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Illustrator 2021 Cheat Sheet Cheat Sheet by

A simple list of common shortcuts for Adobe Illustrator 2021

Basics

Action
Windows
MacOS
keyboard increment (10x)
Shift + Arrow
Shift + Arrow
Shortcuts
Ctrl + Opt + Shift + K
Cmd + Opt + Shift + K
Prefer­ences
Ctrl + K
Cmd + K
Select an Object Behind
Ctrl + click
Cmd + click

Tools

Action
Windows
MacOS
Arc Tool: change direction
F
F
Blend Tool
W
W
Curvature Tool
Shift + `
Shift + `
Delete Anchor Point tool
-
-
Ellipse Tool
L
L
Eraser Tool
Shift + E
Shift + E
Erase along a selection
Erase Tool + Opt + click&drag
Erase Tool + Opt + click&drag
Free Transform Tool
E
E
Lasso Tool
Q
Q
Magic Wand Tool
Y
Y
Mesh Tool
U
U
Pen + Alt on a segment + optional Shift Key for perfect semi-c­ircle
Pen + Alt on a segment + optional Shift Key for perfect semi-c­ircle
Pen + Alt on a segment + optional Shift Key for perfect semi-c­ircle
Perspe­ctive Grid Tool
Shift + P
Shift + P
Perspe­ctive Grid -> hide
Ctrl+S­hift+I
Cmd+Sh­ift+I
Pencil Tool
N
N
Rectangle Tool
M
M
Reflect Tool
O
O
Rotate Tool
R
R
Rotate & Duplicate
R + Alt + click to redefine the Ref Point, then Cmd + D
R + Alt + click to Redefine the Ref Point, then Cmd + D
Shape Builder Tool
Shift + M
Shift + M
Shaper Tool
Shift + N
Shift + N
Symbol Sprayer Tool
Shift + S
Shift + S
Transform Again
Ctrl + D
Cmd + D
Touch Type Tool
Shift + T
Shift + T
Warp Tool to use with alt key to change size and shape
Shift + R
Shift + R
Width Tool
Shift + W
Shift + W
Create a Blend
Ctrl + Alt + B
Cmd + Opt + B

Colors & Painting

Action
Windows
MacOS
Stroke or Fill Color Selection
X
X
Remove the selected color
/
/
Set Default Colors (B&W)
D
D
Live Paint Bucket Tool
K
K
Live Paint Selection Tool
Cmd + Shift + L
Cmd + Shift + L
Paintbrush Tool
B
B
Blob Brush Tool
Shift + B
Shift + B
Switch Drawing Mode
Shift + D
Shift + D
Gradient Tool
G
G
Join two or more paths. Must select paths first.
Ctrl + J
Cmd + J
Create corner or smooth join. Must select paths first.
Ctrl + Alt + J
Cmd + Opt + J
 

View, Grids, Guides & Edges

Action
Windows
MacOS
Fit Artboard in Window
Ctrl +0
Cmd +0
Fit All in Window
Alt + Ctrl + 0
Opt + Cmd +0
Pixel Preview
Ctrl + Opt + Y
Cmd + Opt + Y
Show/Hide Smart Guides
Ctrl + U
Cmd + U
Show Grid
Ctrl + '
Cmd + '
Snap to Grid
Ctrl + Shift + '
Cmd + Shift + '
Show/Hide Guides
Ctrl + ;
Cmd + ;
Show/Hide Edges
Ctrl + H
Cmd + H
View > Actual Size
Ctrl + 1
Cmd +1
View > Guides > Make Guides (of an object)
Ctrl + 5
Cmd + 5
View Outlines
Ctrl + Y
Cmd + Y
Zoom to view all artboards
Ctrl + Opt + 0
Cmd + Opt + 0
Hide the Artboards
Ctrl + Shift + H
Cmd + Shift + H
Navigate (Artboard Tool)
(Fn +) Shift + Up&Down Arrows
(Fn +) Shift + Up&Down Arrows

Masking

Action
Windows
MacOS
Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp
Ctrl + Alt + Shift +W
Cmd + Opt + Shift +W
Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Top Object
Ctrl + Alt + C
Cmd + Opt + C
Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Mesh
Ctrl + Alt + M
Cmd + Opt + M
Object > Clipping Mask > Make
Ctrl + 7
Cmd + 7

Manipu­lating Objects

Action
Windows
MacOS
Bring Forward
Ctrl + ]
Cmd + ]
Bring to Front
Shift + Ctrl + ]
Shift + Cmd + ]
Compound Path > Create
Ctrl + 8
Cmd + 8
Deselect
Ctrl + Shift + A
Cmd + Shift + A
Group Objects
Ctrl + G
Cmd + G
Lock Selection
Ctrl + 2
Cmd + 2
New Layer
Ctrl + L
Cmd + L
Paste In Front
Ctrl + F
Cmd + F
Paste To Back
Ctrl + B
Cmd + B
Reset Bounding Box
Object > Transform > Reset Bounding Box
Object > Transform > Reset Bounding Box
Send Backward
Ctrl + [
Cmd + [
Send to Back
Shift + Ctrl + [
Shift + Cmd + [
Ungroup Objects
Shift + Ctrl + G
Shift + Cmd + G
Unlock All
Ctrl + Alt + 2
Cmd + Opt + 2
Select All in All Artboards
Ctrl + A
Cmd + A
Select All in Selected Artboards
Ctrl + Alt + A
Cmd + Opt + A

Exporting

Export for Screen
Ctrl + Alt + E
Cmd + Alt +E
Package
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P
Cmd + Opt + Shift + P
Place
Ctrl + Shift + P
Cmd + Shift + P
Show/Hide Edges
F3 (custom)
F3 (custom)
Save for Web
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S
Cmd + Opt + Shift + S

Various

Action
Windows
MacOS
Type > Create Outlines
Shift + Ctrl + O
Shift + Cmd + O
Paragraph Panel
Alt + Ctrl + T
Opt + Cmd + T
Character Panel
Ctrl + T
Cmd + T
 

Metadata

  • Languages:
  • Published: 12th December, 2020
  • Last Updated: 21st January, 2021

Favourited By

Boulard

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