All Controls and Hotkeys in Age of Empires IV for PC and console

Memorize these hotkeys by heart.

age of empires 4
Image via Relic Entertainment

Playing through Age of Empires IV as a whole is an experience of its own since the game will be quite different when you start playing versus real opponents. The game suddenly turns into a chess match, a battle of the two minds.

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While your ability to strategize and plan ahead will be important in an Age of Empires IV match, knowing the way around the keybinds can help you catch your opponent off guard in crucial moments. Alongside having a plan, executing your actions as fast as possible will be crucial to increasing your chances of winning.

Getting familiar with the controls may take time, but you’ll slowly build your muscle memory as you play more matches. The default settings layout was optimized for the best user experience, but players can have a different taste when it comes to their keybinds. If any one of the hotkeys below feel off or you think that you can do better, you’ll have the option to remap them on the game’s settings panel.

Considering the number of hotkeys in Age of Empires IV, it may be wise to note down some of the most used ones and have them around your screen until you get used to your new controls.

Here are all the controls and hotkeys in Age of Empires IV.

Hotkey DefaultSecondary HotkeyHotkey Action Description
Left Click a unitN/ASelect a unit
Double Left Click a unitControl and [ Left Click ] a unitSelect all visible units of the same type
Shift and [ left click ] a unitN/AAdd or Remove a unit from selection
Left Click ground and drag mouseN/ABandbox select groups of units
Left Click groundN/AConfirm building or ability placement
Shift and [ left click ] groundN/AQueue building or ability placement
Right Click ground or unit with unit(s) selectedN/AIssue contextual order to selected units like moving and attacking
Right Click ground and drag mouse with unit(s) selectedN/AIssue a facing move order
ESCN/ACancel / deselect unit / game menu or skip NIS. This hotkey cannot be remapped by players.
Controls  
Control + ACtrl + KSelect all units on the screen
Control + Shift + ACtrl + Shift + K[Shift]: Select all units – Appears as shift message on Control-A binding
Y with a unit selectedCtrl + YAccess the secondary UI panel
Camera  
ALT and move mouseCaps lockRotate the camera by holding the hotkey
[Num 6Rotate the camera 45 degrees counter-clockwise
]Num 4Rotate the camera 45 degrees clockwise
BackspaceNum 0Reset the camera, The first press resets the camera rotation, and the second press resets zoom
F5 N/AFocus on selected units
HomeN/AFollow Selected Unit
ALT+APan the camera left – This hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
ALT+D Pan the camera right – This hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
/\ (up arrow)ALT+W Pan camera up – This hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
\/ (down arrow)ALT+S Pan the camera down – This hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
Unit Management  
TabRight arrowCycle through selected units in a forward orderCycle through selected unit types in a forward orderEnsure multiple types of units are selected and Tab with units selected
Control + TabLeft arrowCycle through selected units in a reverse orderCycle through selected unit types in a reverse orderEnsure multiple types of units are selected and Control + Tab with units selected
0-9Num [x1]Select Control Group XUsing this hotkey once selects group, twice selects and centers camera on group 
Control and 0-9 [ range above ]Num X [x1]Set Control Group X to selected unitsAssign group to selected units
Shift and 0-9 [ range above ]N/A[Shift]: Add Group To Selection
F1MSelect all Military Production Buildings
F2KSelect all Economy Buildings
F3OSelect all Research Buildings
F4PSelect all Landmarks, Wonders, and Capital Town Centers
F5 JFocus on Selected Units
HLCycle through Town Centers
Control + HCTRL + LFocus on Capital Town CenterSelect and center camera on Capital Town Center
‘ (Apostrophe)]Cycle through individual Monk unitsThis hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
/[“Cycle through individual Scout units”This hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language keyboards to the key at that location
. (Period)NCycle through Idle EconomyThis hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
Control + . (Period)CTRL + Up arrowSelect all idle VillagersThis hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
Control + Shift + VUp arrowSelect all Villagers
Control + Shift + RPage upReturn all Villagers to work 
, (Comma)Down arrowCycle through idle Military unitsThis hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
Control + , (Comma)CTRL + Down arrowSelect all idle Military unitsThis hotkey may vary depending on your keyboard language
Control + Shift + CCTRL + MSelect all Military units
Control + FCTRL + VCycle through Villagers who are gathering Food
Control + WCTRL + BCycle through Villagers who are gathering Wood
Control + GCTRL + JCycle through Villagers who are gathering Gold
Control + SCTRL + KCycle through Villagers who are gathering Stone
Shift and [ unit production hotkey ] or click buttonN/AQueue production of five units of that type
Delete (hold) with unit selectedCTRL + =Delete a unit or a building
InsertCTRL + –Toggle Team-based or Unique player colors
Communication  
Shift + Enter\[All] / Global chat
Enter/[Team] / Team chat
Enter with chat openN/ASend a chat message
Tab with chat openN/ASwap between [All] / Global and [Team] / Team chat
Page UpShift + >Scroll chat messages to see older messages
Page DownShift + <Scroll chat messages to see newer
F6Ctrl + FToggle Players and Tribute panel
SpacebarNum EnterFocus on the last event
Control + E then Left ClickCtrl + PSend a Notify Ping
Control + R then Left ClickSend a Attack Ping
Control + T then Left ClickCtrl + DSend a Defend Ping
Game  
F10`Open up the Game Menu
F11Ctrl + TToggle game time display
Single-player  
ESC`Pause the game
PauseN/APause Simulation
F8Ctrl + QQuick Save
F9Ctrl + IQuick Load

Observer/Replay HUD Hotkeys

HotkeySecondary HotkeyDescription
Control + UUToggle the cinematic mode
Control + CPToggle free camera
Control + FLToggle fog of war
Num-Slower
=Num+Faster
Control + ]Ctrl + .View next player
Control + [Ctrl + ,View previous player
Author
Image of Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan is a Staff Writer and Fortnite Lead at Dot Esports. Gökhan graduated as an industrial engineer in 2020 and has since been with Dot Esports. As a natural-born gamer, he honed his skills to a professional level in Dota 2. Upon giving up on the Aegis of Champions in 2019, Gökhan started his writing career, covering all things gaming, while his heart remains a lifetime defender of the Ancients.