Keyboard Controls Guide: Key Bindings & Shortcuts for Hogwarts Legacy

Basic Controls (Movement & Camera)

The basic controls in Hogwarts Legacy use standard FPS-style key bindings. First, being able to switch between movement, camera view, and walk/sprint without hesitation makes a big difference in overall comfort.

Combat & Spells

Combat is fundamentally a repeat of "Attack → Defend/Evade → Re-aim", so practice until the loop of "Left click, Q, Ctrl, Right click" can be done quickly. Combat is relatively simple, so memorizing just these can significantly improve survivability.

Spell Sets & Magic

Spells, one of the main highlights of Hogwarts Legacy, require not only mastering the four spell slots (number keys 1–4), but also using set switching to choose the best spells for each situation. Because these are number-key bindings, pairing them with a numeric keypad or a one-handed keyboard can make controls even easier.

Ancient Magic (Ancient Magic)

Ancient Magic is a powerful move that consumes a gauge, so make sure to reliably land both Activate (X) and Throw (Z) at key moments. Since the two keys are close together, avoid pressing the wrong one, and because they’re also close to WASD, watch out for typos as well.

Break Free Command (QTE - Break Free)

Breaking free from restraints requires instantly inputting the four directions shown on screen. Since these are the same as the movement keys, mastering WASD should make it easier to respond reflexively.

Vehicles (Mounts)

Brooms/flying mounts add a combination of ascend, descend, and accelerate controls on top of WASD, so it may feel confusing at first, but this is largely about getting used to it, so practice while traveling.

Map

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world game mainly focused on collecting, quests, and repeat playthroughs, so getting comfortable with map controls directly translates into time saved. Being able to smoothly use zoom, waypoints, fast travel, and wait reduces wasted travel and improves exploration tempo, so while it may seem minor, it’s worth mastering.

Open Menus

Menu-related actions are used frequently outside of combat, so simply remembering the open-menu keys speeds up navigation. Memorize at least the ones used most often.

Tool Wheel

The tool wheel is the fastest way to "switch travel methods", so learning the confirm key together with the mount/broom selection keys makes the flow of open → select → return smoother.

Conversations (Dialog)

Conversations move at a better pace, and repeated runs or side quests feel less stressful, when paging through choices and confirming becomes muscle memory. Memorizing skip and cancel as well makes it possible to move through dialog quickly.

Features & Base (Features)

Exploration gimmicks and base management often become "cumbersome even when understood", so until the controls are memorized, it helps to compile the keys once in a phone notes app or similar.

Wingardium Leviosa

Loom (Loom)

Transfiguration (Transfiguration)

Beast-Related

For rescuing and breeding beasts, simply knowing the keys for select, switch, and collect helps keep tasks from being interrupted and makes Vivarium routines faster. Since it’s largely repetitive work, master the key inputs to keep progress moving smoothly.

Potions & Herb Gathering

Gathering is a low-key task, so memorize the key binding (F) to turn it into a routine. Being ready to collect immediately when found during exploration makes harvesting much easier.

Summoner’s Court

Summoner’s Court is a type of mini-game where understanding the rules tends to directly affect the score. To avoid losing track of “what is being scored” during attempts, memorize the rule expansion key to reduce unnecessary retries and clear it smoothly.

Mini Games

Because required actions change by scenario, mini-games are prone to failure due to mixing up keys. Organizing the controls—including cancel and auto-solve conditions—helps maintain pace for unlocking, observation, and event progression.

Common (All Minigames)

Spell Mini-Game (Spell Minigame)

Alohomora (Alohomora Minigame)

Telescope (Telescope Minigame)

Additional Mini-Games (DefKey p=2 listing)

In-Menu Controls (Menus)

Even after opening a menu, if “in-menu navigation” is slow, gear upgrades and quest checks can feel like a hassle. Learning the shared keys for navigation, inventory, quests, Field Guide, loading screens, and more noticeably reduces UI-related stress.

Navigation menus

Inventory

Quest screen

Field Guide