Adobe Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts

A printable reference for the most-used Adobe Illustrator keyboard shortcuts (Windows + macOS). Covers common commands, tools, selection & objects, drawing & editing, text, and view & artboard.

Ai

Adobe Illustrator Illustrator 2024+ (Windows / macOS)

98 shortcuts

Common commands13

  • New document
    CtrlN
  • Open file
    CtrlO
  • Save
    CtrlS
  • Save As / Save a copy
    CtrlShiftS (or CtrlAltS)
  • Export As (PNG / SVG / PDF / JPG)
    CtrlAltE (or via File → Export)
  • Save to Cloud Assets (CC Libraries)
    via CC Libraries panel
  • Close document
    CtrlW
  • Print
    CtrlP
  • Undo / Redo
    CtrlZ / CtrlY (or CtrlShiftZ)
  • Cut / Copy / Paste
    CtrlX / CtrlC / CtrlV
  • Paste in place / Paste in front
    CtrlShiftV / CtrlF
  • Paste on all artboards
    via Edit → Paste on all Artboards
  • Quit Illustrator
    CtrlQ

Tools (single-letter shortcuts)28

  • Selection tool (V)
    V
  • Direct selection (A)
    A
  • Group selection (Magic Wand)
    Y
  • Lasso (Q)
    Q
  • Pen (P)
    P
  • Curvature pen (Shift+~)
    Shift~
  • Add anchor point (+)
    (plus, with Pen tool)
  • Delete anchor point (-)
    - (minus, with Pen tool)
  • Convert anchor point (Alt+click on path)
    Altclick (with Pen tool)
  • Type tool (T)
    T
  • Line segment (\)
    \ (backslash)
  • Rectangle (M)
    M
  • Ellipse (L)
    L
  • Polygon
    (no default key — use Rectangleclick-drag for polygon mode)
  • Paintbrush (B)
    B
  • Pencil (N)
    N
  • Blob brush (Shift+B)
    ShiftB
  • Eraser (Shift+E)
    ShiftE
  • Scissors (C)
    C
  • Knife (no default)
    (no default key — via Tools panel)
  • Free transform (E)
    E
  • Gradient (G)
    G
  • Eyedropper (I)
    I
  • Hand (H) / Zoom (Z)
    H / Z
  • Measure (no default — toolbar)
    (no default key)
  • Shape Builder (Shift+M)
    ShiftM
  • Live Paint Bucket (K)
    K
  • Perspective Grid tool
    ShiftP (toggle grid)

Selection & object13

  • Select all
    CtrlA
  • Select all in current artboard
    CtrlAltA
  • Deselect
    CtrlShiftA (or Esc)
  • Re-select last selection
    CtrlShift6
  • Select next object above / below in stacking
    AltCtrl] / AltCtrl[
  • Group / Ungroup
    CtrlG / CtrlShiftG
  • Lock / unlock selection
    Ctrl2 (lock) / CtrlAlt2 (unlock all)
  • Hide / show selection
    Ctrl3 (hide) / CtrlAlt3 (show all)
  • Bring to front / Send to back
    CtrlShift] / CtrlShift[
  • Bring forward / Send backward
    Ctrl] / Ctrl[
  • Select all objects on current layer
    CtrlAltL (or via Layer panel)
  • Duplicate selection (with offset)
    CtrlD (drag) or CtrlCCtrlV
  • Send to layer / Bring to current layer
    via Object → Arrange

Drawing & editing16

  • Pen: finish path
    Enter (or click first point)
  • Pen: close path
    Altclick first point (or Ctrlclick)
  • Pen: cancel / discard current path
    Escape
  • Convert anchor point (smooth / corner)
    Altdrag (smooth) / Altclick (corner)
  • Join open paths
    CtrlJ (Object → Path → Join)
  • Average points (close gap)
    CtrlAltJ
  • Outline stroke to fills
    CtrlAltShiftO (or Object → Path → Outline Stroke)
  • Offset path
    Object → Path → Offset Path
  • Boolean: unite / minus / intersect
    via Pathfinder panel (ShiftCtrlF9)
  • Make compound path
    Ctrl8
  • Release compound path
    CtrlAltShift8 (or Altclick on Release)
  • Draw inside / Draw normal (Isolation mode)
    CtrlAltClick on path (or double-click to enter isolation)
  • Free transform / Move / Scale
    E (transform) / drag to move / Shiftdrag to scale
  • Rotate selection
    R (rotate tool) or drag corner with shift
  • Reflect / mirror selection
    O (reflect tool) or ScaleAltdrag
  • Scale uniformly
    Shiftdrag corner

Text13

  • Switch to Type tool
    T
  • Edit text (enter text edit mode)
    Enter or double-click
  • Exit text edit mode
    Escape (or CtrlEnter)
  • Select all text in current text object
    CtrlA (in text edit)
  • Bold / Italic (when text selected)
    CtrlB / CtrlI
  • Underline / Strikethrough
    CtrlU / CtrlShift/
  • Set font size up / down
    CtrlShift> / CtrlShift<
  • Increase / decrease leading
    AltCtrl> / AltCtrl<
  • Increase / decrease kerning
    Alt→ / Alt←
  • Reset character / paragraph spacing
    CtrlAltX / CtrlAltR
  • Toggle area type / point type
    via Type tool options
  • Create text on path
    Type tool on existing path (click on path with T)
  • Type on path options
    via Type → Type on Path menu

View, artboard, navigation15

  • Zoom in / out
    Ctrl/ Ctrl- (or Zclick)
  • Zoom to fit artboard on screen
    Ctrl0
  • Zoom to actual size (100%)
    Ctrl1
  • Zoom to selection
    Ctrl2 (or via View)
  • Pan canvas (hold Space + drag)
    Hold Space
  • Hand tool (temporary)
    H (or hold Space held)
  • Cycle through artboards
    CtrlAltPage Up / Page Down
  • Show / hide rulers
    CtrlR
  • Show / hide smart guides
    CtrlU
  • Show / hide grid
    Ctrl' (apostrophe)
  • Snap to grid
    CtrlShift' (apostrophe)
  • Show / hide artboard rulers
    CtrlShiftR (in CS6)
  • Toggle UI (focus mode)
    Tab (with cursor over canvas)
  • Show / hide artboards
    CtrlShiftH
  • Toggle GPU preview
    CtrlE (in GPU Preview mode)
About Illustrator Shortcuts

Adobe Illustrator is the standard for vector graphics editing and creation, launched in 1987 and dominating logo, brand, and icon design since the early 1990s. As of 2024, Illustrator is part of Adobe Creative Cloud with 30+ million subscribers. Illustrator's shortcuts are split into: single-letter tools (V, A, P, T, M, L, B, N) and Ctrl/Cmd modifier actions (Ctrl+G group, Ctrl+J duplicate, Ctrl+Alt+Shift+O outline stroke). This reference card covers the most-used 90+ shortcuts across 6 functional areas: Common, Tools, Selection & object, Drawing & editing, Text, View & artboard. All entries are transcribed from Adobe's official Illustrator documentation. How to use - Pick your platform (Windows / macOS) at the top. - Search any feature name or shortcut text. - Click any row's Copy button to grab the key string. - Export PNG (2400×1140 landscape) for a wallpaper; PDF for a single A4 landscape page. Tips - V for Selection, A for Direct Selection, P for Pen, T for Type, M for Rectangle, L for Ellipse — single letters keep your hand on the home row. - Hold Space to temporarily pan the canvas (no need to switch to Hand tool). - Ctrl+Alt+Shift+O (or via menu) converts stroke to fill — essential for SVG export and live shapes. - Ctrl+J joins open paths, Ctrl+Alt+J averages points, Ctrl+8 makes compound path. The path-edit trio. - Alt+drag (with Pen tool) converts anchor points between smooth and corner. Fundamental for Bezier work. Why this separate from photoshop-shortcuts? Illustrator is vector (mathematical curves), Photoshop is raster (pixels). Different file formats, different workflows, different shortcut ecosystems.

Disclaimer

This shortcut reference website is a third-party unofficial tool. It has no affiliation, investment, authorization, or official partnership with the trademark holders of any software products mentioned on these pages.

All shortcut information is sourced from publicly available online materials and verified through local software testing, and is provided for learning and reference purposes only. We do not guarantee absolute accuracy, completeness, or real-time compatibility with every version of the software. Shortcut behavior may differ across software versions and operating systems — please refer to the official documentation of each software as the source of truth.

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