Frequently Used Hotkeys

There is a frontend (RetroFE) and then RetroArch and other standalone emulators to run the actual games. Each software has its own controls.

Frontend (RetroFE)

The config is at appdata/retrofe/controls.conf.

Some of the most used defaults are:

Control Function
MENU Enter context menu
Y Add to favorites
B Remove from favorites
X Cycle through playlists
C/Z Go up/down letters
A/Start Select
REWIND Go back one level of game collections

RetroArch

Control Function
MENU + REWIND twice Exit game
Press and hold Start for 2 sec Enter RetroArch menu
REWIND Insert coin
DOWN + START Insert coin. Useful for games requiring dedicated coin buttons for each player.
MENU + A Pause
MENU + X Reset
MENU + Y Rewind (if core supports it)
MENU + B Disk Eject
MENU + Z Next Disk
MENU + C Previous Disk
MENU + Down Load Save State
MENU + Up Save State
MENU + Left Previous Save Slot
MENU + Right Next Save Slot

AdvMAME

Control Function
MENU Open menu to save/load/exit etc.
MENU + START Enter MAME menu