Reaper includes a large number of actions, and even more when using OSARA. Some actions already have keyboard shortcuts assigned, but you may want to customize them for your workflow, modify existing shortcuts, assign new ones to actions that don’t have any, and create custom actions.
Reaper calls this combination of an action and its shortcut a key map.

As OSARA evolves, updates may introduce new key maps. To benefit from these updates, you may need to replace your existing keymaps, which means losing yourse in the process. To avoid this, you can export your key maps and re-import them later. Although the process may seem a bit cumbersome at first, it saves a lot of time compared to recreating everything from scratch.

Exporting your shortcuts

1. Press F4 to open the Actions list.
2. Locate the first action you have modified or created.
3. Press Tab to reach the Key Maps menu, then press Space to open it.
4. Navigate to “Export selected shortcuts/custom actions…” and select it with space.
5. Give the file a meaningful name (for example, the name of the action) and save it.
   The file will be saved in:
   Windows : C:/Users/your username/AppData/Roaming/REAPER/KeyMaps ,
   Mac: library/application support/reaper/keymaps
   It is recommended to leave it in this location.
6. Repeat these steps for each modified or custom action.

Combining all key maps into a single file

After exporting, you will have multiple .ReaperKeyMap files, each containing one action. You can combine them into a single file:

1. Create a new blank file in Notepad.
2. Open each .ReaperKeyMap file in Notepad (only Notepad).
   • The first time, you may need to use “Open with” and select Notepad.
   • It is recommended to check “Always use this application for this file type.”
3. Copy the contents of each file.
4. Paste them into the blank file, leaving a blank line between each block.
5. Save the file using the .ReaperKeyMap extension (for example: AllJohn.ReaperKeyMap).
   • Choose a clear name so it is easy to find later.

Re-importing your key maps.

You can now import all your custom actions at once by loading this single file into Reaper after an OSARA update. This allows you to restore your shortcuts quickly and efficiently.

1. Go back to Reaper’s actions list and re-open the key maps menu.
2. Click on Import shortcuts/custom actions, import all sections, and choose the file containing all your keymaps.

All your key maps will be back and ready to use.
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