Shortcut Flow
Adobe Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac
Illustrator has one of the deepest toolboxes in design software, and almost every tool answers to a single letter. Here are 157 Mac shortcuts, from pen tool basics to artboard and type commands buried three menus deep.
All shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Add Anchor Point tool | + |
| Add new fill | ⌘/ |
| Add new stroke | ⌥⌘/ |
| Apply last effect | ⇧⌘E |
| Apply value and keep text box active | ⇧⏎ |
| Artboard tool | ⇧O |
| Average | ⌥⌘J |
| Blend tool | W |
| Blob Brush tool | ⇧B |
| Browse in Bridge | ⌥⌘O |
| Check spelling | ⌘I |
| Close Document | ⌘W |
| Color Settings... | ⇧⌘K |
| Column Graph tool | J |
| Convert Anchor Point tool | ⇧C |
| Copy | ⌘C |
| Create corner or smooth join (Select anchor) | ⌥⇧⌘J |
| Create new symbol | F8 |
| Cut | ⌘X |
| Cycle drawing modes (Normal, Behind, Inside) | ⇧D |
| Cycle screen modes | F |
| Cycle Type tools | ⇧T |
| Delete Anchor Point tool | - |
| Deselect | ⇧⌘A |
| Direct Selection tool | A |
| Document setup... | ⌥⌘P |
| Edit pattern | ⇧⌘F8 |
| Ellipse tool | L |
| Envelope Distort: Make with Mesh | ⌥⌘M |
| Envelope Distort: Make with Top Object | ⌥⌘C |
| Eraser tool | ⇧E |
| Eyedropper tool | I |
| Free Transform tool | E |
| Gradient tool | G |
| Group | ⌘G |
| Hand tool | H |
| Help | F1 |
| Hide bounding box | ⇧⌘B |
| Hide edges | ⌘H |
| Hide other application windows | ⌥⌘H |
| Hide selection | ⌘2 |
| Hide Template | ⇧⌘W |
| Join selected paths | ⌘J |
| Lasso tool | Q |
| Line Segment tool | \ |
| Live Paint Bucket tool | K |
| Live Paint Selection tool | ⇧L |
| Lock all deselected artwork | ⌥⇧⌘2 |
| Lock selection | ⌘3 |
| Magic Wand tool | Y |
| Make blend | ⌥⌘B |
| Make clipping mask | ⌘7 |
| Make compound path | ⌘8 |
| Make guides | ⌘5 |
| Make live paint | ⌥⌘X |
| Mesh tool | U |
| Minimize window | ⌘M |
| Move... | ⇧⌘M |
| Navigate to next document group | ⌥⌘F6 |
| New Document | ⌘N |
| Next document | ⌘F6 |
| Open document | ⌘O |
| Open new from template | ⇧⌘N |
| Open Preferences | ⌘K |
| Other script... | ⌘F12 |
| Paintbrush tool | B |
| Paste | ⌘V |
| Paste in back | ⌘B |
| Paste in front | ⌘F |
| Paste in place | ⇧⌘V |
| Pen tool | P |
| Pencil tool | N |
| Perspective Grid Tool | ⇧P |
| Perspective Selection Tool | ⇧V |
| Place... | ⇧⌘P |
| Previous document | ⇧⌘F6 |
| Print... | ⌘P |
| Quit | ⌘Q |
| Rectangle tool | M |
| Redo | ⇧⌘Z |
| Reflect tool | O |
| Release clipping mask | ⌥⌘7 |
| Release guides | ⌥⌘5 |
| Reselect | ⌘6 |
| Revert | ⌥⌘Z |
| Rotate tool | R |
| Save | ⌘S |
| Save as copy... | ⌥⌘S |
| Save as... | ⇧⌘S |
| Scale tool | S |
| Scissors tool | C |
| Select All | ⌘A |
| Select artwork in active artboard | ⌥⌘A |
| Select no stroke/fill mode | / |
| Selection tool | V |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 8 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 5 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 4 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 9 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 1 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 7 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 6 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 3 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 2 |
| Set Bristle brush opacity | 0 |
| Set fill and stroke to default | D |
| Shape Builder Tool | ⇧M |
| Show hidden characters | ⌥⌘I |
| Show/Hide all panels | ⇥ |
| Show/Hide all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel | ⇧⇥ |
| Slice tool | ⇧K |
| Smart guides | ⌘U |
| Snap to point | ⌥⌘; |
| Swap fill and stroke | ⇧X |
| Symbol Sprayer tool | ⇧S |
| Toggle Align panel | ⇧F7 |
| Toggle Appearance panel | ⇧F6 |
| Toggle artboard rulers | ⌥⌘R |
| Toggle Attributes panel | ⌘F11 |
| Toggle between fill and stroke | X |
| Toggle Brushes panel | F5 |
| Toggle Character Panel | ⌘T |
| Toggle Color panel | F6 |
| Toggle gradient annotator | ⌥⌘G |
| Toggle Gradient panel | ⌘F9 |
| Toggle Graphic Styles panel | ⇧F5 |
| Toggle Guides | ⌘; |
| Toggle Info panel | ⌘F8 |
| Toggle Layers panel | F7 |
| Toggle Outline/Preview | ⌘Y |
| Toggle Paragraph panel | ⌥⌘T |
| Toggle Pathfinder panel | ⇧⌘F9 |
| Toggle perspective grid | ⇧⌘L |
| Toggle Perspective tool | ⇧⌘I |
| Toggle Pixel preview view | ⌥⌘Y |
| Toggle Rulers | ⌘R |
| Toggle Stroke panel | ⌘F10 |
| Toggle Symbols panel | ⇧⌘F11 |
| Toggle Tabs Panel | ⇧⌘T |
| Toggle Text Threads | ⇧⌘Y |
| Toggle Transform panel | ⇧F8 |
| Toggle transparency grid | ⇧⌘D |
| Toggle Transparency panel | ⇧⌘F10 |
| Transform again | ⌘D |
| Type tool | T |
| Undo | ⌘Z |
| Ungroup | ⇧⌘G |
| Unit preferences | ⌘, |
| Unlock all | ⌥⌘2 |
| Warp tool | ⇧R |
| Width Tool | ⇧W |
| Zoom fit all in window | ⌥⌘0 |
| Zoom fit arboard | ⌘0 |
| Zoom in | ⌘+ |
| Zoom out | ⌘- |
| Zoom to actual size | ⌘1 |
| Zoom tool | Z |
Stop memorizing lists
Shortcut Flow watches what you actually click in Adobe Illustrator and turns it into a one-minute daily drill. Think Duolingo, but for keyboard shortcuts.
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FAQ
How many Adobe Illustrator keyboard shortcuts are there?
This guide lists 157 Adobe Illustrator shortcuts as they work on macOS, read from the app itself and kept up to date by Shortcut Flow.
Why do some Illustrator shortcuts clash with macOS shortcuts?
A few defaults (like Command-H) collide with system shortcuts. Illustrator asks on first use which behavior you want, and you can remap the rest under Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
What is the fastest way to learn Adobe Illustrator shortcuts?
Not by reading the full list. Shortcut Flow watches which commands you actually use in Adobe Illustrator and drills you on those first, one minute a day, so the shortcuts you need most stick within days.