Master CorelDRAW: Essential Shortcut Keys for Graphic Designers | Design Tools Master Cor...
Master CorelDRAW: Essential Shortcut Keys for Graphic Designers | Design Tools
CorelDRAW is a powerful and versatile vector graphics editor developed by Corel Corporation. It's a cornerstone of the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, which often includes other complementary programs like Corel Photo-Paint (for bitmap image editing) and Corel Font Manager. CorelDRAW is widely used by graphic designers, illustrators, and professionals in various industries for creating a vast range of visual content, from intricate logos and technical illustrations to marketing materials, signage, and web graphics.
Its vector-based nature means that graphics created in CorelDRAW are resolution-independent. This allows for designs to be scaled infinitely without any loss of quality, making it ideal for print and digital applications alike. The software provides a comprehensive set of tools for drawing, shape manipulation, text handling, color management, and applying various effects. CorelDRAW is known for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced designers looking to streamline their creative process.
Using shortcut keys can significantly speed up your workflow in CorelDRAW, allowing you to access tools and commands quickly without navigating through menus. This comprehensive list of essential shortcut keys for Windows users will help you master the software. (Note: Mac users often substitute 'Ctrl' with 'Command' and 'Alt' with 'Option').
Mobile Tip: On touch devices, press & hold tables to scroll horizontally if needed.
🚀 General & File Management
| Description |
Shortcut |
| New document | Ctrl + N |
| Open a document | Ctrl + O |
| Save the active document | Ctrl + S |
| Save the active document with a new name (Save As) | Ctrl + Shift + S |
| Import text or objects into the active document | Ctrl + I |
| Export text or objects to another format | Ctrl + E |
| Print the active document | Ctrl + P |
| Exit CorelDRAW | Alt + F4 |
| Undo the last action | Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Backspace |
| Redo the last undone action | Ctrl + Shift + Z |
| Repeat the last operation | Ctrl + R |
| Delete the selected object(s) | Delete |
✨ Editing & Object Manipulation
| Description |
Shortcut |
| Copy the selection to the Clipboard | Ctrl + C / Ctrl + Insert |
| Cut the selection to the Clipboard | Ctrl + X / Shift + Delete |
| Paste the content from the Clipboard | Ctrl + V |
| Duplicate the selected object(s) | Ctrl + D |
| Duplicate selected object(s) in place | + (Numpad) |
| Group the selected objects | Ctrl + G |
| Ungroup the selected objects | Ctrl + U |
| Combine the selected objects | Ctrl + L |
| Break apart the selected object | Ctrl + K |
| Convert the selected object to a curve | Ctrl + Q |
| Convert an outline to an object | Ctrl + Shift + Q |
| Bring object Forward One (move up one level in stacking order) | Ctrl + PgUp |
| Send object Back One (move down one level in stacking order) | Ctrl + PgDn |
| Bring object To Front of Page | Ctrl + Home |
| Send object To Back of Page | Ctrl + End |
| Open Object Properties docker | Alt + Enter |
📍 Alignment & Distribution
| Description |
Shortcut |
| Align selected objects to the Left | L |
| Align selected objects to the Right | R |
| Align selected objects to the Top | T |
| Align selected objects to the Bottom | B |
| Vertically align the centers of the selected objects | C |
| Horizontally align the centers of the selected objects | E |
| Center selected objects to page | P |
| Align text to the baseline | Alt + F12 |
| Distribute selected objects to the Left | Shift + L |
| Distribute selected objects to the Right | Shift + R |
| Distribute selected objects to the Top | Shift + T |
| Distribute selected objects to the Bottom | Shift + B |
| Vertically distribute the centers of the selected objects | Shift + C |
| Horizontally distribute the centers of the selected objects | Shift + E |
| Vertically distribute the space between selected objects | Shift + A |
| Horizontally distribute the space between selected objects | Shift + P |
🎨 Tools & Viewing
| Tool / Action |
Shortcut |
| CorelDRAW Help | F1 |
| Zoom Tool (Zoom In) | F2 |
| Zoom Out | F3 |
| Zoom to all objects / Fit in window | F4 |
| Freehand Tool | F5 |
| Rectangle Tool | F6 |
| Ellipse Tool | F7 |
| Text Tool | F8 |
| Full-Screen Preview | F9 |
| Shape Tool | F10 |
| Fountain Fill / Interactive Fill Tool | F11 |
| Outline Pen Dialog | F12 |
| Uniform Fill Dialog | Shift + F11 |
| Outline Color Dialog | Shift + F12 |
| Tool / Action |
Shortcut |
| Eraser Tool | X |
| Hand Tool / Pan Tool | H |
| Interactive Fill Tool | G |
| Mesh Fill Tool | M |
| Polygon Tool | Y |
| Spiral Tool | A |
| Graph Paper Tool | D |
| Toggle Pick Tool state | Spacebar |
| Show or hide Dynamic Guides (toggle) | Alt + Shift + D |
📝 Text & Formatting
| Description |
Shortcut |
| Character Formatting / Text Properties docker | Ctrl + T |
| Open Edit Text dialog box | Ctrl + Shift + T |
| Bold selected text | Ctrl + B |
| Italicize selected text | Ctrl + I |
| Underline selected text | Ctrl + U |
| Full Justify text | Ctrl + J |
| Center Justify text | Ctrl + E |
| Left Justify text | Ctrl + L |
| Right Justify text | Ctrl + R |
| Force Justify text | Ctrl + H |
| Convert artistic text to paragraph text or vice versa | Ctrl + F8 |
| Open Insert Character docker (Symbols) | Ctrl + F11 |
| Increase font size to next point size | Ctrl + NumPad 8 |
| Decrease font size to previous point size | Ctrl + NumPad 2 |
| Increase font size to next setting in Font Size List | Ctrl + NumPad 6 |
| Decrease font size to previous setting in Font Size List | Ctrl + NumPad 4 |
| Open Font Size List | Ctrl + Shift + P |
| Change Case of selected text | Shift + F3 |
🌈 Effects & Dockers
| Description |
Shortcut |
| Brightness/Contrast/Intensity dialog | Ctrl + B |
| Color Balance dialog | Ctrl + Shift + B |
| Hue/Saturation/Lightness dialog | Ctrl + Shift + U |
| Panel/Docker |
Shortcut |
| Open Envelope Docker Window | Ctrl + F7 |
| Open Contour Docker Window | Ctrl + F9 |
| Open Lens Docker Window | Alt + F3 |
| Open Graphic and Text Styles Docker Window | Ctrl + F5 |
| Open Position Docker Window (Transformation) | Alt + F7 |
| Open Rotate Docker Window (Transformation) | Alt + F8 |
| Open Scale and Mirror Docker Window (Transformation) | Alt + F9 |
| Open Size Docker Window (Transformation) | Alt + F10 |
| Open Macro Editor | Alt + F11 |
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