Litematica runs on its own hotkeys, handled by the MaLiLib keybind system: M opens the main menu, M + C the configuration, M + V the verifier, and a handful of toggles and tool keys cover the rest. This guide lists every default key worth knowing, where each one is documented, how to change them, and how to fix the three problems everyone eventually hits — a key another mod already owns, a non-QWERTY keyboard, and the mystery of the missing Controls entries. If no key in this list does anything at all, the mod probably is not loaded; run the checks in how to install Litematica first.
The Default Hotkeys
| Keys | What it does | Documented in |
| M | Open the Litematica main menu | Modrinth project page; official wiki |
| M + C | Open the configuration GUI | Modrinth project page; official wiki |
| M + V | Open the Schematic Verifier | Modrinth project page |
| M + P | Open the schematic placements list | Modrinth project page |
| M + G | Toggle schematic rendering on/off | Modrinth project page |
| M + R | Toggle all Litematica rendering on/off | Modrinth project page |
| Numpad Minus | Open the placement configuration for the selected placement | Official wiki |
| Alt + mouse scroll | Nudge the selected placement in the direction you are looking | Official wiki |
| Middle click (tool, Schematic Placement mode) | Select the placement you are looking at | Official wiki |
| Page Up / Page Down | Move the render layer up / down | CurseForge project FAQ |
Two of these earn their keep daily. The rendering toggles — M + G and M + R — are the first thing to check whenever a hologram “disappears”: nine times out of ten it was toggled, not broken. And Numpad Minus is the fastest route into a placement’s position, rotation and mirror settings while you are standing in front of it (see how to load schematics for what those settings do).
Why These Keys Are Not in the Vanilla Controls Menu
Players routinely go looking for Litematica in Minecraft’s Options → Controls screen and find nothing, because Litematica does not register its keys with the vanilla system at all. Its hotkeys live in the keybind system of the MaLiLib library mod, which supports multi-key combinations (that is where M + C and friends come from) and is configured inside the mods’ own menus. The same is true for MaLiLib’s own hotkeys. Nothing is broken — the keys are simply configured in a different place than vanilla players expect.
Changing the Keybinds
- Press M + C to open the Litematica configuration GUI and go to the Hotkeys section.
- Find the action you want to change and click its keybind field, then press the new key or combination.
- Close the GUI — bindings take effect immediately, no restart needed.
Because the system supports two-key combos, the practical way out of a crowded keyboard is to give Litematica’s menu a combo rather than fighting over a single free letter. With the Fabric Loader, the separate Mod Menu mod can also open each mod’s config screen from its mod list, gear button — handy if the menu key itself is the one in dispute.
Fixing Conflicts and Layout Surprises
- Another mod owns M. Map and minimap mods are the usual tenants. Decide which mod keeps the single key, and move the other to a combo in its own config GUI — for Litematica, the Hotkeys section above.
- AZERTY keyboards: M is the comma key. On AZERTY layouts the main-menu binding follows the layout, so the key that opens the menu is , (comma) — the project’s own FAQ calls this out. The same logic applies to the M + letter combos: if a combo does nothing, try the physically corresponding key, or rebind to something layout-proof.
- Keys dead everywhere. If none of the defaults respond — not even the comma on AZERTY — the mod is not loaded: mismatched Litematica / MaLiLib pair, jars in the wrong folder, or the wrong profile. That is an install problem, not a keybind problem.
- Keys fine in one world, odd in another. Bindings are global to the client, not per-world; what changes between worlds is usually which other mods’ features are active. Re-check for conflicts before rebinding anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Litematica’s keybinds not in the Minecraft Controls menu?
Because Litematica does not use the vanilla keybind system. Its hotkeys come from the MaLiLib library, which has its own keybind system supporting multi-key combinations like M + C. You will only find them inside the mod’s own configuration screens (M + C, then the Hotkeys section) — and the same applies to MaLiLib’s own bindings.
The M key does nothing in my game. What should I check?
Three things, in order: that the install actually loaded (the install guide’s mod list check), that you are on a QWERTY layout — on AZERTY the main-menu key is the comma key — and that another mod has not claimed M for itself, which map and minimap mods commonly do. If it has, rebind one of the two in its config GUI.
Can I change Litematica’s hotkeys to different keys?
Yes. Open the configuration GUI with M + C, go to the Hotkeys section, and assign new combinations. MaLiLib’s system supports multi-key bindings, so you can use two-key combos to steer around conflicts with your other mods instead of hunting for one free key.
What key opens the config for the placement I am looking at?
Numpad Minus opens the placement configuration GUI for the currently selected placement. If nothing is selected, select the placement first — in the Schematic Placements list, or by middle-clicking the hologram with the tool item in Schematic Placement tool mode.
Next Steps
Put the keys to work in how to use Litematica, and keep the layer mode guide open while you learn Page Up / Page Down — that pair becomes muscle memory faster than any other.