Mastering a new image editor, like GIMP, takes time and effort. The best GIMP Keyboard shortcuts can help you learn the software much better and give you quick access to tools and commands. Instead of trying to remember all the shortcuts at once, it’s better to focus on a few that you use often and practice them until you can do them without thinking. Repeat this process with more commands to add to your list of things you can do. This method makes navigating the image editor less stressful and more productive.
Table of Contents
GIMP, which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, is free open-source software for editing photos that works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It has a lot of features and options that are just as good as those in Photoshop. What makes GIMP stand out is that it is free to install and use, which makes it a lot more appealing. As expected, GIMP comes with a large number of keyboard shortcuts that can help you get a lot more done. Below we have mentioned the best GIMP keyboard shortcuts.
Best GIMP Keyboard Shortcuts
File Operations:
Keyboard Shortcut
Description
Ctrl + O
Open
Ctrl + N
New
Ctrl + S
Save
Ctrl + Shift + S
Save As
Ctrl + Q
Quit
Editing:
Keyboard Shortcut
Description
Ctrl + X
Cut
Ctrl + C
Copy
Ctrl + V
Paste
Ctrl + Z
Undo
Ctrl + Y
Redo
Ctrl + D
Duplicate
Ctrl + A
Select All
Delete
Delete
Navigation and Zooming:
Keyboard Shortcut
Description
Spacebar + Drag
Move Image
Ctrl + +
Zoom In
Ctrl + –
Zoom Out
Ctrl + 0
Zoom to Fit
Ctrl + L
Center Image in Window
F
Toggle Fullscreen
Tab
Toggle Single-Window Mode
Selections:
Keyboard Shortcut
Description
Shift + click
Add to Selection
Ctrl + Shift + A
None
Ctrl + I
Invert Selection
Ctrl + Shift + I
None
Ctrl + Shift + L
None
Ctrl + Shift + R
None
Ctrl + Shift + T
None
Ctrl + Shift + C
None
Ctrl + Shift + V
None
Layers:
Keyboard Shortcut
Description
Ctrl + Shift + N
New Layer
Ctrl + Shift + J
Duplicate Layer
Ctrl + G
Group Layers
Ctrl + Shift + D
Merge Down
Ctrl + Shift + E
Merge Visible Layers
Ctrl + Shift + R
Rotate Layer
Ctrl + Shift + T
Scale Layer
Ctrl + Shift + C
Crop to Selection
Ctrl + Shift + V
Paste as New Layer
GIMP keyboard shortcuts for Different Platforms
Windows Shortcuts:
Shortcut
Description
Ctrl + N
New image
Ctrl + O
Open image
Ctrl + S
Save image
Ctrl + Shift + S
Save image as…
Ctrl + Z
Undo
Ctrl + Shift + Z
Redo
Ctrl + X
Cut
Ctrl + C
Copy
Ctrl + V
Paste
Ctrl + A
Select all
Ctrl + D
Deselect
Ctrl + Shift + D
Duplicate layer
Ctrl + Shift + N
New layer
Ctrl + Shift + E
Merge visible layers
Ctrl + Shift + C
Copy visible
Ctrl + Shift + V
Paste as new image
Ctrl + +
Zoom in
Ctrl + –
Zoom out
Ctrl + 0
Fit image to window
Ctrl + L
Open layers dialog
Ctrl + M
Open the color map dialog
Ctrl + B
Open the brushes dialog
Ctrl + F
Find
Ctrl + H
Show/hide the toolbox, layers, and other dialogs
Ctrl + Q
Quit GIMP
Mac Shortcuts:
Shortcut
Description
Command + N
New image
Command + O
Open image
Command + S
Save image
Command + Shift + S
Save image as…
Command + Z
Undo
Command + Shift + Z
Redo
Command + X
Cut
Command + C
Copy
Command + V
Paste
Command + A
Select all
Command + D
Deselect
Command + Shift + D
Duplicate layer
Command + Shift + N
New layer
Command + Shift + E
Merge visible layers
Command + Shift + C
Copy visible
Command + Shift + V
Paste as new image
Command + +
Zoom in
Command + –
Zoom out
Command + 0
Fit image to window
Command + L
Open layers dialog
Command + M
Open the color map dialog
Command + B
Open the brushes dialog
Command + F
Find
Command + H
Show/hide the toolbox, layers, and other dialogs
Command + Q
Quit GIMP
Linux Shortcuts:
Shortcut
Description
Ctrl + N
New image
Ctrl + O
Open image
Ctrl + S
Save image
Ctrl + Shift + S
Save image as…
Ctrl + Z
Undo
Ctrl + Shift + Z
Redo
Ctrl + X
Cut
Ctrl + C
Copy
Ctrl + V
Paste
Ctrl + A
Select all
Ctrl + D
Deselect
Ctrl + Shift + D
Duplicate
FAQs
What are keyboard shortcuts in GIMP?
Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of keys that let you do things in GIMP without using the mouse or the menus. They can help you speed up your work and get more done.
How can I learn the keyboard shortcuts in GIMP?
You can learn the keyboard shortcuts for GIMP by looking at the menus and toolbar. Often, the shortcuts are listed next to the commands they are used for. You can also look at the GIMP documentation or use the built-in shortcut editor to see the shortcuts and change them.
How can I customize keyboard shortcuts in GIMP?
Go to “Edit” > “Keyboard Shortcuts” in the menu to change how keyboard shortcuts work in GIMP. You can change existing shortcuts or make new ones by assigning different key combinations to the shortcut editor window that opens.
Dian Erwin is a review writer for Bollyinside, covering topics related to computing, such as laptops, tablets, phones, and other hardware. Dian spends much too much of his free time on Twitter, reading speculative fiction novels, playing video games, and reading comic books. He also enjoys reading video game manuals.
