Official Controls and Hotkeys to make the most out of your Sims 1 and Sims 2 Experience!
EA and Maxis released an official Hotkeys and Shortcuts list for The Sims 1 and Sims 2 Rereleases, available January 31st, 2025 for Windows PCs.
To refresh the memory, there’s now an offiicial controls guide for using your Keyboard and Mouse to play The Sims 1 and The Sims 2. You can find out all the ways to navigate Live Mode, Build Mode, Buy Mode and Character Creation as you go through your gameplay.
Official Sims 1 and Sims 2 Controls
The Sims 1 Hotkeys and Shortcuts
General controls
Alt + Enter
Cycle Screen Resolution Scaling
Esc
Cancel
Ctrl + Shift + C
Toggle cheats window on/off
F1
Live Mode
F2
Build Mode
F3
Buy Mode
F4
Enter camera mode (snapshot)
Enter or Space
Accept dialog
Y/N
Select Yes or No option in dialog
Ctrl + S
Save game
Q
Quit
Alt + F4
Save quit
Ctrl + C
Copy text fields
Ctrl + X
Cut text fields
Ctrl + V
Paste text fields
Ctrl + Z
Undo text fields
Ctrl + Y
Redo text fields
House controls
Page Up/Page Down
Next/previous floor
Home/End
Next/previous wall mode
Tab
Switch floors
Camera movements
+/- or mouse scroll wheel
Zoom in/out
</> or Shift + Arrow keys
Rotate left/right
Right-click and/or drag or Alt + mouse or ↑ / ← / ↓ / →
Move camera
Build/Buy Mode controls
F2 or double left-click Buy Mode button
Toggle sorting objects by type or room
</> or left-click and drag
Rotate objects
Delete
Delete object
Hold Shift + left-click
Place multiple of the same object continually (Buy Mode only)
Z/X
Scroll between pages in catalog
Wall/fence tool: Shift + drag
Create a room/fenced area
Wallpaper/flooring tool: Shift
Fill room with wallpaper/flooring
Left-click and/or drag
Place walls, fences, floor tiles, wallpaper and pools. Drag to place multiple.
Ctrl + left-click and/or drag
Remove walls, fences, flooring, wallpaper, and pools. Drag to remove area.
Terrain tool: Ctrl + left-click
Create or remove curved hills (terrain)
Terrain tool: Shift and or Ctrl + left-click
Inverts direction of tool, can also invert creation of curved hills (terrain)
Grass tool: Ctrl + left-click
Remove grass
Live Mode controls
F1 or double left-click Live Mode button
Hide/show main panel
Left-click Sim or object then left-click or right-click
Select and perform interaction
Left-click + drag + release
Click and drag to select interaction, then release
Left-click another Sim
Select interactions done by active Sim to other Sims
Space or N
Switch to next Sim in Household
Left click Sim portrait or right-click Sim
Switch to (specific) Sim
Right click Sim portrait
Lock camera to Sim
Enter or left-click active Sim portrait
Center camera on active Sim
Ctrl + left-click Sim portrait
Edit Sim biography
P or ~
Pause game
1 /2/3
Regular/fast/ultra speed
Camera mode
F4
Enter Camera Mode (snapshot)
Ctrl + ↑ / ← / ↓ / →
Adjust snapshot area
Drag mouse
Select area to snapshot
Left-click mouse
Take snapshot
Misc shortcuts
A
Toggle anti-aliasing
T
Show framerate in-game
S
Toggle shadows
V
Display build version of the game
F5
Access settings/options in-game
F7
SimsWebCam/Stalker camera (removed in later expansions)
The Sims 2 Hotkeys and Shortcuts
General controls
Alt + Enter
Cycle Screen Resolution Scaling
Ctrl + Z
Undo
Ctrl + Y
Redo
Esc
Cancel
Ctrl + Shift + C
Toggle cheat window on/off
F10
Hide/Show UI (User Interface)
F1
Live Mode
F2
Buy Mode
F3
Build Mode
F4
Story Mode
F5
Options panel
Q
Quit
Alt + F4
Save quit
Ctrl + C
Copy text fields
Ctrl + X
Cut text fields
Ctrl + V
Paste text fields
Ctrl + Z
Undo text fields
Ctrl + Y
Redo text fields
Create a Sim controls
< / > or left-mouse-click+ drag Sim
Rotate Sim
Z / X or + / – or scroll-mouse-wheel
Zoom in/out
Build/Buy Mode controls
< / > or right-clickmouse + drag
Rotate object
Delete
Delete object
Shift + left-clickmouse
Continue placing object
[ / ]
Move object up or down wall
M
Move/shuffle object on shelves
< / > or right-clickmouse + drag
Rotate object
Delete
Delete object
Left-clickmouse + or drag
Use tools, drag to affect area
Ctrl + left-clickor drag mouse
Remove walls etc, drag to remove area
H
Hand
E
Eyedropper
J
Sledgehammer
R
Design tools
Wall tool: Shift + drag mouse
Create room
Wallpaper/flooring tool: Shift + drag mouse
Fill room with wallpaper/flooring
Floor tool: < / >
Rotate floor tile
Ctrl + F
Toggle full/quarter tile mode
Wall tool: Shift + drag mouse
Create room
L
Toggle Day/Night
G
45-degree view
T
Top-down View
Terrain tool: Shift
Invert tool
Grass tool: Ctrl + left-click mouse
Remove grass
Movie Making Mode controls
Tab
Enable movie making mode
V
Start/end video capture
B
Pause/resume video capture
Q
Lower camera height
E
Raise camera height
Z / X or + / –
Adjust focal length
C
Take a snapshot
Live Mode controls
F1 or left-clickmouse on Live Mode button
Hide/show main panels
Right-clickmouse after selection
Cancel interaction
Left-clickmouse + drag and or release
Click and or drag to select interaction, then release
Left-clickmouse active Sim
Select interactions to perform to active Sim
Left-clickmouse another Sim
Select interactions done by active Sim to other Sims
Select interaction menu: Tab
Navigate between dialog pages (pie menu pages)
Space or N
Switch to next Sim in Household
Left clickmouse on Sim portrait or right-click mouse on Sim
Switch to (specific) Sim
Right clickmouse on Sim portrait
Lock camera to Sim
Enter
Center camera on active Sim
P or ~ or Pause Break
Pause game
1 /2/3
Regular/fast/ultra speed
Page Up/Page Down
Next/previous floor
Home/End
Next/previous wall mode
Right clickmouse and/or drag or Alt +mouse
Move
↑ / ← / ↓ / → W / A / S / D
Move left/right/forward/back
Shift + ↑ / ← / ↓ / →
Move faster
Z/X or + / – or scroll mouse wheel
Zoom in/out
Ctrl + right-clickmouse or middle-clickmouse) + drag
Reticulating splines as a webmaster for Sims Community over the last 11 years. You can find me here writing articles and doing reports on your favorite life sim games, among other things!
Anybody remember how to turn lots on the main map screen in Sims 2? I tried using the button marked “rotate lot” but it doesn’t seem to do anything and I don’t recall if you were supposed to hold down a key or something?
Anybody remember how to turn lots on the main map screen in Sims 2? I tried using the button marked “rotate lot” but it doesn’t seem to do anything and I don’t recall if you were supposed to hold down a key or something?