https://hkeys.app

Adobe Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac

Keyboard shortcuts for Adobe Illustrator on Mac. Switch tools, draw and edit paths, work with type and selections, and drive the Layers and Color panels.
Key label style

Edit and clipboard

Undo
Cmd+Z
Redo
Cmd+Shift+Z
Cut
Cmd+X
Copy
Cmd+C
Paste
Cmd+V
Paste in front
Cmd+F
Paste at back
Cmd+B
Paste in place
Cmd+Shift+V
Paste on all artboards
Cmd+Opt+Shift+V

Work with documents

Create a document
Cmd+N
Create a document from a template
Cmd+Shift+N
Create a document without opening the New Document dialog box
Cmd+Opt+N
Open a document
Cmd+O
Place a file in the document
Cmd+Shift+P
Open the File Information dialog box
Cmd+Opt+Shift+I
Open the Document Setup dialog box
Cmd+Opt+P
Open the Color Settings dialog box
Cmd+Shift+K
Open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box
Cmd+Opt+Shift+K
Open the Preferences dialog box
Cmd+K
Browse in Adobe Bridge
Cmd+Opt+O
Close the document window
Cmd+W
Save changes made to the document
Cmd+S
Open the Save As dialog box
Cmd+Shift+S
Save a copy of the document
Cmd+Opt+S
Save the document as script files
Cmd+F12
Open the Export for screens dialog box
Cmd+Opt+E
Open the Save For Web dialog box
Cmd+Opt+Shift+S
Package the document
Cmd+Opt+Shift+P
Print
Cmd+P
Exit the application
Cmd+Q

Select tools

Artboard tool
Shift+O
Selection tool
V
Direct Selection tool
A
Magic Wand tool
Y
Lasso tool
Q
Pen tool
P
Curvature tool
Shift+`
Blob Brush tool
Shift+B
Add Anchor Point tool
=
Delete Anchor Point tool
-
Switch to Anchor Point tool
Shift+C
Type tool
T
Touch Type tool
Shift+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
Warp tool
Shift+R
Width Tool
Shift+W
Free Transform tool
E
Shape Builder Tool
Shift+M
Perspective Grid Tool
Shift+P
Perspective Selection Tool
Shift+V
Symbol Sprayer tool
Shift+S
Column Graph tool
J
Mesh tool
U
Gradient tool
G
Eyedropper tool
I
Blend tool
W
Live Paint Bucket tool
K
Live Paint Selection tool
Shift+L
Slice tool
Shift+K
Eraser tool
Shift+E
Scissors tool
C
Hand tool
H
Zoom tool
Z
Switch to Smooth tool while using Blob Brush tool
Opt

View artwork

Toggle between screen modes: Normal Screen Mode, Full Screen Mode with Menu Bar, Full Screen Mode
F
Fit imageable area in window
Double-click
Magnify 100%
Double-click
or
Cmd+1
Switch to Hand tool (when not in text-edit mode)
Space
Switch to Zoom tool in magnify mode
Cmd+Space
Switch to Zoom tool in reduce mode
Cmd+Opt+Space
Move Zoom marquee while dragging with the Zoom tool
Space
Hide bounding box
Cmd+Shift+B
Hide unselected artwork
Cmd+Opt+Shift+3
Convert between horizontal and vertical guide
Opt+Drag
Release guide
Cmd+Shift+Double-click
Show/Hide artboards
Cmd+Shift+H
Show/Hide artboard rulers
Cmd+Opt+R
Show transparency grid
Cmd+Shift+D
View all artboards in window
Cmd+Opt+0
Paste in place on the active artboard
Cmd+Shift+V
Exit Artboard tool mode
Esc
Create artboard inside another artboard
Shift+Drag
Select multiple artboards in the Artboards panel
Cmd+Click
Navigate to next document
Cmd+F6
Navigate to previous document
Cmd+Shift+F6
Navigate to next document group
Cmd+Opt+F6
Navigate to previous document group
Cmd+Opt+Shift+F6
Toggle between Outline and GPU Preview of the document
Cmd+Y
Toggle between GPU and CPU Preview of the document
Cmd+E
View the document in Overprint Preview mode
Cmd+Opt+Shift+Y
View the document in Pixel Preview mode
Cmd+Opt+Y
Exit Full Screen mode
Esc
Zoom in
Cmd+=
Zoom out
Cmd+-
Hide guides
Cmd+;
Lock guides
Cmd+Opt+;
Make guides
Cmd+5
Release guides
Ctrl+Opt+5
Show/ hide smart guides
Cmd+U
Show/ hide perspective grid
Cmd+Shift+I
Show grid
Cmd+'
Snap to grid
Cmd+Shift+'
Snap to point
Cmd+Opt+'

Work with selections

Switch to last-used selection tool (Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, or Group Selection tool)
Cmd+`
Switch between Direct Selection tool and Group Selection tool
Opt
Add to a selectionWorks with the Selection, Direct Selection, Group Selection, Live Paint Selection and Magic Wand tools.
Shift+Click
Subtract a selection with Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, Group Selection tool, or LIve Paint Selection tool
Shift+Click
Subtract from selection with Magic Wand tool
Opt+Click
Add to selection with Lasso tool
Shift+Drag
Subtract from selection with Lasso tool
Opt+Drag
Change pointer to cross hair for Lasso tool
CapsLock
Select artwork in active artboard
Cmd+Opt+A
Select all
Cmd+A
Deselect
Cmd+Shift+A
Reselect
Cmd+6
Select the object above the current selection
Cmd+Opt+]
Select the object below the current selection
Cmd+Opt+[
Select behind an object
Cmd+Click
Select behind in isolation mode
Cmd+Click
Group the selected artwork
Cmd+G
Ungroup the selected artwork
Cmd+Shift+G
Lock a selection
Cmd+2
Unlock a selection
Cmd+Opt+2
Hide a selection
Cmd+3
Show all selections
Cmd+Opt+3
Move selection in user-defined increments
RightLeftUpDown
Move selection in 10x user-defined increments
Shift+RightLeftUpDown
Lock all deselected artwork
Cmd+Opt+Shift+2
Constrain movement to 45° angle (except when using Reflect tool)
Shift
Bring a selection forward
Cmd+]
Move a selection to the front
Cmd+Shift+]
Send a selection backward
Cmd+[
Move a selection to the back
Cmd+Shift+[
Select only the objects that are completely inside the marquee
Drag

Draw

Constrain a shape's proportions or orientationEqual height and width for rectangles, ellipses and grids; 45-degree increments for lines and arcs; the original orientation for polygons, stars and flares.
Shift+Drag
Move a shape while drawing it
Drag
Draw from the center of a shape (except for polygons, stars, and flares)
Opt+Drag
Increase or decrease polygon sides, star points, arc angle, spiral winds, or flare rays
Drag,UpDown
Keep the inner radius of a star constant
Drag,Cmd
Keep the sides of a star straight
Opt+Drag
with the Star tool
Switch between an open and closed arc
Drag,C
with the Arc tool
Flip an arc, keeping the reference point constant
Drag,F
with the Arc tool
Add or subtract winds from a spiral while increasing the length of the spiral
Drag,Opt+Drag
Change the decay rate of a spiral
Drag,Cmd+Drag
Add or remove horizontal lines from a rectangular grid or concentric lines from a polar grid
Drag,UpDown
with the Rectangular Grid or Polar Grid tool
Add or remove vertical lines from a rectangular grid or radial lines from a polar grid
Drag,RightLeft
with the Rectangular Grid or Polar Grid tool
Decrease the skew value for horizontal dividers in a rectangular grid or radial dividers in a polar grid by 10%
Drag,F
with the Rectangular Grid or Polar Grid tool
Increase the skew value for horizontal dividers in a rectangular grid or radial dividers in a polar grid by 10%
Drag,V
with the Rectangular Grid or Polar Grid tool
Decrease the skew value for vertical dividers in a rectangular grid or concentric dividers in a polar grid by 10%
Drag,X
with the Rectangular Grid or Polar Grid tool
Increase the skew value for vertical dividers in a rectangular grid or concentric dividers in a polar grid by 10%
Drag,C
with the Rectangular Grid or Polar Grid tool
Increase size of Blob Brush
]
Decrease size of Blob Brush
[
Constrain Blob Brush path horizontally or vertically
Shift
Switch through drawing modes
Shift+D
Join two or more paths
Cmd+J
with the paths selected
Average two or more paths
Cmd+Opt+J
with the paths selected
Create corner or smooth join
Cmd+Opt+Shift+J
with an anchor point selected
Create a compound path
Cmd+8
Release a compound path
Cmd+Opt+Shift+8
Edit a pattern
Cmd+Shift+F8
Perspective Grid Tool
Shift+P
Perspective Selection Tool
Shift+V
Perspective Grid
Cmd+Shift+I
Moving objects perpendicularly
5,Dragthe object
Switching perspective planes1 is the left grid, 2 the horizontal grid, 3 the right grid, 4 no active grid
1234
with the Perspective Selection tool
Copying objects in perspective
Cmd+Opt+Drag
Repeat transforming objects in perspective
Cmd+D

Edit shapes

Switch Pen tool to Convert Anchor Point tool
Opt
Switch between Add Anchor Point tool and Delete Anchor Point tool
Opt
Switch Scissors tool to Add Anchor Point tool
Opt
Switch Pencil tool to Smooth toolRequires "Enable Option key toggles to Smooth Tool" in Pencil Tool Options
Opt
with the Pencil tool
Move current anchor point while drawing with Pen tool
Drag
Cut a straight line with Knife tool
Opt+Drag
Cut at 45° or 90° with Knife tool
Opt+Shift+Drag
Use shape mode buttons in Pathfinder panel to create compound paths
Opt+Clicka Shape Mode button
Erase unwanted closed regions created using Shape Builder tool
Opt+Click
Select the Shape Builder tool
Shift+M
Display rectangular marquee to easily merge multiple paths (when using Shape Builder tool)
Shift+Click+Drag
Increase the intensity of symbols (when using Symbolism tool)
Shift+]
Decrease the intensity of symbols (when using Symbolism tool)
Shift+[
Blend objects
Cmd+Opt+B
Finish adding objects to the blend
Cmd+Opt+Shift+B
Distort objects using a warp-shaped envelope
Cmd+Opt+Shift+W
Distort objects using a mesh as the shape of the envelope
Cmd+Opt+M
Distort objects using another object as the shape of the envelope
Cmd+Opt+C

Color / Fill & Stroke

Toggle between fill and stroke
X
Set fill and stroke to default
D
Swap fill and stroke
Shift+X
Select gradient fill mode
Shift+.
Hide gradient annotator (when using the Gradient tool)
Cmd+Opt+G
Select color fill mode
Shift+,
Select no stroke/fill mode
/
Sample color from an image or intermediate color from gradient
Shift+Click
with the Eyedropper tool
Sample style and append appearance of currently selected item
Opt+Shift+Click
Add new fill
Cmd+/
Add new stroke
Cmd+Opt+/
Reset gradient to black and white
Cmd+Click
Make Live Paint (when using the Paint Bucket tool)
Cmd+Opt+X
Decrease Bristle brush size
[
Increase Bristle brush size
]

Work with Live Paint groups

Switch to Eyedropper tool and sample fill and/or stroke
Opt+Click
Switch to Eyedropper tool and sample color from an image or intermediate color from a gradient
Opt+Shift+Click
Select the opposite Live Paint Bucket tool optionsSwitches to Paint Fills only.
Shift+Clickthe Live Paint Bucket tool
with Paint Fills and Paint Strokes both selected
Fill across unstroked edges into adjacent faces
Double-click
Fill all faces that have same fill and stroke all edges that have same stroke
Triple-click
Add to/subtract from a selection
Shift+Click
Select all connected faces /edges with same fill/stroke
Double-click
Select all faces/edges with same fill/stroke
Triple-click

Work with objects

Set origin point and open dialog box when using Rotate tool, Scale tool, Reflect tool, or Shear tool
Opt+Click
Duplicate and transform selection when using Selection tool, Scale tool, Reflect tool, or Shear tool
Opt+Drag
Transform pattern (independent of object) when using Selection tool, Scale tool, Reflect tool, or Shear tool
Drag
Reapply a transformation to an object
Cmd+D
Apply last pathfinder effect to the selected object
Cmd+4
Move an object
Cmd+Shift+M
Open the Transform Each dialog box
Cmd+Opt+Shift+D
Make a clipping mask
Cmd+7
Release a clipping mask
Cmd+Opt+7
Toggle between fill and stroke
X
Set fill and stroke to default
D
Swap fill and stroke
Shift+X
Select gradient fill mode
Shift+.
Hide gradient annotator (when using the Gradient tool)
Cmd+Opt+G
Select color fill mode
Shift+,
Select no stroke/fill mode
/
Sample color from an image or intermediate color from gradient
Shift+Click
with the Eyedropper tool
Sample style and append appearance of currently selected item
Opt+Shift+Click
Add new fill
Cmd+/
Add new stroke
Cmd+Opt+/
Reset gradient to black and white
Cmd+Click
Make Live Paint (when using the Paint Bucket tool)
Cmd+Opt+X
Decrease Bristle brush size
[
Increase Bristle brush size
]

Create variable width points

Select multiple width points
Shift+Click
Create non-uniform widths
Opt+Drag
Create a copy of the width point
Opt+Drag
Change the position of multiple width points
Shift+Drag
Delete selected width point
Fwd Del
Deselect a width point
Esc

Work with type

Check spelling
Cmd+I
Bold
Cmd+Shift+B
Italic
Cmd+Shift+I
Underline
Cmd+Shift+U
Move one character right or left
RightLeft
Move up or down one line
UpDown
Move one word right or left
Cmd+RightLeft
Move up or down one paragraph
Cmd+UpDown
Select one word right or left
Cmd+Shift+RightLeft
Select one paragraph before or after
Cmd+Shift+UpDown
Extend existing selection
Shift+Click
Align paragraph left, right, or center
Cmd+Shift+LRC
Justify text left
Cmd+Shift+J
Justify all lines
Cmd+Shift+F
Toggle line composer
Cmd+Opt+Shift+C
Insert soft return
Shift+Return
Highlight kerning
Cmd+Opt+K
Reset horizontal scale to 100%
Cmd+Shift+X
Increase or decrease font size
Cmd+Shift+.,
Increase or decrease font size by steps
Cmd+Opt+Shift+.,
Increase or decrease leading
Opt+UpDownRightLeft
Select tracking value
Cmd+Opt+K
Reset tracking/kerning to 0
Cmd+Opt+Q
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking
Opt+RightLeftUpDown
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking by five times
Cmd+Opt+RightLeftUpDown
Increase or decrease baseline shift
Opt+Shift+UpDownRightLeft
Switch between Type and Vertical Type, Area Type and Vertical Area Type, and Path Type and Vertical Path Type tools
Shift
Switch between Area Type and Path Type, Vertical Area Type and Vertical Path Type tools
Opt
Create outlines
Cmd+Shift+O
Open the Character panel
Cmd+T
Open the Paragraph panel
Cmd+Opt+T
Open the Tabs panel
Cmd+Shift+T
Open the OpenType panel
Cmd+Opt+Shift+T
Insert bullets
Opt+8
Insert copyright symbol
Opt+G
Insert ellipsis
Opt+;
Insert paragraph symbol
Opt+7
Insert section symbol
Opt+6
Insert trademark symbol
Opt+2
Insert registered trademark symbol
Opt+R
Superscript
Cmd+Shift+=
Subscript
Ctrl+Opt+Shift+=
Insert em dash
Opt+Shift+-
Insert en dash
Opt+-
Insert discretionary hyphen
Cmd+Shift+-
Toggle auto-hyphenation
Cmd+Opt+Shift+H
Insert double left quotation marks
Opt+[
Insert double right quotation marks
Opt+Shift+[
Insert single left quotation marks
Opt+]
Insert single right quotation marks
Opt+Shift+]
Insert em space
Cmd+Shift+M
Insert en space
Cmd+Shift+N
Insert thin space
Cmd+Opt+Shift+M
Show hidden characters
Cmd+Opt+I

Use panels

Set options (except for Actions, Brushes, Swatches, and Symbols panels)
Opt+Click
Switch units of measurement
Cmd+Opt+Shift+U
Delete without confirmation (except for Layers panel)
Opt+Click
Apply value and keep text box active
Shift+Return
Select range of actions, brushes, layers, links, styles, or swatches
Shift+Click
Select noncontiguous actions, brushes, layers (same level only), links, styles, or swatches
Cmd+Click
Show/Hide all panels
Tab
Show/Hide all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel
Shift+Tab
Increase/ decrease values in logical fractions of the measurement unit
Cmd+UpDown
Increase/ decrease measurement unit by 10x
Shift+UpDown

Actions panel

Expand/Collapse entire hierarchy for action set
Opt+Click
Set options for action set
Double-click
Play a single command
Cmd+Click
Begin recording actions without confirmation
Opt+Click

Brushes panel

Open Brush Options dialog box
Double-click
Duplicate brush
Drag

Character and Paragraph panels

Open the Character panel
Cmd+T
Open the Paragraph panel
Cmd+Opt+T
Increase/decrease the selected value by a small increment
UpDown
Increase/decreases the selected value by a large increment
Shift+UpDown
Increase/decrease the selected value by a fraction
Cmd+UpDown
Highlight the font name field in the Character panel
Cmd+Opt+Shift+F

Color panel

Select the complement for the current color fill/stroke
Cmd+Click
Change the nonactive fill/stroke
Opt+Click
Select the complement for the nonactive fill/stroke
Cmd+Opt+Click
Select the inverse for the current fill/stroke
Cmd+Shift+Click
Select the inverse for the nonactive fill/stroke
Cmd+Opt+Shift+Click
Open Color Guide
Shift+F3
Change the color mode
Shift+Click
Move color sliders in tandem
Shift+Drag
Switch between percentage and 0-255 values for RGB
Double-click

Gradient panel

Duplicate color stops
Opt+Drag
Swap color stops
Opt+Drag
Apply swatch color to active (or selected) color stop
Opt+Click
Reset the gradient fill to default black and white linear gradient
Cmd+Click
Show/Hide gradient arrow
Cmd+Opt+G
Modify angle and end-point together
Opt+Drag
Constrain Gradient tool or Gradient annotator while dragging
Shift+Drag
View Gradient annotator in selected gradient filled object
G

Layers panel

Add a layer
Cmd+L
Add a layer while opening the New Layer dialog box
Cmd+Opt+L
Select all objects on the layer
Opt+Click
Show/hide all layers but the selected one
Opt+Click
Select Outline/Preview view for the selected layer
Cmd+Click
Selects Outline/Preview view for all other layers
Cmd+Opt+Click
Lock/unlock all other layers
Opt+Click
Expand all sublayers to display entire hierarchy
Opt+Click
Set options as you create new layer
Opt+Click
Set options as you create new sublayer
Opt+Click
Place new sublayer at bottom of layer list
Cmd+Opt+Click
Place layer at top of layer list
Cmd+Click
Place layer below selected layer
Cmd+Opt+Click
Copy the selection to a layer, sublayer, or group
Opt+Drag

Swatches panel

Create new spot color
Cmd+Click
Create new global process color
Cmd+Shift+Click
Replace swatch with another
Opt+Drag

Transform panel

Apply a value and keep focus in edit field
Shift+Return
Apply a value and copy object
Opt+Return
Apply a value and scale option proportionately for width or height
Cmd+Return

Transparency panel

Apply last effect to the selected object
Cmd+Shift+E
Apply last effect to the selected object by adjusting the values in the effects dialog box
Cmd+Opt+Shift+E
Change mask to grayscale image for editing
Opt+Click
Disable opacity mask
Shift+Click
Re-enable opacity mask
Shift+Click
Increase/decrease opacity in 1% increments
Click+UpDown
Increase/decrease opacity in 10% increments
Shift+Click+UpDown

Function keys

Invoke Help
F1
Cut
F2
Copy
F3
Paste
F4
Show/hide Brushes panel
F5
Show/hide Color panel
F6
Show/hide Layers panel
F7
Create new symbol
F8
Show/hide Info panel
Cmd+F8
Show/hide Gradient panel
Cmd+F9
Show/hide Stroke panel
Cmd+F10
Show/hide Attributes panel
Cmd+F11
Revert
F12
Show/hide Graphic Styles panel
Shift+F5
Show/hide Appearance panel
Shift+F6
Show/hide Align panel
Shift+F7
Show/hide Transform panel
Shift+F8
Show/hide Pathfinder panel
Cmd+Shift+F9
Show/hide Transparency panel
Cmd+Shift+F10
Show/hide Symbols panel
Cmd+Shift+F11

Intro

Illustrator on Mac uses Command (⌘) as its primary modifier. Single-key tool activation, pressing V for the selection tool, A for direct selection, P for the pen tool, works without any modifier, the same as on Windows.

Mac-specific shortcut notes

Single-key tools. No modifier needed: V (Selection), A (Direct Selection), P (Pen), T (Type), B (Paintbrush), R (Rotate), S (Scale), M (Rectangle), L (Ellipse), G (Gradient), I (Eyedropper), E (Free Transform). Tap to switch instantly.

Transform Again. Cmd+D repeats the last transformation, move, rotate, scale, or reflect, on the current selection. For creating a series of evenly-spaced duplicates, this is the most time-saving shortcut in Illustrator's toolset.

Stacking order. Cmd+[ sends backward one step; Cmd+] brings forward. Cmd+Shift+[ sends to the very back; Cmd+Shift+] brings to the front. These work in both layer stacking and within a layer.

Join and path operations. Cmd+J joins selected open endpoints into a closed path or connects two separate open paths. Path operations like outline stroke, pathfinder operations, and offset path are in the Object/Path menus and accessible via their own shortcuts.

Panel management. Tab hides all open panels. Shift+Tab hides all panels except the toolbox. Pressing either again restores them.

Keyboard shortcuts editor. Cmd+Option+Shift+K opens Illustrator's built-in keyboard shortcut editor, useful for discovering less-common shortcuts or customizing bindings for your own workflow.

Printable PDF

The Illustrator macOS shortcut list is available as a printable PDF. The tool activation and stacking order shortcuts are the most useful sections for daily vector work.

FAQ

Need more than shortcuts?
Visit the Adobe Illustrator app page for an overview and helpful links.

Want to suggest a new app, report a bug, or get help? Email us at info@hkeys.app.

For anything else or just a quick hello, write to us at info@hkeys.app.