This document describes the default keyboard shortcuts of Inkscape, corresponding to the share/keys/default.xml file in Inkscape distribution. Most (but not all) of these keys are configurable by the user; see the default.xml file for details on how to do that.
Unless noted otherwise, keypad keys (such as arrows, Home, End, +, -, digits) are supposed to work the same as corresponding regular keys. If you have a new shortcut idea, please contact the developers (by writing to the devel mailing list or by submitting an RFE).
Tools | ||
| F1, s | Selector | |
| Space | Selector (temporary) | |
| Space switches to the Selector tool temporarily; another Space switches back. | ||
| F2, n | Node tool | |
| F3, z | Zoom tool | |
| F4, r | Rectangle tool | |
| F5, e | Ellipse/arc tool | |
| F6, p | Freehand (Pencil) tool | |
| Shift+F6, b | Bezier (Pen) tool | |
| Ctrl+F6, c | Calligraphic tool | |
| Ctrl+F1, g | Gradient tool | |
| F7, d | Dropper tool | |
| F8, t | Text tool | |
| F9, i | Spiral tool | |
| Shift+F9, * | Star tool | |
| Ctrl+F2, o | Connector tool | |
| Double click on the tool buttons opens the Preferences dialog showing the page of the corresponding tool. | ||
Dialogs | ||
| Shift+Ctrl+F | Fill and Stroke | |
| Shift+Ctrl+W | Swatches | |
| Shift+Ctrl+T | Text and Font | |
| Shift+Ctrl+M | Transform | |
| Shift+Ctrl+L | Layers | |
| Shift+Ctrl+A | Align and Distribute | |
| Shift+Ctrl+O | Object Properties | |
| Shift+Ctrl+X | XML Editor | |
| Shift+Ctrl+D | Document Preferences | |
| Shift+Ctrl+P | Inkscape Preferences | |
| Shift+Ctrl+E | Export to PNG | |
| Ctrl+F | Find | |
| Shift+Alt+B | Trace bitmap | |
| These open a new dialog window if it wasn't open yet, otherwise the corresponding dialog gets focus. | ||
Toggle visibility | ||
| F12 | toggle dialogs | |
| This temporarily hides all open dialogs; another F12 shows them again. | ||
Within a dialog | ||
| Esc | return to the canvas | |
| Ctrl+F4, Ctrl+W | close the dialog | |
| Tab | jump to next widget | |
| Shift+Tab | jump to previous widget | |
| Enter | set the new value | |
| This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas. | ||
| Ctrl+Enter | in XML Editor, set the attr value | |
| When editing an attribute value in XML Editor, this sets the new value (same as clicking the "Set attribute" button). | ||
| Space, Enter | activate current button or list | |
| Ctrl+PgUp, Ctrl+PgDn | in a multi-tab dialog, switch tabs | |
Controls bar | ||
| The Controls bar at the top of the document window provides different buttons and controls for each tool. | ||
| Alt+X | jump to the first editable field | |
| Enter | accept the new value | |
| This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas. | ||
| Esc | cancel changes, return to canvas | |
| This cancels any changes you made in a text field and returns focus to canvas. | ||
| Ctrl+Z | cancel changes | |
| This cancels any changes you made in a text field but you stay in the field. | ||
| Tab | jump to next field | |
| Shift+Tab | jump to previous field | |
| Use these to navigate between fields in the Controls bar (the value in the field you leave, if changed, is accepted). | ||
Changing values | ||
| Up arrow, Down arrow | change value by 0.1 | |
| PgUp, PgDn | change value by 5.0 | |
Canvas | ||
Zoom | ||
| =, + | zoom in | |
| - | zoom out | |
| The keypad +/- keys do zooming even when you are editing a text object, unless NumLock is on. | ||
| middle click, Ctrl+right click | zoom in | |
| Shift+middle click, Shift+right click | zoom out | |
| Ctrl+mouse wheel | zoom in or out | |
| Shift+middle button drag | zoom into the area | |
| Alt+Z | activate zoom field | |
| The zoom field in the lower left corner of the window allows you to specify zoom level precisely. | ||
Preset zooms | ||
| 1 | zoom 1:1 | |
| 2 | zoom 1:2 | |
| 3 | zoom to selection | |
| 4 | zoom to drawing | |
| 5 | zoom to page | |
| Ctrl+E, 6 | zoom to page width | |
Zoom history | ||
| ` | (back quote) previous zoom | |
| Shift+` | next zoom | |
| With these keys, you can travel back and forth through the history of zooms in this session | ||
Scrolling (panning) | ||
| Ctrl+arrows | scroll canvas | |
| Scrolling by keys is accelerated, i.e. it speeds up when you press Ctrl+arrows in quick succession, or press and hold. | ||
| middle button drag | pan canvas | |
| Shift+right button drag, Ctrl+right button drag | pan canvas | |
| mouse wheel | scroll canvas vertically | |
| Shift+mouse wheel | scroll canvas horizontally | |
Guides and grid | ||
| mouse drag | drag off a ruler to create guide | |
| Drag off the horizontal or vertical ruler to create a new guideline. Drag a guideline onto the ruler to delete it. | ||
| |, Shift+\ | toggle guides and snapping to guides | |
| If you want to have different values for guides visibility and snapping, set them via the Document Options dialog. | ||
| When you create a new guide by dragging off the ruler, guide visibility and snapping are turned on. | ||
| #, Shift+3 | toggle grid and snapping to grid | |
| If you want to have different values for grid visibility and snapping, set them via the Document Options dialog. | ||
| Note that only the 3 key on the main keyboard works, not on the keypad. | ||
Palette | ||
| These keys work both in the floating palette dialog and in the palette frame at the bottom of the window. | ||
| click | set fill color on selection | |
| Shift+click | set stroke color on selection | |
| mouse drag | drag fill color to objects | |
| Shift+mouse drag | drag stroke color to objects | |
| To change fill/stroke of an object by dragging color on it, that object need not be selected. | ||
| You can also drag colors to the Fill (F) and Stroke (S) indicators in the statusbar to change the selection. | ||
File | ||
| Ctrl+N | create new document | |
| Ctrl+O | open an SVG document | |
| Shift+Ctrl+E | export to PNG | |
| Ctrl+I | import bitmap or SVG | |
| Ctrl+P | print document | |
| Ctrl+S | save document | |
| Shift+Ctrl+S | save under a new name | |
| Ctrl+Q | exit Inkscape | |
Window | ||
| Ctrl+R | toggle rulers | |
| Ctrl+B | toggle scrollbars | |
| F11 | toggle fullscreen | |
| F10 | main menu | |
| Menus can also be activated by Alt with the letter underscored in the menu name. | ||
| Shift+F10, right click | drop-down (context) menu | |
| Ctrl+F4, Ctrl+W | close document window | |
| This shuts down Inkscape if it was the only document window open. | ||
| Ctrl+Tab | next document window | |
| Shift+Ctrl+Tab | previous document window | |
| These cycle through the active document windows forward and backward. | ||
Layers | ||
| Shift+PgUp | move to layer above | |
| Shift+PgDn | move to layer below | |
| These commands move the selected objects from one layer to another. | ||
| Shift+Ctrl+PgUp | raise layer | |
| Shift+Ctrl+PgDn | lower layer | |
| Shift+Ctrl+Home | raise layer to top | |
| Shift+Ctrl+End | lower layer to bottom | |
| These commands move the current layer among its siblings (normally other layers). | ||
Object | ||
Undo/redo | ||
| Shift+Ctrl+Y, Ctrl+Z | undo | |
| Shift+Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y | redo | |
Clipboard | ||
| Ctrl+C | copy selection | |
| This places a copy of the selection to the Inkscape clipboard. Text from text objects is also placed onto the system clipboard. | ||
| Ctrl+X | cut selection | |
| This works the same as "copy selection" followed by deleting the selection. | ||
| Ctrl+V | paste clipboard | |
| This places the clipboard objects at the mouse cursor, or at the center of the window if mouse is outside the canvas. | ||
| When editing text with the text tool, this pastes the text from the system clipboard into the current text object. | ||
| Ctrl+Alt+V | paste in place | |
| This places the clipboard objects to the original location from which they were copied. | ||
| Shift+Ctrl+V | paste style | |
| This applies the style of the (first of the) coped object(s) to the current selection. | ||
| If a gradient handle (in Gradient tool) or a text span (in Text tool) are selected, they get the style instead of the entire object. | ||
Duplicate | ||
| Ctrl+D | duplicate selection | |
| New object(s) are placed exactly over the original(s) and selected. | ||
Clone | ||
| Alt+D | clone object | |
| A clone can be moved/scaled/rotated/skewed independently, but it updates the path, fill, and stroke from its original. | ||
| The clone is placed exactly over the original object and is selected. | ||
| You can only clone one object at a time; if you want to clone several objects together, group them and clone the group. | ||
| Shift+Alt+D | unlink clone | |
| Unlinking a clone cuts the link to the original, turning the clone into a plain copy. | ||
| Shift+D | select original | |
| To find out which object this is a clone of, select the clone and give this command. The original will be selected. | ||
Bitmaps | ||
| Alt+B | create a bitmap copy | |
| This exports the selected object(s) (all other objects hidden) as PNG in the document's directory and imports it back. | ||
| The imported bitmap is placed over the original selection and is selected. | ||
| Shift+Alt+B | trace bitmap | |
| This opens the Trace Bitmap dialog allowing you to convert a bitmap object to path(s). | ||
Patterns | ||
| Alt+I | object(s) to pattern | |
| This converts the selection to a rectangle with tiled pattern fill. | ||
| Shift+Alt+I | pattern to object(s) | |
| Each selected object with pattern fill is broken into the same object without fill and a single pattern object. | ||
Group | ||
| Shift+Ctrl+U, Ctrl+G | group selected objects | |
| Use Ctrl+click to select objects within group. | ||
| Shift+Ctrl+G, Ctrl+U | ungroup selected group(s) | |
| This removes only one level of grouping; press Ctrl+U repeatedly to ungroup nested groups. | ||
Z-order | ||
| Home | raise selection to top | |
| End | lower selection to bottom | |
| PgUp | raise selection one step | |
| PgDn | lower selection one step | |
Path | ||
Convert to path | ||
| Shift+Ctrl+C | convert selected object(s) to path | |
| Ctrl+Alt+C | convert stroke to path | |
Booleans | ||
| Ctrl++ | union | |
| Union combines any number of objects into a single path, removing overlaps. | ||
| Ctrl+- | difference | |
| Difference works on 2 objects, extracting the top from the bottom. | ||
| Ctrl+* | intersection | |
| Intersection creates a path representing the common (overlapping) area of all selected objects. | ||
| Ctrl+^ | exclusive OR (XOR) | |
| XOR is similar to Union, except that it works on 2 objects and removes areas where the objects overlap. | ||
| Ctrl+/ | division (cut) | |
| Division cuts the bottom object into pieces by the top object, preserving the fill and stroke of the bottom. | ||
| Ctrl+Alt+/ | cut path | |
| Cut Path cuts the bottom object's stroke only where it is intersected by the top path, removing any fill from the result. | ||
| The result of Union, Difference, Intersection, and XOR inherits the id= attribute and therefore the clones of the bottom object. | ||
| Division and Cut path normally produce several objects; of them, a random one inherits the id= of the bottom source object. | ||
Offsets | ||
| Ctrl+( | inset path (towards center) | |
| Ctrl+) | outset path (away from center) | |
| The default offset distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). | ||
| Alt+( | inset path by 1 pixel | |
| Alt+) | outset path by 1 pixel | |
| Shift+Alt+( | inset path by 10 pixels | |
| Shift+Alt+) | outset path by 10 pixels | |
| The actual distance for pixel offsets depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment. | ||
| All the (, ) commands convert the object to path, if necessary, and produce regular path. | ||
| Ctrl+J | create dynamic offset | |
| Ctrl+Alt+J | create linked offset | |
| These commands produce an offset object, editable by the node tool, standalone or linked to the original. | ||
| Shift+D | select source | |
| Selecting a linked offset and giving this command will select the source path of the linked offset. | ||
Combine | ||
| Ctrl+K | combine paths | |
| This is different from grouping in that combined paths create one object. | ||
| This is different from Union in that overlapping areas are not affected. | ||
| Whether overlapping areas are filled is controlled by the Fill: winding/alternating switch on the Fill & Stroke dialog. | ||
| Shift+Ctrl+K | break paths apart | |
| This attempts to break an object into constituent paths; it will fail if the object is one solid path. | ||
Simplify | ||
| Ctrl+L | simplify | |
| This command attempts to simplify selected path(s) by removing extra nodes. It converts all objects to paths first. | ||
| If you invoke this command several times in quick succession, it will act more and more aggressively. | ||
| Invoking Simplify again after a pause restores the default threshold (settable in the Inkscape Preferences dialog). | ||
Selector | ||
Keyboard select | ||
| Tab | select next object | |
| Shift+Tab | select previous object | |
| These keys pick objects in their z-order (Tab cycles from bottom to top, Shift+Tab cycles from top to bottom). | ||
| Unless you did manual rearrangements, the last object you created is always on top. | ||
| As a result, if nothing is selected, pressing Shift+Tab once conveniently selects the object you created last. | ||
| This works on objects within the current layer (unless you change that in preferences). | ||
| Ctrl+A | select all (current layer) | |
| This works on objects within the current layer (unless you change that in preferences). | ||
| Ctrl+Alt+A | select all (all layers) | |
| This works on objects in all visible and unlocked layers. | ||
| ! | invert selection (current layer) | |
| This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in the current layer. | ||
| Alt+! | invert selection (all layers) | |
| This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in visible and unlocked layers. | ||
| Esc | deselect | |
| Backspace, Del | delete selection | |
Keyboard move | ||
| arrows | move selection by the nudge distance | |
| Shift+arrows | move selection by 10x nudge distance | |
| The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). | ||
| Alt+arrows | move selection by 1 pixel | |
| Alt+Shift+arrows | move selection by 10 pixels | |
| The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. | ||
Keyboard scale | ||
| ., > | scale selection up by the scale step | |
| ,, < | scale selection down by the scale step | |
| The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). | ||
| Ctrl+., Ctrl+> | scale selection to 200% | |
| Ctrl+,, Ctrl+< | scale selection to 50% | |
| Alt+., Alt+> | scale selection up by 1 pixel | |
| Alt+,, Alt+< | scale selection down by 1 pixel | |
| The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling. | ||
| Scaling is uniform around the center, so that the size increment applies to the larger of the two dimensions. | ||
Keyboard rotate | ||
| [, ] | rotate selection by the angle step | |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise. | ||
| Ctrl+[, Ctrl+] | rotate selection by 90 degrees | |
| Alt+[, Alt+] | rotate selection by 1 pixel | |
| The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. | ||
| These commands use the rotation center, draggable in Selector (by default it's in geometric center). | ||
Keyboard flip | ||
| h | flip selection horizontally | |
| v | flip selection vertically | |
Mouse select | ||
| click | select an object | |
| When you left-click on an object, previous selection is deselected. | ||
| Shift+click | toggle selection | |
| Shift+click adds an object to the current selection if it was not selected, or deselects it otherwise. | ||
| clickclick | edit the object | |
| For paths, double clicking switches to Node tool; for shapes, to corresponding shape tool; for text, to Text tool. | ||
| For groups, double clicking performs the "Enter group" command (the group becomes temporary layer). | ||
| Double clicking in empty space swithes to the parent layer in the hierarchy, if any. | ||
Select within group, select under | ||
| Ctrl+click | select within group | |
| Ctrl+click selects the object at click point disregarding any levels of grouping that this object might belong to. | ||
| Ctrl+Shift+click | toggle selection within group | |
| Alt+click | select under | |
| Alt+click selects the object at click point which is beneath (in z-order) the lowest selected object at click point. | ||
| If the bottom object is reached, Alt+click again selects the top object. So, several Alt+clicks cycle through z-order stack at point. | ||
| On Linux, Alt+click and Alt+drag may be reserved by the window manager. Reconfigure it so you can use them in Inkscape. | ||
| Shift+Alt+click | toggle under | |
| Ctrl+Alt+click | select under, in groups | |
| Shift+Ctrl+Alt+click | toggle under, in groups | |
| Ctrl+Enter | enter group | |
| Ctrl+Backspace | go to parent group/layer | |
Rubberband | ||
| mouse drag | select multiple objects | |
| Dragging around objects does "rubberband" selection; previous selection is deselected. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | add objects to selection | |
| Normally, you need to start from an empty space to initiate a rubberband. | ||
| However, if you press Shift before dragging, Inkscape will do rubberband selection even if you start from an object. | ||
Mouse move | ||
| mouse drag | select + move | |
| Dragging an object selects it if it was not selected, then moves selection. | ||
| Alt+mouse drag | move selected | |
| Alt+drag moves the current selection (without selecting what is under cursor), no matter where you start the drag. | ||
| On Linux, Alt+click and Alt+drag may be reserved by the window manager. Reconfigure it so you can use them in Inkscape. | ||
| Ctrl+mouse drag | restrict movement to horizontal or vertical | |
| Shift+mouse drag | temporarily disable snapping | |
| This temporaily disables snapping to grid or guides when you are dragging with grid or guides on. | ||
| mouse dragSpace | drop a copy | |
| When dragging or transforming with mouse, each Space leaves a copy of the selected object. | ||
| You can press and hold Space while dragging for a nice "trail." | ||
Mouse transform | ||
| click | toggle scale/rotation handles | |
| mouse drag | scale (scale handles) | |
| mouse drag | rotate or skew (rotation handles) | |
Scale handles | ||
| mouse drag | scale | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | scale preserving aspect ratio | |
| Shift+mouse drag | symmetric transformation | |
| Holding Shift while transforming makes transformation symmetric around the center of the selection. | ||
| Alt+mouse drag | slow movement | |
| Holding Alt while transforming makes transformation lag behind mouse movement, allowing finer changes. | ||
Rotation/skew handles | ||
| mouse drag | rotate or skew | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap skew angle | |
| Holding Ctrl when dragging a skew (non-corner) handle snaps the skew angle to angle steps (default 15 degrees). | ||
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap rotation angle | |
| Holding Ctrl when dragging a rotation (corner) handle snaps the rotation angle to angle steps (default 15 degrees). | ||
Rotation center | ||
| mouse drag | move rotation center | |
| Moved rotation center remembers its position for (all) selected object(s) until you reset it. | ||
| Shift+click | reset rotation center | |
| Resetting rotation center moves it back to the geometric center of the object's or selection's bounding box. | ||
Cancel | ||
| Esc | cancel rubberband, move, transformation | |
| Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, move, or transformation of any kind. | ||
Node tool | ||
Keyboard select | ||
| Tab | select next node | |
| Shift+Tab | select previous node | |
| These keys select nodes within the selected path | ||
| Ctrl+A | select all nodes in subpath(s) | |
| If the path has multiple subpaths and some nodes selected, this selects all only in subpaths with already selected nodes. | ||
| Ctrl+Alt+A | select all nodes in path | |
| This selects all nodes in the entire path. | ||
| ! | invert selection in subpath(s) | |
| If the path has multiple subpaths and some nodes selected, this inverts selection only in subpaths with already selected nodes. | ||
| Alt+! | invert selection in path | |
| This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in the entire path. | ||
| Esc | deselect all nodes | |
Keyboard move | ||
| arrows | move selected node(s) by the nudge distance | |
| Shift+arrows | move selected node(s) by 10x nudge distance | |
| The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). | ||
| Alt+arrows | move selected node(s) by 1 pixel | |
| Alt+Shift+arrows | move selected node(s) by 10 pixels | |
| The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. | ||
Keyboard handle scale (1 node selected) | ||
| <, > | contract/expand both handles by scale step | |
| The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). May apply to more than one node. | ||
| Left Ctrl+<, Left Ctrl+> | scale left handle by the scale step | |
| Right Ctrl+<, Right Ctrl+> | scale right handle by the scale step | |
| Left Alt+<, Left Alt+> | scale left handle by 1 pixel | |
| Right Alt+<, Right Alt+> | scale right handle by 1 pixel | |
| The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling. | ||
| Instead of the < and > keys, you can use the , (comma) and . (period) keys respectively. | ||
Keyboard handle rotate (1 node selected) | ||
| [, ] | rotate both handles by the angle step | |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise. May apply to more than one node. | ||
| Left Ctrl+[, Left Ctrl+] | rotate left handle by the angle step | |
| Right Ctrl+[, Right Ctrl+] | rotate right handle by the angle step | |
| Left Alt+[, Left Alt+] | rotate left handle by 1 pixel | |
| Right Alt+[, Right Alt+] | rotate right handle by 1 pixel | |
Keyboard scale (>1 nodes selected) | ||
| These commands scale the selected nodes as if they were an "object", around the center of that object. | ||
| ., > | scale nodes up by the scale step | |
| ,, < | scale nodes down by the scale step | |
| The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). | ||
| Alt+., Alt+> | scale nodes up by 1 pixel | |
| Alt+,, Alt+< | scale nodes down by 1 pixel | |
| The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling. | ||
| Scaling is uniform around the center, so that the size increment applies to the larger of the two dimensions. | ||
Keyboard rotate (>1 nodes selected) | ||
| These commands rotate the selected nodes as if they were an "object", around the center of that object. | ||
| [, ] | rotate nodes by the angle step | |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise. | ||
| Alt+[, Alt+] | rotate nodes by 1 pixel | |
| The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. | ||
Keyboard flip (>1 nodes selected) | ||
| These commands flip the selected nodes as if they were an "object", around the center of that object. | ||
| h | flip nodes horizontally | |
| v | flip nodes vertically | |
Change segment(s) | ||
| Shift+L | make line | |
| Shift+U | make curve | |
| These commands require that more than two adjacent nodes be selected. | ||
Change node type | ||
| Shift+C | make cusp | |
| Shift+S | make smooth | |
| Shift+Y | make symmetric | |
| When making smooth or symmetric, you can lock the position of one of the handles by hovering mouse over it. | ||
| Ctrl+click | toggle smooth/cusp/symmetric | |
Join/break | ||
| Shift+J | join selected nodes | |
| This requires that exactly two end nodes within the path be selected. | ||
| You can lock the position of one of the two joined nodes by hovering mouse over it. | ||
| Shift+B | break selected node(s) | |
| After break, only one of each two new nodes is selected. May apply to more than one node. | ||
Delete, create, duplicate | ||
| Backspace, Del | delete selected node(s) | |
| Ctrl+Backspace, Ctrl+Del | delete without preserving shape | |
| Deleting without Ctrl adjusts handles on the remaining nodes to preserve the shape of the curve as much as possible. | ||
| Deleting with Ctrl does not touch the remaining nodes. | ||
| Ctrl+Alt+click | create/delete node | |
| Ctrl+Alt+click on a node deletes it; Ctrl+Alt+click on the path between nodes creates a new node in the click point. | ||
| Deleting nodes this way always tries to preserve the shape of the curve (same as Del/Backspace). | ||
| clickclick | create node | |
| Double clicking on the path between nodes creates a node in the click point. | ||
| Ins | insert new node(s) | |
| This adds new node(s) in the middle(s) of selected segment(s), so it requires that more than two adjacent nodes be selected. | ||
| Shift+D | duplicate selected node(s) | |
| New nodes are created on the same path; they are placed exactly over the old ones and are selected. | ||
Mouse select: objects | ||
| click | click a non-selected object to select | |
| Alt+click | select under | |
| Shift+click | toggle selection | |
| These work the same as in Selector. The nodes or handles of the single selected object become editable. | ||
Mouse select: nodes | ||
| click | select a node | |
| Clicking on a node selects it. | ||
| click | select two adjacent nodes | |
| Clicking on a selected path between the nodes selects the two nodes closest to the click point. | ||
| Shift+click | toggle selection | |
| This adds/removes a node (if clicked on node) or two nodes (if clicked on path) to/from the node selection. | ||
| click | deselect | |
| Clicking in an empty space deselects all selected nodes. Next click will deselect the object. | ||
Rubberband | ||
| mouse drag | select multiple nodes | |
| Dragging around nodes does "rubberband" selection; previous node selection is deselected. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | add nodes to selection | |
| Normally, you need to start from a point not over a path or a node to initiate a rubberband. | ||
| However, if you press Shift before dragging, Inkscape will do rubberband selection even if you start over the path. | ||
Node move (mouse) | ||
| mouse drag | move selected nodes | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | restrict movement to horizontal or vertical | |
| Ctrl+Alt+mouse drag | move along handles | |
| This restricts movement to the directions of the node's handles, their continuations and perpendiculars (total 8 snaps). | ||
| If the node has straight lines on one or both sides, this will snap it to these lines' directions and perpendiculars instead. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | temporarily disable snapping | |
| Snapping nodes is enabled in Document Preferences. By default, only bounding box of objects snaps to grid/guides. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | drag out handle | |
| If a node has a retracted handle, dragging with Shift lets you drag it out of the node. | ||
| mouse dragSpace | drop a copy | |
| When dragging nodes with mouse, each Space leaves a copy of the selected object. | ||
| You can press and hold Space while dragging for a nice "trail." | ||
Node handles | ||
| mouse drag | move a node handle | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap the handle to angle steps | |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. This also snaps to the handle's original angle, its continuation and perpendiculars. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | rotate both handles | |
| Alt+mouse drag | lock the handle length | |
| Ctrl, Shift, Alt can be combined when dragging handles. | ||
| Ctrl+click | retract the handle | |
| Retracted handle is zero length; use Shift+drag to drag it back out. | ||
Reversing | ||
| Shift+r | reverse path direction | |
Editing shapes | ||
| Node tool can also drag the handles of shapes (rectangles, ellipses, stars, spirals). Click on a shape to select it. | ||
| See the corresponding shape tools for their editing shortcuts, all of which also work in node tool. | ||
Cancel | ||
| Esc | cancel rubberband or move | |
| Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, node move, handle move, or handle move. | ||
Rectangle tool | ||
Drawing | ||
| mouse drag | draw a rectangle | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | make a square or integer-ratio rectangle | |
| This restricts rectangle so its height/width ratio is a whole number. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | draw around the starting point | |
| This creates a rectangle symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag. | ||
Editing | ||
| click | click an object to select | |
| Alt+click | select under | |
| Shift+click | toggle selection | |
| mouse drag | drag a handle to resize or round corners | |
| Initially, the two rounding handles are in the top right corner; two resize handles are in top left and bottom right corners. | ||
| Ctrl+mouse drag | lock width, height, or ratio (resize handles) | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | lock the corner circular (rounding handles) | |
| Resize handles change the width and height of the rectangle in its own coordinate system, before any transforms are applied. | ||
| When rounding corners, dragging only one rounding handle (with the other at the corner) keeps the corner circular. | ||
| You can drag both handles for an elliptic rounded corner, or drag one with Ctrl to make sure the other one is synchronized. | ||
| Esc | deselect | |
Ellipse tool | ||
Drawing | ||
| mouse drag | draw an ellipse | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | make circle or integer-ratio ellipse | |
| This restricts ellipse so its height/width ratio is a whole number. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | draw around the starting point | |
| This creates an ellipse symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag. | ||
Editing | ||
| click | click an object to select | |
| Alt+click | select under | |
| Shift+click | toggle selection | |
| mouse drag | drag a handle to resize, make arc or segment | |
| Initially, the two arc/segment handles are in the rightmost point; two resize handles are at the topmost and leftmost points. | ||
| Ctrl+mouse drag | lock circle (resize handles) | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap to angle steps (arc/segment handles) | |
| Resize handles change the width and height of the ellipse in its own coordinate system, before any transforms are applied. | ||
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. | ||
| Esc | deselect | |
Star tool | ||
Drawing | ||
| mouse drag | draw a star | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap star to angle steps | |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. | ||
Editing | ||
| click | click an object to select | |
| Alt+click | select under | |
| Shift+click | toggle selection | |
| mouse drag | drag a handle to vary the star shape | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | keep star rays radial (no skew) | |
| Shift+mouse drag | round the star | |
| Shift+click | remove rounding | |
| Alt+mouse drag | randomize the star | |
| Alt+click | remove randomization | |
| Esc | deselect | |
Spiral tool | ||
Drawing | ||
| mouse drag | draw a spiral | |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap spiral to angle steps | |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. | ||
Editing | ||
| click | click an object to select | |
| Alt+click | select under | |
| Shift+click | toggle selection | |
| mouse drag | roll/unroll from inside (inner handle) | |
| Dragging the inner handle adjusts the "inner radius" parameter. | ||
| Alt+mouse drag | converge/diverge (inner handle) | |
| Alt+click | reset divergence (inner handle) | |
| Vertical Alt+drag of the inner handle adjusts the "divergence" parameter, Alt+click resets it to 1. | ||
| Shift+click | zero inner radius (inner handle) | |
| Shift+click on inner handle makes the spiral start from the center. | ||
| mouse drag | roll/unroll from outside (outer handle) | |
| Dragging the outer handle adjusts the "turns" parameter. Use Shift+Alt+drag to roll/unroll without changing radius. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | scale/rotate (outer handle) | |
| Use Shift+Alt to rotate only (locks the radius of the spiral). | ||
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap handles to angle steps | |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. This works for both handles. | ||
| Esc | deselect | |
Zoom tool | ||
| click | zoom in | |
| Shift+click | zoom out | |
| mouse drag | zoom into the area | |
Pencil tool | ||
| mouse drag | draw a freehand line | |
| Shift+mouse drag | add to selected path | |
| If a path is selected, Shift+dragging anywhere creates a new subpath instead of a new independent path. | ||
| Shift+mouse drag | temporarily disable snapping | |
| Shift also temporaily disables snapping to grid or guides when you are drawing with grid or guides on. | ||
Pen (Bezier) tool | ||
Create nodes | ||
| click | create a sharp node | |
| If no path is being created, this starts a new path. | ||
| Shift+click | add to selected path | |
| If a path is selected, Shift+clicking anywhere starts a new subpath instead of a new independent path. | ||
| mouse drag | create a bezier node with two handles | |
| Shift+mouse drag | move only one handle | |
| This moves only one handle (instead of both) while creating a node, making it cusp. | ||
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap the handle to angle steps | |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. | ||
Move last node | ||
| These commands move the last created node (at the start of the red segment) while creating a path. | ||
| arrows | move last node by the nudge distance | |
| Shift+arrows | move last node by 10x nudge distance | |
| The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). | ||
| Alt+arrows | move last node by 1 pixel | |
| Alt+Shift+arrows | move last node by 10 pixels | |
| The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. | ||
Create/modify segments | ||
| Ctrl+ | snap last segment to angle steps | |
| This snaps the new node's angle, relative to the previous node, to angle steps (default 15 degrees). | ||
| Shift+L | make last segment line | |
| Shift+U | make last segment curve | |
| These commands change the last (red) segment of the path to straight line or curve. | ||
Finish | ||
| Enter | finish current line | |
| right click | finish current line | |
| clickclick | finish current line | |
| Enter, right click, or double left click finish the current line, discarding the last unfinished (red) segment. | ||
Cancel | ||
| Esc, Ctrl+z | cancel current line | |
| Backspace, Del | erase last segment of current line | |
Calligraphy | ||
| mouse drag | draw a calligraphic line | |
| Left arrow, Right arrow | adjust pen width | |
| Up arrow, Down arrow | adjust pen angle | |
| Width and angle can be adjusted while drawing. | ||
| Esc | deselect | |
Gradient tool | ||
Creating gradients | ||
| mouse drag | create gradient | |
| This creates gradient on selected objects. The Controls bar lets you select linear/radial and fill/stroke for the new gradient. | ||
| clickclick | create default gradient | |
| This creates default (horizontal edge-to-edge for linear, centered edge-to-edge-to-edge for radial) gradient on clicked object. | ||
Handles | ||
| Tab | select next handle | |
| Shift+Tab | select previous handle | |
| arrows | move selected handle by the nudge distance | |
| Shift+arrows | move selected handle by 10x nudge distance | |
| The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). | ||
| Alt+arrows | move selected handle by 1 pixel | |
| Alt+Shift+arrows | move selected handle by 10 pixels | |
| The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. | ||
| Esc | deselect handle | |
| clickclick | open gradient editor | |
| Double clicking a gradient handle opens the Gradient Editor with that gradient and the clicked handle chosen in the stops list. | ||
Reversing | ||
| Shift+r | reverse gradient definition | |
| This mirrors the stop positions of the current gradient without moving the gradient handles. | ||
Mouse select | ||
| click | click an object to select | |
| Alt+click | select under | |
| Shift+click | toggle selection | |
Dropper tool | ||
| click | pick fill color | |
| Shift+click | pick stroke color | |
| mouse drag | average fill color | |
| Shift+mouse drag | average stroke color | |
| Click applies the color under cursor to the current selection. Dragging a radius calculates the average color of a circular area. | ||
| If a gradient handle (in Gradient tool) is selected, it gets the color instead of the entire object. | ||
| Alt+click, Alt+mouse drag | pick inverse color | |
| If Alt is pressed, picking color (with or without Shift, by click or by drag) picks the inverse of the color. | ||
| Ctrl+C | copy color | |
| This copies the color under cursor to the system clipboard, as text in RRGGBBAA format (8 hex digits). | ||
Text tool | ||
Selecting/creating | ||
| click | create/select a text object | |
| Clicking in an empty space or on a non-text creates a text object; now you can type your text. | ||
| Clicking on a text object selects it; cursor is placed near the click point. | ||
| Esc | deselect the text object | |
Text navigation | ||
| arrows | move cursor by one character | |
| Ctrl+Left arrow, Ctrl+Right arrow | move cursor by one word | |
| Ctrl+Up arrow, Ctrl+Down arrow | move cursor by one paragraph | |
| Home, End | go to beginning/end of line | |
| Ctrl+Home, Ctrl+End | go to beginning/end of text | |
| All these commands cancel current text selection, if any. | ||
Flowed text (internal frame) | ||
| mouse drag | create flowed text | |
| Clicking and dragging in an empty space or on a non-text creates a flowed text object with internal frame. | ||
| mouse drag | adjust frame size | |
| Dragging the handle in the lower right corner of the selected flowed text changes width/height of the frame. | ||
| Ctrl+mouse drag | lock width, height, or ratio of frame | |
| Dragging the corner handle with Ctrl resizes the frame preserving either width, or height, or ratio. | ||
Flowed text (external frame) | ||
| Alt+W | flow text into frame | |
| With a text object and a shape/path selected, this flows text into the shape/path. | ||
| Both remain separate objects, but are linked; editing the shape/path causes the text to reflow. | ||
| Alt+Shift+W | unflow text from frame | |
| This cuts the flowed text's link to the shape/path, producing a single-line regular text object. | ||
| Shift+D | select external frame | |
| To find out which object is the frame of this flowed text, select it and press Shift+D. The frame will be selected. | ||
Text on path | ||
| Shift+D | select path from text | |
| To find out which path this text is put on, select it and press Shift+D. The path will be selected. | ||
Editing text | ||
| To type + and - characters, use the main keyboard; keypad + and - are reserved for zoom (unless NumLock is on). | ||
| Enter | start a new line or paragraph | |
| Enter in regular text creates new line; in flowed text it creates a new paragraph | ||
| Ctrl+U | toggle Unicode entry | |
| To insert an arbitrary Unicode character, type Ctrl+U, then the hexadecimal code point, then Enter. | ||
| For example, Ctrl+U 2 0 1 4 Enter inserts an em-dash. | ||
| To stay in Unicode mode after inserting the character, press Space instead of Enter. | ||
| Press Esc or another Ctrl+U to cancel Unicode mode without inserting the character. | ||
| Ctrl+Space | insert no-break space | |
| A no-break space is visible even in a text object without xml:space="preserve". | ||
Selecting text | ||
| mouse drag | select text | |
| Left-dragging over a text object selects a text span. | ||
| Shift+arrows | select text by character | |
| Ctrl+Shift+arrows | select text by word | |
| Shift+Home, Shift+End | select to beginning/end of line | |
| Ctrl+Shift+Home, Ctrl+Shift+End | select to beginning/end of text | |
| clickclick | select word | |
| clickclickclick | select line | |
| Ctrl+A | select all text | |
| This selects the entire text of the current text object. | ||
Styling selection | ||
| Ctrl+B | make selection bold | |
| Ctrl+I | make selection italic | |
| Also, you can use the Text&Font or Fill&Stroke dialogs to assign any style to text selection. | ||
Letter spacing | ||
| Alt+> | expand line/paragraph by 1 pixel | |
| Shift+Alt+> | expand line/paragraph by 10 pixels | |
| Alt+< | contract line/paragraph by 1 pixel | |
| Shift+Alt+< | contract line/paragraph by 10 pixels | |
| These commands (only when editing text) adjust letter spacing in the current line (regular text) or paragraph (flowed text). | ||
| The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment. | ||
Line spacing | ||
| Ctrl+Alt+> | make the text object taller by 1 pixel | |
| Shift+Ctrl+Alt+> | make the text object taller by 10 pixels | |
| Ctrl+Alt+< | make the text object shorter by 1 pixel | |
| Shift+Ctrl+Alt+< | make the text object shorter by 10 pixels | |
| These commands (only when editing text) adjust line spacing in the entire text object (regular or flowed). | ||
| The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment. | ||
Kerning and shifting | ||
| Alt+arrows | shift characters by 1 pixel | |
| Shift+Alt+arrows | shift characters by 10 pixels | |
| These commands work when editing a regular text object. Kerning does not work in flowed text. | ||
| With no selection, they shift (horizontally or vertically) the characters after the cursor until the end of line. | ||
| With selection, they shift the selection relative to the rest of text (by inserting opposite kerns at both ends of selection). | ||
| The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment. | ||
Rotating | ||
| Ctrl+[, Ctrl+] | rotate character(s) by 90 degrees | |
| Alt+[, Alt+] | rotate character(s) by 1 pixel | |
| These commands rotate the next character (without selection) or all characters in the selection (with selection). | ||
| Rotation only works in regular text (not flowed text). | ||
| The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. | ||