Photoshop shortcut keys fall into two groups. Single letters pick tools, such as V for Move, B for Brush and M for Marquee. Combinations with Ctrl act on the image, such as Ctrl + J to duplicate a layer and Ctrl + T to resize or rotate it with Free Transform.
The lists below work in current Photoshop versions on Windows. On a Mac, use Command for Ctrl and Option for Alt. Old Photoshop 7.0 handles undo differently, which is explained in its own section.
Quick facts
Tools
Single letters, e.g. V, BDuplicate layer
Ctrl + JFree Transform
Ctrl + TDeselect
Ctrl + DBrush size
[ and ]Mac
Command for Ctrl, Option for Alt
Photoshop shortcut keys for tools
| Key | Tool |
|---|---|
| V | Move |
| M | Marquee (rectangle, ellipse) |
| L | Lasso |
| W | Object or Quick Selection, Magic Wand |
| C | Crop |
| I | Eyedropper |
| J | Spot Healing, Healing Brush, Patch |
| B | Brush |
| S | Clone Stamp |
| E | Eraser |
| G | Gradient, Paint Bucket |
| O | Dodge, Burn, Sponge |
| P | Pen |
| T | Type |
| U | Shapes |
| H | Hand |
| Z | Zoom |
Several tools share a letter. Hold Shift and press the letter again to cycle through them, for example Shift + M switches between rectangle and ellipse.
Layer shortcut keys
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| New layer | Ctrl + Shift + N |
| Duplicate layer or copy selection to a new layer | Ctrl + J |
| Merge down | Ctrl + E |
| Merge visible | Ctrl + Shift + E |
| Group layers | Ctrl + G |
| Free Transform | Ctrl + T |
| Move layer up or down | Ctrl + ] or Ctrl + [ |
Selection, colour and view keys
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Select all | Ctrl + A |
| Deselect | Ctrl + D |
| Invert selection | Ctrl + Shift + I |
| Levels | Ctrl + L |
| Curves | Ctrl + M |
| Hue and Saturation | Ctrl + U |
| Black and white quickly | Ctrl + Shift + U |
| Invert colours | Ctrl + I |
| Default black and white colours | D |
| Swap colours | X |
| Brush smaller or bigger | [ or ] |
| Fit on screen | Ctrl + 0 |
| Actual size | Ctrl + 1 |
| Image size | Ctrl + Alt + I |
| Canvas size | Ctrl + Alt + C |
Undo and redo shortcut key in Photoshop
In current Photoshop, Ctrl + Z steps back through your history one action at a time, and Ctrl + Shift + Z steps forward again. That is the redo shortcut key in Photoshop people search for. The History panel shows every step and lets you click back to any of them.
Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and other older versions work differently: Ctrl + Z only toggles the single last step back and forth. To go back further, use Ctrl + Alt + Z (Step Backward), and Ctrl + Shift + Z to step forward. Many institute notes still list the old keys, so check which version you have under Help, then About.
Saving and exporting
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Save | Ctrl + S |
| Save As | Ctrl + Shift + S |
| Export As (newer versions) | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + W |
| New document | Ctrl + N |
| Open | Ctrl + O |
| Close | Ctrl + W |
When Photoshop keys do not respond
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Letter keys type text | The Type tool is active; press Esc, then the letter |
| Shortcut does a different thing | Keys can be changed under Edit, then Keyboard Shortcuts (Alt + Shift + Ctrl + K) |
| Brush keys [ ] do nothing | Keyboard layout may not be English; switch it |
| Ctrl + Z undoes only one step | You are on an old version; use Ctrl + Alt + Z |
More design app shortcuts
Designers often switch between Photoshop and vector programs; our vector drawing and logo design app shortcut pages cover those, and the general undo shortcut key guide. For capturing screens to edit, the screenshot shortcut key page helps.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most used Photoshop shortcut keys?
What is the redo shortcut key in Photoshop?
Why does Ctrl + Z only undo once in Photoshop 7.0?
Old versions toggle one step. Use Ctrl + Alt + Z to go back further.
How do I change brush size with the keyboard?
Press [ to make it smaller and ] to make it bigger.
What is the Photoshop shortcut key for duplicate layer?
Are Photoshop shortcut keys the same on Mac?
Yes, with Command in place of Ctrl and Option in place of Alt.