Mastering the Command-] (Right Bracket) Shortcut in Final Cut Pro to Go Forward in Timeline History

Keyboard shortcut: CommandRight Bracket

Command-] (Right Bracket) runs the Final Cut Pro command Timeline History Forward. It goes forward one level in the Timeline history. Timeline history isn't a list of your edits, and this isn't Redo. It's a record of what you've had open in the timeline, like the back and forward buttons in a web browser.

What Timeline History Is

Every time you open a different project or step into a clip, such as a compound clip or multicam clip, Final Cut Pro adds that to the Timeline history. You'll find back and forward arrows at the top of the timeline. Command-[ (Left Bracket) goes back one level, and Command-] goes forward again.

To undo or redo an actual edit, use Command-Z (Undo) and Shift-Command-Z (Redo). Timeline history doesn't change your edits at all.

How to Use It

  1. Open a project in the timeline.
  2. Double-click a compound clip to open it in the timeline.
  3. Press Command-[ to go back to the project you were in.
  4. Press Command-] to go forward and open the compound clip again.

The forward command only has somewhere to go after you've gone back. If you haven't stepped back in the history, there is nothing to move forward to.

Practical Uses

  • Nested clips: Bounce between a main project and a compound clip inside it while you adjust its contents.
  • Multiple projects: Jump between two projects you're comparing, such as a full-length cut and a social cutdown.
  • Multicam: Step into a multicam clip to fix an angle's sync, then go back to your edit and forward again if you need another tweak.

Tip

Pair Command-[ and Command-] the same way you'd use back and forward in Safari. Once it becomes muscle memory, moving in and out of nested clips feels instant.

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