Sketch Keyboard Shortcuts: The Complete Guide for Mac
Master Sketch with this comprehensive keyboard shortcuts guide for Mac. From essential tools to advanced layer operations, become a Sketch power user.
Sketch is the go-to vector design tool for UI/UX designers on Mac. Whether you're crafting mobile interfaces, web layouts, or icon sets, mastering keyboard shortcuts will dramatically speed up your workflow and help you stay in the creative flow.
Essential tool shortcuts
These shortcuts let you quickly switch between Sketch's most-used tools.
| Tool | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Vector Tool | V |
| Pencil Tool | P |
| Text Tool | T |
| Artboard Tool | A |
| Slice Tool | S |
| Hotspot Tool | H |
| Rectangle | R |
| Oval | O |
| Rounded Rectangle | U |
| Line | L |
| Arrow | ⇧ + L |
| Polygon | Access via Insert menu |
| Star | Access via Insert menu |
| Color Picker | ⌃ + C |
Pro tip: Press Escape to deselect the current tool and return to the default selection mode.
Insert and create
Quickly insert new elements into your design.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Artboard | A, then draw |
| Insert Rectangle | R |
| Insert Oval | O |
| Insert Text | T |
| Insert Line | L |
| Insert Image | Choose via Insert menu |
| Draw from Center | ⌥ + Drag |
| Draw with Fixed Ratio | ⇧ + Drag |
| Draw from Center with Fixed Ratio | ⌥ + ⇧ + Drag |
Selection and layers
Navigate and manage your layers efficiently.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select All | ⌘ + A |
| Select All Artboards | ⌘ + ⇧ + A |
| Select Next Layer | Tab |
| Select Previous Layer | ⇧ + Tab |
| Select Child Layer | Enter |
| Select Parent Layer | Escape |
| Select Layer in Group | ⌘ + Click |
| Add to Selection | ⇧ + Click |
| Subtract from Selection | ⇧ + Click |
| Deselect All | ⌘ + ⇧ + A (toggle) |
Layer organization
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Group Selection | ⌘ + G |
| Ungroup Selection | ⌘ + ⇧ + G |
| Rename Layer | ⌘ + R |
| Lock Layer | ⌘ + ⇧ + L |
| Hide Layer | ⌘ + ⇧ + H |
| Duplicate Layer | ⌘ + D |
| Copy Layer | ⌘ + C |
| Paste Layer | ⌘ + V |
| Paste in Place | ⌘ + ⇧ + V |
| Paste Over Selection | ⌥ + ⌘ + ⇧ + V |
| Delete Layer | Delete or Backspace |
Layer positioning
Move layers up and down in the layer hierarchy.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Bring Forward | ⌘ + ] |
| Send Backward | ⌘ + [ |
| Bring to Front | ⌘ + ⌥ + ] |
| Send to Back | ⌘ + ⌥ + [ |
| Move Up in Layer List | ⌘ + ⌃ + ↑ |
| Move Down in Layer List | ⌘ + ⌃ + ↓ |
Transform and align
Transform your layers precisely.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Rotate | ⌘ + ⇧ + R |
| Transform | ⌘ + ⇧ + T |
| Flip Horizontal | ⌘ + ⌃ + H |
| Flip Vertical | ⌘ + ⌃ + V |
| Move 1px | Arrow keys |
| Move 10px | ⇧ + Arrow keys |
| Resize 1px | ⌘ + Arrow keys |
| Resize 10px | ⌘ + ⇧ + Arrow keys |
| Scale Layer | ⌘ + K |
Alignment shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Align Left | ⌥ + ⌘ + ← |
| Align Right | ⌥ + ⌘ + → |
| Align Top | ⌥ + ⌘ + ↑ |
| Align Bottom | ⌥ + ⌘ + ↓ |
| Align Horizontally | ⌥ + ⌘ + - |
| Align Vertically | `⌥ + ⌘ + |
| Distribute Horizontally | ⌃ + ⌘ + H |
| Distribute Vertically | ⌃ + ⌘ + V |
Boolean operations
Combine shapes with powerful boolean operations.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Union | ⌥ + ⌘ + U |
| Subtract | ⌥ + ⌘ + S |
| Intersect | ⌥ + ⌘ + I |
| Difference | ⌥ + ⌘ + X |
| Flatten | ⌥ + ⌘ + F |
| Outline Stroke | ⌥ + ⌘ + O |
| Offset Path | Access via Layer menu |
| Make Grid | ⌃ + ⌘ + G |
Vector editing
Edit vector paths with precision.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Edit Shape | Enter (double-click) |
| Exit Edit Mode | Escape |
| Toggle Point Type | 1, 2, 3, or 4 |
| Straight Point | 1 |
| Mirrored Point | 2 |
| Disconnected Point | 3 |
| Asymmetric Point | 4 |
| Join Paths | ⌘ + J |
| Close Path | ⌘ + ⌥ + J |
| Reverse Order | ⌘ + ⇧ + R |
Text editing
Work with text efficiently.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Insert Text | T |
| Edit Text | Enter or Double-click |
| Increase Font Size | ⌘ + + |
| Decrease Font Size | ⌘ + - |
| Bold | ⌘ + B |
| Italic | ⌘ + I |
| Underline | ⌘ + U |
| Align Left | ⌘ + ⇧ + { |
| Align Center | `⌘ + ⇧ + |
| Align Right | ⌘ + ⇧ + } |
| Increase Character Spacing | ⌃ + ⌥ + L |
| Decrease Character Spacing | ⌃ + ⌥ + T |
| Increase Line Height | ⌥ + ⇧ + > |
| Decrease Line Height | ⌥ + ⇧ + < |
| Convert to Outlines | ⌘ + ⇧ + O |
Zoom and canvas navigation
Navigate your canvas quickly.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Zoom In | ⌘ + + or Z + Click |
| Zoom Out | ⌘ + - or ⌥ + Z + Click |
| Zoom to 100% | ⌘ + 0 |
| Zoom to Fit | ⌘ + 1 |
| Zoom to Selection | ⌘ + 2 |
| Center Selection | ⌘ + 3 |
| Zoom to Actual Size | ⌘ + 0 |
| Pan Canvas | Space + Drag |
| Toggle Pixel Preview | ⌃ + P |
| Toggle Pixel Zoom | ⌃ + ⌘ + P |
View and interface
Control what you see on the canvas.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Show/Hide Rulers | ⌃ + R |
| Show/Hide Grid | ⌃ + G |
| Show/Hide Layout Grid | ⌃ + L |
| Show/Hide Guides | ⌃ + ; |
| Show/Hide Pixels | ⌃ + P |
| Show/Hide Layer List | ⌘ + ⌥ + 1 |
| Show/Hide Inspector | ⌘ + ⌥ + 2 |
| Show/Hide Components Panel | ⌘ + ⌥ + 3 |
| Enter Presentation Mode | ⌘ + . |
| Toggle Dark Mode | ⌘ + ⇧ + D |
| Toggle Full Screen | ⌃ + ⌘ + F |
Artboards
Work with artboards efficiently.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Insert Artboard | A |
| Previous Artboard | Fn + ↑ |
| Next Artboard | Fn + ↓ |
| Fit Artboard to Content | Select artboard, then resize |
| Focus on Artboard | ⌘ + 2 |
| Export Artboard | ⌘ + ⇧ + E |
Symbols and components
Work with reusable design components.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Create Symbol | ⌘ + ⌥ + K |
| Detach from Symbol | ⌘ + ⌥ + ⇧ + K |
| Insert Symbol | Access via Insert menu |
| Go to Source Symbol | ⌘ + ⌥ + E |
| Replace With | Right-click menu |
Styles
Manage and apply styles.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Create Shared Style | Access via Layer menu |
| Update Style | Access via Layer menu |
| Pick Color | ⌃ + C |
| Fill with Color | Access via Fill panel |
| Toggle Fill | F |
| Toggle Border | B |
File operations
Manage your documents.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Document | ⌘ + N |
| New from Template | ⌘ + ⇧ + N |
| Open Document | ⌘ + O |
| Save | ⌘ + S |
| Save As | ⌘ + ⇧ + S |
| Duplicate | ⌘ + ⇧ + S (with new name) |
| Close Document | ⌘ + W |
| Close All | ⌘ + ⌥ + W |
⌘ + P |
Export
Export your designs in various formats.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Export Selection | ⌘ + E |
| Export All | ⌘ + ⇧ + E |
| Export Artboard as PDF | Access via Export menu |
| Make Exportable | Add export preset in Inspector |
| Copy as SVG | ⌘ + ⇧ + C |
| Copy as PNG | ⌘ + ⇧ + C (select format) |
Edit and history
Standard editing operations.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Undo | ⌘ + Z |
| Redo | ⌘ + ⇧ + Z |
| Cut | ⌘ + X |
| Copy | ⌘ + C |
| Paste | ⌘ + V |
| Paste in Place | ⌘ + ⇧ + V |
| Delete | Delete |
| Find | ⌘ + F |
| Find and Replace | ⌘ + ⇧ + F |
Plugin shortcuts
Access plugins quickly.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Run Last Plugin | ⌃ + ⌘ + R |
| Manage Plugins | Access via Sketch menu |
Customize your shortcuts
Sketch allows you to customize keyboard shortcuts through the macOS System Preferences. Go to System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → App Shortcuts, add Sketch, and define your custom shortcuts for any menu item.
Show your shortcuts on screen
Creating design tutorials or presenting to clients? KeyScreen displays your keystrokes beautifully on screen so your audience always knows what shortcuts you're using—perfect for professional-looking design walkthroughs and live demonstrations.