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: equal height and width for rectangles, rounded rectangles, ellipses, and grids Increments of 45° for line and arc segments Original orientation for polygons, stars, and flares	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