Affinity Photo 2 keyboard shortcuts

Affinity Photo 2 is a professional photo editor and Photoshop alternative with a one-time purchase instead of a subscription. Its shortcut set deliberately mirrors industry conventions for tools, layers, and adjustments, so learning the keys makes retouching, compositing, and export work dramatically faster. This cheat sheet covers 60 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

File

New document	`Ctrl`+`NCmd`+`N`
Open document	`Ctrl`+`OCmd`+`O`
Save	`Ctrl`+`SCmd`+`S`
Save as	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`SCmd`+`Shift`+`S`
Export	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`SCmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`S`
Close document	`Ctrl`+`WCmd`+`W`
Print	`Ctrl`+`PCmd`+`P`
Settings / preferences	`Ctrl`+`,Cmd`+`,`

Edit & History

Undo	`Ctrl`+`ZCmd`+`Z`
Redo	`Ctrl`+`YCmd`+`Shift`+`Z`
Cut	`Ctrl`+`XCmd`+`X`
Copy	`Ctrl`+`CCmd`+`C`
Paste	`Ctrl`+`VCmd`+`V`

Tools

Move tool	`VV`
Marquee selection tools (cycle)	`MM`
Freehand selection (lasso) tool	`LL`
Selection brush tool	`WW`
Crop tool	`CC`
Paint brush tool	`BB`
Erase brush tool	`EE`
Clone brush tool	`SS`
Healing brush tools (cycle)	`JJ`
Dodge / burn / sponge tools (cycle)	`OO`
Text tool	`TT`
Pen tool	`PP`
Node tool	`AA`
Gradient tool	`GG`
Colour picker tool	`II`
Zoom tool	`ZZ`
View (pan) tool	`HH`

Layers

New layer	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`NCmd`+`Shift`+`N`
Duplicate layer or selection	`Ctrl`+`JCmd`+`J`
Group layers	`Ctrl`+`GCmd`+`G`
Ungroup layers	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`GCmd`+`Shift`+`G`
Merge down	`Ctrl`+`ECmd`+`E`
Merge visible	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ECmd`+`Shift`+`E`
Move layer forward one	`Ctrl`+`]Cmd`+`]`
Move layer back one	`Ctrl`+`[Cmd`+`[`
Move layer to front	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`]Cmd`+`Shift`+`]`
Move layer to back	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`[Cmd`+`Shift`+`[`

Selections

Select all	`Ctrl`+`ACmd`+`A`
Deselect	`Ctrl`+`DCmd`+`D`
Invert selection	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ICmd`+`Shift`+`I`
Toggle quick mask	`QQ`

Adjustments

Levels adjustment	`Ctrl`+`LCmd`+`L`
Curves adjustment	`Ctrl`+`MCmd`+`M`
HSL adjustment	`Ctrl`+`UCmd`+`U`
Invert colours	`Ctrl`+`ICmd`+`I`

View & Navigation

Zoom in	`Ctrl`+`=Cmd`+`=`
Zoom out	`Ctrl`+`-Cmd`+`-`
Zoom to fit	`Ctrl`+`0Cmd`+`0`
Zoom to 100%	`Ctrl`+`1Cmd`+`1`
Toggle UI (hide studio panels)	`TabTab`
Toggle rulers	`Ctrl`+`RCmd`+`R`
Toggle grid	`Ctrl`+`'Cmd`+`'`

Document

Resize document	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`ICmd`+`Option`+`I`
Resize canvas	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`CCmd`+`Option`+`C`

Brushes & Colour

Decrease brush size	`[[`
Increase brush size	`]]`
Swap colours	`XX`

Put your top Affinity Photo 2 shortcuts on real keys

The five Affinity Photo 2 actions most worth binding to a physical macropad key:

Ctrl+JCmd+J Duplicate layer or selection Non-destructive editing means duplicating layers constantly before every risky edit.

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+SCmd+Option+Shift+S Export A four-key chord used at the end of every single job; perfect macropad material.

Ctrl+DCmd+D Deselect Fired after nearly every selection operation in a retouching session.

Ctrl+Shift+ECmd+Shift+E Merge visible Standard step before sharpening or final retouch passes on a stamped layer.

Ctrl+Shift+ICmd+Shift+I Invert selection Select subject then invert is the core masking loop in compositing work.

I hand-build small-batch programmable macropads (QMK/VIA) in Barcelona. One press, any shortcut, any app.

See the macropads

Affinity Photo 2 shortcut FAQs

Are Affinity Photo shortcuts the same as Photoshop?

Many core ones match, like V for move, C for crop, Ctrl+J to duplicate, and Ctrl+L for levels. Others differ, notably export (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S) and redo on Windows (Ctrl+Y).

How do I export an image quickly in Affinity Photo 2?

Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S on Windows or Cmd+Option+Shift+S on Mac to open the Export dialog with format, quality, and size options.

What is the shortcut to deselect in Affinity Photo?

Ctrl+D on Windows or Cmd+D on Mac clears the current selection. Ctrl+Shift+I inverts it instead.

How do I change brush size with the keyboard in Affinity Photo?

Use the square bracket keys: [ makes the brush smaller and ] makes it larger. This works for paint, erase, clone, and healing brushes.

Can I customize keyboard shortcuts in Affinity Photo 2?

Yes. Go to Settings (Edit > Settings on Windows, Affinity Photo 2 > Settings on Mac) and open the Keyboard Shortcuts section to remap tools, menus, and personas.