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Inkscape Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Inkscape is a powerful open-source vector graphics editor. Using keyboard shortcuts can significantly improve your drawing efficiency.

Toolbox

Key Tool Description
S Selector Select, scale, rotate objects
N Node Tool Edit nodes on paths
R / F4 Rectangle Draw rectangles or squares
E / F5 Ellipse Draw circles, ellipses, or arcs
G Gradient Create and edit gradients
B / F6 Bezier Draw Bezier curves and lines
T Text Enter and edit text
D Dropper Pick colors from image

Path Operations

Key Operation Description
Ctrl + + Union Combine multiple objects into one path
Ctrl + - Difference Subtract top object from bottom one
Ctrl + * Intersection Keep overlapping parts
Ctrl + ^ Exclusion Keep non-overlapping parts
Ctrl + Alt + C Stroke to Path Convert stroke to independent path
Ctrl + Shift + C Object to Path Convert shape to path

Object Management

Key Operation
Ctrl + G Group objects
Ctrl + U Ungroup objects
Ctrl + D Duplicate in place
Home / End Bring to top / Send to bottom
PgUp / PgDn Move up one layer / Move down one layer
Ctrl + Shift + A Show ‘Align and Distribute’ panel
Ctrl + Shift + F Show ‘Fill and Stroke’ panel

View & Canvas

Key Operation
+ / - Zoom in / Zoom out
1 / 2 1:1 Zoom / 1:2 Zoom
5 Fit page to window
Ctrl + Arrow Pan canvas
Ctrl + R Show/Hide rulers
F12 Show/Hide dialog panels

Canvas Interactions

  • Space + Drag: Pan view.
  • Ctrl + Scroll: Zooming.
  • Shift + Click Color: Set stroke color.
  • Click Color: Set fill color.