The best shortcuts in Photoshop

2 March 2022

5 min

Commonly used shortcuts

General shortcuts make working in Photoshop easier. When adjusting your images for Photo gifts such as Calendar, Photo mugs and more – you’ll not only save time, but also a few mouse clicks. This way, you can enhance your wonderful memories in just a few steps and capture them on high-quality printed products.

Keyboard shortcut	Windows	macOS
Keyboard shortcuts	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + K	Alt + Shift + Cmd + K
Menus	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + M	Alt + Shift + Cmd + M
Default settings: General	Ctrl + K	Cmd + K
Save	Ctrl + S	Cmd + S
Translate freely	Ctrl + T	Cmd + T
Reduce brush size	Ö	Ö
Increase brush size	#	#
Reduce the brush’s edge sharpness	{	{
Increase the edge sharpness of the brush	}	}
Switch between painting and erasing using the same brush	`hold down`	`hold down`
Standard colour for foreground and background	D	D
Swap the foreground and background colours	X	X
Adjust the number of levels displayed on screen	Press Alt and click on the layer	Press Option + and click on the layer
New level created by copying	Ctrl + J	Cmd + J
New layer created by cutting out	Shift + Ctrl + J	Shift + Cmd + J
Expand selection	Any selection tool + drag whilst holding down the Shift key	Any selection tool + drag whilst holding down the Shift key
Automatic selection with the move tool on/off	Click whilst holding down the Ctrl key	Click whilst holding down the Cmd key
Close all open files except the current one	Ctrl + Alt + P	Cmd + Option + P
Navigating between fields	Tab key	Tab key
Navigating between fields in the opposite direction	Tab + Shift	Tab + Shift
Change “Cancel” to “Reset”	Alt	Option

Function keys

Keyboard shortcut	Windows	macOS
Cut out	F2	F2
Copy	F3	F3
Insert	F4	F4
Show/hide the ‘Paintbrush’ control panel	F5	F5
Show/hide the ‘Colour’ control panel	F6	F6
Show/hide the ‘Layers’ control panel	F7	F7
Show/hide the ‘Info’ panel	F8	F9
Back to the previous version	F12	F12
Invert selection	Shift + F7	Shift + F7

Shortcuts in the ‘File’ menu section

Particularly for large-scale projects, such as image editing for Poster or even Roll-upsShortcuts such as ‘Save’ or ‘Export’ are essential. They help you switch quickly between drafts and save files in print-ready formats.

Keyboard shortcut	Windows	macOS
New	Ctrl + N	Cmd + N
Open	Ctrl + O	Cmd + O
Close	Ctrl + W	Cmd + W
Close all	Alt + Ctrl + W	Option + Cmd + W
Save	Ctrl + S	Cmd + S
Save as	Shift + Ctrl + S	Shift + Cmd + S
Export as	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + W	Option + Shift + Cmd + W
Print	Ctrl + P	Cmd + P
Exit	Ctrl + Q	Cmd + Q

Shortcuts in the ‘Edit’ menu section

Keyboard shortcut	Windows	macOS
Undo	Ctrl + Z	Cmd + Z
Repeat	Shift + Ctrl + Z	Shift + Cmd + Z
Cut out	Ctrl + X	Cmd + X
Copy	Ctrl + C	Cmd + C
Copy, reduced to a single level	Shift + Ctrl + C	Shift + Cmd + C
Insert	Ctrl + V	Cmd + V
Insert an original item	Shift + Ctrl + V	Shift + Cmd + V
Add to selection	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + V	Option + Shift + Cmd + V
Content-based scaling	Shift + F5	Shift + F5
Translate freely	Ctrl + T	Cmd + T
Colour settings	Shift + Ctrl + K	Shift + Cmd + K

Shortcuts in the ‘Image’ menu section

Keyboard shortcut	Windows	macOS
Workspace	Alt + Ctrl + C	Alt + Cmd + C
Image size	Alt + Ctrl + I	Option + Cmd + I
Tone value correction	Ctrl + L	Cmd + L
Hue / Saturation	Ctrl + U	Cmd + Ctrl
Reduce saturation	Shift + Ctrl + U	Shift + Cmd + U
Colour balance	Ctrl + B	Cmd + B
Black and white	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + B	Option + Shift + Cmd + B
Reverse	Ctrl + I	Cmd + I

Shortcuts in the ‘Selection’ menu section

Keyboard shortcut	Windows	macOS
Select all	Ctrl + A	Cmd + A
Clear selection	Ctrl + D	Cmd + D
Select again	Shift + Ctrl + D	Shift + Cmd + D
Invert selection	Shift + Ctrl + I	Shift + Cmd + I
All levels	Alt + Ctrl + A	Option + Cmd + A
Search levels	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + F	Option + Shift + Cmd + F
Select and mask	Alt + Ctrl + R	Option + Cmd + R

Shortcuts for the layers function

Layers are at the heart of many Photoshop projects. By using combinations such as creating a new layer or a clipping mask, you can fine-tune your designs. This is particularly useful for large-scale Photo products for the wallWhen every line and every detail counts, these shortcuts ensure your work remains clear and well-organised. The result? Perfectly coordinated layouts that look just as good in real life as they do on screen.

Keyboard shortcut	Windows	macOS
New level	Shift + Ctrl + N	Shift + Cmd + N
Duplicate layer	Ctrl + J	Cmd + J
Level achieved by cutting out	Shift + Ctrl + J	Shift + Cmd + J
Create a cutting template	Alt + Ctrl + G	Option + Cmd + G
Group by level	Ctrl + G	Cmd + G
Ungroup layers	Shift + Ctrl + G	Shift + Cmd + G
Lock layer	Ctrl + /	Cmd + /
Show/hide level	Ctrl + ,	Cmd + ,
Reduce to a single level	Ctrl + E	Cmd + E
Reduce visible items to a single level	Shift + Ctrl + E	Shift + Cmd + E
Export as	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + .	Option + Shift + Cmd + .
Quick export as JPG	Shift + Ctrl + .	Shift + Cmd + .

Shortcuts in the ‘View’ menu section

Keyboard shortcut	Windows	macOS
Zoom in	Ctrl + +	Cmd + +
Zoom out	Ctrl + -	Cmd + -
Full image	Ctrl + 0	Cmd + 0
100% view	Ctrl + 1	Cmd + 1
Move view	Space bar	Space bar
Rulers	Ctrl + R	Cmd + R
Align	Shift + Ctrl + ,	Shift + Cmd + ,
Show guides	Ctrl + ,	Cmd + ,
Hide guides	Alt + Ctrl + ,	Option + Cmd + ,
Show grid	Alt + Shift + Ctrl + ,	Option + Shift + Cmd + ,

Shortcuts in the ‘Tools’ menu section

Keyboard shortcut	Windows/macOS
Move	V
Selection	M
Lasso	L
Magic wand	W
Crop	C
Frame	K
Pipette	I
Repair	J
Brush	B
Change colours	X
Standard colours	D
Carbon copy stamps	S
Eraser	E
History	G
Densitomer/re-exposure	O
Pen	P
Text	T
Masking mode	Q
Path/Direct selection	A
Shape	U
Hand	H
View rotation	R
Zoom	Z
Display mode	F

Changing shortcuts in Photoshop

Would you like to create your own shortcuts? It’s really easy to do in Photoshop. In the ‘Edit’ menu, you’ll find ‘Keyboard Commands’. Once you’ve clicked on it, a window will open where you can customise the keyboard shortcuts! In the same window, under ‘Summary’, you can create a list of all your keyboard shortcuts. Photoshop will compile your active shortcuts into an HTML file for you here.