Affinity Designer Shortcut Keys

Master Affinity Designer with these essential shortcuts!

 

Master Affinity Designer: Essential Shortcut Keys for Graphic Design

Elevate your vector and raster design workflow with these key shortcuts

Affinity Designer is a powerful and versatile graphic design software developed by Serif. It's an award-winning vector graphics editor available for Windows, macOS, and iPadOS, known for its smooth performance, comprehensive features, and one-time purchase model (no subscription!). It's a favorite among illustrators, web designers, game developers, and other creatives looking for a robust alternative to industry giants.

What sets Affinity Designer apart is its unique "Personas" feature, allowing users to seamlessly switch between vector (Designer Persona) and raster (Pixel Persona) workspaces. This means you can create crisp vector illustrations and then add pixel-based textures or effects all within the same application. It also includes an Export Persona for streamlined asset export. With its sophisticated typography options, unlimited artboards, and compatibility with major file types like PSD, AI, SVG, PDF, and more, Affinity Designer offers a complete solution for digital art, print projects, UI design, logos, and much more.

To truly unlock the speed and efficiency of Affinity Designer, mastering its keyboard shortcuts is key. Below is a comprehensive list of shortcuts that will supercharge your design workflow. Please note that some shortcuts might vary slightly between macOS and Windows; where applicable, both are provided.

Note: In the tables below, "Cmd" refers to the Command key on macOS, and "Ctrl" refers to the Control key on Windows. "Option" refers to the Alt key on macOS, and "Alt" refers to the Alt key on Windows. "Shift" is the Shift key on both.

🚀 File Operations

Action	macOS Shortcut	Windows Shortcut
New Document	Cmd + N	Ctrl + N
New from Clipboard	Cmd + Shift + Option + N	Ctrl + Shift + Alt + N
Open Document	Cmd + O	Ctrl + O
Close Document	Cmd + W	Ctrl + W
Close All Documents	Cmd + Shift + W	Ctrl + Shift + W
Save	Cmd + S	Ctrl + S
Save As	Cmd + Shift + S	Ctrl + Shift + S
Export	Cmd + Option + Shift + S	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S
Document Setup	Cmd + Option + P	Ctrl + Alt + P
Print	Cmd + P	Ctrl + P

✨ Edit Operations

Action	macOS Shortcut	Windows Shortcut
Undo	Cmd + Z	Ctrl + Z
Redo	Cmd + Shift + Z	Ctrl + Shift + Z
Cut	Cmd + X	Ctrl + X
Copy	Cmd + C	Ctrl + C
Paste	Cmd + V	Ctrl + V
Paste Style	Cmd + Shift + V	Ctrl + Shift + V
Paste FX	Cmd + Ctrl + V	Ctrl + Alt + V
Paste Inside	Cmd + Option + V	Ctrl + Alt + V
Paste without Format	Cmd + Shift + Option + V	Ctrl + Shift + Alt + V
Duplicate	Cmd + J	Ctrl + J
Select All	Cmd + A	Ctrl + A
Deselect	Cmd + D	Ctrl + D

🎨 Tool Shortcuts (General & Designer Persona)

Tool	Shortcut Key
Move Tool	V
Node Tool	A
Point Transform Tool	F
Contour Tool	O
Corner Tool	C
Pen Tool	P
Pencil Tool	N
Stroke Width Tool	W
Knife Tool	K
Vector Brush Tool	B
Gradient Tool	G
Transparency Tool	Y
Vector Flood Fill Tool	R
Rectangle, Ellipse, Rounded Rectangle Cycle	M
Shape Builder Tool	S
Artistic and Frame Text Tools Cycle	T
Color Picker Tool	I
View Tool (Hand Tool)	H
Zoom Tool	Z

Action	Shortcut Key
Toggle Active Selector (Fill/Stroke)	X
Set Fill/Stroke to None	/
Toggle Snapping	;
Reset Selection Box	.

🗂️ Object Control and Layers

Action	macOS Shortcut	Windows Shortcut
Group	Cmd + G	Ctrl + G
Ungroup	Cmd + Shift + G	Ctrl + Shift + G
Move to Front	Cmd + Shift + ]	Ctrl + Shift + ]
Move Forward One	Cmd + ]	Ctrl + ]
Move to Back	Cmd + Shift + [	Ctrl + Shift + [
Move Back One	Cmd + [	Ctrl + [
Lock	Cmd + L	Ctrl + L
Unlock	Cmd + Shift + L	Ctrl + Shift + L
Unlock All	Cmd + Option + L	Ctrl + Alt + L
New Pixel Layer	Cmd + Shift + N	Ctrl + Shift + N
Rename Layer	Cmd + Shift + R	Ctrl + Shift + R
Convert to Curves	Cmd + Enter	Ctrl + Enter
Select All on Current Layer	Cmd + Option + A	Ctrl + Alt + A
Show All (Objects)	Cmd + Option + H	Ctrl + Alt + H

✍️ Text Formatting

Action	macOS Shortcut	Windows Shortcut
Bigger Text	Cmd + >	Ctrl + >
Smaller Text	Cmd + <	Ctrl + <
Precise Bigger Text	Cmd + Option + >	Ctrl + Alt + >
Precise Smaller Text	Cmd + Option + <	Ctrl + Alt + <
Bold	Cmd + B	Ctrl + B
Italic	Cmd + I	Ctrl + I
Underline	Cmd + U	Ctrl + U
Superscript	Cmd + Shift + +	Ctrl + Shift + +
Subscript	Cmd + Shift + -	Ctrl + Shift + -
Align Left	Cmd + Shift + L	Ctrl + Shift + L
Align Center	Cmd + Shift + C	Ctrl + Shift + C
Align Right	Cmd + Shift + R	Ctrl + Shift + R
Justify Left	Cmd + Shift + |	Ctrl + Shift + |
Show Character Panel	Cmd + T	Ctrl + T
Show Typography Panel	Cmd + Shift + T	Ctrl + Shift + T

👁️ View & Navigation

Action	macOS Shortcut	Windows Shortcut
Zoom In	Cmd + =	Ctrl + =
Zoom Out	Cmd + -	Ctrl + -
Zoom to Fit	Cmd + 0	Ctrl + 0
Zoom to 100%	Cmd + 1	Ctrl + 1
Zoom to 200%	Cmd + 2	Ctrl + 2
Zoom to Selection	Cmd + Option + 0	Ctrl + Alt + 0
Hot Key Zoom In	Cmd + Click (drag marquee)	Ctrl + Click (drag marquee)
Hot Key Zoom Out	Cmd + Option + Click	Ctrl + Alt + Click
Scroll Vertically	Mouse scroll wheel	Mouse scroll wheel
Scroll Horizontally	Shift + Mouse scroll wheel	Shift + Mouse scroll wheel
Rotate Document View (about cursor)	Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel	Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel
Reset Document View Rotation	Cmd + Option + Shift + R	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R
Show Rulers	Cmd + R	Ctrl + R
Show Guides	Cmd + ;	Ctrl + ;
Show Grid	Cmd + '	Ctrl + '
Pixel View Mode	Cmd + Option + Y	Ctrl + Alt + Y
Preview Mode (Wireframe)	Cmd + Shift + W	Ctrl + Shift + W
Toggle UI (Hide Panels)	Tab	Tab
Show/Hide Studio	Cmd + Shift + H	Ctrl + Shift + H

🔄 Persona Switching

Action	macOS Shortcut	Windows Shortcut
Switch to Designer Persona	Cmd + Option + R	Ctrl + Alt + R
Switch to Pixel Persona	Cmd + Option + P	Ctrl + Alt + P
Switch to Export Persona	Cmd + Option + E	Ctrl + Alt + E

🖌️ Painting (Pixel Persona)

Action	Shortcut Key
Decrease Brush Width	[
Increase Brush Width	]
Adjust Brush Width (on-screen)	Ctrl + Option + Drag Left/Right (macOS) / Ctrl + Alt + Drag Left/Right (Windows)
Adjust Brush Hardness (on-screen)	Ctrl + Option + Drag Up/Down (macOS) / Ctrl + Alt + Drag Up/Down (Windows)
Toggle Brush Cursor	Caps Lock
Draw Straight Line	Shift + Click
Change Opacity (Brush/Layer)	Numeric Keys (e.g., 4 for 40%, 43 for 43%)

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