If you're a designer, efficiency is everything. Whether you're working on branding, digital illustrations, layouts, or print materials, navigating menus and clicking through endless panels can slow you down. That’s where keyboard shortcuts come in!
Mastering essential shortcuts in Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign will not only speed up your workflow but also help you focus on creativity rather than repetitive tasks. Today, we're breaking down the must-know shortcuts that will make your design process smoother and faster.
🎨 Illustrator Shortcuts
| Function | Shortcut (Mac & Windows) |
|---|---|
| Selection Tool | V |
| Direct Selection Tool | A |
| Zoom Tool | Z |
| Move Around Canvas | Spacebar + Drag |
| Pen Tool | P |
| Convert Anchor Point | Shift + C |
| Deselect Everything | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A |
| Join Paths | Cmd/Ctrl + J |
| Rotate | R |
| Scale | S |
| Reflect Tool | O |
| Repeat Last Transformation | Cmd/Ctrl + D |
| Group Objects | Cmd/Ctrl + G |
| Ungroup Objects | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + G |
| Bring to Front | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ] |
| Send to Back | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + [ |
| Send Backward (One Step) | Cmd/Ctrl + [ |
| Bring Forward (One Step) | Cmd/Ctrl + ] |
| Lock Selection | Cmd/Ctrl + 2 |
| Unlock All Objects | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 2 |
| Hide Selection | Cmd/Ctrl + 3 |
| Unhide All Objects | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 3 |
| Swap Fill and Stroke | X |
| Remove Fill/Stroke | / (Forward Slash) |
| Eyedropper Tool | I |
| Outline Mode | Cmd/Ctrl + Y |
| Fit Artboard to Screen | Cmd/Ctrl + 0 |
| Duplicate Object | Option/Alt + Drag |
🖌️ Photoshop Shortcuts
| Function | Shortcut (Mac & Windows) |
|---|---|
| Marquee Selection Tool | M |
| Lasso Tool | L |
| Magnetic Lasso Tool | Shift + L |
| Quick Selection Tool | W |
| Crop Tool | C |
| Eyedropper Tool | I |
| Free Transform | Cmd/Ctrl + T |
| Distort Transformation | Cmd/Ctrl + T, then hold Cmd/Ctrl |
| Warp Transformation | Cmd/Ctrl + T, then click Warp in options |
| Rotate Canvas | R |
| Fit Image to Screen | Cmd/Ctrl + 0 |
| Duplicate Layer | Cmd/Ctrl + J |
| New Layer | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + N |
| Group Layers | Cmd/Ctrl + G |
| Merge Selected Layers | Cmd/Ctrl + E |
| Merge All Visible Layers (New Layer) | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + Shift + E |
| Brush Tool | B |
| Eraser Tool | E |
| Increase Brush Size | ] |
| Decrease Brush Size | [ |
| Increase Brush Hardness | Shift + ] |
| Decrease Brush Hardness | Shift + [ |
| Fill with Foreground Color | Option/Alt + Delete |
| Fill with Background Color | Cmd/Ctrl + Delete |
| Change Layer Opacity | Number keys (1-9 for 10%-90%) |
| Invert Colors | Cmd/Ctrl + I |
| Hue/Saturation | Cmd/Ctrl + U |
| Desaturate | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + U |
| Duplicate Selection to a New Layer | Cmd/Ctrl + J |
| Undo Last Action | Cmd/Ctrl + Z |
| Redo Multiple Actions | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + Z |
📖 InDesign Shortcuts
| Function | Shortcut (Mac & Windows) |
|---|---|
| Selection Tool | V |
| Direct Selection Tool | A |
| Move Around Document | Spacebar + Drag |
| Increase Font Size | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + > |
| Decrease Font Size | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + < |
| Type Tool | T |
| Text Frame Options | Cmd/Ctrl + B |
| Align Text Left | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + L |
| Align Text Right | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + R |
| Align Text Center | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + C |
| Auto-fit Text Box to Content | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + C |
| Show/Hide Guides | Cmd/Ctrl + ; |
| Show/Hide Grid | Cmd/Ctrl + ' (apostrophe) |
| Snap to Guides | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ; |
| Duplicate Object with Alignment | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Drag |
| Place (Import Images or Text) | Cmd/Ctrl + D |
| Fit Image to Frame | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + Shift + E |
| Fit Frame to Image | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + C |
| Step and Repeat | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + U |
| Lock Guides | Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + ; |
| Convert Text to Outlines | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + O |
| Jump to Page | Cmd/Ctrl + J |
| Undo Last Action | Cmd/Ctrl + Z |
| Redo Action | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z |
Using keyboard shortcuts may seem like a small habit change, but in the long run, it dramatically improves your speed and efficiency. Instead of interrupting your workflow to search through menus, you can stay focused on your design. The more you practice these shortcuts, the more second nature they become!
Do you have a favorite shortcut that saves you time? Drop it in the comments below! Let’s make designing faster and more fun. 🚀
Comments (0)
Back to Toffu Insights