🎮 Starminer Controls & Keybinds: Complete Reference
📅 Updated: June 8, 2026
⏱️ 10 min read
🏷️ Reference
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1. Flight Controls (6DOF)
Starminer uses full six degrees of freedom (6DOF) Newtonian flight. Your ship moves and rotates independently along all three axes. Mastering these controls is the difference between graceful mining orbits and bouncing off asteroids.
Thrust (Linear Movement)
| Action | Default Key | Notes |
|---|
| Thrust Forward | W | Main engine burn |
| Thrust Backward | S | Retro thrust (slow down / reverse) |
| Strafe Left | A | Lateral thrust left |
| Strafe Right | D | Lateral thrust right |
| Strafe Up | Space | Vertical thrust up |
| Strafe Down | Left Ctrl | Vertical thrust down |
| Boost | Left Shift | Afterburner (high fuel consumption) |
| Match Speed | M | Match velocity with target |
Rotation (Angular Movement)
| Action | Default Key | Notes |
|---|
| Pitch Up | Mouse Y ↑ | Nose up |
| Pitch Down | Mouse Y ↓ | Nose down |
| Yaw Left | Mouse X ← | Turn left |
| Yaw Right | Mouse X → | Turn right |
| Roll Left | Q | Rotate counter-clockwise |
| Roll Right | E | Rotate clockwise |
| Auto-Level | R (double-tap) | Align to local horizon plane |
💡 Pro Tip: The Strafe Orbit
Hold A or D while pitching with the mouse to orbit around an asteroid. Add W or S to expand/contract your orbit radius. This keeps your mining lasers on target while you circle.
2. Mining Controls
| Action | Default Key | Notes |
|---|
| Fire Mining Laser | Left Mouse Button | Hold to mine targeted ore |
| Toggle Resource Scanner | V | Shows ore deposits as colored blips |
| Scan Asteroid (Detail) | Right Mouse Button | Detailed composition of targeted asteroid |
| Deploy Drill Node | G | Place on scanned deposit (must be in range) |
| Collect Cargo | F | Pick up floating ore containers / tractor beam |
| Open Cargo Bay | I | View/manage ship inventory |
3. Building Mode Controls
| Action | Default Key | Notes |
|---|
| Enter/Exit Build Mode | B | Open ship/station editor |
| Place Module | Left Click | Place selected module |
| Rotate Module | R (tap) | Rotate 90° per tap (X/Y/Z axes) |
| Delete Module | Delete or X | Remove selected module |
| Save Blueprint | Ctrl+S | Save current design to blueprint library |
| Load Blueprint | Ctrl+L | Open blueprint list |
| Toggle Symmetry Mode | Y | Mirror placement across center axis |
| Toggle Grid Snap | Ctrl+G | Snap modules to grid / free placement |
| Show Center of Mass | C | Toggle COM indicator (yellow dot) |
4. Combat Controls
| Action | Default Key | Notes |
|---|
| Fire Primary Weapon | Left Mouse Button | Must be in combat mode |
| Fire Secondary Weapon | Right Mouse Button | Missiles / alternate weapon |
| Toggle Combat Mode | Tab | Switch between mining and combat HUD |
| Lock Target | T | Lock nearest hostile |
| Cycle Targets | Tab (hold) | Cycle through visible hostiles |
| Target Nearest Enemy | Ctrl+T | Auto-target closest threat |
| Deploy Countermeasures | Z | Launch chaff / flares vs incoming missiles |
| Toggle Shield Facing | Arrow Keys | Reinforce shield direction (front/left/right/rear) |
| Power to Weapons | 1 | Divert reactor output to weapons (reduces shields/speed) |
| Power to Shields | 2 | Divert reactor output to shields |
| Power to Engines | 3 | Divert reactor output to thrusters |
| Balanced Power | 4 | Reset to default distribution |
5. UI & Camera
| Action | Default Key | Notes |
|---|
| Pause / Menu | Esc | Open game menu |
| Toggle First/Third Person | F1 | Switch camera view |
| Free Look | Middle Mouse Button | Look around without changing heading |
| Zoom Camera | Scroll Wheel | Zoom in/out (third person) |
| Toggle Night Vision | N | Green-tinted night vision mode |
| Toggle Headlights | L | Ship mounted lights |
| Open Map | M (hold) | System map overlay |
| Quick Save | F5 | Manual save |
| Quick Load | F9 | Load last quicksave |
| Screenshot | F12 | Save screenshot (Steam overlay) |
6. Advanced Shortcuts
| Action | Key | When to Use |
|---|
| Emergency Shutdown | Ctrl+Shift+X | Instantly shut down all modules (stop heat generation NOW) |
| Quick Dock | Ctrl+D | Auto-dock at nearest friendly station within 500m |
| Toggle HUD | Ctrl+H | Hide HUD for screenshots |
| Select All Cargo | Ctrl+A | Select all items in cargo inventory |
| Quick Transfer | Ctrl+Click | Instantly transfer item between inventories |
| Module Info | Alt+Click | Show detailed module stats tooltip |
⚠️ Emergency Shutdown Warning
Ctrl+Shift+X shuts down ALL systems including life support. Only use this when heat is critical and aliens are closing in. You'll need to manually restart each system afterward.
7. Customizing Your Controls
Go to Settings → Controls to rebind any key. Recommended changes from veteran players:
- Bind roll to mouse buttons 4 & 5 (side buttons) — frees up Q and E for other functions
- Strafe up/down on mouse wheel tilt (if your mouse supports it) — much more intuitive for mining orbits
- Move "Emergency Shutdown" to a far-away key — accidental activation is catastrophic
- Bind "Target Nearest Enemy" to a mouse button — you'll use it constantly in combat
- Consider a HOTAS setup — Starminer supports joystick/HOTAS input natively. Throttle + stick gives unmatched flight precision.
💡 Controller Support
Starminer supports Xbox and PlayStation controllers natively. The left stick handles strafe (lateral + vertical on triggers), right stick handles pitch/yaw. Many players find the controller more intuitive for mining since you're constantly using all six movement axes.