
Moving the playhead
The playhead is a line running vertically through the timeline that shows the point in the project currently playing, or the point at which playback starts when you click the Play button. The playhead also indicates the insertion point for pasting and splitting regions, and for other changes you make in the timeline. The triangle at the top of the playhead shows its current position in the beat ruler. There are several ways you can move the playhead.
To move the playhead, do any of the following:
- Click the Play button to play the project, or to stop playback.
- Drag the triangle at the top of the playhead to a new position in the beat ruler.
- Click the beat ruler to move the playhead to the point where you clicked.
- Click the Go to Beginning button in the transport controls to move the playhead to the beginning of the project.
- Click the Rewind button in the transport controls to move the playhead back through the project one measure at a time.
- Click the Forward button in the transport controls to move the playhead forward through the project one measure at a time.
- Click the numbers in the time display, then drag up or down to set a new playhead position. You can also double-click a number in the time display to select it, type a new number, then press Return.
There are also keyboard shortcuts for moving the playhead. To learn about keyboard shortcuts, click the “Shortcuts and tips” link from any TOC page.
When the timeline grid is turned on, the playhead snaps to the nearest position on the grid as you move it. For more information about using the timeline grid, see Related Topics below.
Related Topics
