Sandustry Controls and Hotkeys Guide

Start with the live bindings screen

Open the controls or key-bindings screen before memorizing a list from a guide. Sandustry is in Early Access, and a key that was correct in a demo build or community post can move. Search results also mix default bindings with customized ones. Reset only the individual action you need unless you intend to replace every personal binding.

The official Steam FAQ provides a stable blueprint workflow: enter selection mode with C, copy the selection with Ctrl + C, paste with Ctrl + V, and flip copied or selected structures with Ctrl + H. Update #2 separately documents Alt + Enter for switching between fullscreen and windowed mode. These are documented defaults, so confirm them after a remap or when using a non-US keyboard layout.

Record the action name as well as the key. Action names survive keyboard-layout differences better than physical-key descriptions. If two actions share a key, test them in a quiet area and note the context that separates them. A building selected in the construction interface can change what a click or drag does compared with normal movement.

• Blueprint selection — C — enter select mode before marking the structure.
• Copy selection — Ctrl + C — place the marked structure in Clipboard History.
• Paste selection — Ctrl + V — place the current copied structure.
• Flip selection — Ctrl + H — mirror a copied or selected structure.
• Display mode — Alt + Enter — toggle fullscreen and windowed mode.

Practice movement, hover, and safe navigation

Movement is part of factory design because the world is fully destructible and a compact line can obstruct the player. Practice walking, moving vertically where unlocked, and passing around buildings in an empty area. The official material describes exploration, mining, and base building as connected systems, so a route that produces correctly but traps access is still a weak layout.

Hover or air movement may allow the player to phase through buildings depending on the current settings and progression. Earlier official demo notes changed this behavior and retained a harder option for players who preferred the traversal constraint. Confirm the current setting in your build rather than assuming an older demo rule still applies.

Use build, drag, and remove actions deliberately

Construction controls usually combine a selected building with pointer placement, drag shapes, or a confirmation action. Build a one-cell test before dragging a long wall or belt. Watch the preview for blocked cells and material already occupying the route. Queued structures can interact with fluids, so a plan drawn across Water or another moving material may change the world before the final line is complete.

Learn the remove or cancel action beside the build action. Update #3 added a modding event for building removal, which also means modded buildings may attach behavior to that operation. In a modded world, remove one unfamiliar object in a disposable copy before clearing an entire module. Keep production paused while editing a shared junction.

Select tools by the material interaction

Sandustry tools dig, move, heat, cool, launch, or otherwise interact with pixel materials. Select the tool first, verify the reticle or action indicator, and make a short stroke away from valuable boundaries. The same visual area may contain terrain, a loose material, a building, and fluid, each with a different response.

Update #3 makes Lasers melt Ice. That is useful when opening a frozen route, but it can also release Water into a nearby line. Trace where the resulting material will settle before firing. The safest control habit is to predict the input and output of the action, create room for the output, then perform the smallest useful action.

Edit Filters and verify the active mode

The Filter is a wall that allows or blocks one selected solid material while liquids and gases can pass through. Update #1 improved Filter editing, and the official wiki remains the best reference for the current interaction. Select the Filter, use the displayed edit control, choose the target material, and confirm whether the mode is allow or block before opening the upstream feed.

Do not rely on color alone when two materials look similar. Send a tiny labeled sample through each side and observe the result. Density and wet reactions can move or transform pixels inside the structure, creating a jam that looks like a bad key binding. Clear the chamber before changing the mode again.

Resolve controller and keyboard-layout differences

A controller prompt can differ from a keyboard prompt, and non-US keyboard layouts can place a named symbol on another physical key. Compare the action name shown in settings, not a screenshot of somebody else's keyboard. If the game switches prompt sets unexpectedly, move the unused input device, disconnect it for one test, and reopen the bindings screen.

For remote play or remapping software, test without the extra layer before reporting a game control as broken. Steam Input, operating-system accessibility tools, and mouse software can each translate one action into another. Preserve your preferred profile, then isolate those layers one at a time.

Recover when an input stops responding

First close overlays or text fields that may capture the key, then press the action in the bindings screen and watch whether the interface detects it. Check for duplicate assignments. Return to a safe world area and test a basic action, an interface action, and the problem action separately. This distinguishes a device issue from a context-specific building or tool rule.

If the failure began after an update, restart Steam and the game after the patch completes. If it happens only with mods, use the normal branch or a clean test world to compare. Report the version, branch, input device, action name, displayed binding, active tool, and a short reproduction sequence. Those details make a control report testable.

Use a five-minute control practice routine

Create a small training area near a recoverable save. Move across uneven terrain, place and remove a short construction, select two tools, move a small amount of material, and edit one Filter. End by reopening settings and naming the action behind each key. This builds task memory without risking a production line.

Repeat the routine after a major update or when changing devices. You do not need to memorize every shortcut. You need reliable access to movement, construction, removal, tool selection, and the live binding reference. Add specialized actions only when the relevant machine enters your factory.