Sandustry Keyboard Shortcuts

Sandustry factory design lives or dies on placement speed. The game ships on Windows 10/11 with keyboard-first controls in both the free Steam demo and Early Access (2026-08-13 on Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store, PC Game Pass). This page lists every binding players reference most often, with context for why each key matters in the refinery loop described in How to Play.

Movement and camera

S — Descend

Primary downward movement in the world. Sandustry pushes you into Sandsoil layers below the surface; S is how you reach ore and expand mines. Pair with Dig Deeper layouts so descending does not strand inventory. Unlike some platformers, descend is a dedicated key — memorize it before long mining sessions.

Building and removal

R — Toggle build mode (linear / rectangular)

Switches placement shape between linear strips and rectangular fills. Linear mode excels for conveyor spines, pipe runs, and single-file shaker support. Rectangular mode floors platforms quickly when you need wide staging areas for Wet Sand. Full strategy on Build Modes.

X — Remove

Deletes buildings and targeted blocks. Essential when diagonal shakers were placed flat by mistake or when retrofitting Logistics 1 belts through an old floor. Hold nothing else — tap X on the target. Combine with marquee (below) for bulk cleanup.

Shift + drag — Marquee selection

Box-select multiple tiles or structures for batch move/remove operations. Critical when upgrading a refinery wing without clicking hundreds of tiles. Select, then remove or rebuild. Saves time before Automation Basics expansions.

Shift (while placing Launchers) — Skip outlet

Skips the launcher outlet tile during placement so chained launchers do not double-feed one output. Mandatory for vertical slag or sand lifts. Documented in depth on Build Modes with launcher spacing diagrams in Buildings.

Ctrl — Replace / override buildings (Hotfix 8)

Hold Ctrl while placing to replace or override existing buildings in place instead of blocking placement. Essential when retrofitting conveyor spines, funnel tiles around the Flux Emanator, or swapping filter tiers without X removing entire rows first. Added in Hotfix 8 (2025-02-21) — see Demo Patches and Build Modes.

Hotbar and inventory UI (Hotfix 8)

Lock Hotbar

Lock Hotbar in the Building/Inventory UI prevents accidental hotbar slot swaps while wiring logistics or farming Flowers. Enable it before long build sessions where you alternate Grabber, tools, and structure tiles.

AZERTY physical hotbar keys

Hotfix 8 maps hotbar slots to physical key positions on AZERTY keyboards — the key under your finger stays the same slot even when labels differ from QWERTY footage. QWERTY players are unaffected; AZERTY players should re-read slot muscle memory after updating the demo.

Menus and pause

Space — Menu access

Opens in-game menus (inventory, research, settings depending on context). Use between build phases to spend Gold on Research Priority nodes.

Escape — Menu / back

Closes overlays or opens system menu. Same practical role as Space for pausing frantic rebuilds — exact behavior may depend on active UI layer.

Quick reference table

Key	Action
S	Descend / move down
R	Toggle linear vs rectangular build
X	Remove building or block
Shift + drag	Marquee select area
Shift (launcher placement)	Skip launcher outlet tile
Ctrl (while placing)	Replace / override existing building
Lock Hotbar	UI toggle — freeze hotbar slots while building
Space	Open menus
Escape	Menu / cancel / pause layer

Shortcuts in the factory loop

Mining phase — S to reach sand, minimal build keys until you surface haul.

Refinery phase — R for platforms and belts, X to fix misaligned Shakers, Shift on launchers when elevating Slag.

Research phase — Space to open tech tree after gold accumulates; cross-check Research Checklist.

Exploration phase — S + tools (Tools Priority) for depth; X to clear blockers.

PC requirements context

Steam lists minimum input as keyboard/mouse on Windows 10 64-bit. Recommended specs mention DirectX 12; no alternate control scheme is documented for EA. Game Pass and GOG builds match Steam bindings. Report rebinding only if official patch notes announce it on Demo Patches — Hotfix 8 added Ctrl replace, Lock Hotbar, and AZERTY physical hotbar mapping.

Mod compatibility

Fluxloader mods rarely remap vanilla keys. Custom maps (Custom Maps) use the same shortcuts. If a mod adds UI overlays, Escape may close mod windows first — disable mods when testing control issues.

Learning path

1. Read this table once.
2. Place a diagonal shaker row using R and X corrections (Getting Started).
3. Add launchers with Shift skip (Automation Basics).
4. Descend with S when surface sand depletes.

Related pages

• Build Modes — Linear vs rectangular deep dive.
• Controls Hub — Overview and FAQ.
• Guides — Mechanics that assume these bindings.
• Materials — What you are moving with conveyors built via these keys.