your two most-used tools next to each other in the toolbar, because every slot between them is another press.

One line per question

How to do the things people search for in Stardew Valley

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

How to sprint in Stardew Valley on PC and controller?

To sprint in Stardew Valley, press Left Shift on PC, Circle (hold) on PlayStation and B (hold) on Xbox. Toggle Always Run in Options to make walking the modifier instead.

How to interact or pick things up in Stardew Valley on PC and controller?

To interact or pick things up in Stardew Valley, press Mouse 2 on PC, Cross on PlayStation and A on Xbox.

How to open the inventory in Stardew Valley on PC and controller?

To open the inventory in Stardew Valley, press E on PC, Triangle on PlayStation and Y on Xbox. Escape also opens it.

How to open the map in Stardew Valley on PC and controller?

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

How to emote in Stardew Valley on PC?

To emote in Stardew Valley, press Y on PC.

How to open chat in Stardew Valley on PC?

To open chat in Stardew Valley, press T on PC.

How to take a screenshot in Stardew Valley on PC?

To take a screenshot in Stardew Valley, press Options button on PC.

Quick answers

How do I run in Stardew Valley?

Hold Left Shift, or turn on Always Run in Options so Shift becomes walk. On controller hold Circle/B.

How do I eat food?

Select the food on the toolbar and press Mouse 2 (Cross/A on controller), then confirm. Eating restores energy and health.

How do I switch toolbar rows?

Press Tab to cycle the three rows of 12 slots, or hold L2/LT with the bumpers on controller. Only the active row shows on screen.

Where is the journal?

Press F (D-pad Up) or click the exclamation icon; it lists quests, special orders and letters that need answers.

Can I use both mouse and controller?

Yes. The game switches prompts automatically; many players farm with the controller and use the mouse for inventory sorting.

Where to go from here

Next steps for Stardew Valley

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 SDV.Stick drift testFive-second resting sample, so a wandering camera is not blamed on the game.Touch sampling rate testHow often your screen reads your finger — the number that decides how SDV feels on a phone.Keyboard ghosting testCheck the combinations SDV holds down at once actually reach the game.