How to Bind Keys for "Counter-Strike"

By Seth Amery

Updated September 22, 2017

The more keys you need to think about during an intense "Counter-Strike" match, the more distracted you are when that enemy rounds the corner. Binding keys lets you enter console commands without having to stop and type them each time, or you can use them to quickly change weapons.

Right-click "Counter-Strike" in your Steam library, selecting "Properties" to open a new window.

Click "Set Launch Options" and enter "-console" without the quotes. Unlike later games in the series, there's no in-game way to activate this in "Counter-Strike." Click "OK" to confirm and "Close" to complete the change.

Locate config.cfg in the installation folder. Open this file in Notepad or a similar text editor.

Type out your binds with the following syntax: bind "key" "specific_action". For example, if you want to use the "N" key to cycle to the next weapon in your inventory, you'd write: bind "n" "invnext".

Use the "alias" command to tie together strings of commands one after the other with this syntax with as many actions as desired: alias "alias_name" "command1;command2;command3". For example, if you wanted to crouch and then fire your weapon, you can link the actions together as follows: alias "lowfire" "+duck;+attack".

Bind your alias to a single key. This is the real benefit behind an alias after you've defined it; it's a neat trick to shortcut all those shortcuts you're making. For example, you could use your new alias on the spacebar, representing the key with a single space: bind " " "lowfire". With this set, you'd crouch and fire your weapon every time you hit the spacebar.

Save your changes. You can use the bound keys immediately. Make sure to make the proper adjustments to the in-game keyboard settings if you bind a command to a key already in use.

Tips

If you can't find the configuration file, launch the game to create one.

Warnings

If you're editing an existing file, make a backup before changing anything.

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