Adobe Illustrator keyboard shortcuts
Adobe Illustrator is the industry-standard vector graphics editor for logos, icons, illustration, and print design. Vector work means constant switching between selection, pen, and transform operations, so fluent shortcut use directly translates into cleaner paths drawn faster. These are the default shortcuts every Illustrator user should have under their fingers. This cheat sheet covers 95 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.
Tools
| Selection tool | VV |
| Direct Selection tool | AA |
| Magic Wand tool | YY |
| Pen tool | PP |
| Add Anchor Point tool | |
| Delete Anchor Point tool | -- |
| Anchor Point (convert) tool | Shift+CShift+C |
| Type tool | TT |
| Line Segment tool | \\ |
| Rectangle tool | MM |
| Ellipse tool | LL |
| Paintbrush tool | BB |
| Pencil tool | NN |
| Rotate tool | RR |
| Reflect tool | OO |
| Scale tool | SS |
| Width tool | Shift+WShift+W |
| Free Transform tool | EE |
| Shape Builder tool | Shift+MShift+M |
| Gradient tool | GG |
| Eyedropper tool | II |
| Blend tool | WW |
| Artboard tool | Shift+OShift+O |
| Hand tool | HH |
| Zoom tool | ZZ |
| Toggle fill/stroke focus | XX |
| Swap fill and stroke | Shift+XShift+X |
| Default fill and stroke | DD |
| Set fill/stroke to none | // |
File
| New document | Ctrl+NCmd+N |
| Open | Ctrl+OCmd+O |
| Save | Ctrl+SCmd+S |
| Save As | Ctrl+Shift+SCmd+Shift+S |
| Save for Web (Legacy) | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+SCmd+Option+Shift+S |
| Place file | Ctrl+Shift+PCmd+Shift+P |
| Close document | Ctrl+WCmd+W |
| Open Preferences | Ctrl+KCmd+K |
Edit
| Undo | Ctrl+ZCmd+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Shift+ZCmd+Shift+Z |
| Cut | Ctrl+XCmd+X |
| Copy | Ctrl+CCmd+C |
| Paste | Ctrl+VCmd+V |
| Paste in front | Ctrl+FCmd+F |
| Paste in back | Ctrl+BCmd+B |
| Paste in place | Ctrl+Shift+VCmd+Shift+V |
| Transform again | Ctrl+DCmd+D |
Objects
| Group | Ctrl+GCmd+G |
| Ungroup | Ctrl+Shift+GCmd+Shift+G |
| Lock selection | Ctrl+2Cmd+2 |
| Unlock all | Ctrl+Alt+2Cmd+Option+2 |
| Hide selection | Ctrl+3Cmd+3 |
| Show all | Ctrl+Alt+3Cmd+Option+3 |
| Bring to front | Ctrl+Shift+]Cmd+Shift+] |
| Bring forward | Ctrl+]Cmd+] |
| Send backward | Ctrl+[Cmd+[ |
| Send to back | Ctrl+Shift+[Cmd+Shift+[ |
| Make clipping mask | Ctrl+7Cmd+7 |
| Release clipping mask | Ctrl+Alt+7Cmd+Option+7 |
| Make compound path | Ctrl+8Cmd+8 |
| Join selected anchor points | Ctrl+JCmd+J |
| Average anchor points | Ctrl+Alt+JCmd+Option+J |
Selection
| Select all | Ctrl+ACmd+A |
| Deselect all | Ctrl+Shift+ACmd+Shift+A |
| Reselect | Ctrl+6Cmd+6 |
| Select all on active artboard | Ctrl+Alt+ACmd+Option+A |
Type
| Create outlines from text | Ctrl+Shift+OCmd+Shift+O |
| Increase font size | Ctrl+Shift+>Cmd+Shift+> |
| Decrease font size | Ctrl+Shift+<Cmd+Shift+< |
| Increase kerning/tracking | Alt+RightOption+Right |
| Decrease kerning/tracking | Alt+LeftOption+Left |
| Increase leading | Alt+DownOption+Down |
| Decrease leading | Alt+UpOption+Up |
View
| Toggle outline/preview mode | Ctrl+YCmd+Y |
| Zoom in | Ctrl++Cmd++ |
| Zoom out | Ctrl+-Cmd+- |
| Fit artboard in window | Ctrl+0Cmd+0 |
| View at 100% | Ctrl+1Cmd+1 |
| Toggle rulers | Ctrl+RCmd+R |
| Toggle smart guides | Ctrl+UCmd+U |
| Show/hide guides | Ctrl+;Cmd+; |
| Lock/unlock guides | Ctrl+Alt+;Cmd+Option+; |
| Make guides from selection | Ctrl+5Cmd+5 |
| Show/hide grid | Ctrl+'Cmd+' |
| Hide selection edges | Ctrl+HCmd+H |
| Hide/show all panels | TabTab |
Panels
| Layers panel | F7F7 |
| Color panel | F6F6 |
| Brushes panel | F5F5 |
| Align panel | Shift+F7Shift+F7 |
| Transform panel | Shift+F8Shift+F8 |
| Pathfinder panel | Ctrl+Shift+F9Cmd+Shift+F9 |
| Character panel | Ctrl+TCmd+T |
| Paragraph panel | Ctrl+Alt+TCmd+Option+T |
| Gradient panel | Ctrl+F9Cmd+F9 |
| Stroke panel | Ctrl+F10Cmd+F10 |
Put your top Adobe Illustrator shortcuts on real keys
The five Adobe Illustrator actions most worth binding to a physical macropad key:
Ctrl+DCmd+D Transform again Pattern and layout work means hammering this repeatedly.
Ctrl+Shift+VCmd+Shift+V Paste in place Moving art between artboards and files without position drift, all day long.
Ctrl+7Cmd+7 Make clipping mask Core masking operation that interrupts flow when hunted in menus.
Ctrl+Shift+OCmd+Shift+O Create outlines from text Every logo/print handoff ends with outlining type.
Ctrl+YCmd+Y Toggle outline/preview mode Constant back-and-forth check while cleaning up paths.
I hand-build small-batch programmable macropads (QMK/VIA) in Barcelona. One press, any shortcut, any app.
Adobe Illustrator shortcut FAQs
What is the difference between the Selection tool (V) and Direct Selection tool (A) in Illustrator?
V selects and moves whole objects or groups, while A selects individual anchor points and path segments so you can reshape paths.
How do I convert text to outlines in Illustrator?
Select the text object and press Ctrl+Shift+O (Cmd+Shift+O on Mac). This turns live type into editable vector paths, commonly done before sending logo files.
How do I repeat my last transformation in Illustrator?
Press Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on Mac) to run Transform Again. It repeats the last move, rotate, scale, or duplicate-transform, which is the classic way to build radial patterns.
How do I lock or hide objects in Illustrator with the keyboard?
Ctrl+2 locks the selection and Ctrl+3 hides it (Cmd on Mac). Add Alt/Option to those combinations to unlock all or show all again.
Why did my artwork turn into wireframes in Illustrator?
You pressed Ctrl+Y (Cmd+Y), which toggles Outline mode. It shows only paths for precise editing; press the same shortcut again to return to Preview mode.