Best Fortnite keybinds and settings for mouse & keyboard

Liam Mackay
Fortnite Mouse and Keyboard

Playing Fortnite on a keyboard and mouse is probably the go-to for most who are looking to be the best builders in the game. So, adjusting to the best Fortnite keybinds and mouse settings can make a huge difference, and here’s all you need to know to dominate matches in Chapter 5 Season 2.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 is finally here with new skins to obtain, quests to complete, and brand-new POIs to explore. The other game modes have also added a bunch of different ways you can now enjoy the game, and those also receive regular updates that add new mechanics and other content.

To increase your chances of victory, it’s ideal to select the best keybinds so that everything feels natural and accessible, even if you’re playing Zero Build. By looking at several high-profile Fortnite players, we’ve put together keybinds that shouldn’t take you too long to come to grips with.

Here are the best mouse and keyboard settings in Fortnite.

Fortnite character running
The best mouse and keyboard settings will let you dominate Fortnite matches.

Best movement keybinds for Fortnite

These keybinds are what you’ll find in most shooters on PC, so there’s no reason to deviate from the norm when playing Fortnite.

  • Move Forward: W
  • Move Left: A
  • Move Backward: S
  • Move Right: D
  • Jump: Space Bar
  • Crouch: Left CTRL
  • Open Map: M

Best movement settings for Fortnite

  • Toggle Sprint: Off
  • Sprint by Default: On
  • Sprint Cancels Reloading: Off
  • Auto Open Doors: On

Having Auto Open Doors enabled will be a massive help if you accidentally edit a door, as you’ll go straight through it without slowing down.

Best Building keybinds for Fortnite

You’ll need to be able to build fast to keep up with other players in Fortnite, so Building is spread out between the keyboard and the mouse. This way, one hand doesn’t have to do everything, making building easier and faster.

Fortnite building
Building can be as important as shooting in some tough situations and building modes.

Here are the best building keybinds for Fortnite:

  • Crouch While Building: Left Shift
  • Wall: Q
  • Floor: Mouse 4
  • Stairs: E
  • Roof: Mouse 5
  • Trap: T
  • Place Building: Left Mouse Button
  • Repair/Upgrade: H
  • Rotate Building: R
  • Change Building Material: Right Mouse Button
  • Building Edit: F and Mouse Wheel Up
  • Crouch While Editing: Left Shift
  • Select Building Edit: Left Mouse Button
  • Reset Building Edit: Mouse Wheel Up

To quickly reset an edit to protect yourself from incoming fire, you should bind both the ‘Reset Building Edit’ and the secondary ‘Building Edit’ to Mouse Wheel Up. This seamlessly resets and confirms the edit in one motion, vastly increasing your editing speed. This tactic is commonly known as “scroll wheel reset.”

Fortnite character building stairs
Having a quick way to toggle between building and shooting can make a huge difference in a match.

Best building settings for Fortnite

  • Reset Build Choice: On
  • Disable Pre-Edit Option: On
  • Turbo Building: On
  • Confirm Edit on Release: On

Best combat keybinds for Fortnite

When playing Fortnite, you want all of your weapons to be accessible without having to move your hand.

While building and fighting, having your weapons on the number keys makes the transition between building and pulling out a weapon quick and easy.

fortnite tarana bone punk
Dividing keys between the mouse and keyboard is a great strategy for quick and reactive gameplay.

Here are the best keybinds and settings for fighting in Fortnite:

  • Fire: Left Mouse Button
  • Target: Right Mouse Button
  • Reload: R
  • Use: Mouse Wheel Down and X
  • Harvesting Tool: 1
  • Weapon Slot 1: 2
  • Weapon Slot 2: 3
  • Weapon Slot 3: 4
  • Weapon Slot 4: 5
  • Weapon Slot 5: 6
  • Toggle Inventory: Tab
  • Ping / Place Marker: Left Alt

You want to have your inventory button as Tab. If you get attacked while your hand is away from your movement keys, the split second it takes to move back could be the difference between life and death.

Best combat settings for Fortnite

fortnite duo
It’s important to set the preferred weapon slots before entering a match.
  • Hold To Swap Pickup: On
  • Toggle Targeting: Off
  • Mark Danger When Targeting: On
  • Auto Pick Up Weapons: On
  • Preferred Item Slots: On
    • Loadout Slot 1: Assault Rifle
    • Loadout Slot 2: Shotgun
    • Loadout Slot 3: SMG
    • Loadout Slot 4: Consumable Item
    • Loadout Slot 5: Consumable Item

By enabling Hold to Swap Pickup, you can easily swap out your current weapon for one on the ground, giving you much more control over your inventory. By binding Use to both the Scroll Wheel and X, you can pick up items normally with the Scroll Wheel, then swap out a specific item with X when you need to.

Also, using the Preferred Item Slot system makes switching weapons with muscle memory much easier. With this enabled, picking up a weapon will assign it to its assigned category slot. So, when you’re scrambling around in the early game to get what you can, your weapons will always be where you want them to be. Just remember to set your preferences in the Settings Menu.

These keybinds and settings keep everything at your fingertips, maximizing your comfort reaction time while build-fighting in Fortnite. If you also play with a controller, it’s well worth using the best controller settings.

For more Fortnite content, check out a handful of our other guides:

How to get Medallions in Fortnite | All Mythics in Fortnite | How many people play Fortnite? | What is the rarest emote in Fortnite in 2024? | How to land at Hot Spots in Fortnite | What does Siphon mean in Fortnite? | What are account levels in Fortnite? | Fortnite Crew skin pack & rewards | How to get free skins in Fortnite

About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor who focuses on Call of Duty but also plays lots of fantasy RPGs or anything else in his massive gaming backlog. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam freelanced in games journalism before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].