Social VR · PC

VRChat controls & keybinds

VRChat on a keyboard and mouse is desktop mode, no headset needed: W, A, S and D move, the mouse turns your head, Space jumps where the world allows it, C crouches and Z goes prone. Escape opens the Quick Menu and R the Action Menu; V is your microphone and Y opens the chatbox. Left click picks things up and right click drops them. Hand gestures are Shift with F1 to F8 — left Shift for the left hand, right Shift for the right. VRChat’s own documentation notes that your arms cannot be moved in desktop mode.

The keys people look up first

VRChat 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`
Interact	`Mouse 1`
Emote	`R`
Chat / voice	`Y`

LMBInteract or pick upRMBShow the interaction pointer, Drop what you hold, Throw what you holdMMBRotate it with the mouseM4unboundM5unboundScroll ↑Push it away or pull it closerScroll ↓unbound

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`
LookYour head points where you look.	`Mouse`
JumpOnly in worlds that enable jumping.	`Space`
Sprint	`Left Shift`
Crouch	`C`
Crawl or go prone	`Z`
Turn in place	`< / >`
Menus
Quick Menu	`Escape`
Action Menu: emote and emoji wheel	`R`
Interaction
Interact or pick up	`Mouse 1`
Show the interaction pointer	`Mouse 2 (hold)`
Drop what you hold	`Mouse 2`
Throw what you hold	`Mouse 2 + F (hold)`
Held objects
Tip the held object forward or back	`I / K`
Turn the held object left or right	`J / L`
Tilt the held object to the side	`U / O`
Push it away or pull it closer	`Mouse wheel`
Rotate it with the mouse	`Mouse 3 (hold)`
Voice and chat
Text chat (the Chatbox)	`Y`
MicrophoneHeld with push-to-talk, pressed once with toggle talk.	`V`
Hand gestures
Gesture: idleLeft Shift moves the left hand, right Shift the right.	`Shift + F1`
Gesture: fist	`Shift + F2`
Gesture: open hand	`Shift + F3`
Gesture: point	`Shift + F4`
Gesture: victory	`Shift + F5`
Gesture: hornsVRChat calls it Rock ’n Roll.	`Shift + F6`
Gesture: finger gun	`Shift + F7`
Gesture: thumbs up	`Shift + F8`
View and safety
Show or hide nametags	`Ctrl + N`
Show or hide the HUDThe microphone and notification icons.	`Ctrl + H`
AFK mode	`End`
Default robot avatar, for you onlyThe way out when an avatar blocks your view or your menu.	`Ctrl + \`
Safe ModeSwitches Safety to a custom level with every feature off.	`Shift + F11`
ScreenshotSaved in the folder VRChat is installed in.	`F12`
Screenshot at double resolution4K by default, saved to Pictures › VRChat.	`Ctrl + F12`

Reach check · your keyboard, this game

Can your board actually play VRChat?

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 VRChat loses 11 keys. F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, End, F11 and F12 are not on that board at all, and VRChat cannot rebind a key — so gesture: idle, gesture: fist, gesture: open hand, gesture: point, gesture: victory, gesture: horns, gesture: finger gun, gesture: thumbs up, afk mode, safe mode, screenshot and screenshot at double resolution stay on the board's Fn layer for good. How that compares with every other game.

W / A / S / D Move
Mouse Look
Space Jump
Left Shift Sprint
C Crouch
Z Crawl or go prone
< / > Turn in place
Escape Quick Menu
R Action Menu: emote and emoji wheel
Mouse 1 Interact or pick up
Mouse 2 (hold) Show the interaction pointer
Mouse 2 Drop what you hold
Mouse 2 + F (hold) Throw what you hold
I / K Tip the held object forward or back
J / L Turn the held object left or right
U / O Tilt the held object to the side
Mouse wheel Push it away or pull it closer
Mouse 3 (hold) Rotate it with the mouse
Y Text chat (the Chatbox)
V Microphone
Shift + F1 Gesture: idle
Shift + F2 Gesture: fist
Shift + F3 Gesture: open hand
Shift + F4 Gesture: point
Shift + F5 Gesture: victory
Shift + F6 Gesture: horns
Shift + F7 Gesture: finger gun
Shift + F8 Gesture: thumbs up
Ctrl + N Show or hide nametags
Ctrl + H Show or hide the HUD
End AFK mode
Ctrl + \ Default robot avatar, for you only
Shift + F11 Safe Mode
F12 Screenshot
Ctrl + F12 Screenshot at double resolution

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

VRChat cannot rebind a key, so read this as a buying question rather than a setup one: on a smaller board, the keys it does not have stay on its Fn layer. Mouse buttons always count as reachable — your right hand is already there.

How that compares

11 keys missing 60%11 gone65%10 gonetenkeylessall there 60% keyboard check 24 of the 69 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 VRChat

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

How to sprint in VRChat on PC?

To sprint in VRChat, press Left Shift on PC.

How to crouch in VRChat on PC?

To crouch in VRChat, press C on PC.

How to go prone in VRChat on PC?

To go prone in VRChat, press Z on PC.

How to jump in VRChat on PC?

To jump in VRChat, press Space on PC. Only in worlds that enable jumping.

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

To interact or pick things up in VRChat, press Mouse 1 on PC.

How to emote in VRChat on PC?

To emote in VRChat, press R on PC.

How to open chat in VRChat on PC?

To open chat in VRChat, press Y on PC.

Quick answers

What are the VRChat controls on PC?

In desktop mode W, A, S and D move, the mouse looks, Space jumps where the world allows it, Left Shift sprints, C crouches and Z goes prone. Escape opens the Quick Menu, R the Action Menu, V is the microphone and Y the chatbox. Left click interacts and picks up; right click drops.

How do I do hand gestures in VRChat on desktop?

Hold Shift and press F1 to F8: idle, fist, open hand, point, victory, horns (“Rock ’n Roll”), finger gun and thumbs up. Left Shift sets the left hand and right Shift the right hand, so two different gestures at once take both Shift keys.

How do I open the menu in VRChat on desktop?

Escape opens the Quick Menu and R opens the Action Menu, with your emotes, emojis and avatar features.

How do I mute in VRChat on desktop?

With V. Using push-to-talk, the microphone is on only while you hold it; using toggle talk, each press switches it on or off.

How do I run in VRChat on PC?

Hold Left Shift to sprint while you move with W, A, S and D. VRChat’s desktop keys have no separate dash; C crouches and Z goes prone.

How do I throw something in VRChat on desktop?

Hold right click and F together while you are holding it. Right click alone drops it, and the mouse wheel pushes it away or pulls it closer first.

How do I take a screenshot in VRChat?

F12 saves one to the folder VRChat is installed in. Ctrl + F12 takes it at double resolution, 4K by default, and saves it to Pictures › VRChat.

What does Shift + F11 do in VRChat?

It turns on Safe Mode: your Safety setting switches to a custom level with every feature disabled — the emergency switch when other players’ avatars or effects are causing trouble.

Can I play VRChat on PC with a controller?

Yes. VRChat supports Xbox, PlayStation 4 and 5 and Nintendo Switch Pro controllers on PC, and older DirectInput pads or Joy-Cons through Steam Input.

Can I change the keybinds in VRChat on desktop?

No. VRChat’s desktop keys are fixed: its documentation lists them and gives no way to change them. The rebinding it documents is for VR controllers, through SteamVR Input 2.0.

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Next steps for VRChat

Mouse DPI analyzer Measure the DPI your mouse really delivers before you change anything in game. Keyboard ghosting test Check the combinations VRChat holds down at once actually reach the game.