Every keyboard shortcut in Voidcanvas
Every shortcut in the Editor, grouped by menu, plus tool keys, modifier keys, touch gestures and the keys that work in Effects and Studio.
Beginner7 min readUpdated 25 September 2026Editor
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This page lists every keyboard shortcut Voidcanvas has, taken from the same list the menus and the command palette read. Learn the tool keys and the handful of Ctrl shortcuts you use daily first: they save more time than anything else.
Two ways to look a shortcut up without leaving the Editor: press ? for the shortcut sheet (it has a search box), or press Ctrl+K to search every action by name. Shortcuts pause while you are typing in a text box or field, so typing a V into a layer name never switches tools.
File
- Ctrl+Alt+N
- New design (saves the current one first)
- Ctrl+O
- Open (images, PSD, PDF and .void files)
- Ctrl+Shift+P
- Place image as layer
- Ctrl+S
- Save to this device
- Ctrl+Shift+S
- Save to disk (a .void file in a folder you choose)
- Ctrl+Alt+S
- Save a version
- Ctrl+E
- Export as
- Ctrl+Alt+W
- Close the design
New and Close use Ctrl+Alt because browsers keep Ctrl+N and Ctrl+W for their own windows and tabs.
Edit
- Ctrl+Z
- Undo
- Ctrl+Shift+Z
- Redo
- Ctrl+Y
- Redo (alternative)
- Ctrl+X
- Cut
- Ctrl+C
- Copy the selected layer (inside the selection, if there is one)
- Ctrl+Shift+C
- Copy merged: everything visible
- Ctrl+V
- Paste, including images copied from other apps
- Ctrl+Shift+V
- Paste in place: same position it was copied from
- Shift+F5
- Fill
- Ctrl+T
- Free transform
- Ctrl+,
- Preferences
Image
- Ctrl+Alt+I
- Image size
- Ctrl+Alt+C
- Canvas size
Adjustments, rotation, crop, trim and flatten live in the Image menu without shortcuts. Find any of them fast with Ctrl+K.
Layer
- Ctrl+Shift+N
- New layer
- Ctrl+J
- Duplicate layer. With a selection active, copies the selected pixels to a new layer instead
- Delete
- Delete layer. With a selection active, clears the selected pixels instead
- Ctrl+G
- Group layers
- Ctrl+Shift+G
- Ungroup
- Ctrl+Alt+G
- Create clipping mask (press again to release it)
- Ctrl+Shift+]
- Bring to front
- Ctrl+]
- Bring forward
- Ctrl+[
- Send backward
- Ctrl+Shift+[
- Send to back
- Ctrl+Shift+E
- Merge visible
- Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E
- Stamp visible to new layer
Select
- Ctrl+A
- Select all
- Ctrl+D
- Deselect
- Ctrl+Shift+D
- Reselect the last selection
- Ctrl+Shift+I
- Inverse
- Ctrl+Alt+R
- Select and mask
- Shift+F6
- Feather
- Ctrl+Enter
- Load path as selection
- Q
- Quick mask mode on or off
View
- Ctrl++
- Zoom in (Ctrl+= works too)
- Ctrl+-
- Zoom out
- Ctrl+0
- Fit on screen
- Ctrl+1
- 100%
- Shift+1
- Fit board
- Shift+2
- Fit selected layers
- Ctrl+R
- Rulers on or off
- Ctrl+;
- Guides on or off
- Ctrl+Alt+;
- Lock guides
- Ctrl+Shift+;
- Snap on or off
- \ (hold)
- Before and after: shows the design without adjustments while held
- Ctrl+2
- View the composite (all channels)
- Ctrl+3
- View the red channel
- Ctrl+4
- View the green channel
- Ctrl+5
- View the blue channel
Help
- Ctrl+K
- Search every action (command palette)
- ?
- Keyboard shortcuts sheet
Tools
Each tool has a single-letter key, the same as Photoshop. Tools that share a slot on the tool rail form a family: press Shift with the key to move through the family. From another tool, Shift plus the key jumps to the second tool in the family; press it again to keep cycling.
- V
- Move and resize
- M
- Rectangle select
- Shift+M
- Ellipse select
- L
- Lasso
- Shift+L
- Polygonal lasso
- W
- Object select
- Shift+W
- Magic wand
- C
- Crop
- I
- Eyedropper
- J
- Spot heal
- Shift+J
- Remove object
- B
- Brush
- S
- Clone stamp
- E
- Eraser
- G
- Gradient
- Shift+G
- Paint bucket
- O
- Dodge (lighten)
- Shift+O
- Burn (darken), then Sponge (saturation)
- P
- Pen
- Shift+P
- Curvature pen, then Freeform pen, then Direct select
- A
- Direct select (edit paths)
- T
- Type
- U
- Shape
- H
- Hand
- Z
- Zoom
Quick keys on the canvas
These single keys work whenever the canvas has focus and no dialog is open.
- [ and ]
- Brush size down and up (Brush, Eraser, Clone stamp, Spot heal, Remove object, Dodge, Burn, Sponge). With other tools, moves the layer down or up one place
- 1 to 9, 0
- Opacity in steps of 10%: 1 is 10%, 5 is 50%, 0 is 100%. Sets the tool opacity for Brush, Eraser, Clone stamp, Paint bucket and Gradient, and the layer opacity with any other tool
- X
- Swap main and second colour
- D
- Reset colours to near black and white
- Arrow keys
- Nudge selected layers 1 px
- Shift+Arrow keys
- Nudge selected layers 10 px
- Enter
- Edit the selected text layer, apply a crop, finish a polygonal lasso or a path
- Esc
- Cancel, in this order: the crop, quick mask, the selection, mask editing, a single-channel view
- Delete or Backspace
- Clear selected pixels, or delete the selected layers when nothing is selected
Modifier keys while you drag
- Shift+drag (move)
- Keep the move straight: horizontal or vertical only
- Alt+drag (move)
- Move without snapping to guides and other layers
- Shift+click (move)
- Add a layer to the selection, or take it out
- Ctrl+click (move)
- Pick the layer under the pointer when Auto-select is off
- Shift+drag a corner handle
- Resize freely. Corners keep proportions by default
- Shift+drag the rotate handle
- Rotate in 15° steps
- Shift after you start dragging (marquee, ellipse, shape, crop)
- Keep it square or circular. Shift held before you press adds to the selection instead
- Shift+drag (selection tools)
- Add to the selection
- Alt+drag (selection tools)
- Subtract from the selection
- Shift+Alt+drag (selection tools)
- Intersect with the selection
- Alt+click (Eyedropper)
- Pick the second colour instead of the main one
- Alt+click (Clone stamp)
- Set the point to copy from
- Alt+click (Zoom)
- Zoom out
- Shift+drag a corner (free transform)
- Keep proportions
- Ctrl+drag a corner (free transform)
- Move one corner on its own (distort)
- Enter or Esc (free transform)
- Apply or cancel the transform
- Ctrl+drag a guide
- Move a guide that sits over a layer
Text layers always resize in proportion from a corner, so the type does not squash. Dragging the side handle of a paragraph box changes its width instead.
Pen and path editing
These follow the Photoshop and Illustrator conventions. See Shapes, polygons, stars and the Pen tool for how paths work.
- Click
- Corner point
- Drag
- Curve point with handles
- Shift+click or drag
- Keep the segment or handle at 45° steps
- Alt+drag a handle
- Break the handle so each side moves on its own
- Alt+click a point
- Switch it between corner and smooth
- Space while dragging
- Move the point you are placing
- Ctrl (hold)
- Direct select for as long as it is held
- Enter or Esc
- Finish the path you are drawing
- Double-click (Curvature pen)
- Place a corner, or switch a point between corner and curve
- Shift+click (Direct select)
- Add a point to the selection, or take it out
- Alt+click an outline (Direct select)
- Pick the whole part and drag it
- Ctrl+A (path tools)
- Select every point on the path
- Arrow keys (path tools)
- Nudge selected points 1 px, or 10 px with Shift
- Delete (path tools)
- Delete the selected points
- Ctrl+drag a point (path tools)
- Move it without snapping
Moving around the canvas
- Space+drag
- Pan
- Middle mouse button drag
- Pan
- Mouse wheel or trackpad
- Scroll the canvas
- Shift+wheel
- Scroll sideways
- Ctrl+wheel
- Zoom at the pointer (trackpad pinch works too)
- Double-click a text layer
- Edit its text
Editing text
- Enter
- New line
- Ctrl+Enter
- Finish editing
- Esc
- Finish editing
- Enter or Esc (type on a path)
- Finish editing. Text on a path stays on one line
Menus, dialogs and the command palette
- Alt (press and release)
- Open the menu bar
- Left and Right arrows
- Move between menus
- Up and Down arrows
- Move through menu items or palette results
- Right arrow or Enter
- Open a submenu
- Left arrow
- Close a submenu
- Enter
- Run the highlighted command
- Esc
- Close the menu, dialog, colour picker or palette
Touch gestures
On a phone or tablet there is no keyboard, so the common shortcuts become gestures. More in Designing on a phone.
- Two-finger tap
- Undo
- Three-finger tap
- Redo
- Pinch
- Zoom
- Two-finger drag
- Pan
- Double tap a text layer
- Edit its text
- Press and hold a tool slot
- Show the other tools in its family
Outside the Editor
Effects
- Left and Right arrows
- Move the compare slider between original and edited (with the slider focused)
- Home
- Slider fully to one side
- End
- Slider fully to the other side
- Shift+click Open in Editor
- Send one flattened image instead of a live filter layer
Studio
- Right arrow or Space
- Next direction when presenting directions
- Left arrow
- Previous direction when presenting
- Esc
- Stop presenting
- Delete or Backspace
- Remove the selected items from a direction board
- Arrow keys, Page Up, Page Down
- Previous and next page in the brand guideline preview
- Arrow keys (mockup corner focused)
- Nudge a mockup corner. Hold Shift for bigger steps
The HTML handoff file that the brand guideline builder exports also pages with the Left and Right arrow keys, so a client can click through it like a deck.
Good to know
- If a shortcut does nothing, check that you are not typing in a field and that no dialog is open. Click an empty part of the canvas and try again.
- Some shortcuts need something to act on: Deselect needs a selection, Ungroup needs a layer in a group, Load path as selection needs a path.
- Ctrl+J and Delete change meaning when a selection is active. That matches Photoshop, but catches people out: press Ctrl+D first if you meant the whole layer.
- Number keys set opacity for every selected layer at once, and each press is one undo step.
- Coming from Photoshop? Tool keys, bracket keys, number keys, X, D, Q and the arrange shortcuts all behave the same way.
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