Inkscape Keyboard Shortcuts Cheatsheet

A photograph of a woman drawing on a computer tablet.

Inkscape is a powerful drawing program that allows you to create raster-based graphics in Linux. It features the ability to draw simple lines and 2D shapes and generate perspective drawings of 3D objects.

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While most Inkscape users prefer a stylus and a drawing pad, its developers still provide several keyboard shortcuts for most of its features. This makes the program easier to work with, especially during long drawing sessions.

This cheatsheet will show you some of Inkscape’s most essential keyboard shortcuts. Not only that, but it will also highlight some of the program’s little-known features by showing you their quick access keys.

Also Helpful: We have a GIMP cheatsheet for photo editing and other tools.

ShortcutFunction
File Management
Ctrl + NCreate a new Inkscape document.
Ctrl + SSave the currently open Inkscape document.
Ctrl + Shift + SOpen the “Save As…” dialog box for the current document.
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + SCreate a duplicate of the currently open file within the same directory.
Ctrl + Shift + ESave the currently open Inkscape document as a PNG image.
Ctrl + OOpen an existing Inkscape document.
Ctrl + IOpen an image as an graphics object in the currently open document.
Ctrl + QClose the currently open document.
File Properties
Ctrl + FOpen the Find and Replace prompt on the current document.
Ctrl + Shift + HPrint a history of all the undo actions for the current document.
Ctrl + Shift + DPrint all the available properties for the current document.
Ctrl + Shift + OPrint all the available properties for the currently selected object.
Ctrl + Shift + POpen Inkscape’s “Preferences” window.
Ctrl + Shift + LOpen a dialog box that contains all the active layers in the document.
Ctrl + Shift + XOpen a dialog box that shows the underlying XML for the current document.
Window Manipulation
F10Toggle Inkscape’s Menu Bar.
F11Switch the current display to Fullscreen mode.
Shift + F11Toggle the display of all the toolbars in the current session.
Ctrl + F11Toggle the display of all the toolbars and switch the display to fullscreen.
Ctrl + EShow the guide rulers in the current document.
Ctrl + BDisable the scrollbars in the current document.
Alt + Shift + PDisable the Pallete subwindow in the current document.
Ctrl + TabGo to the next document in the current session.
Ctrl + Shift + TabGo back to the previous document in the current session.
Layer Manipulation
Ctrl + Shift + NCreate a new drawing layer on the current document.
Shift + Page UpMove the currently selected object one layer up.
Shift + Page DownMove the currently selected object one layer down.
Ctrl + Shift + Page UpMove the entire layer one level up.
Ctrl + Shift + Page DownMove the entire layer one level down.
Ctrl + Shift + HomeMove the entire layer to the top of the document stack.
Ctrl + Shift + EndMove the entire layer to the bottom of the document stack.
Object Manipulation
Ctrl + ZUndo the last change made on the currently selected object.
Ctrl + YRedo the last undo made on the currently selected object.
Ctrl + InsertCopy the currently selected object into the system clipboard.
Shift + DelCut the currently selected object into the system clipboard.
Shift + InsertPaste the most recent object from the system clipboard.
Ctrl + Alt + VPaste the object from the system clipboard on the original copy location.
Ctrl + Shift + VPaste the style of the object in the clipboard on the currently selected object.
Alt + DCreate a clone of the currently selected object.
Alt + Shift + DRemove the link between the cloned object and its original.
Shift + DHighlight the original object.
Group and Alignment
Ctrl + GCreate a new object group using all the currently selected objects.
Ctrl + URemove the group of the currently selected object.
Ctrl + Alt + HVertically center the currently selected group.
Ctrl + Alt + THorizontally center the currently selected group.
Dialog Manipulation
Ctrl + Shift + TOpen the “Text and Fonts” dialog box on the current document.
Ctrl + Shift + WOpen the “Swatches” dialog box on the current document.
Ctrl + Shift + FOpen the “Fill and Stroke” dialog box on the current document.
Ctrl + Shift + AOpen the “Align and Distribute” dialog box on the current document.
Ctrl + Shift + MOpen the “Transform” dialog box for the currently selected object.
Dialog Navigation
Ctrl + FSearch through the open dialog boxes in the current session.
Ctrl + WClose the currently open dialog box.
TabMove to the next element in the current dialog box.
Shift + TabMove back to the previous element in the current dialog box.
Ctrl + Page UpMove to the next dialog box in the current session.
Ctrl + Page DownMove back to the preivous dialog box in the current session.
Editing Tools
SGo to Inkscape’s selection tool mode.
NToggle the currently selected object’s node points.
ZZoom in on the currently active document.
Shift + ZZoom out of the currently active document.
MMeasure the distance between active objects in the current document.
Drawing Tools
RDraw a rectangle object on the current document.
EDraw a circle object on the current document.
IDraw a spiral line on the current document.
XRender a 3D perspective box on the current document
Asterisk (*)Draw a star object on the current document.
PToggle the freehand Pencil tool.
BToggle the point to point Pen tool.
CToggle the freehand Calligraphy tool.
AToggle the freehand Spraypaint tool.
UToggle the Paint Bucket tool.
GToggle the Gradient tool.
DToggle the Eyedropper tool.
Shift + EEnable the Eraser tool on the current document.
Pencil Tool
Left ClickCreate a non-freehand line between two points.
Ctrl + Left ClickCreate a single dot.
Ctrl + Shift + Left ClickCreate a dot twice the diameter of the single dot.
Ctrl + Alt + Left ClickCreate a dot with a random diameter.
Pen Tool
Left ClickCreate a new single node on the current document.
Shift + Left ClickCreate a new node on the current document and add it to a path.
Alt + Up ArrowMove the currently selected node by one pixel up.
Alt + Down ArrowMove the currently selected node by one pixel down.
Alt + Left ArrowMove the currently selected node one pixel to the left.
Alt + Right ArrowMove the currently selected node one pixel to the right.
Alt + Shift + Up ArrowMove the currently selected node by ten pixels up.
Alt + Shift + Down ArrowMove the currently selected node by ten pixels down.
Alt + Shift + Left ArrowMove the currently selected node by ten pixels to the left.
Alt + Shift + Right ArrowMove the currently selected node by ten pixels to the right.
Shift + UConvert the last pen segment into a curve.
Shift + LConvert the last pen segment into a line.
EnterFinalize the current node path.
EscCancel the current node path.
Calligraphy Tool
Up ArrowIncrease the angle of the brush.
Down ArrowDecrease the angle of the brush.
Left ArrowResize the brush’s current width by one pixel less.
Right ArrowResize the brush’s current width by one pixel more.
HomeSet the current brush width to its minimum size.
EndSet the current brush width to its maximum size.
EscCancel the current brush stroke.
Spraypaint Tool
Shift + JPlace the copied object anywhere inside the spray paint’s spray radius.
Shift + KIncrease the number of object duplicates.
Up ArrowIncrease the amount of object duplicates.
Down ArrowFill the entire region with the bucket’s contents and add it to the current selection.
Left ArrowReduce the width of the spray radius by one unit.
Right ArrowIncrease the width of the spray radius by one unit.
HomeReduce the width of the spray radius to its minimum size.
EndIncrease the width of the spray radius to its maximum size.
Paint Bucket Tool
Left ClickFill the entire region with the contents of the bucket.
Shift + Left ClickFill the entire region with the contents of the bucket and add it to the current selection.
Ctrl + Left ClickChange the style of an object using the bucket’s current properties.
Ctrl + Shift + Left ClickChange the style of either a line or a stroke using the bucket’s current properties.
Gradient Tool
Double Left ClickCreate a basic gradient on the current object.
Ctrl + Alt + Left ClickAdd an abrupt step on the gradient of the current object.
DeleteRemove the currently selected abrupt step.
Left ArrowMove the selected gradient nodes one step to the left.
Right ArrowMove the selected gradient nodes one step to the right.
Up ArrowMove the selected gradient nodes one step up.
Down ArrowMove the selected gradient nodes one step down.
Ctrl + Left ArrowMove the selected gradient nodes one pixel to the left.
Ctrl + Right ArrowMove the selected gradient nodes one pixel to the right.
Ctrl + Up ArrowMove the selected gradient nodes one pixel up.
Ctrl + Down ArrowMove the selected gradient nodes one pixel down.
Shift + RReverse the gradient step on the current object.
Eyedropper Tool
Left ClickCopy the color of an object and set it as the document’s foreground color.
Shift + ClickCopy the color of an object and set it as the document’s stroke color.
Alt + ClickCopy the color of an object, invert it and set it as the document’s foreground color.
Ctrl + CCopy the color of an object and place its RGB value in the clipboard.

Image credit: Unsplash. All alterations by Ramces Red.

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Ramces Red
Ramces Red - Staff Writer

Ramces is a technology writer that lived with computers all his life. A prolific reader and a student of Anthropology, he is an eccentric character that writes articles about Linux and anything *nix.