If you are searching for the best League of Legends hotkeys or the right quick cast settings, the real question is usually which cast mode each ability should use.
League lets you pick normal cast, quick cast or quick cast with indicator per ability, and the same skillshot feels completely different depending on the choice: it can fire the instant you press the key, show its range while you hold, or wait for a second click.
Add self cast for shields and heals, the Ctrl modifier for leveling abilities, and the camera lock keys, and you have most of what separates a clean laning phase from a missed combo.
This guide uses the menu paths and cast behaviour described in Riot's support articles and the official League of Legends wiki to walk through the default keybinds, what each cast mode actually does, a sensible order for changing them, and how to keep a recording program's clip key away from your League binds.
Everything here is checked as of November 10, 2026; menu labels can shift slightly between client versions.
The short answer: quick cast your skillshots, add an indicator for long ultimates, normal cast only while learning a champion
There is no single best setup for everyone, but the patterns most players settle on are consistent. First, put most skillshots and dashes on quick cast. The ability goes to your cursor on key press, which saves a click on every cast and makes trades in lane feel faster.
Second, use quick cast with indicator for long range ultimates and area spells where the exact edge matters. You see the range while holding the key and nothing happens until you let go, so you can line up the angle.
A common setup binds quick cast to the plain key and quick cast with indicator to Shift plus the same key, so you can choose per situation.
Third, keep a brand new champion on normal cast until you know its ranges, then move it over; quick casting a spell you cannot judge yet mostly wastes cooldowns out of range.
Fourth, add self cast to anything that can target allies or yourself, such as Janna's E or Lulu's E, so the spell lands on your own champion when nobody else is under the cursor.
Fifth, leave summoner spells, the trinket and recall on their defaults; you press them constantly and moving them costs more than it saves. For the bigger picture on climbing, see how to get better at League of Legends, and if you are shopping for a board that suits these reaches, the gaming keyboard buying guide covers layouts and sizes.
How to change your League hotkeys, from cast modes to your clip key
- 1Open Settings and HotkeysIn the client, click the cog icon in the top right and choose Hotkeys. In game, press Esc and open the keybindings in the options menu. Riot notes that keybinds are tied to your account and stored on its servers, so they follow you to another PC. Take a screenshot of your current page first; it makes comparing easier before you ever hit Restore Defaults.
- 2Choose a cast mode for each abilityIn the ability row at the top of the Hotkeys tab, set Q, W, E and R to normal cast or quick cast as their default mode. The Quick Cast All button switches everything at once if you want a fast start. Quick cast with indicator is enabled by a separate setting on the same tab and applies to keys set to quick cast. Flash always uses quick cast, whatever mode you choose.
- 3Check self cast and the level up modifierSelf cast puts the spell on your own champion when no valid target is under the cursor, and normal cast, quick cast and quick cast with indicator each have a self cast row. If your champion has shields or heals that can hit you, practice the Alt plus ability key combo. Leveling an ability uses Ctrl plus the ability key, so check that nothing else you bind to Ctrl collides with it.
- 4Decide on camera and movementY toggles camera lock and holding Space keeps your champion centred. Besides the default click to move, Options then Hotkeys offers a Keyboard (WASD) scheme. Riot's support article says WASD moves ability 1 to right click, ability 2 to Shift and summoner spells to Q and F, and that you must lock in your input method within the first ten minutes of a game; after that the latest one stays for the rest of the match.
- 5Drill the new binds in the Practice ToolDo not take fresh binds straight into ranked. Spawn a target dummy and alternate quick cast and quick cast with indicator on each ability; within a few minutes it is obvious which spells need the range preview. Our League Practice Tool guide covers where it opens and what the panel can do, and Riot itself recommends setting up WASD there before you play a match.
- 6Give your clip key a free slotLast, place your recording program's clip key on a key that no League bind uses. Avoid F1 to F5 (camera), F9, F12 and Enter, then either keep DOR's default F8 or pick another free key from the League hotkey list. In DOR, outside a match, open Settings, Highlights, Hotkey Setting and press the key you want; the full walkthrough is in change your recording hotkey.
Default League of Legends hotkeys and recommended changes (as of November 10, 2026)
| Action | Default key | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Abilities | Q, W, E, R | Quick cast for skillshots and dashes, quick cast with indicator for long ultimates, normal cast while you learn a new champion's ranges. |
| Summoner spells | D and F | Flash always fires the moment you press it. Keep Flash on the same side for every champion so muscle memory never has to guess. |
| Items and trinket | Items 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7; trinket 4 | Put active items in slots 1 to 3 where your fingers already rest. Leave the trinket on 4 since you ward all game. |
| Recall and shop | Recall B, shop P | You recall often, so keep B. The shop is not opened mid fight, so there is little reason to move it. |
| Camera | Toggle lock Y, hold Space to center on your champion, F1 self, F2 to F5 allies | If you started on locked camera, build the habit of tapping Space first, then unlock to see more of the map. |
| Level up and self cast | Ctrl plus ability key to level, Alt plus ability key to self cast | For spells that can target allies or yourself, pair quick cast with self cast so the spell lands on you when nobody is under the cursor. |
| Reserved keys and recording keys | F9 disables edge scrolling, F12 screenshot, Enter chat | Keep your clip key (DOR default F8) and screen recording key (default F7) away from these and from F1 to F5, on a key League does not use. |
Checks after changing your hotkeys
- Every ability has the default mode you want (normal cast or quick cast), and you have decided whether to turn on quick cast with indicator.
- If quick cast with indicator sits on Shift plus a key, that combo is not already used by another action.
- Self cast with Alt plus the ability key works on your shields or heals in the Practice Tool.
- If you play WASD, you know the input method locks after the first ten minutes of a game.
- Your recording clip key does not collide with a League bind and saves a clip in your first game. If it does nothing, see recording hotkey not working.
Save the plays you make on your new binds with DOR
DOR is a free Windows game recording app. Launch League and it detects the game and records the whole match, then turns kills, multikills and objectives into automatic clips collected in My Clips.
Play of the Game (POTG) and party clips work in League too, and replay and spectator recording is on by default, so playing back a .rofl replay records that as well.
For moments that are not kills, like your first long skillshot landed with quick cast or a self cast shield that kept you alive, press the clip key (F8 by default) right after and the moment just before is saved as a video.
You can rebind it in Settings, Highlights, Hotkey Setting to a keyboard key or a Ctrl or Shift combo on the latest app. Anything outside a game can be captured with screen recording (F7 by default).
Trim clips in the app to 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1, or combine several in DOR Studio (dor.gg/studio), add text and music, then export an mp4 or share a dor.gg link. For saving big fights, see how to save a League pentakill clip, and everything DOR does in League is on the League of Legends game page.
