A CS2 bind is a keyboard key or mouse button set to perform a specific game function or action in Counter-Strike 2 when pressed. You can create many CS2 binds for various functions and actions with the Counter-Strike 2 developer console and (to a lesser extent) in-game settings. Doing this enables you to reconfigure Counter Strike 2’s game controls to suit your preferences in many ways. This is how you can set up handy CS2 binds in your Counter-Strike 2 game.
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How to Set New CS2 Binds With Counter-Strike 2’s Settings
First, note that Counter-Strike 2’s in-game settings enable you to change the game key binds for controls. However, your options for creating new CS2 binds with those settings are more limited. These are the steps for setting new CS2 binds with in-game settings.
- Start Counter-Strike 2.
- Click the Settings Menu button.
- Select the Keyboard/Mouse tab.
- Click in a key box.
The Keyboard/Mouse tab in Counter-Strike 2
- Input a new or alternative key to bind for the action or option.
You’ll see some blank actions and options within Counter-Strike 2’s default settings for which new CS2 binds can be set. For example, numerous UI key and communication options have no key binds. These are some of the actions/options you can enable with new CS2 key binds:
- Radial weapon menu
- Show team equipment
- Toggle radar zoom
- Call vote
- Command radio message
- Standard radio message
- Report radio message
- Chat wheel 3
- Utility items menu
For example, try setting a CS2 key bind that activates the radial weapon menu. Click in the Radial Weapon Menu box and press a key for it. Pressing that CS2 bind during a match will bring up the radial menu in the screenshot below.
The radial weapon menu
How to Set CS2 Binds Binds With the Command Console
Counter-Strike 2’s developer console enables players to set many more CS2 binds by executing commands. For example, this is how you can set an m key CS2 bind for the FPS counter command with the developer console.
- Launch Counter-Strike 2 and click Settings menu > Game.
- Select Yes for the Enable Developer Console setting.
- Press the ` key to activate the developer console.
- Input bind m cl_showfps 1 in the command console and press Enter.
The bind m cl_showfps 1 command
- Start a Counter-Strike 2 match and press your new m key bind to activate the FPS counter.
The basic syntax for that CS2 bind key command is bind KEY ACTION. Replace KEY with an actual keyboard key to press and ACTION with a real console command to activate. This Valve developer page includes a big list of commands and variables to include within your bind commands. These are some handy CS2 binds you can activate with developer console commands:
- Volume change: bind [ “incrementvar volume 0 1 0.25”
- Radar zoom: bind o “incrementvar cl_radar_scale 0 1 0.25”
- Mousewheel jump: bind mwheelup +jump; bind mwheeldown +jump; bind space +jump
- Mute all voice: bind j “voice_modenable_toggle”
- Grenade slot bind: bind z “slot7”; bind x “slot8”; bind c “slot6”; bind v “slot10”
- Message bind: bind j “say Example Message”
- Large grenade lineup crosshair: bind 1 “slot1 ; cl_crosshairsize 3”; bind 2 “slot2 ; cl_crosshairsize 3”; bind 3 “slot3 ; cl_crosshairsize 3”; bind 4 “slot8 ; cl_crosshairsize 1000”
- Buy AK-47 and helmet: bind b “buy ak47; buy vesthelm;”
You can change the bind keys in those commands to any more preferable alternatives. Some CS2 binds, such as the grenade slot one, incorporate multiple commands. To do that, you must place a semicolon (;) to separate the different bind commands.
To quickly create CS2 binds for purchasing weapons, check out the CS2 Binds Generator. This is a page with a tool that generates key bind commands for buying specific weapons. Click a keyboard key there along with weapons for it to purchase. You can paste that command into the developer console by clicking the Copy button and pressing Ctrl + V within Counter-Strike 2.
The CS2 Buy Binds Generator page
Combining Binds With Aliases
An alias is a command type that enables users to assign longer commands to custom phrases. Players can create more complicated CS2 binds by incorporating them within aliases. The syntax for an alias command is alias ALIAS “COMMAND”. More advanced scripting is required for utilizing these commands than executing basic binds.
For example, you can execute an alias command that enables you to immediately drop the bomb by pressing the n key. This saves you from manually switching to the bomb and then dropping it. Execute this alias command in the developer console to try it out:
alias “+dropbombbind” “slot3; slot5”; alias “-dropbombbind” “slot3; slot5; drop”; bind n “+dropbombbind”
The alias bind command for quick bomb dropping
The quick switch bind alias command is another handy one. That command enables you to switch to your knife by pressing and holding the g key. Releasing the g key switches back to your gun. Try it out by executing this alias command:
alias +qsw “slot3”;alias -qsw “lastinv”; bind g +qsw
Note that inverted commas with text formatting can cause command execution issues. So, I recommend manually entering all commands above that include inverted commas directly into the console rather than copying and pasting them from this post.
How to Save CS2 Binds in Config Files
The developer console will reset all CS2 binds set when you restart Counter-Strike 2. This means it doesn’t save commands. You’ll need to manually re-enter all commands after restarting Counter-Strike 2 if you don’t have a config file.
A config file executes Counter-Strike 2 commands included in it. You can save your CS2 binds by creating a config file that includes all their commands. Our guide to creating a CS2 config file tells you how to save Counter-Strike 2 commands within config files.
Creating CS2 binds is a good way to personalize your Counter-Strike 2 game. You can completely transform Counter-Strike 2’s default control scheme by creating config files containing your favorite keyboard binds. Try executing all the example binds above to see how they work before creating keyboard shortcuts yourself.
