Unless noted otherwise, keypad keys (such as arrows, Home, End, +, -, digits) are supposed to work the same as corresponding regular keys. See also KeyboardShortcutsToDo on Inkscape Wiki for a discussion of other shortcuts we're planning to implement; you can leave your ideas and requests there.

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# Tools

s
selector
selector (temporary)

Space switches to the select tool temporarily; another Space switches back.

n
node tool
z
zoom tool
r
rectangle tool
e
ellipse/arc tool
p
freehand (pencil) tool
b
bezier (pen) tool
calligraphic tool
d
dropper tool
t
text tool
i
spiral tool
*
star tool

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# File

N
create new document
O
open an SVG document
E
export to PNG
I
import bitmap or SVG
P
print document
S
save document
S
save under a new name
Q
exit Inkscape

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# Window

R
toggle rulers
B
toggle scrollbars
toggle fullscreen
main menu

Menus can also be activated by Alt with the letter underscored in the menu name.

drop-down (context) menu
W
close document window

This shuts down Inkscape if it was the only document window open.

next document window
previous document window

These cycle through the active document windows forward and backward.

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# Dialogs

F
Fill and Stroke
T
Text and Font
M
Transform
A
Align and Distribute
X
XML Editor
D
Document Options
O
Inkscape Options
E
Export to PNG

These open a new dialog window if it wasn't open yet, otherwise the corresponding dialog gets focus.

## Toggle visibility

toggle dialogs

This temporarily hides all open dialogs; another F12 shows them again.

## Within a dialog

return to the canvas
W
close the dialog
jump to next widget
jump to previous widget
accept the new value

This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

activate current button or list
in a multi-tab dialog, switch tabs

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# Top panel

The panel at the top of the document window provides different fields and controls for each tool.

X
jump to the first editable field
accept the new value

This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

cancel changes, return to canvas

This cancels any changes you made in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

Z
cancel changes

This cancels any changes you made in a text field but you stay in the field.

jump to next field
jump to previous field

Use these to navigate between fields in the top panel (the value in the field you leave, if changed, is accepted).

## Changing values

change value by 0.1
change value by 5.0

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# Canvas

## Zoom

=
+
zoom in
-
zoom out

The keypad +/- keys do zooming even when you are editing a text object.

zoom in
zoom out
zoom in or out

## Preset zooms

1
zoom 1:1
2
zoom 1:2
3
zoom to selection
4
zoom to drawing
5
zoom to page
E
6
zoom to page width

## Zoom history

`
(back quote) previous zoom
`
next zoom

With these keys, you can travel back and forth through the history of zooms in this session

## Scrolling (panning)

scroll canvas

Scrolling by keys is accelerated, i.e. it speeds up when you press Ctrl+arrows in quick succession, or press and hold.

scroll canvas
scroll canvas
scroll canvas vertically
scroll canvas horizontally

## Guides and grid

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.

|
\
toggle guides and snapping to guides

If you want to have different values for guides visibility and snapping, set them via the Document Options dialog.

When you create a new guide by dragging off the ruler, guide visibility and snapping are turned on.

#
3
toggle grid and snapping to grid

If you want to have different values for grid visibility and snapping, set them via the Document Options dialog.

Note that only the 3 key on the main keyboard works, not on the keypad.

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# Object

## Undo/redo

Y
Z
undo
Z
Y
redo

## Clipboard

C
copy selection

This places a copy of the selection to the Inkscape clipboard (not the system clipboard).

X
cut selection

This places a copy of the selection to the Inkscape clipboard and deletes the selection.

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.

V
paste in place

This places the clipboard objects to the original location from which they were copied.

V
paste style

This applies the style of the (first of the) coped object(s) to the current selection.

## Duplicate

D
duplicate selection

New object(s) are placed exactly over the original(s) and selected.

## Grouping

U
G
group selected objects

Use Ctrl+click to select objects within group.

G
U
ungroup selected group(s)

This removes only one level of grouping; press Ctrl+U repeatedly to ungroup nested groups.

## Z-order

raise selection to top
lower selection to bottom
raise selection one step
lower selection one step

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# Path

## Convert to path

C
convert selected object(s) to path
C
convert stroke to path

## Booleans

+
union

Union combines any number of objects into a single path, removing overlaps.

-
difference

Difference works on 2 objects, extracting the top from the bottom.

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intersection

Intersection creates a path representing the common (overlapping) area of all selected objects.

^
exclusive OR (XOR)

XOR is similar to Union, except that it works on 2 objects and removes areas where the objects overlap.

/
division (cut)

Division cuts the bottom object into pieces by the top object, preserving the fill and stroke of the bottom.

/
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.

## Offsets

(
inset path (towards center)
)
outset path (away from center)

The default offset distance is 2 pt.

(
inset path by 1px
)
outset path by 1px
(
inset path by 10px
)
outset path by 10px

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.

J
create dynamic offset
J
create linked offset

These commands produce an offset object, editable by the node tool, standalone or linked to the original.

## Combining

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.

K
break paths apart

This attempts to break an object into constituent paths; it will fail if the object is one solid path.

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.

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# Selector

## Keyboard select

select next object
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.

A
select all objects
delete selection
deselect

## Keyboard move

move selection by the nudge distance
move selection by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 1mm.

move selection by 1 pixel
move selection by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

## Keyboard rotate

[
]
rotate selection by the angle step

The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise.

[
]
rotate selection by 90 degrees
[
]
rotate selection by 1 pixel

The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

## Keyboard scale

<
>
scale selection by the scale step

The default scale step is 2 pt.

<
scale selection to 50%
>
scale selection to 200%
<
>
scale selection 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.

Instead of the < and > keys, you can use the , (comma) and . (period) keys respectively.

## Keyboard flip

h
flip selection horizontally
v
flip selection vertically

## Mouse select

select an object

When you left-click on an object, previous selection is deselected.

toggle selection

Shift+click adds an object to the current selection if it was not selected, or deselects it otherwise.

## Selecting within group

select within group
toggle selection within group

## Rubberband

select multiple objects

Dragging around objects does "rubberband" selection; previous selection is deselected.

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.

## Mouse move

move selected objects

Dragging an object selects it if it was not selected, then moves selection.

restrict movement to horizontal or vertical
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."

## Mouse transform

toggle scale/rotation handles
scale (scale handles)
rotate or skew (rotation handles)

## Scale handles

scale preserving aspect ratio
symmetric transformation

Holding Shift while transforming makes transformation symmetric around the center of the selection.

slow movement

Holding Alt while transforming makes transformation lag behind mouse movement, allowing finer changes.

## Rotation handles

skew and stretch

Holding Ctrl when dragging a skew (non-corner) handle enables stretching in addition to skewing.

snap rotation to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

## Cancel

cancel rubberband, move, transformation

Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, move, or transformation of any kind.

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# Freehand tool

draw a freehand line
a
toggle new/append

This switches between creating a new line or appending to the selected line (anchors are displayed for appending).

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# Bezier tool

## Create nodes

create a sharp node
create a bezier node with two handles
move only one handle

This moves only one handle (instead of both) to create a cusp node.

snap the handle to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

## Create segments

snap the segment to angle steps

This snaps the new node's angle, relative to the previous node, to angle steps (default 15 degrees).

## Keyboard

a
toggle new/append

This switches between creating a new line or appending to the selected line (anchors are displayed for appending).

finish current line
cancel current line
erase last segment of current line
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# Node tool

## Keyboard select

select next node
select previous node

These keys let you select any node within the selected path

A
select all nodes of the path
deselect all nodes

## Keyboard move

move selected node(s) by the nudge distance
move selected node(s) by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 1mm.

move selected node(s) by 1 pixel
move selected node(s) by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

## Keyboard handle rotate

[
]
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.

[
]
rotate left handle by the angle step
[
]
rotate right handle by the angle step
[
]
rotate left handle by 1 pixel
[
]
rotate right handle by 1 pixel

## Keyboard handle scale

<
>
contract/expand both handles by scale step

The default scale step is 2 pt. May apply to more than one node.

<
>
scale left handle by the scale step
<
>
scale right handle by the scale step
<
>
scale left handle by 1 pixel
<
>
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.

## Change path segment

L
make line
K
make curve

These commands require that more than two adjacent nodes be selected.

## Change node type

C
make cusp
S
make smooth
Y
make symmetric
toggle smooth/cusp/symmetric

## Join/break

J
join selected nodes

This requires that exactly two end nodes within the path be selected.

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

delete selected node(s)
delete node
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.

D
duplicate selected node(s)

New nodes are created on the same path; they are placed exactly over the old ones and are selected.

## Active node

The active node is one under mouse or being dragged.

When you have an active node, some of the single-letter tool switch shortcuts may not work;

move your mouse cursor so that no node is active if you want to use them.

c
make active node cusp
s
make active node smooth
y
make active node symmetric
b
break active node
delete active node

## Mouse select

select an object

Clicking on an object selects it.

The nodes or handles of the newly selected object become editable (this saves you a switch to selector).

select a node

Clicking on a node selects it.

toggle selection of a node
deselect

Clicking in an empty space deselects all selected nodes.

## Rubberband

select multiple nodes

Dragging around nodes does "rubberband" selection; previous node selection is deselected.

add nodes to selection

## Mouse move

move selected nodes
restrict movement to horizontal or vertical
move along handles

This restricts movement to the directions of the node's handles, their continuations and perpendiculars (total 8 snaps).

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."

## Mouse handle move

move a node handle
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.

rotate both handles
lock the handle length

Ctrl, Shift, Alt can be combined when dragging handles.

## Editing 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

cancel rubberband or move

Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, node move, handle move, or handle move.

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# Zoom tool

zoom in
zoom out
zoom into the area

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# Rectangle tool

## Drawing

draw a rectangle
make a square or integer-ratio rectangle

This restricts rectangle so its height/width ratio is a whole number.

draw around the starting point

This creates a rectangle symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag.

## Editing

click a rectangle to select
drag a handle to round corners
lock the rounded corner circular

When rounding corners of a rectangle, dragging only one handle (with the other at the corner) keeps the corner circular.

You can drag both handles for an elliptic rounded corner, or drag one with Ctrl to make sure the other one is synchronized.

deselect

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# Ellipse tool

## Drawing

draw an ellipse
make circle or integer-ratio ellipse

This restricts ellipse so its height/width ratio is a whole number.

draw around the starting point

This creates an ellipse symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag.

## Editing

click an ellipse to select
drag a handle to make arc or segment
restrict the arc or segment to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

deselect

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# Star tool

## Drawing

draw a star
snap star to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

## Editing

click a star to select
drag a handle to vary the star shape
keep star rays radial (no skew)
deselect

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# Spiral tool

## Drawing

draw a spiral
snap spiral to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

## Editing

click a spiral to select
drag a handle to vary the spiral shape

Dragging internal handle "unrolls" the spiral from inside. Dragging the external handle adjusts spiral size.

snap handles to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

lock spiral radius

This has effect when dragging the outer handle of the spiral.

deselect

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# Text tool

create/activate a text object

Clicking in an empty space or on a non-text object displays a text cursor; now you can type your text.

Clicking on a text object activates it; cursor is placed at the end of the text.

To type + and - characters, use the main keyboard; keypad + and - are reserved for zoom.

navigate in a text object
go to beginning/end of line
start a new line
deselect the text object

## Special characters

U
toggle Unicode mode

In this mode, every four hex digits you type are translated into the corresponding Unicode character.

Another Ctrl+U or Esc or any non-hex character quits Unicode mode.

For example, Ctrl+U 2 0 1 4 Esc inserts an em-dash.

insert no-break space

A no-break space is visible even in a text object without xml:space="preserve".

## Letter spacing

>
expand the line by 1 pixel
>
expand the line by 10 pixels
<
contract the line by 1 pixel
<
contract the line by 10 pixels

These commands work when you are editing a text object. They adjust the inter-letter distance in the current line only.

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

## Line spacing

>
make the text object taller by 1 pixel
>
make the text object taller by 10 pixels
<
make the text object shorter by 1 pixel
<
make the text object shorter by 10 pixels

These commands work when you are editing a text object. They adjust the inter-line distance in the current text object.

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

## Kerning and shifting

shift next characters by 1 pixel
shift next characters by 10 pixels

These commands work when you are editing a text object.

They shift (horizontally or vertically) the character after the cursor and the rest of characters until the end of line.

E.g., to shift down one character, place the cursor before it, press Alt+Down, then move cursor after it and press Alt+Up.

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.