30 Essential Adobe Illustrator Shortcuts for Efficient Designing

Adobe Illustrator is a powerhouse for vector design, but efficiency matters just as much as creativity. Manually clicking through menus for every function can interrupt your workflow and slow down the design process. That’s where shortcuts come in! Learning a few essential Illustrator keyboard commands can speed up your work, whether you're drawing, selecting, or managing layers.

This guide covers 30 must-know shortcuts that will help you design faster and more effectively—so you can bring your creative ideas to life with ease.

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Navigation and Viewing Shortcuts

Zooming in and out of Adobe documents:

Mac: Cmd + + | Mac: Cmd + -

Windows: Ctrl + + | Windows: Ctrl + -

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Fitting Adobe artboard to the window:

‍Mac: Cmd + 0

‍Windows: Ctrl + 0

1. Switch between open documents → Mac: Cmd + Tab | Windows: Ctrl + Tab

Toggle between Preview and Outline mode → Mac: Cmd + Y | Windows: Ctrl

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Adobe Illustrator File Management

Switching between open Photoshop documents:

6. Create a new document → Mac: Cmd + N | Windows: Ctrl + N
7. Open an existing file → Mac: Cmd + O | Windows: Ctrl + O
8. Save your work → Mac: Cmd + S | Windows: Ctrl + S
9. Save As (new file) → Mac: Cmd + Shift + S | Windows: Ctrl + Shift + S

Close current document → Mac: Cmd + W | Windows: Ctrl + W

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Editing & Selection Shortcuts

Undoing the last Photoshop action:

11. Select all objects → Mac: Cmd + A | Windows: Ctrl + A
12. Deselect selection → Mac: Cmd + Shift + A | Windows: Ctrl + Shift + A
13. Group selected objects → Mac: Cmd + G | Windows: Ctrl + G
14. Ungroup objects → Mac: Cmd + Shift + G | Windows: Ctrl + Shift + G

Duplicate an object → Mac: Cmd + C, Cmd + F | Windows: Ctrl + C, Ctrl + F

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Illustrator Tools and Shapes

Create a new Photoshop layer:

16. Switch to Selection Tool → Press V
17. Switch to Direct Selection Tool → Press A
18. Switch to Pen Tool → Press P
19. Switch to Type Tool → Press T
20. Switch to Eyedropper Tool → Press I
21. Draw a perfect circle/square → Mac & Windows: Hold Shift while dragging
22. Draw from center outwards → Mac & Windows: Hold Option (Mac) / Alt (Windows) while dragging
23. Lock selected objects → Mac: Cmd + 2 | Windows: Ctrl + 2
24. Unlock all objects → Mac: Cmd + Option + 2 | Windows: Ctrl + Alt + 2
25. Hide selected objects → Mac: Cmd + 3 | Windows: Ctrl + 3

Show all hidden objects → Mac: Cmd + Option + 3 | Windows: Ctrl + Alt + 3

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Type and Text Editing

Switch between Adobe Photoshop tools:

27. Create a new text area → Press T and click on the canvas
28. Increase/decrease font size → Mac: Cmd + Shift + > / < | Windows: Ctrl + Shift + > / <
29. Convert text to outlines → Mac: Cmd + Shift + O | Windows: Ctrl + Shift + O

Change text alignment → Mac: Cmd + Shift + L (Left), C (Center), R (Right) | Windows: Ctrl + Shift + L/C/R

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For help speeding up your work in Photoshop view 30 Adobe InPhotoshop Shortcuts.

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Transform your Adobe Illustrator Design Workflow with GoProof

Mastering shortcuts in Adobe Illustrator can help you work faster, but what about getting your designs approved just as efficiently? That’s where design review software GoProof comes in. Instead of juggling endless email threads and messy feedback, GoProof streamlines the entire proofing process—allowing clients and stakeholders to review, comment, and approve designs directly in one place.

GoProof ensures that revisions happen faster, approvals are smoother, and projects move forward without delays. Spend less time chasing feedback and more time designing—because your creativity deserves to flow uninterrupted.

Smart Proofing. Faster Approvals. GoProof.

Discover more about the GoProof's Adobe Creative Cloud integration.

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FAQS - Frequently Asked Questions