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Keyboard shortcuts
Illustrator becomes more comfortable when we use keyboard shortcuts. Adobe Illustrator allows us to create customized shortcuts according to our requirements. Steps to customize Keyboard shortcuts in Illustrator
Step 1: Go to the Edit menu and select the Keyboard Shortcuts from the drop-down list.
Step 2: The keyboard shortcuts dialogue box will appear then you can choose a set of shortcuts from the set menu.
Step 3: Go to the menu above the shortcut display and choose a shortcut type.
Step 4: After that, do any of the following:
- Click OK for the activation of the set of shortcuts.
- Click inside the Shortcut column of the scroll list and type a new shortcut to change a shortcut.
- To apply the changes you made, click on OK.
Default keyboard shortcuts
| Working | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Command + Z |
| Redo | Shift + Ctrl + Z | Shift + Command + Z |
| Cut | Ctrl + X | Command + X |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Command + C |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Command + V |
| Paste in front | Ctrl + F | Command + F |
| Paste at back | Ctrl + B | Command + B |
| Paste in place | Shift + Ctrl + B | Shift + Command + B |
| Paste on all artboards | Alt + Shift + Ctrl + B | Option + Shift + Command + B |
| Check spelling | Ctrl + I | Command + I |
| Open the Color Settings dialog box | Shift + Ctrl + K | Shift + Command + K |
| Open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box | Alt + Shift + Ctrl + K | Option + Shift + Command + K |
| Open the Preferences dialog box | Ctrl + K | Command + K |
Shortcuts for the document in Illustrator
| Working | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Artboard tool | Shift + O | Shift + O |
| Selection tool | V | V |
| Direct Selection tool | A | A |
| Magic Wand tool | Y | Y |
| Lasso tool | Q | Q |
| Pen tool | P | P |
| Curvature tool | Shift + ~ | Shift + ~ |
| Blob Brush tool | Shift + B | Shift + B |
| Add Anchor Point tool | + (plus) | + (plus) |
| Delete Anchor Point tool | – (minus) | – (minus) |
| Switch to Anchor Point tool | Shift + C | Shift + C |
| Type tool | T | T |
| Touch Type tool | Shift + T | Shift + T |
| Line Segment tool | (backslash) | (backslash) |
| Rectangle tool | M | M |
| Ellipse tool | L | L |
| Paintbrush tool | B | B |
| Pencil tool | N | N |
| Shaper tool | Shift + N | Shift + N |
| Rotate tool | R | R |
| Reflect tool | O | O |
| Scale tool | S | S |
| Warp tool | Shift + R | Shift + R |
| Width Tool | Shift+W | Shift+W |
| Free Transform tool | E | E |
| Shape Builder Tool | Shift+M | Shift+M |
| Perspective Grid Tool | Shift+P | Shift+P |
| Perspective Selection Tool | Shift+V | Shift+V |
| Symbol Sprayer tool | Shift + S | Shift + S |
| Column Graph tool | J | J |
| Mesh tool | U | U |
| Gradient tool | G | G |
| Eyedropper tool | I | I |
| Blend tool | W | W |
| Live Paint Bucket tool | K | K |
| Live Paint Selection tool | Shift + L | Shift + L |
| Slice tool | Shift + K | Shift + K |
| Eraser tool | Shift + E | Shift + E |
| Scissors tool | C | C |
| Hand tool | H | H |
| Zoom tool | Z | |
| Switch to Smooth tool while using the Blob Brush tool | Press Alt | Press Option |
Shortcuts to View artworks
| Working | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| To toggle between screen modes: Normal Screen Mode, Full-Screen Mode with Menu Bar, Full-Screen Mode | F | F |
| Fit an imageable area in the window | Double-click on the Hand tool | Double-click on the Hand tool |
| To magnify the object 100% | Double-click on Zoom tool or press Ctrl + 1 | Double-click on Zoom tool or press Command + 1 |
| Switch to a Hand tool (when not in text-edit mode) | Spacebar | Spacebar |
| Switch to Zoom tool in magnify mode | Ctrl + Spacebar | Spacebar + Command |
| Switch to Zoom tool in the reduce mode | Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar | Spacebar + Command + Option |
| Move Zoom marquee while dragging with the Zoom tool | Spacebar | Spacebar |
| Hide bounding box | Shift + Ctrl + B | Shift + Control + B |
| Hide unselected artwork | Control + Alt + Shift + 3 | Command + Option + Shift + 3 |
| Convert between the horizontal and vertical guide | Alt-drag guide | Option-drag guide |
| Release guide | Ctrl + Shift-double-click guide | Command + Shift-double-click guide |
| Show document template | Ctrl + H | Command + H |
| Show/Hide artboards | Ctrl + Shift + H | Command + Shift + H |
| Show/Hide artboard rulers | Ctrl + R | Command + Option + R |
| Show transparency grid | Shift + Ctrl + D | Shift + Command + D |
| View all artboards in window | Ctrl + Alt + 0 (zero) | Command + Option + 0 (zero) |
| Paste in place on the active artboard | Ctrl + Shift+V | Command + Shift + V |
| Exit Artboard tool mode | Esc | Esc |
| Create artboard inside another artboard | Shift-drag | Shift-drag |
| Select multiple artboards in the Artboards panel | Ctrl + click | Command + click |
| Navigate to next document | Ctrl + F6 | Command + F6 |
| Navigate to previous document | Ctrl + Shift + F6 | Command + Shift + F6 |
| Navigate to next document group | Ctrl + Alt + F6 | Command + Option + F6 |
| Navigate to previous document group | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F6 | Command + Option + Shift + F6 |
| Toggle between Outline and GPU Preview of the document | Ctrl + Y | Command + Y |
| Toggle between GPU and CPU Preview of the document | Ctrl + E | Command + E |
| View the document in Overprint Preview mode | Alt + Shift + Ctrl + Y | Option + Shift + Command + Y |
| View the document in Pixel Preview mode | Alt + Ctrl + Y | Option + Command + Y |
| Exit Full-Screen mode | Esc | Esc |
| Zoom in | Ctrl + = | Command + = |
| Zoom out | Ctrl + – | Command + – |
| Hide guides | Ctrl + ; | Command + ; |
| Lock guides | Alt + Ctrl + ; | Option + Command + ; |
| Make guides | Ctrl + 5 | Command + 5 |
| Release guides | Alt + Ctrl + 5 | Option + Ctrl + 5 |
| Show/ hide smart guides | Ctrl + U | Command + U |
| Show/ hide perspective grid | Ctrl + Shift + I | Command + Shift + I |
| Show grid | Ctrl + ‘ | Command +’ |
| Snap to grid | Shift + Ctrl + ‘ | Shift + Command + ‘ |
| Snap to point | Alt + Ctrl + ‘ | Option + Command + ‘ |
Shortcut for Selection operation in Illustrator
| Working | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Switch to last-used selection tool (Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, or Group Selection tool) | Ctrl + | Command + |
| Switch between the Direct Selection tool and Group Selection tool | Alt | Option |
| Add to a selection with the Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, Group Selection tool, Live Paint Selection tool, or Magic Wand tool | Shift-click | Shift-click |
| Subtract a selection with Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, Group Selection tool, or Live Paint Selection tool | Shift-click | Shift-click |
| Subtract from selection with Magic Wand tool | Alt-click | Option-click |
| Add to selection with Lasso tool | Shift-drag | Shift-drag |
| Subtract from selection with Lasso tool | Alt-drag | Option-drag |
| Change pointer to a crosshair for Lasso tool | Caps Lock | Caps Lock |
| Select artwork in active artboard | Ctrl + Alt + A | Command + Option + A |
| Create crop marks around the selected object | Alt + C + O | |
| Select all | Ctrl + A | Command + A |
| Deselect | Shift + Ctrl + A | Shift + Command + A |
| Reselect | Ctrl + 6 | Command + 6 |
| Select the object above the current selection | Alt + Ctrl + ] | Option + Command + ] |
| Select the object below the current selection | Alt + Ctrl + [ | Option + Command + |
| Select behind an object | Press Ctrl+click twice | Press Command+click twice |
| Select behind in isolation mode | Ctrl+click twice | Command+click twice |
| Group the selected artwork | Ctrl + G | Command + G |
| Ungroup the selected artwork | Shift + Ctrl + G | Shift + Command + G |
| Lock a selection | Ctrl + 2 | Command + 2 |
| Unlock a selection | Alt + Ctrl + 2 | Option + Command + 2 |
| Hide a selection | Ctrl + 3 | Command + 3 |
| Show all selections | Alt + Ctrl + 3 | Option + Command + 3 |
| Move selection in user-defined increments | Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow | Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow |
| Move selection in 10x user-defined increments | Shift + Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow | Shift + Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow |
| Lock all deselected artwork | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 2 | Command + Option + Shift + 2 |
| Constrain movement to 45° angle (except when using Reflect tool) | Hold down Shift | Hold down Shift |
| Bring a selection forward | Ctrl + ] | Command + ] |
| Move a selection to the front | Shift + Ctrl + ] | Shift + Command + ] |
| Send a selection backward | Ctrl + [ | Command + [ |
| Move a selection to the back | Shift + Ctrl + [ | Shift + Command + [ |
Shortcuts for Draw operation
| Working | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
Constrain a shape’s proportions or orientation to:
| Shift-drag | Shift-drag |
| Move a shape while drawing it | spacebar-drag | spacebar-drag |
| Increase or decrease polygon sides, star points, arc angle, spiral winds, or flare rays | Start dragging, then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow | Start dragging, then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow |
| Keep the inner radius of a star constant | Start dragging, then hold down Ctrl | Start dragging, then hold down Command |
| Keep the sides of a star straight | Alt-drag | Option-drag |
| Switch between an open and closed arc | Start dragging, then hold down C | Start dragging, then hold down C |
| Flip an arc, keeping the reference point constant | Start dragging, then hold down F | Start dragging, then hold down SF |
| Add or subtract winds from a spiral while increasing the length of the spiral | Start dragging, then Alt-drag | Start dragging then Option-drag |
| Change the decay rate of a spiral | Start dragging then Ctrl-drag | Start dragging then Command-drag |
| Add or remove horizontal lines from a rectangular grid or concentric lines from a polar grid | Start dragging, then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow | Start dragging, then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow |
| Add or remove vertical lines from a rectangular grid or radial lines from a polar grid | Start dragging, then press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow | Start dragging, then press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow |
| Decrease the skew value for horizontal dividers in a rectangular grid or radial dividers in a polar grid by 10% | Start dragging, then press F | Start dragging, then press F |
| Increase the skew value for horizontal dividers in a rectangular grid or radial dividers in a polar grid by 10% | Start dragging, then press V | Start dragging, then press V |
| Decrease the skew value for vertical dividers in a rectangular grid or concentric dividers in a polar grid by 10% | Start dragging, then press X | Start dragging, then press X |
| Increase the skew value for vertical dividers in a rectangular grid or concentric dividers in a polar grid by 10% | Start dragging, then press C | Start dragging, then press C |
| Increase the size of Blob Brush | ] (right square bracket) | ] (right square bracket) |
| Decrease the size of Blob Brush | [ (left square bracket) | [ (left square bracket) |
| Constrain Blob Brush path horizontally or vertically | Shift | Shift |
| Switch through drawing modes | Shift + D | Shift + D |
| Join two or more paths | Select the paths, then press Ctrl + J | Select the paths, then press Command + J |
| Average two or more paths | Select the paths, then press Alt + Ctrl + J | Select the paths, then press Option + Command + J |
| Create a corner or smooth join | Select the paths, then press Shift + Ctrl + Alt + J | Select the anchor point, then press Shift + Command + Option + J |
| Create a compound path | Ctrl + 8 | Command + 8 |
| Release a compound path | Alt + Shift + Ctrl + 8 | Option + Shift + Command + 8 |
| Edit a pattern | Shift + Ctrl + F8 | Shift + Command +F8 |
| Perspective Grid Tool | Shift + P | Shift + P |
| Perspective Selection Tool | Shift + V | Shift + V |
| Perspective Grid | Ctrl + Shift + I | Command + Shift + I |
| Moving objects perpendicularly | Press the number 5 key, then click and drag the object | Press the number 5 key, then click and drag the object |
| Switching perspective planes | Use the Perspective Selection tool and then press 1 for the left grid, 2 for the horizontal grid, 3 for the right grid, or 4 for no active grid | Use the Perspective Selection tool and then press 1 for the left grid, 2 for the horizontal grid, 3 for the right grid, or 4 for no active grid |
| Copying objects in perspective | Ctrl + Alt + drag | Command + Alt + drag |
| Repeat transforming objects in perspective | Ctrl + D | Command + D |
| Switching between drawing modes | Shift + D | Shift + D |
| Draw from the center of a shape (except for polygons, stars, and flares) | Alt-drag | Option-drag |
Shortcuts to edit shapes in Illustrator
| Working | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Switch Pen tool to Convert Anchor Point tool | Alt | Option |
| Switch between Add Anchor Point tool and Delete Anchor Point tool | Alt | Option |
| Switch Scissors tool to Add Anchor Point tool | Alt | Option |
| Switch Pencil tool to Smooth tool | Alt | Option |
| Move current anchor point while drawing with Pen tool | Spacebar-drag | Spacebar-drag |
| Increase the intensity of symbols (when using Symbolism tool) | Shift + } | Shift + } |
| Decrease the intensity of symbols (when using Symbolism tool) | Shift + { | Shift + { |
| Blend objects | Alt + Ctrl + B | Option + Command + B |
| Finish adding objects to the blend | Alt + Shift + Ctrl + B | Option + Shift + Command + B |
| Distort objects using a warp-shaped envelope | Alt + Ctrl + Shift + W | Option + Command + Shift + W |
| Distort objects using a mesh as the shape of the envelope | Alt + Ctrl + M | Option + Command + M |
| Distort objects using another object as the shape of the envelope | Alt + Ctrl + C | Option + Command + C |
| Cut at 45° or 90° with the Knife tool | Shift + Alt-drag | Shift + Option-drag |
| Use shape mode buttons in Pathfinder panel to create compound paths | Alt + Shape mode | Option + Shape mode |
| Erase unwanted closed regions created using the Shape Builder tool | Alt + click the closed region | Option + click the closed region |
| Select the Shape Builder tool | Shift + M | Shift + M |
| Display rectangular marquee to easily merge multiple paths (when using the Shape Builder tool) | Shift + click + drag | Shift + click + drag |
| Cut a straight line with the Knife tool | Alt+drag | Option+drag |
Shortcuts to work with Live Paint group
| Shortcuts | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Switch to Eyedropper tool and sample fill and/or stroke | Alt-click + Live Paint Bucket tool | Option-click + Live Paint Bucket tool |
| Switch to Eyedropper tool and sample color from an image or intermediate color from a gradient | Alt + Shift-click + Live Paint Bucket tool | Option + Shift-click + Live Paint Bucket tool |
| Select opposite Live Paint Bucket tool options (if Paint Fills and Paint Strokes are currently selected, switch to Paint Fills only) | Shift + Live Paint Bucket tool | Shift + Live Paint Bucket tool |
| Fill across unstroked edges into adjacent faces | Double-click + Live Paint Bucket tool | Double-click + Live Paint Bucket tool |
| Fill all faces that have same fill and stroke all edges that have same stroke | Triple-click + Live Paint Bucket tool | Triple-click + Live Paint Bucket tool |
| Switch to Eyedropper tool and sample color from an image or intermediate color from a gradient | Alt + Shift-click + Live Paint Selection tool | Option + Shift-click + Live Paint Selection tool |
| Select all faces/edges with same fill/stroke | Triple-click + Live Paint Selection tool | Triple-click + Live Paint Selection tool |
| Switch to Eyedropper tool and sample fill and/or stroke | Alt-click + Live Paint Selection tool | Option-click + Live Paint Selection tool |
| Select all connected faces /edges with same fill/stroke | Double-click + Live Paint Selection tool | Double-click + Live Paint Selection tool |
| Add to/subtract from a selection | Shift-click + Live Paint Selection tool | Shift-click + Live Paint Selection tool |
Shortcuts to work with objects
| Shortcuts | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Set origin point and open dialog box when using Rotate tool, Scale tool, Reflect tool, or Shear tool | Alt-click | Option-click |
| Duplicate and transform selection when using Selection tool, Scale tool, Reflect tool, or Shear tool | Alt-drag | Option-drag |
| Transform pattern (independent of object) when using Selection tool, Scale tool, Reflect tool, or Shear tool | Tilde (~)-drag | Tilde (~)-drag |
| Reapply a transformation to an object | Ctrl + D | Command + D |
| Apply last pathfinder effect to the selected object | Ctrl + 4 | Command + 4 |
| Move an object | Shift + Ctrl + M | Shift + Command + M |
| Open the Transform Each dialog box | Alt + Shift + Ctrl + D | Option + Shift + Command + D |
| Make a clipping mask | Ctrl + 7 | Command + 7 |
| Release a clipping mask | Alt + Ctrl + 7 | Option + Command + 7 |
| Toggle between fill and stroke | X | X |
| Set fill and stroke to default | D | D |
| Swap fill and stroke | Shift + X | Shift + X |
| Select gradient fill mode | > | > |
| Hide gradient annotator (when using the Gradient tool) | Alt + Ctrl + G | Option + Command + G |
| Select color fill mode | < | < |
| Select no stroke/fill mode | / (forward slash) | / (forward slash) |
| Sample color from an image or intermediate color from gradient | Shift + Eyedropper tool | Shift + Eyedropper tool |
| Sample style and append appearance of currently selected item | Alt + Shift-click + Eyedropper tool | Option + Shift-click + Eyedropper tool |
| Add new fill | Ctrl + / (forward slash) | Command + / (forward slash) |
| Add new stroke | Ctrl + Alt + / (forward slash) | Command + Option + / (forward slash) |
| Reset gradient to black and white | Ctrl-click gradient button in Tools panel or Gradient panel | Command-click gradient button in Tools panel or Gradient panel |
| Make Live Paint (when using the Paint Bucket tool) | Alt + Ctrl + X | Option + Command + X |
| Decrease Bristle brush size | [ | [ |
| Increase Bristle brush size | ] | ] |
Shortcuts to create variable width point
| Shortcuts | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Select multiple width points | Shift+click | Shift+click |
| Create non-uniform widths | Alt+drag | Option+drag |
| Create a copy of the width point | Alt+drag the width point | Options+drag the width point |
| Change the position of multiple width points | Shift+drag | Shift+drag |
| Delete selected width point | Delete | Delete |
| Deselect a width point | Esc | Esc |
Shortcuts to Work with type
| Shortcuts | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Move one character right or left | Right Arrow or Left Arrow | Right Arrow or Left Arrow |
| Move up or down one line | Up Arrow or Down Arrow | Up Arrow or Down Arrow |
| Move one word right or left | Ctrl + Right Arrow or Left Arrow | Command + Right Arrow or Left Arrow |
| Move up or down one paragraph | Ctrl + Up Arrow or Down Arrow | Command + Up Arrow or Down Arrow |
| Select one word right or left | Shift + Ctrl + Right Arrow or Left Arrow | Shift + Command + Right Arrow or Left Arrow |
| Select one paragraph before or after | Shift + Ctrl + Up Arrow or Down Arrow | Shift + Command + Up Arrow or Down Arrow |
| Extend existing selection | Shift-click | Shift-click |
| Align paragraph left, right, or center | Ctrl + Shift + L, R, or C | Command + Shift + L, R, or C |
| Justify text left | Ctrl + Shift + J | Command + Shift + J |
| Justify all lines | Shift + Ctrl + F | Shift + Command + F |
| Toggle line composer | Alt + Shift + Ctrl + C | Option + Shift + Command + |
| Insert soft return | Shift + Enter | Shift + Return |
| Highlight kerning | Ctrl + Alt + K | Command + Option + K |
| Reset horizontal scale to 100% | Ctrl + Shift + X | Command + Shift + X |
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