Keyboard Shortcuts

A complete list of keyboard shortcuts for Civilization III. Great to have open and refer to when needed.

Preface

These are the keys as described in the “Multiplayer Gold” version. I’m not sure if they added any tricks before the complete version came out or not. Hope this helps!

Keyboard Reference

F1 - Domestic Advisor
F2 - Trade Advisor
F3 - Military Advisor
F4 - Foeign Advisor

F5 - Cultural Advisor
F6 - Science Advisor
F7 - Wonders of the World
F8 - Histograph/Score

F9 - Palace
F10 - Spaceship
F11 - Demographics

Q - Load Production Queue While in City Window
W - Wait
E - Explore/Espionage
R - Build Road/Recon Mission
T - Airlift
U - Upgrade
P - Pillage
A - Airdrop/Automate Worker
S - Air Superiority Mission
D - Disband Unit
F - Fortify/Garrison
G - Go to Contact City Govenors Screen
H - Center on Capitol/Hurry Production
L - Load/Unload
Z - Zoom In and Out
C - Center on Active Unit
B - Bombard/Bombing Mission/Build Army/Build City/Join City to Increase Population.
N - Plant Forest
M - Build Mine
Space Bar - Unit Hold/Skip Turn

Shift+A - Automate without altering pre-existing improvements
Shift+I - Automate, This City Only
Shift+P - Automate, Clean up Polution Only
Shift+F - Automate, Clear Forests Only
Shift+C - Clean Up Polution, Clear Forest, Clear Jungle
Shift+U - Upgrade All
Shift+Click - Add to Production Queue While in City Window
Shift+Q - Save Production Queue While in City Window
Shift+G - Change Government (Start Revolution)
Shift+M - Change Mobilization Shift+R - Build Railroad, Re-base Mission
Shift+D - Contact Rival Leaders (With a worker selected, Automate: Clean up Pollution Only)
Shift+L - Locate City
Shift+E - Use Embassy or Spy
Ctrl+Shift+Q - Retire
Shift+Enter - End Turn Immediately
Ctrl+F - Build Fortress
Ctrl+R - Build Road to...
Ctrl+B - Build Road to... Then Colony
Ctrl+H - Hurry Improvement
Ctrl+Shift+E - Goes to Espionage Screen
Ctrl+G - Toggle Map Grid
Ctrl+P - Change Preferences
Ctrl+M - Main Menu
Ctrl+S - Save Game
Ctrl+L - Load Game
Ctrl+Q - Resign and Quit
Ctrl+Shift+M - Main Menu
Ctrl+Shift+G - GoTo City
Ctrl+Shift+E - Plant a Spy
Ctrl+Shift+Q - New Game
Ctrl+Shift+R - Build Railroad To...

Enjoy Civ III!

Quick Troop Movement

Hold down shift during troop movements. It puts everything into fast forward, making some turns 1-2 minutes instead of 20. (while you are watching your troops move and/or the enemy movements)

Thanks to jpdoulos for this tip!

Edit Log

Edit 7/21/13 - Added Quick Troop Movement Tip.
Edit 9/3/20 - Added the Shift+D tip provided by TheQCollective. Thanks!

[SEALbasher]

Found a treasure -
{LINK REMOVED}https://www.civfanatics.net/downloads/civ3/reference/Civ3Keys.pdf

[BeastlyAdequate]

what is the keyboardf shortcut for moving the worker buttons to the side of the map?

[michael_yankoviak]

Could someone please remind me of how to turn on the show advanced options for unit actions? I have turn it off somehow and cannot remember the toggle. It is driving me mad. I also cannot access the manyal. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks

[fizix]

Might have just missed it, but if you hit "J" it will select every unfortified unit in a stack, and you can move the entire stack at once instead of moving them all individually

[xropi]

just discovered by accident: CTRL+SHIFT+N = Clean Map Preferences

[Und3r6r0und Productions]

NOT ALL

CAPS LOCK IS LIKE HOLD SHIFT

[Critical Failure]

@TheQCollective - Added. Thanks man!

[TheQCollective]

Test result is, when worker is selected, Shift+D = Automate, Clean up Pollution Only and Ctrl+Shift+D = Contact Rival Leaders
If worker is not selected Shift+D= Contact Rival Leaders
I was wrong Ctrl+C is civilopedia not Clean Up Pollution, Clear Forest, Clear Jungle which is Shift+C

[Critical Failure]

This list was copied off of hard copy documentation from an old physical edition of the game. Steam sells a more updated complete edition. You might be correct, but I can't test it at the moment. Can you open the game up and confirm it for me? I would love to get this list up to date if it has an error. Thanks so much!

[TheQCollective]

I thought:
Shift+D was Automate, Clean up Pollution Only
Ctrl+Shift+D was Contact Rival Leaders
Ctrl+C was Clean Up Pollution, Clear Forest, Clear Jungle

Also, Enter will bring up the city screen if you have a unit selected on a city