Expand and Collapse All Properties in After Effects

Managing a complex timeline in Adobe After Effects requires keeping your layer hierarchy organized, especially when dozens of nested properties clutter your workspace. This guide explains the exact keyboard and mouse shortcuts used to expand and collapse all layer properties at once, how to perform this action across multiple layers simultaneously, and standard keyboard hotkeys to instantly clean up your timeline.

The Shortcut to Expand and Collapse All Properties

To deeply expand or collapse every nested property and group under a layer:

  • Windows: Hold Alt and click the disclosure triangle (the small arrow) next to the layer's name.
  • macOS: Hold Option and click the disclosure triangle next to the layer's name.

Clicking the triangle with the modifier held down opens every single property hierarchy inside that layer (Transform, Effects, Masks, Contents, Material Options, etc.). Clicking it again with Alt or Option held down collapses all nested groups back to their fully closed state.

Collapsing All Properties on Multiple Layers

To apply this action across several layers or the entire composition at once:

  1. Select the layers you want to modify (or press Ctrl + A on Windows / Cmd + A on macOS to select all layers).
  2. Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS).
  3. Click the disclosure triangle of any single selected layer.

Every selected layer will instantly mirror the action, fully expanding or fully collapsing all nested properties.

Fast Keyboard-Only Methods to Clean the Timeline

If you prefer not to use the mouse, you can use property reveal keys to collapse open properties:

  • Hide all properties on selected layers: Select the layers and press U twice in rapid succession. The first press shows properties with keyframes, and the second press closes all revealed properties.
  • Hide all properties in the entire composition: Press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (macOS) to select every layer, then press U or ` to reset and collapse visible properties.
  • Toggle specific properties: Press single-key shortcuts like P (Position), S (Scale), R (Rotation), T (Opacity), or M (Masks) on selected layers to close all other open parameters and display only that specific property. Pressing the same key again will close it completely.