Imagine you're in the middle of a creative flow, your ideas are pouring out of you and you want to get everything done quickly and efficiently. That's where the keyboard shortcuts for Affinity Designer come in. They are like the turbo for your design process!

By using keyboard shortcuts, you not only reduce the time you spend clicking and searching in the menu, but also significantly increase your productivity. It's like learning a new language that lets you communicate more directly and intuitively with your tool.

But it's not just about speed. It's also about creating a smoother, more seamless workflow where you focus less on the 'how' and more on the 'what'. You'll find that using keyboard shortcuts will get you to the functions you use most quickly, creating a workflow that's as unique as your creations.

In this help article, we'll guide you through the most important keyboard shortcuts in Affinity Designer. Get ready to increase your efficiency and take your design work to the next level!

Table of Contents

Shortcuts for work steps

ActionKey
Restrict object movement to horizontal, vertical or diagonalShift-drag
Select multiple objectsShift-click
Select the overlapped objectAlt-click
Toggle selection box.
Change the opacity for a selected layer (or the brush tools in the pixel persona)Number keys (4 = 40 %, 43 = 43 %, etc.)
Erase with the pixel tool (pixel persona only)Ctrl
Switch between the color selectors for outline/fill (or color 1/color 2) in the "Color" and "Color fields" panelX
Swap the color selectors for outline/fill (or color 1/color 2)Shift+X
Set the color selectors for outline/fill (or color 1/color 2) to "Without fill"/ (only for international and selected keyboards)
Change the attribute displayed in a panel or dialog boxDrag on the text label of the attribute
Switch magnetic alignment on/off;

Action (drawing curves)button
Edit lines or brush strokes while drawing/paintingCtrl
Create a pointed node (sharp corners)Alt-drag the handle
Align the handle of a line in 45° incrementsShift-drag the handle
Create a straight line segment while you are drawingDrag + right-click

Action (curve editing with the node tool)button
Convert to smooth nodeRight-click
Convert to point nodeAlt-click
Select the next node of a curve]
Select the previous node of a curve[
Straighten a segmentAlt-click on a segment
Delete a segmentCtrl-click on a segment

Action (Transform)key
Restricted movement horizontally, vertically or diagonallyShift-drag
Rotate in steps of 15 degreesShift-drag the rotation/corner handle
Rotate around the opposite cornerDrag the corner handle and hold the right mouse button.
Canceling a scaling, shifting or creation of contentESC
Scaling vector objects without changing the aspect ratioShift-drag from a corner handle
Change the object size from its center pointCtrl-drag from a corner handle
Mirrored tiltingCtrl-drag
Move step by step1Arrow keys
Move step by step (by the modified distance)1Shift+ Arrow keys
1 The distance for the incremental shift can be adjusted via Edit > Settings > Tools.

Action (painting)key
Reduce/increase the brush width (only in the pixel persona)] [
Reduce/enlarge brush width with screen displayCtrl+ Alt-drag (left/right)
Decrease/increase brush hardness with screen display (pixel persona only)Ctrl+ Alt-drag (up/down)
Painting a brushstroke along a straight lineClick and then click with the Shift key
Switching the brush properties (for width, hardness, shape/spacing or rotation):Ctrl+ Alt + left-click
Setting the brush properties on the page (after setting the previously mentioned "switch option")
  • For width: Ctrl + Alt + left click + drag (left/right)
  • For hardness: Ctrl + Alt+ left-click + drag (up/down)
  • For the shape of the brush tip: Ctrl + Alt+ left-click + drag (left/right)
  • For the distance of the brush tip: Ctrl + Alt+ left-click + drag (up/down)
  • For the rotation of the brush tip: Ctrl + Alt+ left-click + drag (left/right)

Shortcuts for files

Actionbutton
New documentCtrl + N
New from clipboardCtrl + Alt + Shift + N
Open documentCtrl + O
Close document/close program (if no document is open)Ctrl + W
Change document/viewCtrl + Tab
Save documentCtrl + S
Save asCtrl + Shift + S
ExportCtrl + Alt + Shift + S
Document settingsCtrl + Shift + P
PrintCtrl + P

Shortcuts for tools

Action (General and Designer Persona)key
Fill toolG
The "Transparency" toolY
The "Move" toolV
Node toolA
Point transformation" toolF
View toolH
Outline toolO
Corner toolC
Drawing penP
PencilN
The zoom toolZ
The vector brushB
Switch between rectangle, ellipse and rounded rectangleM
Switch between the "Graphic text" and "Frame text" toolsT
Color pipetteI

Action (only for Pixel Persona)button
Switch between the paint brush and the pixel toolB
EraserE
Selection brushW
Switch between the selection tools with selection frameM
Freehand selectionL
Switch between the "Dodge" and "Burn" toolsO
Fill toolG

Action (only for export persona)button
Slice toolS
Slice selection" toolL

Shortcuts for editing

Actionbutton
UndoCtrl + Z
RedoCtrl + Y
Transfer styleCtrl + Shift + V
Transfer effectAlt + Shift + V
Paste withinCtrl + Alt + V
Paste without formatCtrl + Alt + Shift + V

Shortcuts for working with objects

ActionKey
GroupCtrl + G
Ungroup objectsCtrl + Shift + G
DuplicateCtrl + J
All the way to the frontCtrl + Shift + ]
One forwardCtrl + ]
All the way backCtrl + Shift + [
One to the backCtrl + [
Move inCtrl + Alt + G
Move outCtrl + Alt + Shift + G
Show allCtrl + Alt + Shift + H
ProtectCtrl + L
UnprotectCtrl + Shift + L
Unprotect allCtrl + Alt + Shift + L
New pixel layerCtrl + Shift + N
Convert to curvesCtrl + Enter

Actionkey
Open "Character" panelCtrl + T
Open "Typography" panelCtrl + Shift + T
Spelling optionsCtrl + Shift + ;

Action (navigation)key
Moves the insertion point one character to the leftLeft arrow key
Moves the insertion point one character to the rightRight arrow key
Moves the insertion point to the beginning of the wordCtrl + Left arrow key
Moves the insertion point to the end of the wordCtrl + Right arrow key
Moves the insertion point to the beginning of the linePos1
Moves the insertion point to the end of the lineEnd
Moves the insertion point to the beginning of the text frameCtrl + Pos1
Moves the insertion point to the end of the text frameCtrl + End
Moves the insertion point to the beginning of the current paragraphCtrl + Up Arrow key
Moves the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraphCtrl + Down Arrow key
To select the text between the start and end position of the insertion point when moving the insertion point, hold down the key at the same time.

Action (delete)key
Deletes the character to the left of the insertion pointBackspace key
Deletes the character to the right of the insertion pointDelete
Deletes from the insertion point to the beginning of the wordCtrl + Backspace
Deletes from the insertion point to the end of the wordCtrl + Delete
Deletes from the insertion point to the beginning of the lineCtrl + Shift + Backspace
Deletes from the insertion point to the end of the paragraphCtrl + Shift + Del

Action (formatting)key
Larger textCtrl + >
Smaller textCtrl + <
Enlarge text preciselyCtrl + Alt + >
Reduce text preciselyCtrl + Alt + <
BoldCtrl + B
ItalicizeCtrl + I
UnderlineCtrl + U
SuperscriptCtrl + Shift + =
SubscriptCtrl + Alt + -
Align leftCtrl + Alt + L
CenterCtrl + Alt + C
Align rightCtrl + Alt + R
Justify leftCtrl + Alt + |

Action (Typography)key
Narrower (spacing; steps of 10 ‰)Alt + Left
Further (distance; steps of 10 ‰)Alt + Right
Even closer (distance; steps of 50 ‰)Alt + Shift + Left
Further (distance; steps of 50 ‰)Alt + Shift + Right
Raise baselineAlt + Shift + Up
Lower baselineAlt + Shift + Down
Raise baseline preciselyCtrl + Alt + Shift + Up
Lower baseline preciselyCtrl + Alt + Shift + Down
Increase paragraph indentAlt + Up
Decrease paragraph indentAlt + Down
Increase paragraph indent preciselyCtrl + Alt + Down
Decrease paragraph indent preciselyCtrl + Alt + Up

Action (special characters)key
Line changeShift + Enter
Protected spaceAlt + Space
Protected separatorAlt + Ctrl + -
BisectorAlt + -
Square strokeAlt + Shift + -

Shortcuts for the view

Actionkey
Rotate the document viewAlt + Rotate mouse wheel
Reset rotation of the document viewCtrl + Alt + Shift + R
Rotate around the center of the document viewShift + Alt + Rotate mouse wheel
Rotate document view fasterCtrl + Rotate
Zoom inCtrl + =
Zoom outCtrl + -
Zoom to fitCtrl + 0
Zoom to selectionCtrl + Alt + 0
Zoom to 100%Ctrl + 1
Zoom to 200Ctrl + 2
Zoom to 400Ctrl + 3
Zoom to 800Ctrl + 4
Zoom to actual sizeCtrl + 8
Zoom to pixel sizeCtrl + 9
Zoom by shortcutSpace + Ctrl-drag
Zoom in with shortcutSpace + Ctrl-click
Zoom out via shortcutSpacebar +Alt-click
Zoom in with shortcut (selection frame)Spacebar +Alt-drag
Pan using shortcutSpace bar
Scroll vertically (up/down)Mouse wheel
Scroll horizontally (left/right)Shift + mouse wheel
Show rulersCtrl + R
Show guidesCtrl + ;
Show gridCtrl + '
Switch between projection planes of a grid'
Wireframe viewCtrl + Y
Pixel viewCtrl + Alt + Y
Retina pixel viewCtrl + Alt + Shift + Y
Split view on/off,
Switch to next view`
Limit on the canvas\
Isolate an objectAlt-click on layer thumbnail in the "Layers" panel

Shortcuts for selection

Actionbutton
Select allCtrl + A
DeselectCtrl + D
Invert pixel selectionCtrl + Shift + I
Select nextCtrl + Alt + ]
Select previousCtrl + Alt + [
Move selection step by stepArrow keys
Move selection step by step with modifierShift + arrow keys
Selection from layerCtrl-click on layer thumbnail
Create selection from layer brightnessCtrl + Shift-click on layer thumbnail
Add/remove to/from an object selection
(by clicking on the object)
Shift + click ("Move" tool)
Add/remove to/from an object selection
(when the selection frame completely encloses the object)
Shift + drag ("Move" tool)
Add/remove to/from an object selection
(if the selection frame only partially overlaps the object)
Drag with the left mouse button and then hold the right mouse button ("Move" tool)
Add to pixel selectionCtrl + Alt-drag (freehand selection and selection frame tools)
Subtract from pixel selectionAlt-drag (freehand selection and selection frame tools)

Shortcuts for the workspace

Actionbutton
Show/hide studioCtrl + Shift + H
Show/hide toolbarCtrl + Alt + T
Show/hide program interfaceTab

Various shortcuts

ActionKey
Program settingsCtrl + ,
Gradation curves (adjustment)Ctrl + M
Black and white (adjustment)Ctrl + Alt + Shift + B

10 helpful tips and tricks for Affinity Designer

  1. Use of vector layers : Use vector layers for clean, scalable designs. Unlike pixels, vectors stay sharp with every resize.
  2. Customizable workspaces : Set up your workspace to fit your needs. You can arrange toolbars and panels individually to optimize your workflow.
  3. Use of artboards : Artboards are ideal for managing different designs within one file. They are ideal for creating design variants or multi-page documents.
  4. Symbol function for efficient design : Create symbols from recurring design elements. Changes to one symbol are automatically applied to all instances.
  5. Use of the corner tool : With the corner tool, you can easily adjust the corners of vector shapes to create rounded, beveled or other corner styles.
  6. Dynamic Shapes for flexible shape design : Use Dynamic Shapes to quickly and easily customize shapes without having to start from scratch every time.
  7. Advanced alignment and distribution options : Use the extensive alignment and distribution tools to precisely arrange elements.
  8. Pixel persona for pixel-based editing : Switch to the pixel persona to make pixel-based edits without leaving Affinity Designer.
  9. Use layer masks and effects : Layer masks and non-destructive effects allow you to make versatile edits and adjustments without altering the original material.
  10. Shortcuts and key combinations : Learn the keyboard shortcuts for the most common actions. They save time and make the workflow much easier.
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Shortcuts for Affinity Designer - Keyboard shortcuts at a glance

Published on by Stefan Petri
Published on: From Stefan Petri
Together with his brother Matthias, Stefan Petri runs the popular specialist forum PSD-Tutorials.de and the e-learning platform TutKit.com, which focuses on the training and further education of digital professional skills.