Complete Adobe Photoshop keyboard shortcuts for tools, layers, selections, and editing. Essential reference for designers and photo editors.
Photoshop rewards learning shortcuts in layers rather than alphabetically. The base layer is the tool row - V, M, L, W, B, E, T, and Z for move, marquee, lasso, quick selection, brush, eraser, type, and zoom - and holding Shift cycles through the variants stacked under each key. Bracket keys resize the brush live, and Shift-bracket changes hardness, which together remove most trips to the options bar during retouching.
The second layer is selection and masking, where the real time is spent. Cmd/Ctrl-J duplicates the current selection onto its own layer, Cmd/Ctrl-Shift-I inverts a selection, and Cmd/Ctrl-D deselects. Adding a layer mask and pressing X to swap black and white lets you paint corrections in and out without ever touching a menu. Alt-clicking a mask thumbnail shows the mask itself full-screen, which is the fastest way to find a soft edge that is causing a halo.
The third layer is history and comparison. Cmd/Ctrl-Z steps back one action while Cmd/Ctrl-Alt-Z steps back through history repeatedly, and Cmd/Ctrl-Shift-Z steps forward again. For before-and-after checks, toggling layer visibility with a click while holding Alt isolates a single layer instantly. These are the shortcuts that turn a careful edit into a fast one without changing the result.
Search all Photoshop shortcuts interactively
Interactive Shortcut Finder| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| V | Move Tool | Move layers or selections. Most fundamental tool. |
| M | Marquee Tool | Select rectangular or elliptical areas. Hold Shift for square/circle. |
| L | Lasso Tool | Select freeform areas. Hold Alt for Polygonal Lasso. |
| W | Quick Selection | Automatically select similar colors and textures. Great for background removal. |
| Q | Quick Mask Mode | Edit selections with red overlay for precision. |
| C | Crop Tool | Crop image to desired size. Press Enter to apply. |
| I | Eyedropper | Sample colors from image. Hold Alt to sample background color. |
| J | Spot Healing Brush | Auto-remove small blemishes. Great for wrinkles and acne. |
| B | Brush Tool | Paint with brush. [ ] for size, Shift+[ ] for hardness. |
| S | Clone Stamp | Hold Alt to set source, then clone to another area. |
| Y | History Brush | Selectively restore to previous state. |
| E | Eraser Tool | Erase pixels. Layer masks are safer alternative. |
| G | Gradient Tool | Create smooth color transitions. Hold Shift for straight lines. |
| O | Dodge/Burn | Lighten (dodge) or darken (burn) areas. |
| R | Rotate View | Rotate canvas for comfortable drawing angle. Esc to reset. |
| T | Type Tool | Add text. Ctrl+T to transform. |
| P | Pen Tool | Draw precise paths. Perfect for logos and selections. |
| A | Path Selection | Select and edit existing paths. |
| U | Shape Tool | Draw vector shapes: rectangles, circles, polygons. |
| H | Hand Tool | Move canvas. Spacebar temporarily activates this. |
| Z | Zoom Tool | Zoom in/out. Hold Alt to zoom out. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + J | Duplicate Layer | Duplicate selected layer. Essential for non-destructive editing. |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | New Layer | Create new layer with dialog for naming. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N | New Layer (Quick) | Create new layer instantly without dialog. |
| Ctrl + G | Group Layers | Group selected layers. Essential for organization. |
| Ctrl + Shift + G | Ungroup | Ungroup layers. |
| Ctrl + E | Merge Down | Merge layer with layer below. |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Merge Visible | Merge all visible layers. Duplicate first to preserve originals. |
| Ctrl + Alt + E | Stamp Visible | Create new layer with all visible layers merged. Non-destructive. |
| Ctrl + [ | Send Backward | Move layer back one step. |
| Ctrl + ] | Bring Forward | Move layer forward one step. |
| Ctrl + Shift + [ | Send to Back | Move layer to bottom. |
| Ctrl + Shift + ] | Bring to Front | Move layer to top. |
| Alt + [ ] | Navigate Layers | Alt+[ for previous, Alt+] for next layer. |
| Ctrl + Alt + A | Select All Layers | Select all layers in document. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + A | Select All | Select entire canvas. |
| Ctrl + D | Deselect | Remove current selection. |
| Ctrl + Shift + D | Reselect | Restore last deselected selection. |
| Ctrl + Shift + I | Inverse Selection | Invert selection. Useful after background removal. |
| Alt + Ctrl + R | Select and Mask | Open workspace for refining selections. |
| Shift + F6 | Feather Selection | Soften selection edges. |
| Ctrl + Alt + D | Feather (Dialog) | Feather selection with specified radius. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + 0 | Fit on Screen | Zoom to fit entire image on screen. |
| Ctrl + 1 | 100% View | View image at actual size (100%). See exact pixels. |
| Ctrl + + | Zoom In | Zoom in on image. |
| Ctrl + - | Zoom Out | Zoom out from image. |
| Space + Drag | Hand Tool (Temp) | Hold Spacebar to temporarily use Hand tool. |
| F | Screen Mode | Cycle through: Standard → Full with Menu → Full screen. |
| Ctrl + R | Show/Hide Rulers | Toggle rulers for precise alignment. |
| Ctrl + ; | Show/Hide Guides | Toggle guide visibility. |
| Ctrl + ' | Show/Hide Grid | Toggle grid visibility. |
| Ctrl + H | Show/Hide Extras | Toggle all extras: selections, guides, grid. |
| Tab | Hide/Show Panels | Hide or show all panels. Maximize workspace. |
| Shift + Tab | Hide Panels (Keep Toolbox) | Hide all panels except toolbox. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| D | Default Colors | Reset foreground to black, background to white. |
| X | Swap Colors | Swap foreground and background colors. |
| Ctrl + L | Levels | Open Levels dialog for brightness/contrast. |
| Ctrl + M | Curves | Open Curves dialog for precise tonal control. |
| Ctrl + U | Hue/Saturation | Adjust hue, saturation, and lightness. |
| Ctrl + B | Color Balance | Adjust color balance. |
| Ctrl + I | Invert | Invert image colors. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + Z | Undo | Undo last action. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo | Redo undone action. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Z | Step Backward | Step backward through multiple states. |
| Ctrl + N | New Document | Create new document. |
| Ctrl + O | Open | Open file dialog. |
| Ctrl + S | Save | Save current document. |
| Ctrl + Shift + S | Save As | Save with new name or format. |
| Ctrl + W | Close | Close current document. |
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The left and right bracket keys change brush size live, and Shift with the brackets changes hardness. Both work while you are painting.
Cmd/Ctrl-J copies the current selection onto a new layer in place. With no selection active, it duplicates the whole layer.
Alt-click the mask thumbnail to view the mask itself full-screen. It is the quickest way to find the soft edge causing a halo.