Using Adobe Illustrator keyboard shortcuts will help you create art faster and focus more time on the creativity side. Use them regularly, and you won’t have to go back and forth to select, find the right tool, or make new shapes. This’ll eliminate the need to click several times to achieve the desired action.
As you look over the tools menu, you’ll notice that they already have a keyboard shortcut in parenthesis right next to the name of each individual tool. For example, you’ll notice a (P) next to the pen tool. So go ahead and press P on your keyboard, and you won’t have to go to the tools menu and manually select the Pen.
But Adobe Illustrator has much more shortcuts than just tools. You can use them to select items, copy them, group items, and so on. This article lists the ones mostly used by professionals and beginners alike. So use our keyboard shortcut tables for your cheat sheets. Also, make sure to check our list with the best GIMP keyboard shortcuts for maximum productivity.
Most Popular Shortcuts
These keyboard shortcuts will help you interact with Adobe Illustrator and perform various tasks quickly. They are most popular because they are actions that need to be repeated frequently, no matter what you are working on.
| Action | Windows | macOS |
| Undo | CTRL + Z | Command + Z |
| Redo | Shift + CTRL + Z | Shift + Command + Z |
| Copy | CTRL + C | Command + C |
| Cut | CTRL + X | Command + X |
| Paste | CTRL + V | Command + V |
| Paste in front | CTRL + F | Command + F |
| Paste at the back | CTRL + B | Command + B |
| Paste in Place | Shift + CTRL + V | Shift + Command + V |
| Paste on all open artboards | Alt + Shift + CTRL + V | Option + Shift + Command + V |
| Check Spelling | CTRL + I | Command + I |
| Open Color Settings Dialog Box | Shift + CTRL + K | Shift + Command + K |
| Open General Preference Dialog Box | CTRL + K | Command + K |
| Access Help Menu | F1 | F1 |
| Quit Illustrator App | CTRL + Q | Command + Q |
Documents Related Shortcuts
The keyboard shortcuts listed in the next table will help you set up your document and work with it in various ways. Use them to quickly create new documents or to save existing ones. You can even use a shortcut to print out your work without the hassle of going through the different menus.
| Action | Windows | macOS |
| Create a New Document | CTRL + N | Command + N |
| Create a New Document from a Template | Shift + CTRL + N | Shift + Command + N |
| Create a Document without the dialog box | Alt + CTRL + N | Option + Command + N |
| Open a Document | CTRL + O | Command + O |
| Input a File in a Document | Shift + CTRL + P | Shift + Command + P |
| Open File Information Dialog Box | Alt + Shift + CTRL + I | Option + Shift + Command+ I |
| Open the Document Setup Dialog Box | Alt + CTRL + P | Option + Command + P |
| Browse in Adobe Bridge | Alt+ Ctrl + O | Option + Command + O |
| Close the Document Window | CTRL + W | Command + W |
| Save all changes made in Document | CTRL + S | Command + S |
| Save a copy of the document | Alt + CTRL + S | Option + Command + S |
| Open the Save for Web Dialog Box | Alt + Shift + CTRL + S | Option + Shift + Command + S |
| Package the Document | Alt + Shift + CTRL + P | Option + Shift + Command + P |
| Print the Document | CTRL + P | Command + P |
Adobe Illustrator Tool Shortcuts
Adobe Illustrator is filled with useful tools that you’ll use regularly in your projects. As mentioned, many tools have already written shortcuts next to their name, but some are grouped together, and you’d have to navigate around the toolbox a lot just to find them. The best would be to learn the ones you use the most by heart. That way, you won’t have to spend time searching through the tools menu each time you need to switch a tool.
| Action | Windows | macOS |
| 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 |
| Type (Text) Tool | T | T |
| Rectangle Tool | M | M |
| Ellipse Tool | L | L |
| Pencil Tool | N | N |
| Paintbrush Tool | B | B |
| Rotate Tool | R | R |
| Reflect Tool | O | O |
| Scale Tool | S | S |
| Free Transform Tool | E | E |
| 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 |
| Scissors Tool | C | C |
| Hand Tool | H | H |
| Zoom Tool | Z | Z |
| Curvature Tool | Shift + ~ | Shift + ~ |
| Blob Brush Tool | Shift + B | Shift + B |
| Add Anchor Point | + | + |
| Remove Anchor Point | – | – |
| Switch to Anchor Point Tool | Shift + C | Shift + C |
| Touch Type Tool | Shift + T | Shift + T |
| Shaper Tool | Shift + N | Shift + N |
| Warp Tool | Shift + R | Shift + R |
| Width Tool | Shift + W | Shift + W |
| Shape Builder Tool | Shift + M | Shift + M |
| Perspective Grid | Shift + P | Shift + P |
| Perspective Selection | Shift + V | Shift + V |
| Symbol Sprayer | Shift + S | Shift + S |
| Paint Selection Tool | Shift + L | Shift + L |
| Slice Tool | Shift + K | Shift + K |
| Eraser Tool | Shift + E | Shift + E |
| Toggle between Smooth and Blob Brush Tool | Press Alt | Press Option |
View and Navigation Shortcuts
The shortcuts described in the next table will help you view your document and navigate any section of it quickly.
| Action | Windows | macOS |
| Toggle between Screen Modes | F | F |
| Magnify 100% | CTRL + 1 | Command + 1 |
| Hide Bounding Box | Shift + CTRL + B | Shift + Command + B |
| Hide Unselected objects | CTRL + Alt + Shift + 3 | Command + Option + Shift + 3 |
| Show Document Template | CTRL + H | Command + H |
| Show or Hide Artboards | CTRL + Shift + H | Command + Shift + H |
| Show or Hide Artboard Rulers | CTRL + R | Command + Option + R |
| View All Artboards in Window | CTRL + Alt + 0 | Command + Option + 0 |
| Exit Artboard Tool Mode | Esc | Esc |
| Navigate to next document | CTRL + F6 | Command + F6 |
| Navigate to Previous Document | CTRL + Shift + F6 | Command + Shift + F6 |
| Exit Full Screen Mode | Esc | Esc |
| Toggle Between Online and GPU Preview | CTRL + Y | Command + Y |
| Toggle Between GPU and CPU Preview | CTRL + E | Command + E |
| Zoom in | CTRL + = | Command + = |
| Zoom Out | CTRL + – | Command + – |
| Hide Guides | CTRL + ; | Command + ; |
| Lock Guides | Alt + CTRL + ; | Option + Command + ; |
| Show Grid | CTRL + ‘ | Command + ‘ |
Work With Selections
Working with selections can be tiresome. It’s very nuanced work, and you need tons of practice to perfect it. But these shortcuts might help you along with your workflow.
| Action | Windows | macOS |
| Select Artwork in active artboard | CTRL + Alt + A | Command + Option + A |
| Select All | CTRL + A | Command + A |
| Deselect | Shift + CTRL + A | Shift + Command + A |
| Reselect | Ctrl + 6 | Command + 6 |
| Group the selections | CTRL +G | Command + G |
| Ungroup selections | Shift + CTRL + G | Shift + Command + G |
| Lock selected objects | CTRL + 2 | Command + 2 |
| Unlock selection | Alt + CTRL + 2 | Option + Command +2 |
| Hide selected objects | CTRL + 3 | Command + 3 |
| Show all selections | Alt + CTRL + 3 | Option + Command + 3 |
| Bring selected object forward | CTRL + ] | Command + ] |
| Move selection to the front | Shift + CTRL + ] | Shift + Command + ] |
| Send Selected objects to the Back | CTRL + [ | Command + [ |
| Move selection to the Back | Shift + CTRL + [ | Shift + Command + [ |
Work with Text
Text can be a huge part of your Adobe Illustrator projects. Here are some keyboard shortcuts that’ll help you manipulate the text faster.
| Action | Windows | macOS |
| Open Character Panel | CTRL + T | Command + T |
| Open Paragraph Panel | Alt + CTRL + T | Option + Command + T |
| Align paragraph left, right, or center | CTRL + Shift + L,R, or C | Command + Shift + L,R, or C |
| Increase font size | Alt + CTRL + . | Option + Command + . |
| Decrease font size | Alt + CTRL + , | Option + Command + , |
| Increase font size by step | Alt + up arrow + CTRL + . | Option + up arrow + CTRL + . |
| Decrease font size by step | Alt + up arrow + CTRL + , | Option + up arrow + CTRL + , |
| Highlight Kerning | CTRL + Alt + K | Command + Option + K |
| Track Kerning | Alt + CTRL + K | Option + CTRL + K |
| Reset Kerning tracking | CTRL + Alt + Q | Command + Option + Q |
| Insert Bullets | Alt + 8 | Option + 8 |
| Insert Copyright symbol | Alt + G | Option + G |
| Justify Text Left | CTRL + Shift + J | Command + Shift + J |
| Justify all lines | Shift + CTRL + F | Shift + Command + F |
| Superscript | Shift + CTRL + = | Shift + Command + = |
| Subscript | Alt + Shift + CTRL + = | Option + Shift + Command + = |
| Insert Hyphen | Shift + CTRL + – | Shift + Command + – |
| Display Hidden Characters | Alt + CTRL + I | Option + Command + I |
With Adobe Illustrator’s vast array of helpful keyboard shortcuts, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be flying through your design projects faster and with greater precision. Whether you’re a first-time user or an experienced professional graphic designer, taking advantage of this more efficient way to work can save both time and frustration. Learning these shortcuts may take some time and practice but with a bit of dedication, that time will be well spent! Don’t forget to come back and check out our other posts if you’re looking for even more Adobe software tips and tricks.