Although Adobe Illustrator remains the industry favorite for vector-based design, Affinity Designer has proven itself to be a capable alternative. Made by British developer Serif, it doesn’t have the depth or the power of Illustrator, but it’s a comprehensive package all the same. And, of course, it costs a fraction of the price—a lifetime license costs less than some of Adobe’s monthly subscriptions.
If you do decide to make the leap to Affinity Designer, you’ll find at least some keyboard shortcuts are the same or similar to those in Illustrator. But there are differences too, including some Illustrator features that Designer doesn’t have an equivalent for.
With this handy guide to Affinity Designer’s keyboard shortcuts, you can find your way around your new design software in no time.
FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download the Affinity Designer Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet.
Affinity Designer Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows and Mac
| SHORTCUT (WINDOWS) | SHORTCUT (MAC) | ACTION |
|---|---|---|
| FILE | ||
| Ctrl + N | Cmd + N | New |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + N | Opt + Shift + Cmd + N | New from clipboard |
| Ctrl + O | Cmd + O | Open |
| Ctrl + W | Cmd + W | Close |
| Ctrl + S | Cmd + S | Save |
| Shift + Ctrl + S | Shift + Cmd + S | Save as |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + S | Opt + Shift + Cmd + S | Export |
| Shift + Ctrl + P | Shift + Cmd + P | Document setup |
| Ctrl + P | Cmd + P | |
| EDIT | ||
| Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z | Undo |
| Shift + Ctrl + Z | Shift + Cmd + Z | Redo |
| Ctrl + X | Cmd + X | Cut |
| Ctrl + C | Cmd + C | Copy |
| Ctrl + V | Cmd + V | Paste |
| Shift + Ctrl + V | Shift + Cmd + V | Paste style |
| Alt + Shift + V | Ctrl + Cmd + V | Paste FX |
| Alt + Ctrl + V | Opt + Cmd + V | Paste inside |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + V | Opt + Shift + Cmd + V | Paste without format |
| Ctrl + J | Cmd + J | Duplicate |
| N/A | Ctrl Ctrl | Start dictation |
| N/A | Ctrl + Cmd + Space | Emoji and symbols |
| TEXT | ||
| Ctrl + T | Cmd + T | Show character |
| Shift + Ctrl + T | Shift + Cmd + T | Show typography |
| Ctrl + B | Cmd + B | Bold |
| Ctrl + U | Cmd + U | Underline |
| Ctrl + I | Cmd + I | Italic |
| Ctrl + > | Cmd + > | Bigger text size |
| Ctrl + | Cmd + | Smaller text size |
| Alt + Ctrl + > | Opt + Cmd + > | Precise bigger text size |
| Alt + Ctrl + | Opt + Cmd + | Precise smaller text size |
| Alt + Left | Opt + Left | Tighten spacing |
| Alt + Right | Opt + Right | Loosen spacing |
| Alt + Shift + Left | Opt + Cmd + Left | Tight more |
| Alt + Shift + Right | Opt + Cmd + Right | Loosen more |
| Ctrl + Shift + = | Ctrl + Cmd + + | Superscript |
| Ctrl + Alt + – | Ctrl + Cmd + – | Subscript |
| Alt + Shift + Up | Opt + Shift + Up | Raise baseline |
| Alt + Shift + Down | Alt + Shift + Down | Lower baseline |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + Up | Opt + Shift + Cmd + Up | Precise raise baseline |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + Down | Opt + Shift + Cmd + Down | Precise lower baseline |
| Alt + Ctrl + L | Opt + Cmd + L | Align left |
| Alt + Ctrl + C | Opt + Cmd + C | Align center |
| Alt + Ctrl + R | Opt + Cmd + R | Align right |
| Alt + Ctrl + I | Opt + Cmd + I | Justify left |
| Alt + Down | Opt + Down | Increase paragraph leading |
| Alt + Up | Opt + Up | Decrease paragraph leading |
| Alt + Ctrl + Down | Opt + Cmd + Down | Precise increase paragraph leading |
| Alt + Ctrl + Up | Opt + Cmd + Up | Precise decrease paragraph leading |
| Shift + Enter | Shift + Enter | Line break |
| Alt + Shift + – | Opt + Shift + – | Em dash |
| Alt + – | Opt + – | En dash |
| Alt + Space | Opt + Space | Non-breaking space |
| Shift + Ctrl + – | Shift + Cmd + – | Soft hyphen |
| Alt + Ctrl + – | Opt + Cmd + – | Non-breaking hyphen |
| Shift + Ctrl + ; | Shift + Cmd + ; | Spelling options |
| LAYER | ||
| Ctrl + G | Cmd + G | Group |
| Shift + Ctrl + G | Shift + Cmd + G | Ungroup |
| Shift + Ctrl + ] | Shift + Cmd + ] | Move layer to front |
| Shift + Ctrl + [ | Shift + Cmd + [ | Move layer to back |
| Ctrl + ] | Cmd + ] | Move layer forward one |
| Ctrl + [ | Cmd + [ | Move layer back one |
| Alt + Ctrl + G | Opt + Cmd + G | Move inside |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + G | Opt + Shift + Cmd + G | Move outside |
| Alt + Ctrl + N | Opt + Cmd + N | New layer |
| Shift + Ctrl + N | Shift + Cmd + N | New pixel layer |
| Ctrl + M | Cmd + M | Curves |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + B | Opt + Shift + Cmd + B | Black and white |
| Ctrl + L | Cmd + L | Lock layer |
| Shift + Ctrl + L | Shift + Cmd + L | Unlock layer |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + L | Ctrl + Cmd + L | Unlock all |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + H | Ctrl + Cmd + H | Show all |
| Ctrl + Enter | Cmd + Enter | Convert to curves |
| SELECT | ||
| Ctrl + A | Cmd + A | Select all |
| Ctrl + D | Cmd + D | Deselect |
| Shift + Ctrl + I | Shift + Cmd + I | Invert pixel selection |
| Alt + Ctrl + ] | Opt + Cmd + ] | Select next |
| Alt + Ctrl + [ | Opt + Cmd + [ | Select previous |
| VIEW | ||
| Ctrl + = | Cmd + + | Zoom in |
| Ctrl + – | Cmd + – | Zoom out |
| Ctrl + 0 | Cmd + 0 | Zoom to fit |
| Alt + Shift + 0 | 0pt + Cmd + 0 | Zoom to width |
| Alt + Ctrl + 0 | Shift + Cmd + 0 | Zoom to selection |
| Ctrl + 1 | Cmd + 1 | 100% zoom |
| Ctrl + 2 | Cmd + 2 | 200% zoom |
| Ctrl + 3 | Cmd + 3 | 400% zoom |
| Ctrl + 4 | Cmd + 4 | 800% zoom |
| Ctrl + 8 | Cmd + 8 | Actual size |
| Ctrl + 9 | Cmd + 9 | Pixel size |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + R | Ctrl + Shift + Cmd + R | Reset rotation |
| Alt + Ctrl + Y | Opt + Cmd + Y | Pixels view mode |
| Alt + Shift + Ctrl + Y | Opt + Shift + Cmd + Y | Pixels (Retina) view mode |
| N/A | Cmd + Y | Outline view mode |
| , | , | Split view |
| Clip to canvas | ||
| Ctrl + ; | Cmd + ; | Show guides |
| Ctrl + ‘ | Cmd + ‘ | Show grid |
| Ctrl + R | Cmd + R | Show rulers |
| Shift + Ctrl + H | Shift + Cmd + H | Hide studio |
| Alt + Ctrl + T | Opt + Cmd + T | Show toolbar |
| Tab | Tab | Toggle UI |
| N/A | Ctrl + Cmd + F | Toggle full screen |
| TOOLS | ||
| V | V | Move tool |
| A | A | Node tool |
| O | O | Contour tool |
| C | C | Corner tool |
| P | P | Pen tool |
| N | N | Pencil tool |
| B | B | Vector brush tool |
| G | G | Fill tool |
| Y | Y | Transparency tool |
| M | M | Toggle between rectangle, ellipse, and rounded rectangle tools |
| T | T | Artistic text tool |
| H | H | View tool |
| Z | Z | Zoom tool |
| MISC | ||
| Shift + drag | Shift + drag | Constrain movement of object along an axis |
| Shift + click | Shift + click | Select multiple objects |
| Alt + drag | Opt + drag | Make copy of object |
| Alt + click | Opt + click | Select overlapped object |
| . | . | Cycle selection box |
| Numeric keys | Numeric keys | Change opacity |
| X | X | Switch between color one and color two |
| D | D | Set stroke and fill to black and white |
| [ | [ | Decrease brush size |
| ] | ] | Increase brush size |
Using the Affinity Software Suite
Serif doesn’t only make vector design software. It also offers Affinity Photo, a decent and keenly priced alternative to Adobe Photoshop. And its Affinity Publisher product, meanwhile, is its answer to Adobe InDesign. If you want a full suite of design apps, this is probably one of the most affordable ways to get it.
Combining Designer, Photo, and Publisher, you should be able to do pretty much anything you want. And using the shortcuts in our cheat sheet, it shouldn’t be too difficult either.