Pixelmator Pro keyboard shortcuts

You can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly accomplish many tasks in Pixelmator Pro. To use a keyboard shortcut, press all the keys in the shortcut at the same time.

While Pixelmator Pro comes with many pre-assigned keyboard shortcuts, you can also create some custom ones yourself to best suit your workflow. See Customize keyboard shortcuts to learn more.

Navigate an image

Action	Shortcut
Zoom in	Command ⌘ + Plus +
Zoom out	Command ⌘ + Minus -
Temporarily turn on scrubby zoom	Press and hold Option ⌥ + Space on your keyboard, then click and drag on canvas
Zoom to fit	Command ⌘ + 0
View actual size	Command ⌘ + 1 or Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + 0
Select the Zoom tool	Z
Navigate using the Zoom tool	Click to zoom in, Option ⌥ – click to zoom out, drag over an area to zoom in to it
Scroll an image (use the Hand tool)	Press and hold Space, then drag the image or press H on your keyboard
Freely rotate the canvas	Press and hold Space + R, then click and drag to rotate the canvas

Select tools

Tool	Shortcut
Style	S
Arrange	V
Color Picker	I
Free Selection	L (selects the last used selection tool)
Rectangular Selection	M
Cycle through Free, Magnetic, and Polygonal selection tools	Shift ⇧ + L
Elliptical Selection	Y
Color Selection	W
Quick Selection	Q
Paint	B
Erase	E
Color Fill	N
Gradient Fill	G
Repair	R
Clone	O
Shape	U (selects the last used Shape)
Cycle through commonly used shape tools	Shift ⇧ + U
Pen	P (selects the last used Pen tool)
Cycle through Pen and Freeform Pen tools	Shift ⇧ + P
Type	T
Cycle through the Circular, Path, Freeform and the regular type tools	Shift ⇧ + T
Color Adjustments	A
Effects	F
Crop	C
Slice	K or Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + E
Zoom	Z
Hand	H

Open, save, and export images

Action	Shortcut
Create a new image or template	Command ⌘ + N
Create a new image using a mockup	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + N
Create a new image from clipboard	Option ⌥ + N
Open an image	Command ⌘ + O
Save an image	Command ⌘ + S
Duplicate an image	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + S
Save an existing image as a new image	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + S
Export an image	Command ⌘ + E
Export an image optimized for the web	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + E
Create a new image from your Photos library	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + N

Basic edits

Action	Shortcuts
Undo last action	Command ⌘ + Z
Redo last action	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + Z
Cut	Command ⌘ + X
Copy	Command ⌘ + C
Copy Merged	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + C
Paste	Command ⌘ + V
Paste and match style	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + V
Paste and match colors	Control ⌃ + Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + V
Duplicate layer or selected area	Command ⌘ + J or Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + D
Cut and paste selected area	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + J
Duplicate a layer and move it by a pixel	Press Option ⌥ and an arrow key
Duplicate a layer and move it by 10 pixels	Press Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ and an arrow key
Change the size of the image	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + I
Use Super Resolution to increase the resolution of an image	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + U
Remove background	Shift ⇧ + Backspace ⌫
Change the size of the image canvas	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + C
Change the color profile of the image	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + K
Replace layer	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + R
Enter the color picker mode	Press and hold the Option ⌥ key and pick a color from an image

Work with layers

Action	Shortcut
Create an empty new layer	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + N
Insert an image or video as a layer from Finder	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + V
Insert an image or video as a layer from Photos	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + P
Delete selected layer(s) or clear selections	Backspace ⌫ key
Select all layers	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + A
Merge selected layers	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + E
Merge all layers	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + E
Group layers	Command ⌘ + G
Ungroup layers	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + G
Lock or unlock layers	Forward slash / key
Toggle layer visibility on and off	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + , (Comma)
Copy layer mask	Option ⌥ – drag a layer mask from one layer to another
Temporarily disable layer mask	Shift ⇧ – click a layer mask
Link or unlink a layer mask	Double–click the mask link line
Create a layer mask from image, shape or text	Command ⌘ – drag the image, shape or text onto a layer you'd like to mask
Create clipping mask	Option ⌥ – click between two layers in the Layers sidebar or press Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + G
Select next layer in layer list	Option ⌥ + Right bracket ]
Select previous layer in layer list	Option ⌥ + Left bracket [
Select top layer in layer list	Option ⌥ + Period .
Select bottom layer in layer list	Option ⌥ + Comma ,
Bring selected layer(s) forward	Command ⌘ + Right Bracket ]
Send selected layer(s) to the front	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + Right Bracket ]
Bring selected layer(s) backward	Command ⌘ + Left Bracket [
Send selected layer(s) to the back	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + Left Bracket [
Move a layer while any tool is active	Command ⌘ – drag the layer
Equally space objects horizontally	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + Control ⌃ + H
Equally space objects vertically	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + Control ⌃ + V

Style tool

Action	Shortcut
Cycle through blend modes	Shift ⇧ + Plus + or Minus -
Set layer opacity	Press a number key once or twice quickly in succession. Press the 0 key once for 100% and twice for 0%
Temporarily view original layer without styles applied	Control ⌃ + M

Arrange tool

Action	Shortcut
Resize a layer	Drag a layer handle
Duplicate a layer	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + D or Option ⌥ – drag
Disable alignment guides while moving or resizing	Command ⌘ – drag
Resize a layer from the center	Option ⌥ – drag a layer handle
Constrain the aspect ratio when resizing a layer	Shift ⇧ – drag
Constrain the aspect ratio when resizing a layer from the center	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ – drag a layer handle
Open the shortcut menu for the selected layer	Control ⌃ – click the layer
Rotate a layer	Command ⌘ – drag a layer handle
Rotate a layer in 15º steps	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ – drag a layer handle
Move a layer in a straight or diagonal line	Shift ⇧ – drag a layer
Align multiple layers according to their edges	Press Control ⌃ + Command ⌘ and an arrow key
Align multiple layers according to their centers	Control ⌃ + Command ⌘ + H (for horizontal centers) or V (for vertical centers)

Crop tool

Action	Shortcut
Turn on the Crop tool	C
Adjust the position of the crop	Press an arrow key
Resize the crop box using constrained proportions	Shift ⇧ – drag a crop box handle
Keep the center of the crop box fixed when resizing	Option ⌥ – drag a crop box handle
Reset the original image height	Double-click the top-middle crop handle. Press and hold the Shift ⇧ key while double-clicking to reset the image height using constrained crop
Reset the original image width	Double-click the left or the right side handle. Press and hold the Shift ⇧ key while double-clicking to reset the image width using constrained crop
Reveal hidden areas of an image	Double-click inside the crop box
Crop to fit image contents	Command ⌘ – click a crop box handle
Switch from straightening to rotation	Command ⌘ – drag outside the crop box
Cycle through crop overlays	Command ⌘ + G
Rotate the crop overlay	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + G

Free transform

Action	Shortcut
Turn on Free Transform	Command ⌘ + T
Skew	Drag a transform handle while holding Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘
Distort	Drag a transform handle while holding the Command ⌘ key
Perspective Transform	Drag a transform handle while holding Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘

Selection tools

Action	Shortcut
Select the entire image	Command ⌘ + A
Deselect an active selection	Command ⌘ + D
Invert a selection	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + I
Load the outline of a layer as a selection	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + L or Command ⌘ – click the thumbnail of a layer
Load grayscale selection	Shift ⇧ + Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + L
Turn on Select and Mask	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + R
Turn on Smart Refine selection	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + R
Select subject	Control ⌃ + S
Copy a selected area	Command ⌘ + C
Cut a selected area	Command ⌘ + X
Paste a selected area	Command ⌘ + V
Duplicate a selected area	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + D
Constrain selection to a circle or a square	Press and hold Shift ⇧ after starting a selection
Add to a selection	Press and hold Shift ⇧ before starting to select
Subtract from a selection	Press and hold the Option ⌥ key before starting to select
Intersect a selection	Press and hold the Shift ⇧ and Option ⌥ keys before starting to select

Paint and erase

Action	Shortcut
Reset foreground and background colors to white and black	D
Switch between foreground and background color	X
Paint or erase a vertical or horizontal line	Press and hold the Shift ⇧ key before starting to paint
Temporarily switch from painting to erasing	Press and hold ` or ~ on your keyboard
Navigate the brushes	Choose the next brush in the collection . or choose the previous brush ,
Stroke with brush	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + B
Increase or decrease brush size	Right bracket ] or Left bracket [
Increase or decrease brush softness	Shift ⇧ + Right bracket ] or Shift ⇧ + Left bracket [
Constrain gradient to 15º angle	Shift ⇧ – drag gradient
Pick a color from an image	Option ⌥ – click
Fill layer with color	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + F
Fill layer with background color	Command ⌘ + Backspace ⌫
Fill layer with foreground color	Option ⌥ + Backspace ⌫
Set Paint tool opacity	Press a number key once or twice quickly in succession. Press the 0 key for 100%, or 00 for 0%
Cycle through blend modes	Shift ⇧ + Plus + or Minus -

Clone tool

Action	Shortcut
Choose the Clone tool	O
Set clone source	Option ⌥ – click

Draw shape

Action	Shortcut
Choose the Shape tool	U
Unite a shape with the selected shape	Press and hold the Shift ⇧ key before starting to draw
Subtract a shape from the selected shape	Press and hold the Option ⌥ key before starting to draw
Intersect a shape with the selected shape	Press and hold Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ before starting to draw
Move a shape on the canvas while using any shape tool	Command ⌘ – drag a shape
Select a different shape on the canvas while using any shape tool	Command ⌘ – click a shape
Select multiple shapes on the canvas while using any shape tool	Press and hold Command ⌘ + Shift ⇧ then click or drag to select shapes
Move multiple shapes on the canvas while using any shape tool	After selecting multiple shapes, press and hold the Command ⌘ key and drag the shapes

Edit shapes

Action	Shortcut
Make a shape editable	Return ↵ key
Adjust the corner radius of a rounded rectangle shape	Command ⌘ – drag a corner radius handle
Adjust the radius of a single corner of a rounded rectangle shape	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ – drag a corner radius handle
Break apart the direction lines of a smooth anchor point	Option ⌥ – drag a direction point
Rejoin the direction lines of a smooth anchor point	Option ⌥ – drag the opposite direction point
Select or deselect multiple anchor points	Shift ⇧ – click an anchor point or Shift ⇧ – drag to draw a selection over multiple anchor points
Delete the selected anchor point(s)	Backspace ⌫ key
Stop editing a shape	Esc key

Draw paths with the Pen tool

Action	Shortcut
Add a sharp point	Click anywhere in the image
Add a smooth point	Drag anywhere in the image
Delete the most recently added anchor point	Backspace ⌫ key
Adjust the direction lines of a smooth anchor point after adding it	Command ⌘ – drag a direction line
Break apart the direction lines of a smooth anchor point while adding it	Press and hold the Option ⌥ key while dragging to add an anchor point
Break apart the direction lines of a smooth anchor point after adding it	Option ⌥ – drag a direction point
Adjust the direction lines of a smooth anchor point after adding it	Command ⌘ – drag a direction line
Finish drawing a path and close it	Shift ⇧ + Return ↵ key
Finish drawing a path and leave it open	Return ↵ key

Type tool

Action	Shortcut
Insert a text layer	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + T
Insert a circular text layer	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + T
Expand the text box to both directions	Option ⌥ – drag a text box handle
Move the text box along the path (when editing text on a path)	Shift ⇧ – drag a text box handle
Continue typing text from a new line instead of a new paragraph	Shift ⇧ + Return ↵

Color Adjustments

Action	Shortcut
Color Adjustments
Add a color adjustments layer	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + A
Automatically enhance the colors of an image (ML Enhance)	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + M
Remove camera noise and image compression artifacts (Denoise)	Control ⌃ + Shift ⇧ + D
Remove color banding and compression artifacts from low-quality images (Deband)	Control ⌃ + Shift ⇧ + B
Apply the Hue & Saturation adjustment	Command ⌘ + U
Apply the Color Balance adjustment	Command ⌘ + B
Apply the Levels adjustment	Command ⌘ + L
Apply the Curves adjustment	Command ⌘ + K
Invert colors destructively	Command ⌘ + I
Temporarily view original layer without adjustments	Control ⌃ + M
Enter the Split Comparison view	Press Control ⌃ + C , Option ⌥ – click the Show Original button, or force click the canvas
Enable color soft proofing	Press Command ⌘ + Y

Effects

Action	Shortcut
Add an effects layer	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + F
Apply the Color Fill effect	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + F
Temporarily view original layer without effects	Control ⌃ + M

Edit videos

Action	Shortcut
Play or pause all videos	Space
Play or pause selected video layers	Option ⌥ + Space
Move the video trimming bar without changing duration	Command ⌘ – one of the trimming handles

Templates browser

Action	Shortcut
Open the templates browser	Command ⌘ + N
Show a preview of the selected template	Space
Show recent documents and templates	Command ⌘ + R
Open the list of image size presets	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + P

Photo browser

Action	Shortcut
Open the Photo browser	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + N
Show a preview of the selected image or video	Space
Open image or video shortcut menu with more opening options	Control ⌃ – click the image or video thumbnail
Open original, unedited image	Option ⌥ – click the Open button in the Photo browser
Change the size of thumbnails in the Photo browser	Command ⌘ + Plus + or Command ⌘ + Minus -

General

Action	Shortcut
Show Pixelmator Pro welcome screen	Command ⌘ + Shift ⇧ + 1
Show Pixelmator Pro settings	Command ⌘ + Comma ,
Show Pixelmator Pro help	Command ⌘ + Question mark ?
Show guides	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + Semicolon ;
Show rulers	Command ⌘ + R
Show grid	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + Apostrophe '
Show colors	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + C
Show tool names	Control ⌃ + O
View document info	Shift ⇧ + Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + I
Show Info bar	Command ⌘ + Forward slash /
Hide toolbar	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + T
Show or hide overlay	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + H
Show or hide interface	Control ⌃ + H
Hide Tools sidebar	Option ⌥ + T
Hide or show the Layers sidebar	Option ⌥ + L
Switch Layers sidebar to List view	Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + L
Switch Layers sidebar to Thumbnails view	Control ⌃ + Shift ⇧ + L
Enter full screen	Fn + F or Control ⌃ + Command ⌘ + F
Close window	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + W
Close all windows	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + Shift ⇧ + W
Close tab	Command ⌘ + W
Close other tabs	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + W
Show Next Tab	Control ⌃ + Tab ⇥
Show Previous Tab	Control ⌃ + Shift ⇧ + Tab ⇥
View All Tabs	Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + Backlash \
Cycle through windows	Command ⌘ + Grave `
Minimize window	Command ⌘ + M
Minimize all windows	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + M
Hide Pixelmator Pro	Command ⌘ + H
Hide others	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + H
Print	Command ⌘ + P
Quit Pixelmator Pro	Command ⌘ + Q
Quit Pixelmator Pro and keep windows	Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + Q