How to Use WASD in League of Legends: Controls and Setup

League of Legends now has an optional WASD control scheme: you move your champion with the W, A, S and D keys and aim with the mouse, instead of right-clicking where you want to walk. It works in every mode, including Ranked since patch 26.9. Here's how to turn it on, what the default keys are, and the settings worth changing.

Last checked: November 9, 2026.

WASD in LoL at a glance

Question	Answer
Is it optional?	Yes. Point & Click stays the default
Where to turn it on	In game: Esc > Hotkeys > Keyboard (WASD)
Which modes allow it?	All modes, including the Practice Tool
Ranked?	Yes, since patch 26.9 (Season 2), including Clash
Can you switch mid-game?	Only during the first 10 minutes
Controller support?	No full controller support; joystick remapping exists for accessibility

How WASD came to League

Riot announced WASD in August 2025 and tested it on the PBE for several patches. It reached live servers in patch 25.24 in a limited set of unranked queues (customs, Swiftplay, ARAM, Arena, ARAM: Mayhem and ARURF). By early 2026 it was available everywhere outside Ranked.

Riot held it back from Ranked until two goals were met: WASD shouldn't win more often than Point & Click, and the gap between the two should be small. In April 2026 Riot said Point & Click still had a minor win-rate edge, but close enough to allow WASD in Ranked from patch 26.9.

How to turn on WASD

You can only switch control schemes inside a game, not from the client lobby.

Start a Practice Tool game so you can set things up without pressure.
Press Esc to open Options.
Go to the Hotkeys menu.
Select the Keyboard (WASD) input.
Adjust your keys, then save.

Saved settings carry over to your future games. Once you've set up both schemes, you can switch between Keyboard (WASD) and Mouse (Point & Click) in the same menu.

The first time you enable WASD, the game also changes two camera settings:

Dynamic Camera turns on, so the camera follows your champion and shifts toward your mouse. You can turn it off in the Camera menu, or lower its speed with a slider.
Scout Ahead turns on. Hold the middle mouse button to move the camera freely, then let go to snap back to your champion.

The 10-minute input lock

You have to settle on a control scheme during the first 10 minutes of a match. After that, the game locks in whichever input you last used, and you play the rest of the match with it. Since patch 26.11, the lock applies even if you never switched during those 10 minutes.

In practice: pick your scheme before the game starts, and don't experiment with switching in a ranked match.

Default WASD keybinds

Movement uses W (up), A (left), S (down) and D (right). Because those keys are taken, the abilities move to other keys:

Key	Action
Left mouse button	Attack, and confirm a cast
Right mouse button	Ability 1 (the "Q" ability)
Shift	Ability 2 (the "W" ability)
E	Ability 3
R	Ultimate
Q	Summoner spell 1
F	Summoner spell 2
C	Cancel cast
Middle mouse button	Scout Ahead

Hotkeys for the two schemes are stored separately. You can bind the shop to one key in Point & Click and a different key in WASD without one overwriting the other.

One change to remember: under WASD, All Chat is Ctrl + Enter, not Shift + Enter, because Shift casts your second ability. See our full list of LoL chat commands for the rest.

Settings worth changing

Rotate WASD inputs to match the map

On Summoner's Rift the lanes run diagonally, so with standard WASD you often hold W and D (or A and S) together. The option "Rotate WASD inputs relative to map lane orientation" turns that around: W moves you up and to the right, and S moves you down and to the left.

In effect, each movement key is turned 45 degrees to line up with the map layout. Riot points out that this helps on laptops too. Some keyboards can only register a few keys at once, and needing one fewer movement key frees one up for abilities.

Flash and dash direction

With WASD, Flash and other movement abilities can follow different rules. The setting lets you pick:

Your cursor location
Your movement direction
Your movement direction, unless your cursor is in that direction, in which case the cursor wins

Riot added this for Flash first and extended it to all WASD movement abilities in patch 26.3.

Champion-specific keybinds

Since patch 26.8, you can save different keybinds for each champion, in both WASD and Point & Click. That includes smart cast settings, which helps champions whose abilities feel better with different cast types.

Casting and interaction buttons

At first, WASD used one button (left click) for attacking, selecting, interacting with things like Hexgates, and casting. These are now four separate settings in the Casting and Interaction section: Select Object, Interact with Object, Auto Attack and Cast Ability. You can keep them all on one button or split them up.

Required keybinds

Some inputs must stay bound. In WASD, the movement keys are required, and the Options menu won't let you leave until they're set. If your controls get into a strange state, use Restore to Defaults.

How WASD plays differently

Attacks commit you. Riot notes that under WASD, an attack can't be cancelled once it starts. Riot also turned off the automatic follow-up attack on some abilities for WASD players when it felt bad.
Walls. Because you steer directly, you can walk into terrain. Riot tuned wall sliding a lot, and when your camera is looking elsewhere, your champion paths around walls automatically.
Attacking while moving. Riot adjusts how quickly WASD players can attack while holding movement keys. In patch 26.2 it removed this delay for melee champions and reduced it for most non-marksman ranged champions.

Should you switch to WASD?

Riot's stated aim is for neither scheme to have a clear advantage, and it says it will keep watching win rates. That makes the choice mostly about comfort:

WASD suits players coming from shooters or action RPGs, new players, and people who find constant right-clicking tiring.
Point & Click suits players with years of muscle memory, and anyone following guides written for the default controls.

If you're unsure, play a few Practice Tool sessions and some Swiftplay or ARAM games before trying WASD in Ranked.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn on WASD in League of Legends?

Start a game, ideally in the Practice Tool, press Esc, open the Hotkeys menu and select Keyboard (WASD). You can't switch control schemes from the client outside a game.

Can you use WASD in ranked LoL?

Yes. WASD has been allowed in Ranked since patch 26.9, the start of Season 2 in 2026, and that includes Clash.

What are the default ability keys with WASD?

Right mouse button casts ability 1, Shift casts ability 2, E is ability 3 and R is your ultimate. Summoner spells are on Q and F, left click attacks and confirms casts, and C cancels a cast.

Can I switch between WASD and Point & Click during a game?

Only in the first 10 minutes. After that, the game locks the input you last used for the rest of the match.

Is WASD better than Point & Click in League?

Neither is meant to be stronger. When WASD came to Ranked, Riot said Point & Click still had a small win-rate edge, and that it expected the gap to shrink as players got used to WASD.

Does League of Legends support controllers?

Not fully. Riot added WASD remapping for accessibility joysticks, but says full controller support isn't currently planned.