Choose your Platform: full shortcut list + printable PDF
Windows Ctrl as the primary modifier for menu commands, with bare letters (often Shift-modified for a tool's variant) switching tools directly.
What GIMP shortcuts cover
Tool switching. Each selection and paint tool has its own bare letter, R for Rect Select, M for Move, P for Paintbrush, and Shift plus that letter often reaches a related tool (Shift+R for Rotate, Shift+E for Eraser).
Layers. Page Up and Page Down step through the layer stack, and Ctrl+M merges the visible layers down.
Dialogs. Ctrl+L opens the Layers dialog, and most other dialogs (Brushes, Patterns, Gradients) follow the same Ctrl or Shift+Ctrl pattern, opening the dialog if it's closed or focusing it if it's already open.
Canvas navigation. The scroll wheel pans vertically, Ctrl+scroll wheel pans horizontally, and a middle-click drag pans freely in any direction.
Printable PDF
A printable PDF of GIMP shortcuts is available. The tool-switching letters and the layer navigation shortcuts are the ones worth keeping nearby during an edit.
Related apps
Blender, Figma, and Canva sit near GIMP because they're what a GIMP user's work often feeds into next, textures for 3D work in Blender, raster assets for a Figma layout, or a quick social graphic in Canva. They're related by workflow, not because they compete with GIMP as an image editor.
FAQ
How do I switch tools in GIMP without the mouse?
Press the tool's letter directly, R for Rect Select, E for Ellipse Select, M for Move, and so on. Several tools also have a Shift-modified variant, like Shift+R for Rotate or Shift+T for Scale.
What is the fastest way to move between layers in GIMP?
Page Up selects the layer above, Page Down selects the layer below, Home jumps to the first layer, and End jumps to the last one.
Is there a keyboard shortcut for filling a selection in GIMP?
Yes. Ctrl+, fills with the foreground color, Ctrl+. fills with the background color, and Ctrl+; fills with the current pattern.
References
This section lists official sources and documentation for GIMP. Use these references to verify shortcut behavior instead of relying on memory, old screenshots, or another person's setup.