A few weeks ago I compiled a list of InDesign shortcuts that I use daily and made a A4 printable cheat sheet (You can find it here). Lots of people downloaded it, and asked me if I could make the same thing for Illustrator.
So, here it is: a single A4 printable cheat sheet that you can always have on your desk, ready to be checked. I hope this will help you memorize a few more shortcuts and be even more productive.
Even more, make sure you read this InDesign vs. Illustrator content to find the correct answer to when and why choose one software over the other.
Here are the ready-to-be-printed PDFs with the most important and used shortcuts:
- Download PDF "Illustrator shortcuts Mac OS"
- Download PDF "Illustrator shortcuts Windows"
In case you wonder, I made also a Desktop Background with these shortcuts. Here they are:
- Download Desktop Background "Illustrator shortcuts Mac OS"
- Download Desktop Background "Illustrator shortcuts Windows"
A full list of Illustrator keyboard shortcuts
Illustrators has so many shortcuts that they didn’t fit into a single A4, so the printable cheat sheet above includes only the ones that I use the most and that I believe are the most important for day to day work.
However, here is also a more exhaustive list, in case I missed your favorites.
- Shortcuts: Application
- Shortcuts: Files
- Shortcuts: Basic Operations
- Shortcuts: Tools
- Shortcuts: Object Editing
- Shortcuts: View and Navigation
- Shortcuts: Menu Commands
- Shortcuts: Text
- Shortcuts: Others
Application
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Help | F1 | F1 |
| General | ⌘ + K | Ctrl + K |
| Units | ⌘ + , | Ctrl + , |
| Hide Others | ⌥ + ⌘ + H | Alt + Ctrl + H |
| Quit Illustrator | ⌘ + Q | Ctrl + Q |
| Revert | ⌥ + ⌘ + Z | Alt + Ctrl + Z |
| Place | ⇧ + ⌘ + P | ⇧ + Ctrl + P |
| Package | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + P | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + P |
| Other Script | ⌘ + F12 | Ctrl + F12 |
| Document Setup | ⌥ + ⌘ + P | Alt + Ctrl + P |
| File Info | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + I | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + I |
| ⌘ + P | Ctrl + P | |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + K | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + K |
| Navigate to Next Document | ⌘ + ` | Ctrl + ` |
| Navigate to Previous Document | ⇧ + ⌘ + ` | ⇧ + Ctrl + ` |
Go back to the list
Files
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| New | ⌘ + N | Ctrl + N |
| New from Template | ⇧ + ⌘ + N | ⇧ + Ctrl + N |
| Open | ⌘ + O | Ctrl + O |
| Browse in Bridge | ⌥ + ⌘ + O | Alt + Ctrl + O |
| Close | ⌘ + W | Ctrl + W |
| Save | ⌘ + S | Ctrl + S |
| Save As | ⇧ + ⌘ + S | ⇧ + Ctrl + S |
| Save a Copy | ⌥ + ⌘ + S | Alt + Ctrl + S |
| Save for Web | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + S | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + S |
Go back to the list
Basic Operations
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Artboard | ⇧ + O | ⇧ + O |
| Undo | ⌘ + Z | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | ⇧ + ⌘ + Z | ⇧ + Ctrl + Z |
| Cut | ⌘ + X | Ctrl + X |
| Copy | ⌘ + C | Ctrl + C |
| Paste | ⌘ + V | Ctrl + V |
| Paste in Front | ⌘ + F | Ctrl + F |
| Paste in Back | ⌘ + B | Ctrl + B |
| Paste in Place | ⇧ + ⌘ + V | ⇧ + Ctrl + V |
| Paste on All Artboards | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + V | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + V |
| Check Spelling | ⌘ + I | Ctrl + I |
| Color Settings | ⇧ + ⌘ + K | ⇧ + Ctrl + K |
| Select All | ⌘ + A | Ctrl + A |
| Select All on Active Artboard | ⌥ + ⌘ + A | Alt + Ctrl + A |
| Deselect | ⇧ + ⌘ + A | ⇧ + Ctrl + A |
| Reselect | ⌘ + 6 | Ctrl + 6 |
| Next Object Above | ⌥ + ⌘ + ] | Alt + Ctrl + ] |
| Next Object Below | ⌥ + ⌘ + [ | Alt + Ctrl + [ |
Go back to the list
Tools
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | V | V |
| Direct Selection | A | A |
| Magic Wand | Y | Y |
| Lasso | Q | Q |
| Pen | P | P |
| Add Anchor Point | = | = |
| Delete Anchor Point | - | - |
| Anchor Point | ⇧ + C | ⇧ + C |
| Curvature Tool | ⇧ + ` | ⇧ + ` |
| Type | T | T |
| Touch Type | ⇧ + T | ⇧ + T |
| Line Segment | \ | \ |
| Rectangle | M | M |
| Ellipse | L | L |
| Paintbrush | B | B |
| Blob Brush | ⇧ + B | ⇧ + B |
| Pencil | N | N |
| Eraser | ⇧ + E | ⇧ + E |
| Scissors | C | C |
| Rotate | R | R |
| Reflect | O | O |
| Scale | S | S |
| Width | ⇧ + W | ⇧ + W |
| Warp | ⇧ + R | ⇧ + R |
| Free Transform | E | E |
| Shape Builder | ⇧ + M | ⇧ + M |
| Live Paint Bucket | K | K |
| Live Paint Selection | ⇧ + L | ⇧ + L |
| Perspective Grid | ⇧ + P | ⇧ + P |
| Perspective Selection | ⇧ + V | ⇧ + V |
| Mesh | U | U |
| Gradient | G | G |
| Eyedropper | I | I |
| Blend | W | W |
| Symbol Sprayer | ⇧ + S | ⇧ + S |
| CC Charts Tool | J | J |
| Slice | ⇧ + K | ⇧ + K |
| Hand | H | H |
| Zoom | Z | Z |
| Toggle Fill/Stroke | X | X |
| Default | D | D |
| Swap Fill/Stroke | ⇧ + X | ⇧ + X |
| Color | , | , |
| Gradient | . | . |
| None | / | / |
| Toggle Screen Mode | F | F |
| Show/Hide All Palettes | Tab | Tab |
| Show/Hide All But Toolbox | ⇧ + Tab | ⇧ + Tab |
| Increase Diameter | ] | ] |
| Decrease Diameter | [ | [ |
| Symbolism Tools - Increase Intensity | ⇧ + } | ⇧ + } |
| Symbolism Tools - Decrease Intensity | ⇧ + { | ⇧ + { |
| Toggle Drawing Mode | ⇧ + D | ⇧ + D |
Go back to the list
Object Editing
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Transform Again | ⌘ + D | Ctrl + D |
| Move | ⇧ + ⌘ + M | ⇧ + Ctrl + M |
| Bring to Front | ⇧ + ⌘ + ] | ⇧ + Ctrl + ] |
| Bring Forward | ⌘ + ] | Ctrl + ] |
| Send Backward | ⌘ + [ | Ctrl + [ |
| Send to Back | ⇧ + ⌘ + [ | ⇧ + Ctrl + [ |
| Group | ⌘ + G | Ctrl + G |
| Ungroup | ⇧ + ⌘ + G | ⇧ + Ctrl + G |
| Selection | ⌘ + 2 | Ctrl + 2 |
| Unlock All | ⌥ + ⌘ + 2 | Alt + Ctrl + 2 |
| Selection | ⌘ + 3 | Ctrl + 3 |
| Show All | ⌥ + ⌘ + 3 | Alt + Ctrl + 3 |
| Join | ⌘ + J | Ctrl + J |
| Average | ⌥ + ⌘ + J | Alt + Ctrl + J |
| Edit Pattern | ⇧ + ⌘ + F8 | ⇧ + Ctrl + F8 |
| Make | ⌥ + ⌘ + B | Alt + Ctrl + B |
| Release | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + B | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + B |
| Make with Warp | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + W | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + W |
| Make with Mesh | ⌥ + ⌘ + M | Alt + Ctrl + M |
| Make with Top Object | ⌥ + ⌘ + C | Alt + Ctrl + C |
| Make | ⌥ + ⌘ + X | Alt + Ctrl + X |
| Make | ⌘ + 7 | Ctrl + 7 |
| Release | ⌥ + ⌘ + 7 | Alt + Ctrl + 7 |
| Make | ⌘ + 8 | Ctrl + 8 |
| Release | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + 8 | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + 8 |
| Create Outlines | ⇧ + ⌘ + O | ⇧ + Ctrl + O |
| Show Hidden Characters | ⌥ + ⌘ + I | Alt + Ctrl + I |
| Apply Last Effect | ⇧ + ⌘ + E | ⇧ + Ctrl + E |
| Last Effect | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + E | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + E |
Go back to the list
View and Navigation
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Preview | ⌘ + Y | Ctrl + Y |
| GPU Preview | ⌘ + E | Ctrl + E |
| Overprint Preview | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + Y | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + Y |
| Pixel Preview | ⌥ + ⌘ + Y | Alt + Ctrl + Y |
| Zoom In | ⌘ + = | Ctrl + = |
| Zoom Out | ⌘ + - | Ctrl + - |
| Fit Artboard in Window | ⌘ + 0 | Ctrl + 0 |
| Fit All in Window | ⌥ + ⌘ + 0 | Alt + Ctrl + 0 |
| Actual Size | ⌘ + 1 | Ctrl + 1 |
Go back to the list
Menu Commands
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Hide Edges | ⌘ + H | Ctrl + H |
| Hide Artboards | ⇧ + ⌘ + H | ⇧ + Ctrl + H |
| Show Template | ⇧ + ⌘ + W | ⇧ + Ctrl + W |
| Show Rulers | ⌘ + R | Ctrl + R |
| Change to Artboard Rulers | ⌥ + ⌘ + R | Alt + Ctrl + R |
| Hide Bounding Box | ⇧ + ⌘ + B | ⇧ + Ctrl + B |
| Show Transparency Grid | ⇧ + ⌘ + D | ⇧ + Ctrl + D |
| Show Text Threads | ⇧ + ⌘ + Y | ⇧ + Ctrl + Y |
| Hide Gradient Annotator | ⌥ + ⌘ + G | Alt + Ctrl + G |
| Hide Guides | ⌘ + ; | Ctrl + ; |
| Lock Guides | ⌥ + ⌘ + ; | Alt + Ctrl + ; |
| Make Guides | ⌘ + 5 | Ctrl + 5 |
| Release Guides | ⌥ + ⌘ + 5 | Alt + Ctrl + 5 |
| Smart Guides | ⌘ + U | Ctrl + U |
| Show Grid | ⇧ + ⌘ + I | ⇧ + Ctrl + I |
| Show Grid | ⌘ + ' | Ctrl + ' |
| Snap to Grid | ⇧ + ⌘ + ' | ⇧ + Ctrl + ' |
| Snap to Point | ⌥ + ⌘ + ' | Alt + Ctrl + ' |
| Minimize Window | ⌘ + M | Ctrl + M |
| Align | ⇧ + F7 | ⇧ + F7 |
| Appearance | ⇧ + F6 | ⇧ + F6 |
| Attributes | ⌘ + F11 | Ctrl + F11 |
| Brushes | F5 | F5 |
| Color | F6 | F6 |
| Color Guide | ⇧ + F3 | ⇧ + F3 |
| Gradient | ⌘ + F9 | Ctrl + F9 |
| Graphic Styles | ⇧ + F5 | ⇧ + F5 |
| Info | ⌘ + F8 | Ctrl + F8 |
| Layers | F7 | F7 |
| Pathfinder | ⇧ + ⌘ + F9 | ⇧ + Ctrl + F9 |
| Stroke | ⌘ + F10 | Ctrl + F10 |
| Symbols | ⇧ + ⌘ + F11 | ⇧ + Ctrl + F11 |
| Transform | ⇧ + F8 | ⇧ + F8 |
| Transparency | ⇧ + ⌘ + F10 | ⇧ + Ctrl + F10 |
Go back to the list
Text
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Character | ⌘ + T | Ctrl + T |
| OpenType | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + T | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + T |
| Paragraph | ⌥ + ⌘ + T | Alt + Ctrl + T |
| Tabs | ⇧ + ⌘ + T | ⇧ + Ctrl + T |
| Insert Hyphen | ⇧ + ⌘ + - | ⇧ + Ctrl + - |
| Point Size Up | ⇧ + ⌘ + . | ⇧ + Ctrl + . |
| Point Size Down | ⇧ + ⌘ + , | ⇧ + Ctrl + , |
| Font Size Step Up | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + . | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + . |
| Font Size Step Down | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + , | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + , |
| Kern Looser | ⇧ + ⌘ + ] | ⇧ + Ctrl + ] |
| Kern Tighter | ⇧ + ⌘ + [ | ⇧ + Ctrl + [ |
| Tracking | ⌥ + ⌘ + K | Alt + Ctrl + K |
| Clear Tracking | ⌥ + ⌘ + Q | Alt + Ctrl + Q |
| Spacing | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + O | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + O |
| Uniform Type | ⇧ + ⌘ + X | ⇧ + Ctrl + X |
| Highlight Font | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + F | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + F |
| Highlight Font (Secondary) | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + M | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + M |
| Left Align Text | ⇧ + ⌘ + L | ⇧ + Ctrl + L |
| Center Text | ⇧ + ⌘ + C | ⇧ + Ctrl + C |
| Right Align Text | ⇧ + ⌘ + R | ⇧ + Ctrl + R |
| Justify Text Left | ⇧ + ⌘ + J | ⇧ + Ctrl + J |
| Justify All Lines | ⇧ + ⌘ + F | ⇧ + Ctrl + F |
| Toggle Auto Hyphenation | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + H | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + H |
| Toggle Line Composer | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + C | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + C |
Go back to the list
Others
| Command | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Switch Selection Tools | ⌥ + ⌘ + Tab | Alt + Ctrl + Tab |
| Lock Others | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + 2 | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + 2 |
| Hide Others | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + 3 | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + 3 |
| Repeat Pathfinder | ⌘ + 4 | Ctrl + 4 |
| Average & Join | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + J | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + J |
| New Symbol | F8 | F8 |
| Add New Fill | ⌘ + / | Ctrl + / |
| Add New Stroke | ⌥ + ⌘ + / | Alt + Ctrl + / |
| New Layer | ⌘ + L | Ctrl + L |
| New Layer with Dialog | ⌥ + ⌘ + L | Alt + Ctrl + L |
| Switch Units | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + U | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + U |
| New File (No Dialog) | ⌥ + ⌘ + N | Alt + Ctrl + N |
| Close All | ⌥ + ⌘ + W | Alt + Ctrl + W |
| Cut (Secondary) | F2 | F2 |
| Copy (Secondary) | F3 | F3 |
| Paste (Secondary) | F4 | F4 |
| Zoom In (Secondary) | ⌘ + + | Ctrl + + |
| Navigate to Next Document Group | ⌥ + ⌘ + ` | Alt + Ctrl + ` |
| Navigate to Previous Document Group | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + ` | Alt + ⇧ + Ctrl + ` |
Go back to the list
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