Essential Adobe Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts

Illustrator shortcuts are most useful when learned in small groups: navigation first, then selection and drawing, followed by object arrangement. The table below lists dependable default shortcuts for desktop Illustrator on Windows and macOS. A custom shortcut set, non-US keyboard layout or operating-system conflict can change what works.

Adobe Illustrator workspace and keyboard shortcuts — Learn the shortcuts for tools you use repeatedly rather than trying to memorize the entire list.

File and edit shortcuts

Action	Windows	macOS
New document	Ctrl+N	Command+N
Open	Ctrl+O	Command+O
Save	Ctrl+S	Command+S
Save As	Ctrl+Shift+S	Command+Shift+S
Undo	Ctrl+Z	Command+Z
Redo	Ctrl+Shift+Z	Command+Shift+Z
Copy	Ctrl+C	Command+C
Paste	Ctrl+V	Command+V
Paste in front	Ctrl+F	Command+F
Paste in back	Ctrl+B	Command+B
Paste in place	Ctrl+Shift+V	Command+Shift+V

Essential tool shortcuts

Tool	Shortcut	Use
Selection	V	Select and transform whole objects
Direct Selection	A	Select anchor points and path segments
Magic Wand	Y	Select objects with similar attributes
Lasso	Q	Select anchor points freehand
Pen	P	Draw precise straight and curved paths
Type	T	Create or edit text
Line Segment	Backslash ()	Draw straight line segments
Rectangle	M	Draw rectangles and squares
Ellipse	L	Draw ellipses and circles
Paintbrush	B	Draw with brush appearance
Pencil	N	Draw or edit freehand paths
Rotate	R	Rotate around a reference point
Reflect	O	Mirror objects across an axis
Scale	S	Scale from a reference point
Gradient	G	Apply and edit gradients
Blend	W	Create steps between objects
Eyedropper	I	Sample appearance attributes
Hand	H	Pan the document view
Zoom	Z	Zoom in or out
Artboard	Shift+O	Create and edit artboards

Viewing and workspace shortcuts

Action	Windows	macOS
Hide or show panels	Tab	Tab
Show or hide rulers	Ctrl+R	Command+R
Fit artboard in window	Ctrl+0	Command+0
Actual size	Ctrl+1	Command+1
Zoom in	Ctrl++	Command++
Zoom out	Ctrl+-	Command+-

Hold the Spacebar to temporarily use the Hand tool while another non-text tool is active. This is often faster than switching tools repeatedly while zoomed in.

Object and layer shortcuts

Action	Windows	macOS
Repeat the last transformation	Ctrl+D	Command+D
Group	Ctrl+G	Command+G
Ungroup	Ctrl+Shift+G	Command+Shift+G
Lock selected objects	Ctrl+2	Command+2
Unlock all	Ctrl+Alt+2	Command+Option+2
New layer	Ctrl+L	Command+L
Swap fill and stroke	Shift+X	Shift+X
Toggle fill/stroke focus	X	X
Default fill and stroke	D	D

How to remember them

Pick five shortcuts tied to your current work, such as V, A, P, Spacebar and Ctrl/Command+Z.
Use them for a full project before adding another group.
Keep menu tooltips visible; Illustrator displays the assigned shortcut beside many commands.
If a shortcut conflicts with another app or keyboard layout, choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts, make a named custom set and document the change.

Adobe maintains the complete Illustrator shortcut reference and explains how to customize shortcuts. To put them into practice, follow TipsMake�s guide to drawing straight lines in Illustrator, learn how Pathfinder combines shapes, or compare Illustrator and CorelDRAW.