Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts
Adobe Photoshop's most-used default shortcuts: tool switching, layer work and the moves that speed up every edit.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move tool | V | V | |
| Marquee (rectangular select) | M | M | |
| Lasso | L | L | |
| Quick Selection / Magic Wand | W | W | |
| Crop tool | C | C | |
| Eyedropper | I | I | |
| Spot Healing Brush | J | J | |
| Brush | B | B | |
| Clone Stamp | S | S | |
| Eraser | E | E | |
| Gradient / Paint Bucket | G | G | |
| Dodge / Burn | O | O | |
| Pen tool | P | P | |
| Type tool | T | T | |
| Path Selection | A | A | |
| Shape tool (Rectangle) | U | U | |
| Hand tool (pan) | H | H | |
| Zoom tool | Z | Z | |
| Default foreground/background colors | D | D | |
| Swap foreground/background colors | X | X | |
| Toggle Standard / Quick Mask mode | Q | Q | |
| Step backward (undo history) | ⌥⌘Z | Ctrl+Alt+Z | |
| Step forward (redo) | ⇧⌘Z | Shift+Ctrl+Z | |
| Free Transform | ⌘T | Ctrl+T | |
| Fill with foreground color | ⌥⌫ | Alt+Backspace | |
| Fill with background color | ⌘⌫ | Ctrl+Backspace | |
| Fill… dialog | ⇧F5 | Shift+F5 | |
| Select all | ⌘A | Ctrl+A | |
| Deselect | ⌘D | Ctrl+D | |
| Reselect | ⇧⌘D | Shift+Ctrl+D | |
| Inverse selection | ⇧⌘I | Shift+Ctrl+I | |
| Feather selection | ⇧F6 | Shift+F6 | |
| New layer via copy | ⌘J | Ctrl+J | |
| New blank layer (dialog) | ⇧⌘N | Shift+Ctrl+N | |
| Group layers | ⌘G | Ctrl+G | |
| Merge down | ⌘E | Ctrl+E | |
| Merge visible | ⇧⌘E | Shift+Ctrl+E | |
| Bring layer to front | ⇧⌘] | Shift+Ctrl+] | |
| Send layer to back | ⇧⌘[ | Shift+Ctrl+[ | |
| Levels | ⌘L | Ctrl+L | |
| Curves | ⌘M | Ctrl+M | |
| Hue/Saturation | ⌘U | Ctrl+U | |
| Desaturate | ⇧⌘U | Shift+Ctrl+U | |
| Color Balance | ⌘B | Ctrl+B | |
| Decrease brush size | [ | [ | |
| Increase brush size | ] | ] | |
| Decrease brush hardness | { | { | |
| Increase brush hardness | } | } | |
| Image Size | ⌥⌘I | Alt+Ctrl+I | |
| Canvas Size | ⌥⌘C | Alt+Ctrl+C | |
| Zoom in | ⌘+ | Ctrl++ | |
| Zoom out | ⌘- | Ctrl+- | |
| Fit on screen | ⌘0 | Ctrl+0 | |
| 100% zoom | ⌘1 | Ctrl+1 | |
| Show/hide extras (guides, selection edges) | ⌘H | Ctrl+H | |
| Show/hide rulers | ⌘R | Ctrl+R | |
| Save | ⌘S | Ctrl+S | |
| Save As | ⇧⌘S | Shift+Ctrl+S | |
| Export As / Save for Web | ⌥⇧⌘S | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+S |
The tool letters are the real time-saver
Single-letter tool shortcuts (V move, B brush, S clone) are what separate fast retouchers from menu-clickers. Learn the five tools you touch most and you'll rarely leave the keyboard. Hold the letter down instead of tapping it to switch tools only while held — release to snap back.
Bracket keys for brushes
The bracket keys [ and ] resize any brush on the fly; add Shift to change hardness. This works for the eraser, clone stamp and healing brush too, so you never open the brush panel mid-stroke.
Learn the letters first, modifiers second
The fastest Photoshop users almost never touch the tools panel. Every tool has a single-letter shortcut — V move, B brush, S clone, C crop, G gradient. Learn those twenty letters and the modifier combos (⌘/Ctrl for edit and layer commands) stop feeling like memorisation and start feeling like typing.
Fills and transforms are the daily workhorses
Two combos you will press hundreds of times: ⌥⌫ / Alt+Backspace fills with the foreground colour, and ⌘T / Ctrl+T starts Free Transform to scale or rotate. Hold Shift while transforming to keep proportions, and press Enter to commit.
FAQ
Why did Ctrl+Z stop toggling undo?
Since Photoshop 2019 the default changed: Ctrl+Z (⌘Z) now steps backward through history repeatedly, matching other apps. The old toggle behaviour moved to Ctrl+Alt+Z / ⌥⌘Z.
Can I use these in Photoshop on iPad?
No — the iPad version uses touch gestures and a different modifier bar. These are the desktop (Windows/macOS) defaults.
How do I customise Photoshop shortcuts?
Go to Edit ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts (Window on macOS), or press ⇧⌥⌘K / Ctrl+Shift+Alt+K to open the editor and save your own set.
How do I resize a brush quickly in Photoshop?
Tap the bracket keys: [ makes the brush smaller, ] makes it bigger. Add Shift ({ and }) to change brush hardness instead of size. This works for any brush-based tool — brush, eraser, clone stamp, dodge/burn.
What's the difference between Ctrl+J and Ctrl+Shift+N?
Ctrl+J (⌘J) duplicates the current layer (or the current selection to a new layer) instantly with no dialog. Ctrl+Shift+N (⇧⌘N) creates a new empty layer and opens the naming dialog. Use ⌘J to copy something, ⇧⌘N to start painting on a fresh layer.
Why do the tool shortcuts (V, B, S) not need a modifier key?
Photoshop maps most tools to a single letter with no Cmd/Ctrl, so switching tools is one keystroke. If typing a letter enters text instead of switching tools, you have the Type tool active — press Esc or Enter to commit the text first.