During my mentorship sessions and while helping coworkers, I’ve noticed something very consistent: most people are missing out on the real power of keyboard shortcuts.
I get it. It feels like “one more thing to remember.” But hear me out. Shortcuts are one of the biggest time savers you can adopt, especially if you find yourself constantly moving the mouse across the screen. The ability to use a combination of keys to perform a specific action, beyond just switching tools, is incredibly powerful.
This isn’t anything new. Keyboard shortcuts have been around for decades. One of the most famous examples is cut, copy, and paste, introduced by Xerox in the 1970s. Okay, maybe not since the very first computers were invented (my bad), but we’re talking about more than 50 years of evolution.
Since then, shortcuts have become deeply integrated into almost every tool and app we use daily. Power users are the ones who really tap into this potential. Some even create custom keyboard layers dedicated entirely to shortcuts. That’s an advanced practice, and you absolutely don’t need to go that far. Just trust me when I say this: shortcuts can save you a massive amount of time.
Think about it this way. If every 10 seconds you move your mouse from left to right to find a tool, instead of pressing two keys on your keyboard, that time adds up fast. Multiply that across hours, days, weeks, and years.
Alright, enough lecturing.
Why I Created This Shortcut List
In one of my mentorship sessions, I was asked if I had a list of shortcuts for Figma. My mentee had realized how helpful shortcuts were and wanted a reference she could come back to.
That question is exactly why this article exists.
I pulled together a comprehensive list of Figma shortcuts and organized them into clear categories. I don’t know every shortcut yet, and honestly, no one does. But I’m constantly looking for ways to work faster and more efficiently, and shortcuts are one of the main ways I stay productive.
Figma is one of the tools I teach during my mentorships, and it’s a tool I use every single day of the week. So this list is both practical and battle-tested.
Pro tip
If you hover over any tool icon in Figma (or almost any app), you’ll see a tooltip showing the tool name and its shortcut. This is one of the easiest ways to learn shortcuts naturally as you work.
One shortcut I strongly recommend learning early is Auto Layout.
Alright, enough yapping. Let’s get into the shortcuts.
Heads up
This is a long list. You do not need to memorize it or learn everything by heart. Use it as a reference. When you notice yourself repeating the same action over and over, that’s usually a sign there’s a shortcut worth learning.
Before we begin these shortcuts apply to both Mac users (Cmd) and Windows users (Ctrl).
Beginner Shortcuts
These are the shortcuts every designer should master first. They cover daily navigation, basic layout work, and core editing.
General & Navigation
- Quick actions: Cmd + / | Ctrl + /
- Search layers: Cmd + F | Ctrl + F
- Show / hide UI: Cmd + \ | Ctrl + \
- Pan canvas: Space + drag
Zoom & View
- Zoom in: Cmd + + | Ctrl + +
- Zoom out: Cmd + – | Ctrl + –
- Zoom to 100%: Cmd + 1 | Ctrl + 1
- Zoom to fit: Cmd + 0 | Ctrl + 0
- Zoom to selection: Shift + 2
Core Tools
- Move tool: V
- Frame tool: F
- Rectangle: R
- Ellipse: O
- Line: L
- Text tool: T
- Comment tool: C
Selection Basics
- Select all: Cmd + A | Ctrl + A
- Deselect / exit selection: Esc
- Multi-select: Shift + click
- Select parent frame: Esc
- Select child layer: Enter
Layers & Groups
- Group selection: Cmd + G | Ctrl + G
- Ungroup: Cmd + Shift + G | Ctrl + Shift + G
- Rename layer: Cmd + R | Ctrl + R
- Show / hide layer: Shift + Cmd + H | Shift + Ctrl + H
- Lock / unlock layer: Shift + Cmd + L | Shift + Ctrl + L
Duplicate & Arrange
- Duplicate: Cmd + D | Ctrl + D
- Duplicate while dragging: Alt + drag
- Bring forward: Cmd + ] | Ctrl + ]
- Send backward: Cmd + [ | Ctrl + [
Text Editing
- Bold: Cmd + B | Ctrl + B
- Italic: Cmd + I | Ctrl + I
- Underline: Cmd + U | Ctrl + U
- Increase font size: Cmd + Shift + > | Ctrl + Shift + >
- Decrease font size: Cmd + Shift + < | Ctrl + Shift + <
Advanced Shortcuts
These shortcuts are all about speed, precision, and system-level work. They’re ideal for product designers, design systems, and advanced workflows.
Advanced Tools & Precision
- Scale tool: K
- Pen tool: P
- Pencil tool: Shift + P
- Hand tool: H
- Slice tool: S
Alignment & Distribution
- Align left: Alt + A
- Align right: Alt + D
- Align top: Alt + W
- Align bottom: Alt + S
- Align horizontal center: Alt + H
- Align vertical center: Alt + V
- Distribute horizontal spacing: Cmd + Alt + H | Ctrl + Alt + H
- Distribute vertical spacing: Cmd + Alt + V | Ctrl + Alt + V
Components & Variants
- Create component: Cmd + Alt + K | Ctrl + Alt + K
- Detach instance: Cmd + Alt + B | Ctrl + Alt + B
- Reset instance overrides: Cmd + Alt + R | Ctrl + Alt + R
- Swap instance: Alt + drag
Auto Layout
- Add auto layout: Shift + A
- Remove auto layout: Shift + Cmd + A | Shift + Ctrl + A
- Increase / decrease padding: Alt + ↑ / ↓ / ← / →
- Reorder items: Cmd + ↑ / ↓ | Ctrl + ↑ / ↓
Styles & Properties
- Pick color: I
- Toggle fill / stroke: Shift + X
- Copy properties: Cmd + Alt + C | Ctrl + Alt + C
- Paste properties: Cmd + Alt + V | Ctrl + Alt + V
- Flatten selection: Cmd + E | Ctrl + E
Prototyping
- Present prototype: Cmd + Enter | Ctrl + Enter
- Set starting frame: Cmd + Shift + Enter | Ctrl + Shift + Enter
- Add interaction: Cmd + Shift + E | Ctrl + Shift + E
Export & Assets
- Export selection: Cmd + Shift + E | Ctrl + Shift + E
- Quick export PNG: Cmd + Shift + P | Ctrl + Shift + P
- Open assets panel: Alt + 2
Power User Navigation
- Deep select: Cmd + click | Ctrl + click
- Frame selection: Cmd + Alt + G | Ctrl + Alt + G
- Bring to front: Cmd + Shift + ] | Ctrl + Shift + ]
- Send to back: Cmd + Shift + [ | Ctrl + Shift + [
Bonus: Figma Dev Mode Shortcuts (For Developers & Handoff)
If you work closely with developers or switch between design and implementation yourself, Dev Mode in Figma is a huge time saver. It centralizes specs, measurements, tokens, and code references, and yes, it has its own set of shortcuts worth knowing.
You don’t need to use all of these, but knowing a few key ones can dramatically speed up handoff, reviews, and implementation.
Dev Mode Access & Navigation
- Toggle Dev Mode: Shift + D
- Open Inspect panel: I
- View code snippets: Cmd + Shift + C | Ctrl + Shift + C
- Search files or components: Cmd + / | Ctrl + /
- Focus selection: Cmd + Option + F | Ctrl + Alt + F
Measurements & Spacing
- Show distance to other elements: Hold Alt
- Measure from selection: Alt + hover
- Toggle layout grids: Shift + G
- View padding and spacing (Auto Layout): Select element + hover children
Properties & Tokens
- View component properties: Select component
- View design tokens (when available): Inspect panel
- Copy value on hover: Hover value + click
- Copy color value: Click color swatch
- Copy CSS variable (if mapped): Click token name
Components & Variants
- Jump to main component: Cmd + Option + B | Ctrl + Alt + B
- View component documentation: Dev Mode panel
- Inspect variant properties: Select instance
- View component usage: Right panel → Usage
Assets & Export
- Copy SVG code: Cmd + Shift + C | Ctrl + Shift + C
- Export asset: Cmd + Shift + E | Ctrl + Shift + E
- Toggle asset preview: Dev Mode panel
- View export settings: Select layer → Inspect
Prototyping (Dev Context)
- View interaction details: Select element
- Inspect transition values: Inspect panel
- Preview prototype: Cmd + Enter | Ctrl + Enter
Final Thoughts
Alright, that was a long list of Figma shortcuts.
I’ll be honest: I don’t use every single one of them. Some I’ve never even touched. But I’d say I consistently use around 50% of these, and that alone saves me a noticeable amount of time every day.
That’s really the point. You don’t need to master everything. Start small. Pick one or two shortcuts that match what you already do repeatedly, build the muscle memory, and then add more over time. Those small gains compound faster than you think.
Now I’m curious.
What tool, shortcut, or small habit has made the biggest difference in your workflow? I’d love to hear what’s working for you.