by Edgar Huanca·Workflow
Images © Edgar Huanca. Used for product review; image policy.
Quick Menu 3 earns its place in the aescripts library as a keyboard-driven way to search and apply After Effects effects, scripts, presets, extensions and commands from one panel. Version 3.1.0 added commands to render a frame at the current time indicator or at layer and comp markers, and it now remembers recent commands from a previous session.
Quick Menu 3 is a launcher for After Effects that finds and applies effects and plugins, menu commands, scripts, extensions, shape layer filters, presets and expressions. It launches with a keyboard shortcut of your choice and only shows up when you need it, so no UI real estate is wasted. Type a few letters and its searching engine finds what you're after.
Commands can be organized with recent, favorite and static commands plus custom command groups, and you can create expression controls, customize command icons and switch to a toolbar UI style. It auto-detects installed extensions and can launch any extension that appears in the Window/Extensions submenu, along with scripts from both the Scripts and Window (ScriptUI Panels) menus. Effects can be applied on a new solid, adjustment, null, shape or text layer, or to every layer sharing the same label color.
This release is version 3.1.0, last updated in July 2023, and runs on After Effects 2025 through CC 2015.3. It is listed here as free; check the developer's page for current licensing.
Quick Menu 3 is best for after Effects users who want to find and apply effects, scripts, presets, extensions and commands by typing instead of navigating menus.
Quick Menu 3 is completely free to download and use.
Quick Menu 3 is compatible with After Effects 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020, as well as CC 2019, CC 2018, CC 2017 and CC 2015.3. That range covers a long stretch of releases, so most current and older installations should be able to run it. If you're unsure which build you have, check your After Effects version number against this list, and refer to the developer's page for the most up-to-date compatibility details before installing.
Quick Menu 3 launches with a keyboard shortcut of your choice, and it only appears when you need it, so no UI real estate is wasted. Once open, you type a few letters and its searching engine finds the effect, plugin, script, preset, extension, menu command, shape layer filter or expression you're after. Because it stays hidden until called, it's built to let you stay focused on creating rather than hunting through menus and wasting time.
Quick Menu 3 can launch scripts from both the Scripts and Window menus, including ScriptUI Panels, and it can run any installed extension that appears in the Window/Extensions submenu. It also auto-detects installed extensions, and the user's ScriptUI Panels folder and the extensions repository can be added as resource folders. Beyond that, it centralizes your favorite expressions, presets, scripts and extensions in one place, so the things you reach for most are searchable from a single panel rather than scattered across the interface.
Quick Menu 3 is listed here as free, so you can add it to your After Effects setup without a purchase on this catalog. Licensing terms can change over time, though, and the plugin has gone through license framework updates in past releases, so it's worth confirming the current terms on the developer's page before you rely on it. That page is also where you'll find the detailed help covering all of its features.
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