The Ultimate Guide to Tesla Shortcuts and Tips You May Not Know (Updated)

You can jump to any section of a song by tapping anywhere on the progress bar

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Tesla vehicles are known for their cutting-edge technology, making the driving experience enjoyable and efficient. In this article, we will delve into Tesla tips and tricks that can further enhance your experience. While some of these tips may be specific to the Model 3 and Model Y, many are applicable across the Tesla lineup.

Automatically Start FSD With Full-Screen Visualizations

You can choose to automatically start visualizations in full screen

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If you love the Tesla's full-screen visualizations, you can choose to automatically go to full-screen every time you start Autopilot. Although the option isn't obvious, it's available in settings. Simply go to Controls > Autopilot and enable 'Expanded Full -Self-Driving Visualization.'

Now every time you start FSD, visualizations will automatically shift into full-screen mode. Likewise, if you've enabled this option before and didn't understand why visualizations were always full-screen, you can simply disable it.

To exit the full-screen visualizations, you can similarly swipe left near the top of the screen. Even a small swipe near the driver will suffice.

Easily Close an App

YYou can quickly swipe down from the very top of the screen to close an app

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There are various ways to close an open app, however, one of the easiest allows you to close an app without taking your eyes off the road. Everyone knows that you can swipe down on most apps to close them, however, what some owners don't realize is that you don't have to swipe down from exactly the top of the app.

Instead, your finger can actually start off screen -- so you can touch the very top of the monitor, and start a swiping motion downward. The app will still register it as a downward swipe and close, letting you keep your eyes on the road.

The only gotcha with this method is that there can't be any status icons in the between your finger and the open app. For example, you can't swipe your finger downward and go over the current time or temperature. It has to be an empty space. This has replaced my favorite method of closing an app.

Use the Maps Icon for Two Features

The new maps icons has two features

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As of update 2024.14, you can now add a new Maps icon to the dock through the all apps menu. The purpose of the nav icon is to give you a consistent, one-tap access to get back to the vehicle's navigation screen. While it's useful, it also has an addition purpose. If you're already viewing maps, you can tap the icon to essentially hide the maps and enable full-screen visualizations.

Reveal a Dropdown of Audio Sources

Jump to another audio source by tapping the app's icon

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This is a nice little hidden feature in Tesla's audio apps. From within any audio app, you can jump to any other audio source by tapping the app's icon. Tapping the icon will reveal a dropdown of all audio sources that haven't been hidden in audio settings.

Jump to Section in Song

When playing audio and you want to jump to a specific part of a song or podcast, you don't need to drag the progress bar. Instead, you can just tap anywhere on the progress bar to jump to that part.

Display Alternate Routes

You can tap the next turn display to show alternate routes

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When navigating to a location, you can tap the next turn module near the top of the screen to have the vehicle display any alternate routes to your destination.

The alternate routes view is similar to the ones displayed at the beginning of your drive, however, they're determined by your current location. This could be useful to circumvent construction or blocked roads.

As an alternative, you can also tap the compass icon at the top right of the display, which will also bring up alternate routes.

Set Cruise Control to Current Speed

You can tap the speedometer or speed limit sign to set your Autopilot speed

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While on Autopilot, you can tap the speedometer to set the maximum Autopilot speed to your current speed. This is useful if you want to maintain your current speed without manually adjusting it.

Auto Set Cruise Control to Speed Limit

Similarly, you can tap the speed limit sign to set the maximum speed to the speed limit plus your preferred offset. Again, this helps maintain a safe and legal speed while using Autopilot.

Open Music Selection

Tap the album art to open or close the large music panel, making it easy to access and control your music while driving.

Jump to Audio Settings

You can adjust audio settings by volume control in the launcher

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To quickly adjust audio settings, such as balance and equalizer, tap the volume button in the bottom right corner of the screen, then tap the levels icon.

Quickly Close Open Apps

Many apps can be swiped down to be closed, however, you don't have to swipe down from the very top of the app. If the app is already scrolled to the top, you can swipe down on any non-interactive part of the app, or white space to close the app.

You can also simply close all apps or menus by using a simple voice command such as "show map" or by tapping the icon for the open app.

One-Touch Access to Calendar

Tap the clock to quickly open your calendar, keeping your schedule at your fingertips.

Quickly Navigate Home

Swipe down on the navigate button to quickly navigate to your home or work, making your daily commute seamless.

Jump Back to Maps

In a Model 3 or Model Y, if your map is covered either with an app or menu, you can tap the navigation box that appears next to your speedometer to quickly jump back to the map screen and minimize any open apps.

Turn Off Climate

To turn off the climate system, hold down the climate temperature button.

Quickly Open Climate Screen

Swipe from anywhere in the launcher to open the climate window, giving you quick access to climate controls.

Unsync Passenger Temperature

Sync cabin temperature for the driver and passenger by pressing the climate arrows and choosing "split." Alternatively, use the voice command "sync climate" or "unsync climate" to control temperature settings.

Charging Menu

Tap the battery icon to jump to the charging menu, allowing you to monitor and adjust charging settings.

Switch Between Miles and Percentage

Tap the range to switch between displaying miles and percentages, providing a customizable view of your remaining charge.

Details on Indicator Lights

Indicator lights that appear on the left can also be tapped to access the appropriate menu. For example, tapping the headlights icon brings up light settings, while the low tire pressure icon opens the tire pressure menu.

You can tap on the indicator lights to go to the appropriate menu

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Adjust Wiper Speed

Pressing the button on the left stalk will wipe the windshield once and bring up wiper settings so you can easily adjust them. As of update 2023.12, you'll also be able to use the left scroll wheel once the wiper settings are on the screen to easily adjust between wiper settings.

Disable Auto Highbeams

Flicking your high beams stalk also brings up light settings, giving you quick access to headlight controls.

Temporarily Enable Blind Spot Monitor

Whether or not you use Tesla's blind spot cameras when your turn signal is enabled, you can tap the turn signal icon on the screen to either temporarily enable or disable the blind spot camera. This is especially useful for drivers who choose not to use the blind spot camera, but would occasionally like to view what's beside them.

Heated Mirrors

If your mirrors are fogged up or have snow or frost on them, you can turn on your heated mirrors by enabling the rear window defroster.

Voice Commands

To open the glovebox, use the voice command "open glovebox" or tap the car icon on the touchscreen, followed by the glovebox icon.

Many more useful voice commands are available on our voice commands page.

These Tesla shortcuts and tips can enhance your driving experience by providing quick access to essential functions and settings.

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Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

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The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

FSD Supervised testing in Rome, Italy

Pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/TXh3uQIfrx

— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

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Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

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Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase

Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.

Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.

The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

• Video must be 90 seconds or less

• Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

• Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

• Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

• Provide your personal details in the form

• You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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