Best Inkscape Keyboard Shortcuts 2024: a comprehensive guide

Master the most important Inkscape keyboard shortcuts for efficient design and a seamless workflow in this quick guide.

Learning how to use the keyboard shortcuts in Inkscape can help you get a lot more done and make your workflow much smoother. You can quickly switch between tools, change objects, and run commands with just the right combination of keystrokes. The best Inkscape keyboard shortcuts help users speed up the design process so they can spend more time being creative.

Inkscape is known for its powerful vector graphics features, and it comes with a huge number of keyboard shortcuts that can be used for a wide range of tasks. These shortcuts can make your experience with the software much better, no matter how experienced you are as a graphic designer or how new you are to vector art. Below, we have mentioned the best Inkscape keyboard shortcuts.

Importance of Keyboard Shortcuts in Inkscape

Keyboard shortcuts are a key part of making the workflow faster and more productive in the vector graphics editor Inkscape. They let people quickly run commands and get to tools without stopping the creative process. As designers learn and use shortcuts, they can quickly and easily do things like select objects, draw shapes, change nodes, and add effects. Cutting down on the need to move the mouse makes the design process smoother and easier, and it also saves time.

Best Inkscape Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts for Inkscape have changed the way vector graphics are made. From Ctrl + S to save projects to Ctrl + D to copy elements, speed is very important. With shortcuts like Ctrl + Shift + A to ungroup objects and Ctrl + Z to undo actions, designers can move around in their work with ease, which encourages creativity and accuracy in every stroke.

General Shortcuts:

ShortcutDescription
Ctrl + NNew Document
Ctrl + OOpen Document
Ctrl + SSave Document
Ctrl + Shift + SSave As
Ctrl + PPrint Document
Ctrl + WClose Document
Ctrl + QQuit Inkscape
Ctrl + ZUndo
Ctrl + YRedo
Ctrl + CCopy
Ctrl + XCut
Ctrl + VPaste
Ctrl + ASelect All
DelDelete selected object(s)
Ctrl + Shift + IImport
ShortcutDescription
SpacePan View
Ctrl + SpaceZoom In
Ctrl + Alt + SpaceZoom Out
Ctrl + 11:1 Zoom
Ctrl + 33:1 Zoom
Ctrl + 55:1 Zoom
Ctrl + 9Fit Page in Window
Ctrl + Mouse WheelZoom In/Out (while hovering over canvas)

Node Editing Shortcuts

ShortcutFunctionality
F2Edit Paths by Nodes Tool
Shift + F2Merge Selected Nodes
Ctrl + LMake Selected Nodes Smooth
Ctrl + Shift + CBreak Path at Selected Nodes
Ctrl + Shift + KJoin Selected Nodes
Ctrl + Shift + ASelect All Nodes
Ctrl + Shift + FSelect All Nodes in All Objects
Ctrl + +Increase Node Size
Ctrl + –Decrease Node Size
Ctrl + Alt + CMake Selected Nodes Corner
Ctrl + Alt + SMake Selected Nodes Symmetric
Ctrl + Alt + NMake Selected Nodes Cusp

Text Shortcuts

ShortcutFunctionality
F8Create Text
Ctrl + TText Tool
Ctrl + Shift + FText and Font Dialog
Ctrl + BBold
Ctrl + IItalic
Ctrl + UUnderline
Ctrl + DStrikethrough
Ctrl + Shift + >Increase Font Size
Ctrl + Shift + <Decrease Font Size

Selection Shortcuts:

ShortcutDescription
F1Select and Transform Objects
F2Edit Objects
Ctrl + Shift + ADeselect All
Ctrl + Shift + GGroup Selected Objects
Ctrl + Shift + UUngroup Selected Objects

Drawing Shortcuts:

ShortcutDescription
PPen Tool
BBezier Pen Tool
TText Tool
NNode Tool
RRectangle Tool
EEllipse Tool
FFill and Stroke Dialog
Shift + Ctrl + FFill
Shift + Ctrl + SStroke

Transformation Shortcuts:

ShortcutDescription
Ctrl + DDuplicate selected object(s)
Ctrl + GGroup selected objects
Ctrl + Shift + GUngroup selected objects
Ctrl + ]Raise selected object(s)
Ctrl + [Lower selected object(s)
Ctrl + Shift + DClone selected object(s)

View Shortcuts:

ShortcutDescription
Ctrl + Page UpNext Document Tab
Ctrl + Page DownPrevious Document Tab
Ctrl + Shift + PToggle Page Border Visibility

Best Inkscape Keyboard Shortcuts for different platforms

Inkscape has keyboard shortcuts that work on all platforms, which makes work more efficient. On Windows, the main modifier key is Ctrl, and on macOS, it’s Cmd. To save, press Ctrl+S or cmd+S. To copy, press Ctrl+C or cmd+C, and to paste, press Ctrl+V or cmd+V. No matter what operating system you use, learning these accelerators makes design processes faster.

Windows Shortcuts

ActionShortcut
Select all objectsCtrl + A
Deselect all objectsShift + Ctrl + A
UndoCtrl + Z
RedoShift + Ctrl + Z
CutCtrl + X
CopyCtrl + C
PasteCtrl + V
Duplicate selected objectsCtrl + D
Group selected objectsCtrl + G
Ungroup selected objectsShift + Ctrl + G
Align objects leftShift + Ctrl + L
Align objects center horizontallyShift + Ctrl + E
Align objects rightShift + Ctrl + R
Align objects topShift + Ctrl + T
Align objects center verticallyShift + Ctrl + M
Align objects bottomShift + Ctrl + B
Zoom inCtrl + +
Zoom outCtrl + –
Zoom to fit pageCtrl + 1
Zoom to selectionCtrl + 3
Toggle snappingShift + #
Convert to pathShift + Ctrl + C
Edit nodesF2
Zoom selectionCtrl + Shift + A
Toggle grid visibility#
Switch to selection toolF1
Switch to node toolF2
Switch to zoom toolF3
Switch to rectangle toolF4
Switch to pencil toolF5
Switch to pen toolF6
Switch to text toolF8
Switch to gradient toolF9
Switch to eyedropper toolF7
Switch to fill and stroke toolShift + Ctrl + F

macOS Shortcuts

ActionShortcut
Select all objectsCmd + A
Deselect all objectsShift + Cmd + A
UndoCmd + Z
RedoShift + Cmd + Z
CutCmd + X
CopyCmd + C
PasteCmd + V
Duplicate selected objectsCmd + D
Group selected objectsCmd + G
Ungroup selected objectsShift + Cmd + G
Align objects leftShift + Cmd + L
Align objects center horizontallyShift + Cmd + E
Align objects rightShift + Cmd + R
Align objects topShift + Cmd + T
Align objects center verticallyShift + Cmd + M
Align objects bottomShift + Cmd + B
Zoom inCmd + +
Zoom outCmd + –
Zoom to fit pageCmd + 1
Zoom to selectionCmd + 3
Toggle snappingShift + #
Convert to pathShift + Cmd + C
Edit nodesF2
Zoom selectionCmd + Shift + A
Toggle grid visibility#
Switch to selection toolF1
Switch to node toolF2
Switch to zoom toolF3
Switch to rectangle toolF4
Switch to pencil toolF5
Switch to pen toolF6
Switch to text toolF8
Switch to gradient toolF9
Switch to eyedropper toolF7
Switch to fill and stroke toolShift + Cmd + F

Linux Shortcuts

ActionShortcut
Select all objectsCtrl + A
Deselect all objectsShift + Ctrl + A
UndoCtrl + Z
RedoShift + Ctrl + Z
CutCtrl + X
CopyCtrl + C
PasteCtrl + V
Duplicate selected objectsCtrl + D
Group selected objectsCtrl + G
Ungroup selected objectsShift + Ctrl + G
Align objects leftShift + Ctrl + L
Align objects center horizontallyShift + Ctrl + E
Align objects rightShift + Ctrl + R
Align objects topShift + Ctrl + T
Align objects center verticallyShift + Ctrl + M
Align objects bottomShift + Ctrl + B
Zoom inCtrl + +
Zoom outCtrl + –
Zoom to fit pageCtrl + 1
Zoom to selectionCtrl + 3
Toggle snappingShift + #
Convert to pathShift + Ctrl + C
Edit nodesF2
Zoom selectionCtrl + Shift + A
Toggle grid visibility#
Switch to selection toolF1
Switch to node toolF2
Switch to zoom toolF3
Switch to rectangle toolF4
Switch to pencil toolF5
Switch to pen toolF6
Switch to text toolF8
Switch to gradient toolF9
Switch to eyedropper toolF7
Switch to fill and stroke toolShift + Ctrl + F

Tips for Mastering Inkscape Keyboard Shortcuts

A well-known open-source vector graphics editor called Inkscape has a lot of keyboard shortcuts that can speed up different tasks and make your work flow more smoothly. Here are some tips on how to learn the keyboard shortcuts for Inkscape:

Learn the Keyboard Shortcuts: Take the time to learn the keyboard shortcuts that come with Inkscape. You can find these shortcuts in the menus next to the commands they go with.

Find Out About Common Shortcuts: To begin, learn about the most common shortcuts, like Ctrl + C for Copy, Ctrl + V for Paste, Ctrl + Z for Undo, and Ctrl + Shift + Z for Redo. These simple keyboard shortcuts will make your work go much faster.

Explore Tool Shortcuts: Take a look at the keyboard shortcuts for each tool in Inkscape. Usually, each tool has its own set of shortcuts. Take the time to learn and remember these shortcuts, especially for tools like the selection tool, pen tool, and shape tool that you use a lot.

Use Modifier Keys: To change how tools and commands work in Inkscape, you can use modifier keys like Ctrl, Shift, and Alt a lot. Try out different combinations of modifier keys to find new features and quick access to things.

Change Keyboard Shortcuts: Inkscape users can change keyboard shortcuts to suit their needs. You can change the shortcuts in the preferences menu if you find it hard to remember them or if you like a different combination.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with Inkscape Keyboard Shortcuts

The following steps can help you figure out what’s wrong with keyboard shortcuts in Inkscape, a popular open-source vector graphics editor:

Check the Keyboard Shortcut Settings: Make sure that Inkscape has set up the keyboard shortcuts you want to use correctly. To get to the settings for keyboard shortcuts, go to Edit > Preferences > Interface > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Startup Inkscape Again: If keyboard shortcuts aren’t working right, sometimes all you need to do is restart the Inkscape programme.

Look for Keyboard Shortcuts That Don’t Work Together: Make sure that the keyboard shortcuts you want to use don’t interfere with system-wide shortcuts or shortcuts that other programmes use. To see if the problem still exists, try pressing different combinations of keys.

Keyboard Shortcuts: If you think the keyboard shortcuts are broken or set up wrong, you can try restoring them to their original state. The “Reset to Default” button is in Edit > Preferences > Interface > Keyboard Shortcuts.

New version of Inkscape: Make sure you have the most recent version of Inkscape. Developers often put out updates to fix bugs and make software run better. These updates may include fixes for problems with keyboard shortcuts.

FAQs

What is Alt J shortcut?

The downloads tab opens with Alt+J in most browsers. This lets you quickly access and manage downloaded files without menus or a mouse.

Can Inkscape open AI?

Inkscape natively opens or imports SVG, SVGZ, PDF, EPS, and AI (Adobe Illustrator) formats.

Editorial Staff
Editorial Staffhttps://www.bollyinside.com
The Bollyinside editorial staff is made up of tech experts with more than 10 years of experience Led by Sumit Chauhan. We started in 2014 and now Bollyinside is a leading tech resource, offering everything from product reviews and tech guides to marketing tips. Think of us as your go-to tech encyclopedia!

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