100+ Adobe Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are one of those apparently minor things that in fact add so much to your overall productivity. Though there are keyboard shortcuts for every program and software, for my designer friends, however, this post lists all the keyboard shortcuts for Adobe Illustrator.

Take a look at the following list of Illustrator shortcuts and I bet you’ll find so many that you didn’t know before.

Select tools

Select between	macOS Shortcuts	Windows Shortcuts
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	+	+
Delete Anchor Point tool	= + –	= + –
Switch to Anchor Point tool	Shift + C	Shift + C
Type tool	T	T
Touch Type tool	Shift + T	Shift + T
Line Segment tool	\	\
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	Z
Switch to Smooth tool while using Blob Brush tool	Press Alt	Press Option

View artwork

	macOS Shortcuts	Windows Shortcuts
Toggle between screen modes: Normal Screen Mode, Full Screen Mode with Menu Bar, Full Screen Mode	F	F
Fit imageable area in window	Double-click Hand tool	Double-click Hand tool
Magnify 100%	Double-click Zoom tool or press Ctrl + 1	Double-click Zoom tool or press Cmd + 1
Switch to Hand tool (when not in text-edit mode)	Spacebar	Spacebar
Switch to Zoom tool in magnify mode	Ctrl + Spacebar	Spacebar + Cmd
Switch to Zoom tool in reduce mode	Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar	Spacebar + Cmd + Option
Move Zoom marquee while dragging with the Zoom tool	Spacebar	Spacebar
Hide bounding box	Shift + Ctrl + B	Shift + Ctrl + B
Hide unselected artworK	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 3	Cmd + Option + Shift + 3
Convert between horizontal and vertical guide	Alt + drag guide	Option + drag guide
Release guide	Ctrl + Shift + double-click guide	Cmd + Shift + double-click guide
Show document template	Ctrl + H	Cmd + H
Show/Hide artboards	Ctrl + Shift + H	Cmd + Shift + H
Show/Hide artboard rulers	Ctrl + R	Cmd + Option + R
Show transparency grid	Shift + Ctrl + D	Shift + Cmd + D
View all artboards in window	Ctrl + Alt + 0	Cmd + Option + 0
Paste in place on the active artboard	Ctrl + Shift + V	Cmd + Shift + V
Exit Artboard tool mode	Esc	Esc
Create artboard inside another artboard	Shift + drag	Shift + drag
Choose multiple artboards in the Artboards panel	Ctrl + click	Cmd + click
Navigate to next document	Ctrl + F6	Cmd + F6
Navigate to previous document	Ctrl + Shift + F6	Cmd + Shift + F6
Navigate to next document group	Ctrl + Alt + F6	Cmd + Option + F6
Navigate to previous document group	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F6	Cmd + Option + Shift + F6
Toggle between Outline and GPU Preview of the document	Ctrl + Y	Cmd + Y
Toggle between GPU and CPU Preview of the document	Ctrl + E	Cmd + E
View the document in Overprint Preview mode	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + Y	Option + Shift + Cmd + Y
View the document in Pixel Preview mode	Alt + Ctrl + Y	Option + Cmd + Y
Exit Full Screen mode	Esc	Esc
Zoom in	Ctrl + =	Cmd + =
Zoom out	Ctrl + –	Cmd + –
Hide guides	Ctrl + ;	Cmd + ;
Lock guides	Alt + Ctrl + ;	Option + Cmd + ;
Make guides	Ctrl + 5	Cmd + 5
Release guides	Alt + Ctrl + 5	Option + Ctrl + 5
Show/ hide smart guides	Ctrl + U	Cmd + U
Show/ hide perspective grid	Ctrl + Shift + I	Cmd + Shift + I
Show grid	Ctrl + ‘	Cmd + ‘
Snap to grid	Shift + Ctrl + ‘	Shift + Cmd + ‘
Snap to point	Alt + Ctrl + ‘	Option + Cmd + ‘

Work with selections

	macOS Shortcuts	Windows Shortcuts
Switch to last-used selection tool (Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, or Group Selection tool)	Ctrl + `	Cmd + `
Switch between Direct Selection tool and Group Selection tool	Alt	Option
Add to a selection with 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 cross hair for Lasso tool	Caps Lock	Caps Lock
Choose artwork in active artboard	Ctrl + Alt + A	Cmd + Option + A
Create crop marks around selected object	Alt + C + O
Choose all	Ctrl + A	Cmd + A
Deselect	Shift + Ctrl + A	Shift + Cmd + A
Reselect	Ctrl + 6	Cmd + 6
Choose the object above the current selection	Alt + Ctrl + ]	Option + Cmd + ]
Choose the object below the current selection	Alt + Ctrl + [	Option + Cmd +
Choose behind an object	Press Ctrl + click twice	Press Cmd + click twice
Choose behind in isolation mode	Ctrl + click twice	Cmd + click twice
Group the selected artworK	Ctrl + G	Cmd + G
Ungroup the selected artworK	Shift + Ctrl + G	Shift + Cmd + G
Lock a selection	Ctrl + 2	Cmd + 2
Unlock a selection	Alt + Ctrl + 2	Option + Cmd + 2
Hide a selection	Ctrl + 3	Cmd + 3
Show all selections	Alt + Ctrl + 3	Option + Cmd + 3
Move selection in user-defined increments	Arrow	Arrow
Move selection in 10x user-defined increments	Shift + Arrow	Shift + Arrow
Lock all deselected artworK	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 2	Cmd + Option + Shift + 2
Constrain movement to 45° angle (except when using Reflect tool)	Hold down Shift	Hold down Shift
Bring a selection forward	Ctrl + ]	Cmd + ]
Move a selection to the front	Shift + Ctrl + ]	Shift + Cmd + ]
Send a selection backward	Ctrl + [	Cmd + [
Move a selection to the bacK	Shift + Ctrl + [	Shift + Cmd + [

Draw

	macOS Shortcuts	Windows Shortcuts
Move a shape while drawing it	Spacebar + drag	Spacebar + drag
Draw from the center of a shape (except for polygons, stars, and flares)	Alt + drag	Option + drag
Increase or decrease polygon sides, star points, arc angle, spiral winds, or flare rays	Start dragging, then press the ↑ or ↓	Start dragging, then press the ↑ or ↓
Keep the inner radius of a star constant	Start dragging, then hold down Ctrl	Start dragging, then hold down Cmd
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 Cmd + drag
Add or remove horizontal lines from a rectangular grid or concentric lines from a polar grid	Start dragging, then press ↑ or ↓	Start dragging, then press ↑ or ↓
Add or remove vertical lines from a rectangular grid or radial lines from a polar grid	Start dragging, then press ← or →	Start dragging, then press ← or →
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 size of Blob Brush	]	]
Decrease size of Blob Brush	[	[
Constrain Blob Brush path horizontally or vertically	Shift	Shift
Switch through drawing modes	Shift + D	Shift + D
Join two or more paths	Choose the paths, then press Ctrl + J	Choose the paths, then press Cmd + J
Average two or more paths	Choose the paths, then press Alt + Ctrl + J	Choose the paths, then press Option + Cmd + J
Create corner or smooth join	Choose the paths, then press Shift + Ctrl + Alt + J	Choose the anchor point, then press Shift + Cmd + Option + J
Create a compound path	Ctrl + 8	Cmd + 8
Release a compound path	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + 8	Option + Shift + Cmd + 8
Edit a pattern	Shift + Ctrl + F8	Shift + Cmd + F8
Perspective Grid Tool	Shift + P	Shift + P
Perspective Selection Tool	Shift + V	Shift + V
Perspective Grid	Ctrl + Shift + I	Cmd + Shift + I
Moving objects perpendicularly	Press 5, then click and drag the object	Press 5, then click and drag the object
Switching perspective planes	Use the Perspective Selection tool and then press 1 for left grid, 2 for horizontal grid, 3 for right grid, or 4 for no active grid	Use the Perspective Selection tool and then press 1 for left grid, 2 for horizontal grid, 3 for right grid, or 4 for no active grid
Copying objects in perspective	Ctrl + Alt + drag	Cmd + Alt + drag
Repeat transforming objects in perspective	Ctrl + D	Cmd + D
Switching between drawing modes	Shift + D	Shift + D

Work with type

	macOS Shortcuts	Windows Shortcuts
Move one character right or left	→ or ←	→ or ←
Move up or down one line	↑ or ↓	↑ or ↓
Move one word right or left	Ctrl + → or ←	Cmd + → or ←
Move up or down one paragraph	Ctrl + ↑ or ↓	Cmd + ↑ or ↓
Choose one word right or left	Shift + Ctrl + → or ←	Shift + Cmd + → or ←
Choose one paragraph before or afteR	Shift + Ctrl + ↑ or ↓	Shift + Cmd + ↑ or ↓
Extend existing selection	Shift + click	Shift + click
Align paragraph left, right, or center	Ctrl + Shift + L, R, or C	Cmd + Shift + L, R, or C
Justify text left	Ctrl + Shift + J	Cmd + Shift + J
Justify all lines	Shift + Ctrl + F	Shift + Cmd + F
Toggle line composeR	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + C	Option + Shift + Cmd + C
Insert soft return	Shift + Enter	Shift + Return
Highlight kerning	Ctrl + Alt + K	Cmd + Option + K
Reset horizontal scale to 100%	Ctrl + Shift + X	Cmd + Shift + X
Increase or decrease font size	Ctrl + Shift + . or ,	Cmd + Shift + . or ,
Increase or decrease font size by steps	Alt + Ctrl + Shift + . or ,	Option + Cmd +Shift + . or ,
Increase or decrease leading	Alt + ↑ or ↓ (horizontal text) or → or ← (vertical text)	Option + ↑ or ↓ (horizontal text) or → or ← (vertical text)
Choose tracking value	Alt + Ctrl + K	Option + Cmd + K
Reset tracking/kerning to 0	Ctrl + Alt + Q	Cmd + Option + Q
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking	Alt + ↑ or ↓ (horizontal text) or → or ← (vertical text)	Option + ↑ or ↓ (horizontal text) or → or ← (vertical text)
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking by five times	Ctrl + Alt + ↑ or ↓ (horizontal text) or → or ← (vertical text)	Cmd + Option + ↑ or ↓ (horizontal text) or → or ← (vertical text)
Increase or decrease baseline shift	Alt + Shift + ↑ or ↓ (horizontal text) or → or ← (vertical text)	Option + Shift + ↑ or ↓ (horizontal text) or → or ← (vertical text)
Switch between Type and Vertical Type, Area Type and Vertical Area Type, and Path Type and Vertical Path Type tools	Shift	Shift
Switch between Area Type and Path Type, Vertical Area Type and Vertical Path Type tools	Alt	Option
Create outlines	Shift + Ctrl + O	Shift + Cmd + O
Open the Character panel	Ctrl + T	Cmd + T
Open the Paragraph panel	Alt + Ctrl + T	Option + Cmd + T
Open the Tabs panel	Shift + Ctrl + T	Shift + Cmd + T
Open the OpenType panel	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + T	Option + Shift + Cmd + T
Insert bullets	Alt + 8	Option + 8
Insert copyright symbol	Alt + G	Option + G
Insert ellipsis	Alt + ;	Option + ;
Insert paragraph symbol	Alt + 7	Option + 7
Insert section symbol	Alt + 6	Option + 6
Insert trademark symbol	Alt + 2	Option + 2
Insert registered trademark symbol	Alt + R	Option + R
Superscript	Shift + Ctrl + =	Shift + Cmd + =
Subscript	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + =	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + =
Insert em dash	Alt + Shift + –	Option + Shift + –
Insert en dash	Alt + –	Option + –
Insert discretionary hyphen	Shift + Ctrl + –	Shift + Cmd + –
Toggle auto-hyphenation	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + H	Option + Shift + Cmd + H
Insert double left quotation marks	Alt + [	Option + [
Insert double right quotation marks	Alt + Shift + [	Option + Shift + [
Insert single left quotation marks	Alt + ]	Option + ]
Insert single right quotation marks	Alt + Shift + ]	Option + Shift + ]
Insert em space	Shift + Ctrl + M	Shift + Cmd + M
Insert en space	Shift + Ctrl + N	Shift + Cmd + N
Insert thin space	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + M	Option + Shift + Cmd + M
Show hidden characters	Alt + Ctrl + I	Option + Cmd + I

Use panels

	macOS Shortcuts	Windows Shortcuts
Set options (except for Actions, Brushes, Swatches, and Symbols panels)	Alt + click New button	Option + click New button
Switch units of measurement	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + U	Option + Shift + Cmd + U
Delete without confirmation (except for Layers panel)	Alt + click Delete	Option + click Delete
Apply value and keep text box active	Shift + Enter	Shift + Return
Choose range of actions, brushes, layers, links, styles, or swatches	Shift + click	Shift + click
Choose noncontiguous actions, brushes, layers (same level only), links, styles, or swatches	Ctrl + click	Cmd + click
Show/Hide all panels	Tab	Tab
Show/Hide all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel	Shift + Tab	Shift + Tab
Increase/ decrease values in logical fractions of the measurement unit	Ctrl + ↑ or ↓	Cmd + ↑ or ↓
Increase/ decrease measurement unit by 10x	Shift + ↑ or ↓	Shift + ↑ or ↓
Open Brush Options dialog box	Double-click brush	Double-click brush
Open the Character panel	Ctrl + T	Cmd + T
Open the Paragraph panel	Alt + Ctrl + T	Option + Cmd + T

Layers panel

	macOS Shortcuts	Windows Shortcuts
Add a layer	Ctrl + L	Cmd + L
Add a layer while opening the New Layer dialog box	Alt + Ctrl + L	Option + Cmd + L
Choose all objects on the layer	Alt + click layer name	Option + click layer name
Show/hide all layers but the selected one	Alt + click eye icon	Option + click eye icon
Choose Outline/Preview view for the selected layer	Ctrl + click eye icon	Cmd + click eye icon
Selects Outline/Preview view for all other layers	Ctrl + Alt + click eye icon	Cmd + Option + click eye icon
Lock/unlock all other layers	Alt + click lock icon	Option + click lock icon
Expand all sublayers to display entire hierarchy	Alt + click expansion triangle	Option + click expansion triangle
Set options as you create new layer	Alt + click New Layer button	Option + click New Layer button
Set options as you create new sublayer	Alt + click New Sublayer button	Option + click New Sublayer button
Place new sublayer at bottom of layer list	Ctrl + Alt + click New Sublayer button	Cmd + Option + click New Sublayer button
Place layer at top of layer list	Ctrl + click New Layer button	Cmd + click New Layer button
Place layer below selected layer	Ctrl + Alt + click New Layer button	Cmd + Option + click New Layer button
Copy the selection to a layer, sublayer, or group	Alt + drag selection	Option + drag selection