Adobe Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows & Mac (Complete List)
Complete list of Adobe Illustrator keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac. Speed up your design workflow with essential hotkeys for tools, selection, layers, type, and more.
2026-09-19 · 17 min read
Hello friend! Welcome to dev.rean.me! Do you want to work faster in Adobe Illustrator? Learning keyboard shortcuts is the best way to speed up your design workflow and save tons of time!
In this post, I share a complete list of Adobe Illustrator keyboard shortcuts for both Windows and Mac — covering tools, selection, drawing, type, view, layers, file operations, and more. Bookmark this page and use it every day!
⌨️ How to Read This Shortcut Table
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
Ctrl | Control key (Windows) |
Cmd | Command key ⌘ (Mac) |
Alt | Alt key (Windows) |
Opt | Option key ⌥ (Mac) |
Shift | Shift key (both platforms) |
+ | Press keys together at the same time |
1. 🗂️ File Operations
These shortcuts let you quickly create, open, save, export, and print your Illustrator documents.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New Document | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Open File | Ctrl + O | Cmd + O |
| Close Document | Ctrl + W | Cmd + W |
| Save | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Save As | Ctrl + Shift + S | Cmd + Shift + S |
| Save a Copy | Ctrl + Alt + S | Cmd + Opt + S |
| Export As | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E | Cmd + Opt + Shift + E |
| Export for Web | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S | Cmd + Opt + Shift + S |
| Place (Embed/Link Image) | Ctrl + Shift + P | Cmd + Shift + P |
| Document Setup | Ctrl + Alt + P | Cmd + Opt + P |
Ctrl + P | Cmd + P | |
| Quit Illustrator | Ctrl + Q | Cmd + Q |
💡 Tip: Use Save a Copy (
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Opt + S) to save a backup without changing your current working filename!
2. ✏️ Edit Operations
Standard editing commands for undoing mistakes, copying, pasting, and managing objects on the canvas.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Cmd + Shift + Z |
| Cut | Ctrl + X | Cmd + X |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Cmd + C |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Cmd + V |
| Paste in Front | Ctrl + F | Cmd + F |
| Paste in Back | Ctrl + B | Cmd + B |
| Paste in Place | Ctrl + Shift + V | Cmd + Shift + V |
| Paste on All Artboards | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + V | Cmd + Opt + Shift + V |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Cmd + A |
| Deselect All | Ctrl + Shift + A | Cmd + Shift + A |
| Select All in Active Artboard | Ctrl + Alt + A | Cmd + Opt + A |
| Lock Selection | Ctrl + 2 | Cmd + 2 |
| Unlock All | Ctrl + Alt + 2 | Cmd + Opt + 2 |
| Hide Selection | Ctrl + 3 | Cmd + 3 |
| Show All | Ctrl + Alt + 3 | Cmd + Opt + 3 |
| Preferences | Ctrl + K | Cmd + K |
| Color Settings | Ctrl + Shift + K | Cmd + Shift + K |
💡 Tip: Paste in Front (
Ctrl/Cmd + F) pastes an object directly on top of the original at the same position — perfect for layering effects!
3. 🔧 Tools Panel Shortcuts
Press the key once to instantly switch to that tool. No more clicking through the toolbox!
| Tool | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|
| Selection Tool (Black Arrow) | V |
| Direct Selection Tool (White Arrow) | A |
| Magic Wand Tool | Y |
| Lasso Tool | Q |
| Pen Tool | P |
| Add Anchor Point Tool | + |
| Delete Anchor Point Tool | - |
| Convert Anchor Point Tool | Shift + C |
| Curvature Tool | Shift + ~ |
| Type Tool | T |
| Line Segment Tool | \ |
| Rectangle Tool | M |
| Ellipse Tool | L |
| Paintbrush Tool | B |
| Pencil Tool | N |
| Shaper Tool | Shift + N |
| Rotate Tool | R |
| Reflect Tool | O |
| Scale Tool | S |
| Width Tool | Shift + W |
| Warp Tool | Shift + R |
| Free Transform Tool | E |
| Shape Builder Tool | Shift + M |
| Perspective Grid Tool | Shift + P |
| Mesh Tool | U |
| Gradient Tool | G |
| Eyedropper / Color Picker | I |
| Blend Tool | W |
| Symbol Sprayer Tool | Shift + S |
| Column Graph Tool | J |
| Artboard Tool | Shift + O |
| Slice Tool | Shift + K |
| Hand Tool (Pan) | H or hold Space |
| Zoom Tool | Z |
| Swap Fill / Stroke | Shift + X |
| Default Fill / Stroke (Black & White) | D |
| Toggle Fill / Stroke Focus | X |
| None (No Fill or Stroke) | / |
💡 Tip: Hold Space at any time to temporarily activate the Hand Tool for panning. Release Space to return to your previous tool instantly!
4. 👁️ View & Zoom Shortcuts
Control how you see your canvas without changing any objects.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom In | Ctrl + + | Cmd + + |
| Zoom Out | Ctrl + - | Cmd + - |
| Fit Artboard in Window | Ctrl + 0 | Cmd + 0 |
| Fit All in Window | Ctrl + Alt + 0 | Cmd + Opt + 0 |
| Actual Size (100%) | Ctrl + 1 | Cmd + 1 |
| Preview / Outline Mode | Ctrl + Y | Cmd + Y |
| Pixel Preview | Ctrl + Alt + Y | Cmd + Opt + Y |
| Overprint Preview | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Y | Cmd + Opt + Shift + Y |
| Show / Hide Rulers | Ctrl + R | Cmd + R |
| Show / Hide Grid | Ctrl + " | Cmd + " |
| Snap to Grid | Ctrl + Shift + " | Cmd + Shift + " |
| Snap to Point | Ctrl + Alt + " | Cmd + Opt + " |
| Show / Hide Guides | Ctrl + ; | Cmd + ; |
| Lock Guides | Ctrl + Alt + ; | Cmd + Opt + ; |
| Show / Hide Smart Guides | Ctrl + U | Cmd + U |
| Show / Hide Bounding Box | Ctrl + Shift + B | Cmd + Shift + B |
| Show / Hide Edges | Ctrl + H | Cmd + H |
| Full Screen Mode | F (cycle through modes) | F |
| Hide All Panels | Tab | Tab |
| Hide Panels Except Toolbox | Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab |
💡 Tip: Press
Ctrl/Cmd + 0to instantly Fit Artboard to Window — great after zooming in on details and wanting to see the full design!
5. 🧩 Object Arrangement & Alignment
Control the stacking order and alignment of objects on the canvas.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Group | Ctrl + G | Cmd + G |
| Ungroup | Ctrl + Shift + G | Cmd + Shift + G |
| Bring to Front | Ctrl + Shift + ] | Cmd + Shift + ] |
| Bring Forward | Ctrl + ] | Cmd + ] |
| Send Backward | Ctrl + [ | Cmd + [ |
| Send to Back | Ctrl + Shift + [ | Cmd + Shift + [ |
| Join Anchor Points | Ctrl + J | Cmd + J |
| Average Anchor Points | Ctrl + Alt + J | Cmd + Opt + J |
| Make Clipping Mask | Ctrl + 7 | Cmd + 7 |
| Release Clipping Mask | Ctrl + Alt + 7 | Cmd + Opt + 7 |
| Make Compound Path | Ctrl + 8 | Cmd + 8 |
| Release Compound Path | Ctrl + Alt + 8 | Cmd + Opt + 8 |
| Make Blend | Ctrl + Alt + B | Cmd + Opt + B |
| Release Blend | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + B | Cmd + Opt + Shift + B |
| Transform Again | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
💡 Tip: Use Transform Again (
Ctrl/Cmd + D) to repeat the last transformation — super useful for creating evenly spaced duplicated objects in a pattern!
6. 🎨 Appearance, Color & Stroke
Adjust colors, strokes, and visual styles directly from your keyboard.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open Color Panel | F6 | F6 |
| Open Stroke Panel | Ctrl + F10 | Cmd + F10 |
| Open Appearance Panel | Shift + F6 | Shift + F6 |
| Open Gradient Panel | Ctrl + F9 | Cmd + F9 |
| Open Transparency Panel | Ctrl + Shift + F10 | Cmd + Shift + F10 |
| Open Graphic Styles Panel | Shift + F5 | Shift + F5 |
| Swap Fill and Stroke | Shift + X | Shift + X |
| Set Fill to None | / | / |
| Sample Color (Eyedropper) | I | I |
| Increase Stroke Weight | Alt + . | Opt + . |
| Decrease Stroke Weight | Alt + , | Opt + , |
7. 🔤 Type & Text Shortcuts
Essential shortcuts for working with text in Illustrator.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Type Tool | T | T |
| Select All Text in Frame | Ctrl + A (inside text) | Cmd + A (inside text) |
| Increase Font Size | Ctrl + Shift + . | Cmd + Shift + . |
| Decrease Font Size | Ctrl + Shift + , | Cmd + Shift + , |
| Increase Leading | Alt + Down Arrow | Opt + Down Arrow |
| Decrease Leading | Alt + Up Arrow | Opt + Up Arrow |
| Auto Leading | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + A | Cmd + Opt + Shift + A |
| Increase Tracking/Kerning | Alt + Right Arrow | Opt + Right Arrow |
| Decrease Tracking/Kerning | Alt + Left Arrow | Opt + Left Arrow |
| Increase Kerning x5 | Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow | Cmd + Opt + Right Arrow |
| Decrease Kerning x5 | Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow | Cmd + Opt + Left Arrow |
| Reset Tracking to 0 | Ctrl + Alt + Q | Cmd + Opt + Q |
| Align Text Left | Ctrl + Shift + L | Cmd + Shift + L |
| Align Text Center | Ctrl + Shift + C | Cmd + Shift + C |
| Align Text Right | Ctrl + Shift + R | Cmd + Shift + R |
| Justify Text | Ctrl + Shift + J | Cmd + Shift + J |
| Justify Last Line | Ctrl + Shift + F | Cmd + Shift + F |
| Superscript | Ctrl + Shift + = | Cmd + Shift + = |
| Subscript | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + = | Cmd + Opt + Shift + = |
| All Caps | Ctrl + Shift + K | Cmd + Shift + K |
| Small Caps | Ctrl + Alt + K | Cmd + Opt + K |
| Open Character Panel | Ctrl + T | Cmd + T |
| Open Paragraph Panel | Ctrl + Alt + T | Cmd + Opt + T |
| Create Outlines (Text to Path) | Ctrl + Shift + O | Cmd + Shift + O |
| Check Spelling | Ctrl + I | Cmd + I |
💡 Tip: Use Create Outlines (
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + O) to convert text to vector paths before sharing files — this ensures fonts display correctly on any computer!
8. 🖼️ Panels & Windows
Open and close key panels quickly without going through the Window menu.
| Panel | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Info Panel | F8 | F8 |
| Transform Panel | Shift + F8 | Shift + F8 |
| Align Panel | Shift + F7 | Shift + F7 |
| Pathfinder Panel | Ctrl + Shift + F9 | Cmd + Shift + F9 |
| Layers Panel | F7 | F7 |
| Symbols Panel | Ctrl + Shift + F11 | Cmd + Shift + F11 |
| Brushes Panel | F5 | F5 |
| Color Panel | F6 | F6 |
| Gradient Panel | Ctrl + F9 | Cmd + F9 |
| Stroke Panel | Ctrl + F10 | Cmd + F10 |
| Transparency Panel | Ctrl + Shift + F10 | Cmd + Shift + F10 |
| Appearance Panel | Shift + F6 | Shift + F6 |
| Character Panel | Ctrl + T | Cmd + T |
| Paragraph Panel | Ctrl + Alt + T | Cmd + Opt + T |
9. 🔁 Pathfinder Operations
The Pathfinder panel lets you combine or subtract shapes to create complex vector artwork.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open Pathfinder Panel | Ctrl + Shift + F9 | Cmd + Shift + F9 |
| Unite (Merge Shapes) | Click Unite in panel | Click Unite in panel |
| Minus Front (Subtract) | Click Minus Front | Click Minus Front |
| Intersect | Click Intersect | Click Intersect |
| Exclude | Click Exclude | Click Exclude |
💡 Tip: Hold Alt/Opt when clicking Pathfinder buttons to apply the operation as a Compound Shape — this keeps the shapes editable instead of merging them permanently!
10. 📐 Drawing & Precision Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Draw from Center | Hold Alt while drawing | Hold Opt while drawing |
| Constrain to Perfect Shape | Hold Shift while drawing | Hold Shift while drawing |
| Draw from Center + Constrain | Hold Alt + Shift while drawing | Hold Opt + Shift while drawing |
| Move Object 1px | Arrow Keys | Arrow Keys |
| Move Object 10px | Shift + Arrow Keys | Shift + Arrow Keys |
| Clone / Duplicate While Moving | Hold Alt + drag | Hold Opt + drag |
| Constrain Move to Axis | Hold Shift + drag | Hold Shift + drag |
| Scale Proportionally | Hold Shift + drag handle | Hold Shift + drag handle |
💡 Tip: Hold Alt/Opt + drag on any object to instantly create a copy while dragging. Combine with Shift to constrain the movement direction!
11. 🗃️ Layers Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open Layers Panel | F7 | F7 |
| Move Object to Layer Above | Ctrl + ] | Cmd + ] |
| Move Object to Layer Below | Ctrl + [ | Cmd + [ |
| Move Object to Front of Layer | Ctrl + Shift + ] | Cmd + Shift + ] |
| Move Object to Back of Layer | Ctrl + Shift + [ | Cmd + Shift + [ |
| Toggle Layer Visibility | Click Eye icon in Layers panel | Click Eye icon in Layers panel |
| Lock / Unlock Layer | Click Lock icon in Layers panel | Click Lock icon in Layers panel |
📋 Quick Reference: Most Used Shortcuts
Here is a summary of the top shortcuts every Illustrator designer should memorize first:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
V | Selection Tool |
A | Direct Selection Tool |
P | Pen Tool |
T | Type Tool |
G | Gradient Tool |
Space | Pan (Hand Tool) |
Shift + X | Swap Fill and Stroke |
Ctrl/Cmd + Z | Undo |
Ctrl/Cmd + D | Transform Again (Repeat) |
Ctrl/Cmd + G | Group |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + G | Ungroup |
Ctrl/Cmd + 7 | Make Clipping Mask |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + O | Create Outlines (Text to Path) |
Ctrl/Cmd + 0 | Fit Artboard in Window |
Ctrl/Cmd + Y | Toggle Outline / Preview Mode |
🔗 Related Illustrator Tutorials & Resources
- 🖊️ 1. Getting Started with Adobe Illustrator Pen Tool (Khmer Video)
- 🛠️ 2. How to use Pen, Direct Selection, Anchor Point, and Rotate Tools
- 🇰🇭 3. How to Fix Khmer Unicode Font Problem in Adobe Illustrator
- 🌀 4. How to use Spiral, Arc, Perspective Grid, Puppet Warp & Mesh Tools
- ☕ 5. How to Draw Simple Logo & Coffee Cup Vector in Illustrator
- 📊 6. How to use Type Tools, Star Tool, Graph Tools & Navigation Tools
- 📚 7. Adobe Illustrator Book PDF (Khmer) Free Download
Hope this complete keyboard shortcut guide helps you work faster in Adobe Illustrator! Practice these shortcuts every day and they will become second nature very quickly. Share this page with your designer friends! ⌨️🎨