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Mac Command (⌘) as the modifier. The Cmd+H shortcut for hiding extras has a known macOS conflict — see the Mac platform page for details.
Windows Ctrl as the modifier. F-keys work without Fn. Full layer, selection, and adjustment shortcut set.
Single-key tool activation. No modifier needed to switch tools:
Layer management. Cmd+J / Ctrl+J duplicates the active layer. Cmd+E / Ctrl+E merges down. Cmd+Shift+E / Ctrl+Shift+E merges all visible layers. Cmd+G / Ctrl+G groups selected layers.
Transform. Cmd+T / Ctrl+T enters Free Transform mode — resize, rotate, skew, or distort the current layer or selection with handles and keyboard precision.
Selections. Cmd+D / Ctrl+D deselects. Cmd+Shift+I / Ctrl+Shift+I inverts the selection. Cmd+A / Ctrl+A selects all.
Adjustments. Cmd+L / Ctrl+L opens Levels. Cmd+M / Ctrl+M opens Curves. Cmd+U / Ctrl+U opens Hue/Saturation. Cmd+B / Ctrl+B opens Color Balance.
Undo. In current Photoshop versions, Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z is multi-step undo (press repeatedly to step back through history).
A printable PDF of Photoshop shortcuts is available for each platform. The single-key tool list is worth printing during the early period of building Photoshop keyboard habits — there are more tools than most users memorize initially.
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Figma, Canva, and Affinity Photo sit near Adobe Photoshop because visual work often moves between image editing, vector artwork, interface design, quick visual assembly, and page layout. Photoshop is usually where pixel-level image work, compositing, cropping, brushing, and layer adjustments happen. Illustrator is closer to editable vector shapes and illustration, InDesign is closer to arranging finished visual and text elements across pages, Figma is commonly used for interface and product design, Canva supports faster marketing and presentation assets, and Affinity Photo is another image-editing workflow. These apps are related by workflow and audience, not because every project has to use all of them.
Most are. V for the move/selection tool, T for type, P for pen, I for eyedropper, B for brush, and several others are consistent between the two applications. The differences are in tools that only exist in one application — Photoshop's healing brush, dodge/burn, and blur tools don't exist in Illustrator.
In Photoshop versions before 2019, Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z toggled a single undo/redo — pressing it repeatedly just went back and forth between one state. Cmd+Option+Z / Ctrl+Alt+Z was needed to step back through history. In current Photoshop, Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z is multi-step undo, matching the convention used by most other applications.
Yes. Cmd+J (Mac) or Ctrl+J (Windows) duplicates the active layer — or duplicates the selected area as a new layer if a selection is active.
This section lists official sources and documentation for Adobe Photoshop. Use these references to verify shortcut behavior instead of relying on memory, old screenshots, or someone else’s setup. They are especially helpful when comparing macOS and Windows, where the same editing action may depend on different keyboard habits.
Official references are useful for checking platform differences, keyboard layout issues, browser conflicts, operating system shortcut conflicts, and app-version differences. A shortcut can be correct in one setup and still feel wrong because the OS, layout, or active tool gets in the way. When something behaves differently than expected, verify it against the official source before updating personal notes, changing a team cheat sheet, or teaching the workflow.
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