Tools |
| F1,
s | Selector |
| Space | Selector (temporary) |
| Space switches to the Selector tool temporarily; another Space switches back. |
| When the "Left mouse button pans when Space is pressed" option is on in Preferences, Space+mouse drag pans canvas instead of switching to Selector. |
| F2,
n | Node tool |
| Shift+F2,
w | Tweak tool |
| F3,
z | Zoom tool |
| F4,
r | Rectangle tool |
| Shift+F4,
x | 3D box tool |
| F5,
e | Ellipse/arc tool |
| F6,
p | Freehand (Pencil) tool |
| Shift+F6,
b | Bezier (Pen) tool |
| Ctrl+F6,
c | Calligraphy tool |
| Shift+F7,
u | Paint Bucket tool |
| Ctrl+F1,
g | Gradient tool |
| F7,
d | Dropper tool |
| F8,
t | Text tool |
| F9,
i | Spiral tool |
| Shift+F9,
* | Star tool |
| Ctrl+F2,
o | Connector tool |
| Double click on the tool buttons opens the Preferences dialog showing the page of the corresponding tool. |
Dialogs |
Open |
| Shift+Ctrl+F | Fill and Stroke |
| Shift+Ctrl+W | Swatches |
| Shift+Ctrl+T | Text and Font |
| Shift+Ctrl+M | Transform |
| Shift+Ctrl+L | Layers |
| Shift+Ctrl+A | Align and Distribute |
| Shift+Ctrl+O | Object Properties |
| Shift+Ctrl+H | Undo History |
| Shift+Ctrl+X | XML Editor |
| Shift+Ctrl+D | Document Preferences |
| Shift+Ctrl+P | Inkscape Preferences |
| Shift+Ctrl+E | Export to PNG |
| Ctrl+F | Find |
| Shift+Alt+B | Trace Bitmap |
| Shift+Ctrl+7 | Path Effects |
| These shortcuts open a new dialog window if it wasn't open yet, otherwise the corresponding dialog gets focus. |
Toggle visibility |
| F12 | toggle dialogs |
| This temporarily hides all open dialogs; another F12 shows them again. |
Within a dialog |
| Esc | return to the canvas |
| Ctrl+F4,
Ctrl+W | close the dialog |
| Tab | jump to next widget |
| Shift+Tab | jump to previous widget |
| Enter | set the new value |
| This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas. |
| Ctrl+Enter | in XML Editor, set the attr value |
| When editing an attribute value in XML Editor, this sets the new value (same as clicking the "Set attribute" button). |
| Space,
Enter | activate current button or list |
| Ctrl+PgUp,
Ctrl+PgDn | in a multi-tab dialog, switch tabs |
Controls bar |
Access |
| The Controls bar at the top of the document window provides different buttons and controls for each tool. |
| Alt+X | jump to the first editable field |
Navigate |
| Tab | jump to next field |
| Shift+Tab | jump to previous field |
| Use these to navigate between fields in the Controls bar (the value in the field you leave, if changed, is accepted). |
Change values |
| Up arrow,
Down arrow | change value by 0.1 |
| PgUp,
PgDn | change value by 5.0 |
| Enter | accept the new value |
| This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas. |
| Esc | cancel changes, return to canvas |
| This cancels any changes you made in a text field and returns focus to canvas. |
| Ctrl+Z | cancel changes |
| This cancels any changes you made in a text field but you stay in the field. |
Canvas |
Zoom |
| =,
+ | zoom in |
| - | zoom out |
| The keypad +/- keys do zooming even when you are editing a text object, unless NumLock is on. |
| middle click,
Ctrl+right click | zoom in |
| Shift+middle click,
Shift+right click | zoom out |
| Ctrl+mouse wheel | zoom in or out |
| When the "Mouse wheel zooms by default" option is on in Preferences, Ctrl+wheel scrolls instead of zooming. To zoom, use wheel without Ctrl. |
| Shift+middle button drag | zoom into the area |
| Alt+Z | activate zoom field |
| The zoom field in the lower left corner of the window allows you to specify zoom level precisely. |
Preset zooms |
| 1 | zoom 1:1 |
| 2 | zoom 1:2 |
| 3 | zoom to selection |
| 4 | zoom to drawing |
| 5 | zoom to page |
| Ctrl+E,
6 | zoom to page width |
Zoom history |
| ` | (back quote) previous zoom |
| Shift+` | next zoom |
| With these keys, you can travel back and forth through the history of zooms in this session |
Scroll (pan) |
| Ctrl+arrows | scroll canvas |
| Scrolling by keys is accelerated, i.e. it speeds up when you press Ctrl+arrows in quick succession, or press and hold. |
| middle button drag | pan canvas |
| Shift+right button drag,
Ctrl+right button drag | pan canvas |
| mouse wheel | scroll canvas vertically |
| When the "Mouse wheel zooms by default" option is on in Preferences, mouse wheel zooms instead of scrolling. To scroll, use Ctrl+wheel. |
| Shift+mouse wheel | scroll canvas horizontally |
| When the "Left mouse button pans when Space is pressed" option is on in Preferences, Space+mouse drag also pans canvas. |
Guides, grids, snapping |
| mouse drag | drag off a ruler to create guide |
| Drag off the horizontal or vertical ruler to create a new guideline. Drag a guideline onto the ruler to delete it. |
| |,
Shift+\ | toggle guides and snapping to guides |
| If you want to see the guides but not snap to them, use the global snapping toggle (% key). |
| When you create a new guide by dragging off the ruler, guide visibility and snapping are turned on. |
| #,
Shift+3 | toggle grids and snapping to grids |
| If you want to see the grids but not snap to them, use the global snapping toggle (% key). |
| Note that only the 3 key on the main keyboard works, not on the keypad. |
| % | toggle snapping on and off |
| This toggle affects snapping to grids, guides, and objects in all tools. |
Display mode |
| Ctrl+keypad 5 | toggle normal/outline mode |
Palette |
| These keys work both in the floating palette dialog and in the palette frame at the bottom of the window. |
| click | set fill color on selection |
| Shift+click | set stroke color on selection |
| right click | set stroke color on selection |
| mouse drag | drag fill color to objects |
| Shift+mouse drag | drag stroke color to objects |
| To change fill/stroke of an object by dragging color on it, that object need not be selected. |
| You can also drag colors to the Fill (F) and Stroke (S) indicators in the statusbar to change the selection. |
File |
| Ctrl+N | create new document |
| Ctrl+O | open an SVG document |
| Shift+Ctrl+E | export to PNG |
| Ctrl+I | import bitmap or SVG |
| Ctrl+P | print document |
| Ctrl+S | save document |
| Shift+Ctrl+S | save under a new name |
| Shift+Ctrl+Alt+S | save a copy |
| Ctrl+Q | exit Inkscape |
Window |
| Ctrl+R | toggle rulers |
| Ctrl+B | toggle scrollbars |
| F11 | toggle fullscreen |
| F10 | main menu |
| Menus can also be activated by Alt with the letter underscored in the menu name. |
| Shift+F10,
right click | drop-down (context) menu |
| Ctrl+F4,
Ctrl+W | close document window |
| This shuts down Inkscape if it was the only document window open. |
| Ctrl+Tab | next document window |
| Shift+Ctrl+Tab | previous document window |
| These cycle through the active document windows forward and backward. |
Layers |
| Shift+PgUp | move to layer above |
| Shift+PgDn | move to layer below |
| These commands move the selected objects from one layer to another. |
| Shift+Ctrl+PgUp | raise layer |
| Shift+Ctrl+PgDn | lower layer |
| Shift+Ctrl+Home | raise layer to top |
| Shift+Ctrl+End | lower layer to bottom |
| These commands move the current layer among its siblings (normally other layers). |
Object |
Undo/redo |
| Shift+Ctrl+Y,
Ctrl+Z | undo |
| Shift+Ctrl+Z,
Ctrl+Y | redo |
Clipboard |
| Ctrl+C | copy selection |
| This places a copy of the selection to the Inkscape clipboard. Text from text objects is also placed onto the system clipboard. |
| Ctrl+X | cut selection |
| This works the same as "copy selection" followed by deleting the selection. |
| Ctrl+V | paste clipboard |
| This places the clipboard objects at the mouse cursor, or at the center of the window if mouse is outside the canvas. |
| When editing text with the text tool, this pastes the text from the system clipboard into the current text object. |
| Ctrl+Alt+V | paste in place |
| This places the clipboard objects to the original location from which they were copied. |
| Shift+Ctrl+V | paste style |
| This applies the style of the (first of the) copied object(s) to the current selection. |
| If a gradient handle (in Gradient tool) or a text span (in Text tool) are selected, they get the style instead of the entire object. |
| Ctrl+7 | paste path effect |
| This applies the path effect of the copied path to the paths/shapes in current selection. |
Duplicate |
| Ctrl+D | duplicate selection |
| New object(s) are placed exactly over the original(s) and selected. |
Clone |
| Alt+D | clone object |
| A clone can be moved/scaled/rotated/skewed independently, but it updates the path, fill, and stroke from its original. |
| The clone is placed exactly over the original object and is selected. |
| You can only clone one object at a time; if you want to clone several objects together, group them and clone the group. |
| Shift+Alt+D | unlink clone |
| Unlinking a clone cuts the link to the original, turning the clone into a plain copy. |
| Shift+D | select original |
| To find out which object this is a clone of, select the clone and give this command. The original will be selected. |
Bitmaps |
| Alt+B | create a bitmap copy |
| This exports the selected object(s) (all other objects hidden) as PNG in the document's directory and imports it back. |
| The imported bitmap is placed over the original selection and is selected. |
| Shift+Alt+B | trace bitmap |
| This opens the Trace Bitmap dialog allowing you to convert a bitmap object to path(s). |
Patterns |
| Alt+I | object(s) to pattern |
| This converts the selection to a rectangle with tiled pattern fill. |
| Shift+Alt+I | pattern to object(s) |
| Each selected object with pattern fill is broken into the same object without fill and a single pattern object. |
Group |
| Shift+Ctrl+U,
Ctrl+G | group selected objects |
| Use Ctrl+click to select objects within group. |
| Shift+Ctrl+G,
Ctrl+U | ungroup selected group(s) |
| This removes only one level of grouping; press Ctrl+U repeatedly to ungroup nested groups. |
Z-order |
| Home | raise selection to top |
| End | lower selection to bottom |
| PgUp | raise selection one step |
| PgDn | lower selection one step |
Path |
Convert to path |
| Shift+Ctrl+C | convert selected object(s) to path |
| Ctrl+Alt+C | convert stroke to path |
Boolean operations |
| Ctrl++ | union |
| Union combines any number of objects into a single path, removing overlaps. |
| Ctrl+- | difference |
| Difference works on 2 objects, extracting the top from the bottom. |
| Ctrl+* | intersection |
| Intersection creates a path representing the common (overlapping) area of all selected objects. |
| Ctrl+^ | exclusive OR (XOR) |
| XOR is similar to Union, except that it works on 2 objects and removes areas where the objects overlap. |
| Ctrl+/ | division (cut) |
| Division cuts the bottom object into pieces by the top object, preserving the fill and stroke of the bottom. |
| Ctrl+Alt+/ | cut path |
| Cut Path cuts the bottom object's stroke only where it is intersected by the top path, removing any fill from the result. |
| The result of Union, Difference, Intersection, and XOR inherits the id= attribute and therefore the clones of the bottom object. |
| Division and Cut path normally produce several objects; of them, a random one inherits the id= of the bottom source object. |
Offsets |
| Ctrl+( | inset path (towards center) |
| Ctrl+) | outset path (away from center) |
| The default offset distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). |
| Alt+( | inset path by 1 pixel |
| Alt+) | outset path by 1 pixel |
| Shift+Alt+( | inset path by 10 pixels |
| Shift+Alt+) | outset path by 10 pixels |
| The actual distance for pixel offsets depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment. |
| All the (, ) commands convert the object to path, if necessary, and produce regular path. |
| Ctrl+J | create dynamic offset |
| Ctrl+Alt+J | create linked offset |
| These commands produce an offset object, editable by the node tool, standalone or linked to the original. |
| Shift+D | select source |
| Selecting a linked offset and giving this command will select the source path of the linked offset. |
Combine |
| Ctrl+K | combine paths |
| This is different from grouping in that combined paths create one object. |
| This is different from Union in that overlapping areas are not affected. |
| Whether overlapping areas are filled is controlled by the Fill: winding/alternating switch on the Fill & Stroke dialog. |
| Shift+Ctrl+K | break paths apart |
| This attempts to break an object into constituent paths; it will fail if the object is one solid path. |
Simplify |
| Ctrl+L | simplify |
| This command attempts to simplify selected path(s) by removing extra nodes. It converts all objects to paths first. |
| If you invoke this command several times in quick succession, it will act more and more aggressively. |
| Invoking Simplify again after a pause restores the default threshold (settable in the Inkscape Preferences dialog). |
Selector |
Select (mouse) |
| click | select an object |
| When you left-click on an object, previous selection is deselected. |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
| Shift+click adds an object to the current selection if it was not selected, or deselects it otherwise. |
| clickclick | edit the object |
| For paths, double clicking switches to Node tool; for shapes, to corresponding shape tool; for text, to Text tool. |
| For groups, double clicking performs the "Enter group" command (the group becomes temporary layer). |
| Double clicking in empty space swithes to the parent layer in the hierarchy, if any. |
Rubberband, touch selection |
| mouse drag | select by rubberband |
| Dragging around objects does "rubberband" selection; previous selection is deselected. |
| Shift+mouse drag | add objects to selection |
| Normally, you need to start from an empty space to initiate a rubberband. |
| However, if you press Shift before dragging, Inkscape will do rubberband selection even if you start from an object. |
| Alt+mouse drag,
Shift+Alt+mouse drag | select by touch |
| Alt+dragging over objects selects those objects that are touched by the path. |
| To start touch selection with Alt, you must have nothing selected; otherwise use Shift+Alt. |
| You can switch rubberband selection to touch selection and back while dragging by pressing/releasing Alt. |
Select (keyboard) |
| Tab | select next object |
| Shift+Tab | select previous object |
| These keys pick objects in their z-order (Tab cycles from bottom to top, Shift+Tab cycles from top to bottom). |
| Unless you did manual rearrangements, the last object you created is always on top. |
| As a result, if nothing is selected, pressing Shift+Tab once conveniently selects the object you created last. |
| This works on objects within the current layer (unless you change that in preferences). |
| Ctrl+A | select all (current layer) |
| This works on objects within the current layer (unless you change that in preferences). |
| Ctrl+Alt+A | select all (all layers) |
| This works on objects in all visible and unlocked layers. |
| ! | invert selection (current layer) |
| This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in the current layer. |
| Alt+! | invert selection (all layers) |
| This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in visible and unlocked layers. |
| Esc | deselect |
| Backspace,
Del | delete selection |
Select within group, select under |
| Ctrl+click | select within group |
| Ctrl+click selects the object at click point disregarding any levels of grouping that this object might belong to. |
| Ctrl+Shift+click | toggle selection within group |
| Alt+click | select under |
| Alt+click selects the object at click point which is beneath (in z-order) the lowest selected object at click point. |
| If the bottom object is reached, Alt+click again selects the top object. So, several Alt+clicks cycle through z-order stack at point. |
| On Linux, Alt+click and Alt+drag may be reserved by the window manager. If you reconfigure your window manager |
| to not map Alt+click, then it will be free for Inkscape to use. |
| If your keyboard has a Meta key, you may wish to set your "Modifier
key" to use it instead of Alt. |
| (Sometimes you can also use Ctrl+Alt+click (select under in
groups) with the same effect as Alt+click.) |
| Shift+Alt+click | toggle under |
| Ctrl+Alt+click | select under, in groups |
| Shift+Ctrl+Alt+click | toggle under, in groups |
| Ctrl+Enter | enter group |
| Ctrl+Backspace | go to parent group/layer |
Move (mouse) |
| mouse drag | select + move |
| Dragging an object selects it if it was not selected, then moves selection. |
| Alt+mouse drag | move selected |
| Alt+drag moves the current selection (without selecting what is under cursor), no matter where you start the drag. |
| On Linux, Alt+click and Alt+drag may be reserved by the window manager. Reconfigure it so you can use them in Inkscape. |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | restrict movement to horizontal or vertical |
| Shift+mouse drag | temporarily disable snapping |
| This temporaily disables snapping to grid or guides when you are dragging with grid or guides on. |
| mouse dragSpace | drop a copy |
| When dragging or transforming with mouse, each Space leaves a copy of the selected object. |
| You can press and hold Space while dragging for a nice "trail." |
Move (keyboard) |
| arrows | move selection by the nudge distance |
| Shift+arrows | move selection by 10x nudge distance |
| The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). |
| Alt+arrows | move selection by 1 pixel |
| Alt+Shift+arrows | move selection by 10 pixels |
| The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. |
Transform (mouse) |
| click,
Shift+S | toggle scale/rotation handles |
| mouse drag | scale (with scale handles) |
| mouse drag | rotate or skew (with rotation handles) |
Scale by handles |
| mouse drag | scale |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | scale preserving aspect ratio |
| Shift+mouse drag | symmetric transformation |
| Holding Shift while transforming makes transformation symmetric around the center of the selection. |
| Alt+mouse drag | scale by integer |
| Hold Alt while scaling to limit scale to 2, 3, 4, etc. or 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 etc. of the initial size. |
Scale (keyboard) |
| .,
> | scale selection up by the scale step |
| ,,
< | scale selection down by the scale step |
| The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). |
| Ctrl+.,
Ctrl+> | scale selection to 200% |
| Ctrl+,,
Ctrl+< | scale selection to 50% |
| Alt+.,
Alt+> | scale selection up by 1 pixel |
| Alt+,,
Alt+< | scale selection down by 1 pixel |
| The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling. |
| Scaling is uniform around the center, so that the size increment applies to the larger of the two dimensions. |
Rotate/skew by handles |
| mouse drag | rotate or skew |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap skew angle |
| Holding Ctrl when dragging a skew (non-corner) handle snaps the skew angle to angle steps (default 15 degrees). |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap rotation angle |
| Holding Ctrl when dragging a rotation (corner) handle snaps the rotation angle to angle steps (default 15 degrees). |
Rotate (keyboard) |
| [,
] | rotate selection by the angle step |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise. |
| Ctrl+[,
Ctrl+] | rotate selection by 90 degrees |
| Alt+[,
Alt+] | rotate selection by 1 pixel |
| The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. |
| These commands use the rotation center, draggable in Selector (by default it's in geometric center). |
Flip |
| h | flip selection horizontally |
| v | flip selection vertically |
| If the tool is in rotate mode (rotation center visible), that center becomes the axis of flipping; otherwise it flips around geometric center of selection |
Rotation center |
| mouse drag | move rotation center |
| Moved rotation center remembers and saves its position for (all) selected object(s); you can reset it. |
| Dragging the center snaps it to the centerlines and bounding box edges of the selection. |
| Shift+mouse drag | move without snapping |
| Shift+click | reset rotation center |
| Resetting rotation center moves it back to the geometric center of the object's or selection's bounding box. |
Cancel |
| Esc | cancel rubberband, move, transformation |
| Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, move, or transformation of any kind. |
Node tool |
Select objects (mouse) |
| click | click a non-selected object to select |
| Alt+click | select under |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
| These work the same as in Selector. The nodes or handles of the single selected object become editable. |
Select nodes (mouse) |
| click | select a node |
| Clicking on a node selects it. |
| click | select two adjacent nodes |
| Clicking on a selected path between the nodes selects the two nodes closest to the click point. |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
| This adds/removes a node (if clicked on node) or two nodes (if clicked on path) to/from the node selection. |
| click | deselect |
| Clicking in an empty space deselects all selected nodes. Next click will deselect the object. |
Rubberband selection |
| mouse drag | select multiple nodes |
| Dragging around nodes does "rubberband" selection; previous node selection is deselected. |
| Shift+mouse drag | add nodes to selection |
| Normally, you need to start from a point not over a path or a node to initiate a rubberband. |
| However, if you press Shift before dragging, Inkscape will do rubberband selection even if you start over the path. |
Select nodes (keyboard) |
| Tab | select next node |
| Shift+Tab | select previous node |
| These keys select nodes within the selected path |
| Ctrl+A | select all nodes in subpath(s) |
| If the path has multiple subpaths and some nodes selected, this selects all only in subpaths with already selected nodes. |
| Ctrl+Alt+A | select all nodes in path |
| This selects all nodes in the entire path. |
| ! | invert selection in subpath(s) |
| If the path has multiple subpaths and some nodes selected, this inverts selection only in subpaths with already selected nodes. |
| Alt+! | invert selection in path |
| This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in the entire path. |
| Esc | deselect all nodes |
Grow/shrink node selection |
| PgUp,
PgDn | grow/shrink selection (spatial) |
| mouse wheel | grow/shrink selection (spatial) |
| Ctrl+PgUp,
Ctrl+PgDn | grow/shrink selection (along path) |
| Ctrl+mouse wheel | grow/shrink selection (along path) |
| Your mouse pointer must be over a node for growing/shrinking. |
| Each key press or wheel click selects the nearest unselected node or deselects the farthest selected node. |
| Distance to nodes can be calculated directly (spatial mode) or along path. |
Move nodes (mouse) |
| mouse drag | move selected nodes |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | restrict movement to horizontal or vertical |
| Ctrl+Alt+mouse drag | move along handles |
| This restricts movement to the directions of the node's handles, their continuations and perpendiculars (total 8 snaps). |
| If the node has straight lines on one or both sides, this will snap it to these lines' directions and perpendiculars instead. |
| Shift+mouse drag | temporarily disable snapping |
| Snapping nodes is enabled in Document Preferences. By default, only bounding box of objects snaps to grid/guides. |
| Shift+mouse drag | drag out handle |
| If a node has a retracted handle, dragging with Shift lets you drag it out of the node. |
| mouse dragSpace | drop a copy |
| When dragging nodes with mouse, each Space leaves a copy of the selected object. |
| You can press and hold Space while dragging for a nice "trail." |
| Alt+mouse drag | sculpt selected nodes |
| Sculpting moves the selected nodes so that the dragged node moves all the way, the farthest selected nodes stay put; |
| all intermediate selected nodes move intermediate distances, governed by a bell-like curve. |
| Sculpting is pressure-sensitive with a tablet; press harder for a blunter drag profile, press lightly for a sharper profile. |
| To stop sculpting without losing the pressure-sensitive profile, release Alt first and then lift the pen. |
Move nodes (keyboard) |
| arrows | move selected node(s) by the nudge distance |
| Shift+arrows | move selected node(s) by 10x nudge distance |
| The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). |
| Alt+arrows | move selected node(s) by 1 pixel |
| Alt+Shift+arrows | move selected node(s) by 10 pixels |
| The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. |
Move node handle (mouse) |
| mouse drag | move a node handle |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap the handle to angle steps |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. This also snaps to the handle's original angle, its continuation and perpendiculars. |
| Shift+mouse drag | rotate both handles |
| Alt+mouse drag | lock the handle length |
| Ctrl, Shift, Alt can be combined when dragging handles. |
| Ctrl+click | retract the handle |
| Retracted handle is zero length; use Shift+drag to drag it back out. |
Scale handle (1 node selected) |
| <,
> | contract/expand both handles by scale step |
| The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). May apply to more than one node. |
| Left Ctrl+<,
Left Ctrl+> | scale left handle by the scale step |
| Right Ctrl+<,
Right Ctrl+> | scale right handle by the scale step |
| Left Alt+<,
Left Alt+> | scale left handle by 1 pixel |
| Right Alt+<,
Right Alt+> | scale right handle by 1 pixel |
| The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling. |
| Instead of the < and > keys, you can use the , (comma) and . (period) keys respectively. |
Rotate handle (1 node selected) |
| [,
] | rotate both handles by the angle step |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise. May apply to more than one node. |
| Left Ctrl+[,
Left Ctrl+] | rotate left handle by the angle step |
| Right Ctrl+[,
Right Ctrl+] | rotate right handle by the angle step |
| Left Alt+[,
Left Alt+] | rotate left handle by 1 pixel |
| Right Alt+[,
Right Alt+] | rotate right handle by 1 pixel |
Scale nodes (>1 nodes selected) |
| These commands scale the selected nodes as if they were an "object". |
| If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of scaling; otherwise it scales around geometric center of selected nodes. |
| .,
> | scale nodes up by the scale step |
| ,,
< | scale nodes down by the scale step |
| The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). |
| Alt+.,
Alt+> | scale nodes up by 1 pixel |
| Alt+,,
Alt+< | scale nodes down by 1 pixel |
| The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling. |
| Scaling is uniform around the center, so that the size increment applies to the larger of the two dimensions. |
Rotate nodes (>1 nodes selected) |
| These commands rotate the selected nodes as if they were an "object". |
| If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of rotation; otherwise it rotates around geometric center of selected nodes. |
| [,
] | rotate nodes by the angle step |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise. |
| Alt+[,
Alt+] | rotate nodes by 1 pixel |
| The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. |
Flip nodes (>1 nodes selected) |
| These commands flip the selected nodes as if they were an "object", around the center of that object. |
| h | flip nodes horizontally |
| v | flip nodes vertically |
| If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of flipping; otherwise it flips around geometric center of selected nodes |
Change segment(s) |
| Shift+L | make line |
| Shift+U | make curve |
| These commands require that more than two adjacent nodes be selected. |
Change node type |
| Shift+C | make cusp |
| Shift+S | make smooth |
| Shift+Y | make symmetric |
| When making smooth or symmetric, you can lock the position of one of the handles by hovering mouse over it. |
| Ctrl+click | toggle smooth/cusp/symmetric |
Join/break |
| Shift+J | join selected nodes |
| This requires that exactly two end nodes within the path be selected. |
| You can lock the position of one of the two joined nodes by hovering mouse over it. |
| Shift+B | break selected node(s) |
| After break, only one of each two new nodes is selected. May apply to more than one node. |
Delete, create, duplicate |
| Backspace,
Del | delete selected node(s) |
| Ctrl+Backspace,
Ctrl+Del | delete without preserving shape |
| Deleting without Ctrl adjusts handles on the remaining nodes to preserve the shape of the curve as much as possible. |
| Deleting with Ctrl does not touch the remaining nodes. |
| Ctrl+Alt+click | create/delete node |
| Ctrl+Alt+click on a node deletes it; Ctrl+Alt+click on the path between nodes creates a new node in the click point. |
| Deleting nodes this way always tries to preserve the shape of the curve (same as Del/Backspace). |
| clickclick | create node |
| Double clicking on the path between nodes creates a node in the click point. |
| Ins | insert new node(s) |
| This adds new node(s) in the middle(s) of selected segment(s), so it requires that more than two adjacent nodes be selected. |
| Shift+D | duplicate selected node(s) |
| New nodes are created on the same path; they are placed exactly over the old ones and are selected. |
Reverse |
| Shift+r | reverse path direction |
Edit shapes |
| Node tool can also drag the handles of shapes (rectangles, ellipses, stars, spirals). Click on a shape to select it. |
| See the corresponding shape tools for their editing shortcuts, all of which also work in node tool. |
Cancel |
| Esc | cancel rubberband or move |
| Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, node move, handle move, or handle move. |
Tweak tool |
Operation |
| mouse drag | act on selected paths in the current mode |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | act temporarily switching to shrink mode |
| Ctrl+Shift+mouse drag | act temporarily switching to grow mode |
| The amount of tweaking action is the greatest at the center of the circular area and drops off smoothly towards the edges. |
Modes |
| Shift+p | push mode |
| Shift+s | shrink (inset) mode |
| Shift+g | grow (outset) mode |
| Shift+a | attract mode |
| Shift+e | repel mode |
| Shift+r | roughen mode |
| Shift+c | color paint mode |
| Shift+j | color jitter mode |
Parameters |
| Left arrow,
Right arrow | adjust brush width by 1 |
| Home,
End | set brush width to 1 / 100 |
| Up arrow,
Down arrow | adjust tweaking force |
| Width and force can be adjusted while drawing. With a pressure-sensitive tablet, force also depends on pen pressure. |
Rectangle tool |
Draw |
| mouse drag | draw a rectangle |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | make a square or integer-ratio rectangle |
| This restricts rectangle so its height/width ratio is a whole number. |
| Shift+mouse drag | draw around the starting point |
| This creates a rectangle symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag. |
Select |
| click | click to select |
| Alt+click,
Ctrl+Alt+click | select under |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
| In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector) |
| Esc | deselect |
Resize by handles |
| mouse drag | drag a square handle to resize |
| Initially, the two resize (square) handles are in top left and bottom right corners. |
| Resize handles change the width and height of the rectangle in its own coordinate system, before any transforms are applied. |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | lock width, height, or ratio |
Round corners by handles |
| mouse drag | drag a circular handle to round corners |
| Initially, the two rounding handles are in the top right corner of the rectangle. |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | lock the corner circular |
| Ctrl+click | set the corner circular |
| When rounding corners, dragging one rounding handle keeps the corner circular if the other remains at the corner. |
| You can drag both handles for an elliptic rounded corner, or drag/click one with Ctrl to make it circular again. |
| Shift+click | remove corner rounding |
3D box tool |
Draw |
| mouse drag | draw a 3D box (X/Y plane) |
| Shift+mouse drag | draw a 3D box (extrude in Z) |
Select |
| click | click to select |
| Alt+click,
Ctrl+Alt+click | select under |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
| Esc | deselect |
Edit by handles |
| All editing operations occur "in perspective", i.e., either along PLs or within planes spanned by these. |
| mouse drag | resize/move box |
| The four front handles and the center normally move withing the XY-plane, the four rear handles along the Z-axis. |
| Shift+mouse drag | resize/move (with handle behaviour swapped) |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | resize/move (handles snap to axes or diagonals) |
Edit perspectives |
| In what follows, we use the abbreviations VP = vanishing point, PL = perspective line. |
| mouse drag | drag square handles to move the VPs |
| [,
] | rotate X-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. ],),} rotate clockwise, [,(,{ rotate counterclockwise. |
| Alt+[,
Alt+] | rotate X-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel |
| (,
) | rotate Y-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step |
| Alt+(,
Alt+) | rotate Y-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel |
| {,
} | rotate Z-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step |
| Alt+{,
Alt+} | rotate Z-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel |
Visual appearance |
| L | toggle visibility of PLs |
| A | toggle PLs to all corners/only front corners |
Ellipse tool |
Draw |
| Without Alt the starting end ending point of the mouse drag mark the corners of the bounding box. |
| With Alt the ellipse is enlarged so that its circumference passes through these two points (Ctrl+Alt is a special case; see below). |
| mouse drag | draw an ellipse |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | make circle or integer-ratio ellipse |
| This restricts ellipse so its height/width ratio is a whole number. |
| Shift+mouse drag | draw around the starting point |
| This creates an ellipse symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag. |
| Ctrl+Alt+mouse drag | |
| This creates a perfect circle whose diameter is defined by the starting and ending point of the mouse drag. |
Select |
| click | click to select |
| Alt+click,
Ctrl+Alt+click | select under |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
| In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector) |
| Esc | deselect |
Edit by handles |
| mouse drag | resize, make arc or segment |
| Initially, the two resize handles are at the topmost and leftmost points; the two arc/segment handles are in the rightmost point. |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | lock circle (resize handles) |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap to angle steps (arc/segment handles) |
| Resize handles change the width and height of the ellipse in its own coordinate system, before any transforms are applied. |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. |
| Shift+click | make whole (arc/segment handles) |
Star tool |
Draw |
| mouse drag | draw a star |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap star to angle steps |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. |
Select |
| click | click to select |
| Alt+click,
Ctrl+Alt+click | select under |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
| In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector) |
| Esc | deselect |
Edit by handles |
| mouse drag | drag a handle to vary the star shape |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | keep star rays radial (no skew) |
| Shift+mouse drag | round the star |
| Shift+click | remove rounding |
| Alt+mouse drag | randomize the star |
| Alt+click,
Ctrl+Alt+click | remove randomization |
Spiral tool |
Draw |
| mouse drag | draw a spiral |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap spiral to angle steps |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. |
Select |
| click | click to select |
| Alt+click,
Ctrl+Alt+click | select under |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
| In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector) |
| Esc | deselect |
Edit by handles |
| mouse drag | roll/unroll from inside (inner handle) |
| Dragging the inner handle adjusts the "inner radius" parameter. |
| Alt+mouse drag | converge/diverge (inner handle) |
| Alt+click,
Ctrl+Alt+click | reset divergence (inner handle) |
| Vertical Alt+drag of the inner handle adjusts the "divergence" parameter, Alt+click resets it to 1. |
| Shift+click | zero inner radius (inner handle) |
| Shift+click on inner handle makes the spiral start from the center. |
| mouse drag | roll/unroll from outside (outer handle) |
| Dragging the outer handle adjusts the "turns" parameter. Use Shift+Alt+drag to roll/unroll without changing radius. |
| Shift+mouse drag | scale/rotate (outer handle) |
| Use Shift+Alt to rotate only (locks the radius of the spiral). |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap handles to angle steps |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. This works for both handles. |
Zoom tool |
| click | zoom in |
| Shift+click | zoom out |
| mouse drag | zoom into the area |
Pencil tool |
| mouse drag | draw a freehand line |
| Shift+mouse drag | add to selected path |
| If a path is selected, Shift+dragging anywhere creates a new subpath instead of a new independent path. |
| Shift+mouse drag | temporarily disable snapping |
| Shift also temporaily disables snapping to grid or guides when you are drawing with grid or guides on. |
Create dots |
| Ctrl+click | create a dot |
| This creates a small circle. Its size (relative to the current stroke width) can be set in Preferences. |
| Shift+Ctrl+click | create a double-sized dot |
| Alt+Ctrl+click | create a random-sized dot |
Pen (Bezier) tool |
Create nodes |
| click | create a sharp node |
| If no path is being created, this starts a new path. |
| Shift+click | add to selected path |
| If a path is selected, Shift+clicking anywhere starts a new subpath instead of a new independent path. |
| mouse drag | create a bezier node with two handles |
| Shift+mouse drag | move only one handle |
| This moves only one handle (instead of both) while creating a node, making it cusp. |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | snap the handle to angle steps |
| The default angle step is 15 degrees. |
Move last node |
| These commands move the last created node (at the start of the red segment) while creating a path. |
| arrows | move last node by the nudge distance |
| Shift+arrows | move last node by 10x nudge distance |
| The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). |
| Alt+arrows | move last node by 1 pixel |
| Alt+Shift+arrows | move last node by 10 pixels |
| The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. |
Create/modify segments |
| Ctrl+ | snap last segment to angle steps |
| This snaps the new node's angle, relative to the previous node, to angle steps (default 15 degrees). |
| Shift+L | make last segment line |
| Shift+U | make last segment curve |
| These commands change the last (red) segment of the path to straight line or curve. |
Create dots |
| Ctrl+click | create a dot |
| This creates a small circle. Its size (relative to the current stroke width) can be set in Preferences. |
| Shift+Ctrl+click | create a double-sized dot |
| Alt+Ctrl+click | create a random-sized dot |
Finish |
| Enter | finish current line |
| right click | finish current line |
| clickclick | finish current line |
| Enter, right click, or double left click finish the current line, discarding the last unfinished (red) segment. |
Cancel |
| Esc,
Ctrl+z | cancel current line |
| Backspace,
Del | erase last segment of current line |
Calligraphy tool |
| mouse drag | draw a calligraphic line |
| Shift+mouse drag | add to selected path |
| Drawing with Shift unions the newly created stroke with the previous selection |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | track a guide path |
| Drawing with Ctrl tracks a selected guide path at the constant distance |
| Left arrow,
Right arrow | adjust pen width by 1 |
| Home,
End | set pen width to 1 or 100 |
| Up arrow,
Down arrow | adjust pen angle |
| Width and angle can be adjusted while drawing. |
| Esc | deselect |
Paint Bucket |
| click | fill a bounded area |
| Shift+click | add to selected path |
| Clicking with Shift unions the newly created fill with the previous selection |
| mouse drag | fill from each point |
| From each point, the fill spreads to the neighbors with the colors similar to that point. |
| This can be used to fill an area currently filled with a gradient or blur. |
| Alt+mouse drag | fill from each point same as initial point |
| From each point, the fill spreads to the neighbors with the colors similar to the initial point of the drag. |
| This can be used to fill several disjoint bounded areas by starting in one and dragging over all of the areas. |
| Ctrl+click | set fill color |
| Shift+Ctrl+click | set stroke color |
| Ctrl+clicking an object sets its fill (or stroke with Shift) to the tool's current style; the object need not be selected |
Gradient tool |
Select objects |
| click | click an object to select |
| Alt+click | select under |
| Shift+click | toggle selection |
Create gradients |
| mouse drag | create gradient |
| This creates gradient on selected objects. The Controls bar lets you select linear/radial and fill/stroke for the new gradient. |
| clickclick | create default gradient |
| This creates default (horizontal edge-to-edge for linear, centered edge-to-edge-to-edge for radial) gradient on clicked object. |
Select handles |
| click | select a handle |
| Shift+click | add handle to selection |
| Shift+mouse drag | select by rubberband |
| Tab | select next handle |
| Shift+Tab | select previous handle |
| Ctrl+A | select all handles |
| Esc | deselect all handles |
| Single click outside all handles also deselects all handles. |
Create/delete intermediate stops |
| Ctrl+Alt+click | create a stop |
| clickclick | create a stop |
| Ctrl+Alt+click or double click on a gradient line creates a new intermediate stop |
| Ctrl+Alt+click | delete stop |
| Ctrl+Alt+click on a stop's handle deletes the stop; if it was an end stop, gradient shortens or disappears |
| Ins | insert new stop(s) |
| This adds new stop(s) in the middle(s) of selected segment(s), so it requires that more than two adjacent handles be selected. |
| Del | delete selected stops |
Move handles/stops |
| mouse drag | move selected handle(s) |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | move stops in 1/10 range increments |
| Ctrl+dragging selected intermediate stops moves them snapping to 1/10 steps of the available range |
| Alt+mouse drag | sculpt selected stops |
| Sculpting moves the selected intermediate stops depending on how close each one is to the stop being dragged, using a smooth bell-like curve similar to the node sculpting feature in Node tool. |
| arrows | move selected handle by the nudge distance |
| Shift+arrows | move selected handle by 10x nudge distance |
| The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). |
| Alt+arrows | move selected handle by 1 pixel |
| Alt+Shift+arrows | move selected handle by 10 pixels |
| If at least one end handle is selected, arrow keys move the end handle to move or resize the gradient line. |
| If only mid stops are selected, arrow keys move the selected stops along the gradient line. |
| The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. |
Reverse |
| Shift+r | reverse gradient definition |
| This mirrors the stop positions of the current gradient without moving the gradient handles. |
Gradient editor |
| clickclick | open gradient editor |
| Double clicking a gradient handle opens the Gradient Editor with that gradient and the clicked handle chosen in the stops list. |
Dropper tool |
| click | pick fill color |
| Shift+click | pick stroke color |
| mouse drag | average fill color |
| Shift+mouse drag | average stroke color |
| Click applies the color under cursor to the current selection. Dragging a radius calculates the average color of a circular area. |
| If a gradient handle (in Gradient tool) is selected, it gets the color instead of the entire object. |
| Alt+click | pick inverse color |
| If Alt is pressed, picking color (with or without Shift, by click or by drag) picks the inverse of the color. |
| Ctrl+C | copy color |
| This copies the color under cursor to the system clipboard, as text in RRGGBBAA format (8 hex digits). |
Text tool |
Select/create |
| click | create/select a text object |
| Clicking in an empty space or on a non-text creates a text object; now you can type your text. |
| Clicking on a text object selects it; cursor is placed near the click point. |
| Esc | deselect the text object |
Navigate in text |
| arrows | move cursor by one character |
| Ctrl+Left arrow,
Ctrl+Right arrow | move cursor by one word |
| Ctrl+Up arrow,
Ctrl+Down arrow | move cursor by one paragraph |
| Home,
End | go to beginning/end of line |
| Ctrl+Home,
Ctrl+End | go to beginning/end of text |
| All these commands cancel current text selection, if any. |
Flowed text (internal frame) |
| mouse drag | create flowed text |
| Clicking and dragging in an empty space or on a non-text creates a flowed text object with internal frame. |
| mouse drag | adjust frame size |
| Dragging the handle in the lower right corner of the selected flowed text changes width/height of the frame. |
| Ctrl+mouse drag | lock width, height, or ratio of frame |
| Dragging the corner handle with Ctrl resizes the frame preserving either width, or height, or ratio. |
Flowed text (external frame) |
| Alt+W | flow text into frame |
| With a text object and a shape/path selected, this flows text into the shape/path. |
| Both remain separate objects, but are linked; editing the shape/path causes the text to reflow. |
| Alt+Shift+W | unflow text from frame |
| This cuts the flowed text's link to the shape/path, producing a single-line regular text object. |
| Shift+D | select external frame |
| To find out which object is the frame of this flowed text, select it and press Shift+D. The frame will be selected. |
Text on path |
| Shift+D | select path from text |
| To find out which path this text is put on, select it and press Shift+D. The path will be selected. |
Edit text |
| To type + and - characters, use the main keyboard; keypad + and - are reserved for zoom (unless NumLock is on). |
| Enter | start a new line or paragraph |
| Enter in regular text creates new line; in flowed text it creates a new paragraph |
| Ctrl+U | toggle Unicode entry |
| To insert an arbitrary Unicode character, type Ctrl+U, then the hexadecimal code point, then Enter. |
| For example, type Ctrl+U 2 0 1 4 Enter for an em-dash; Ctrl+U a 9 Enter for a copyright sign. |
| To stay in Unicode mode after inserting the character, press Space instead of Enter. |
| Press Esc or another Ctrl+U to cancel Unicode mode without inserting the character. |
| Ctrl+Space | insert no-break space |
| A no-break space is visible even in a text object without xml:space="preserve". |
Select text |
| mouse drag | select text |
| Left-dragging over a text object selects a text span. |
| Shift+arrows | select text by character |
| Ctrl+Shift+arrows | select text by word |
| Shift+Home,
Shift+End | select to beginning/end of line |
| Ctrl+Shift+Home,
Ctrl+Shift+End | select to beginning/end of text |
| clickclick | select word |
| clickclickclick | select line |
| Ctrl+A | select all text |
| This selects the entire text of the current text object. |
Style selection |
| Ctrl+B | make selection bold |
| Ctrl+I | make selection italic |
| Also, you can use the Text&Font or Fill&Stroke dialogs to assign any style to text selection. |
Letter spacing |
| Alt+> | expand line/paragraph by 1 pixel |
| Shift+Alt+> | expand line/paragraph by 10 pixels |
| Alt+< | contract line/paragraph by 1 pixel |
| Shift+Alt+< | contract line/paragraph by 10 pixels |
| These commands (only when editing text) adjust letter spacing in the current line (regular text) or paragraph (flowed text). |
| The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment. |
Line spacing |
| Ctrl+Alt+> | make the text object taller by 1 pixel |
| Shift+Ctrl+Alt+> | make the text object taller by 10 pixels |
| Ctrl+Alt+< | make the text object shorter by 1 pixel |
| Shift+Ctrl+Alt+< | make the text object shorter by 10 pixels |
| These commands (only when editing text) adjust line spacing in the entire text object (regular or flowed). |
| The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment. |
Kerning and shifting |
| Alt+arrows | shift characters by 1 pixel |
| Shift+Alt+arrows | shift characters by 10 pixels |
| These commands work when editing a regular text object. Kerning does not work in flowed text. |
| With no selection, they shift (horizontally or vertically) the characters after the cursor until the end of line. |
| With selection, they shift the selection relative to the rest of text (by inserting opposite kerns at both ends of selection). |
| The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment. |
Rotate |
| Ctrl+[,
Ctrl+] | rotate character(s) by 90 degrees |
| Alt+[,
Alt+] | rotate character(s) by 1 pixel |
| These commands rotate the next character (without selection) or all characters in the selection (with selection). |
| Rotation only works in regular text (not flowed text). |
| The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement. |
