Blog · · 4 min read

Photoshop shortcut keys for Windows that are worth the effort

A curated list of Photoshop keyboard shortcuts for Windows, grouped by tools, layers, selections and adjustments, with tips to remember them and a ring for the rest.

Photoshop's shortcut list runs to many pages, and you need perhaps a tenth of it. The useful part is the tool letters, the layer keys and a handful of adjustments, because those are the things you do dozens of times in every file.

All shortcuts here are Photoshop's Windows defaults, from Adobe's keyboard shortcut pages. If a key does something else in your copy, someone has changed the set: Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K) shows and resets it.

Tools

One letter selects a tool. Add Shift to the same letter to cycle through the tools that share a slot, for example the different lassos.

  • V Move
  • M Marquee
  • L Lasso
  • W Object Selection, Quick Selection, Magic Wand
  • C Crop
  • I Eyedropper
  • J Spot Healing and Healing brushes
  • B Brush
  • S Clone Stamp
  • E Eraser
  • G Gradient and Paint Bucket
  • T Type
  • P Pen
  • U Shapes
  • H Hand, Z Zoom

Two more that work with every tool: D resets the colours to black and white, X swaps foreground and background.

Brushes

  • ] makes the brush bigger.
  • [ makes it smaller.
  • Shift+] and Shift+[ make it harder or softer.
  • Number keys set the opacity of painting tools: 5 is 50%, 0 is 100%.

Layers

  • Ctrl+Shift+N creates a new layer, with the dialog.
  • Ctrl+J copies the selection, or the whole layer, to a new layer.
  • Ctrl+G puts the selected layers into a group.
  • Ctrl+E merges the layer down.
  • Ctrl+Shift+E merges all visible layers.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E stamps all visible layers into a new layer and leaves the originals alone. Handy before a final sharpening step.
  • Ctrl+Alt+G creates a clipping mask.

Ctrl+J is the one to learn first. Duplicating a layer before you change it is how you keep the original safe.

Selections

  • Ctrl+A selects all.
  • Ctrl+D deselects.
  • Ctrl+Shift+D brings the last selection back.
  • Ctrl+Shift+I inverts the selection.
  • Q switches Quick Mask on and off, so you can paint a selection with the brush.

Transform and fill

  • Ctrl+T Free Transform.
  • Alt+Backspace fills with the foreground colour.
  • Ctrl+Backspace fills with the background colour.
  • Shift+F5 opens the Fill dialog, including Content-Aware fill.

Adjustments

  • Ctrl+L Levels
  • Ctrl+M Curves
  • Ctrl+U Hue/Saturation
  • Ctrl+B Color Balance
  • Ctrl+I Invert
  • Ctrl+Shift+U Desaturate
  • Ctrl+Alt+I Image Size
  • Ctrl+Alt+C Canvas Size

View

  • Ctrl+0 fits the image on screen.
  • Ctrl+1 shows it at 100%.
  • Ctrl+Plus and Ctrl+Minus zoom in and out.
  • Hold Space to pan with any tool active, then let go to return to the tool.
  • Tab hides and shows the panels.
  • F cycles through the screen modes.
  • Ctrl+R shows or hides the rulers.

Saving and undo

  • Ctrl+Z undoes, step after step. Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes.
  • Ctrl+S saves, Ctrl+Shift+S opens Save As.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Shift+W opens Export As.

Hold instead of press

Two habits that save a lot of tool switching:

  • Hold a tool key instead of pressing it. Hold V while you are painting, move the layer, let go, and you are back on the brush.
  • Hold Alt with a painting tool to pick a colour with the eyedropper, then let go to keep painting with it.

Space for the Hand works the same way. Together these mean you rarely need to leave the tool you are working with.

If a key does not suit you, Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts lets you change it and save the result as your own set, so an update or a new computer does not take it away.

How to remember them

  1. Tools mostly use the first letter: Marquee, Lasso, Crop, Brush, Eraser, Type, Pen, Hand, Zoom. The rest you learn by use: V move, I eyedropper, J healing, S clone Stamp.
  2. Brackets are size. Open bracket smaller, close bracket bigger. Add Shift for hardness.
  3. Ctrl plus an adjustment's letter opens it: Levels, M for the curve, U for hue, B for balance, I for invert.
  4. Shift adds "all" or "more". Ctrl+E merges down, Ctrl+Shift+E merges all visible. Ctrl+D deselects, Ctrl+Shift+D reselects.
  5. Learn one group a week. Tools first, then layers, then adjustments. Trying all of them at once is how none of them stick.

A Photoshop ring

RadialDeck is the radial menu for Windows that we make. When Photoshop is in front, the hotkey or a side mouse button opens a Photoshop ring. Hold, flick toward a slice, let go. It is handy when one hand is on a pen tablet and the other is not on the keyboard.

The gallery has 10 ready-made Photoshop slices: New layer, Deselect, Export as, Fit on screen, Duplicate, Transform, Merge visible, Levels, Hue/Sat and Image size. The Photoshop page lists what each one does.

The four-key combinations are good candidates for the ring: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+W for Export As is not something your fingers find quickly with one hand.

Quick reference

  • Tools: V, M, L, W, C, B, E, T, P
  • Layers: Ctrl+J, Ctrl+Shift+N, Ctrl+G, Ctrl+E, Ctrl+Shift+E
  • Select: Ctrl+A, Ctrl+D, Ctrl+Shift+I
  • Adjust: Ctrl+L, Ctrl+M, Ctrl+U, Ctrl+Alt+I
  • View: Ctrl+0, Ctrl+1, Space, Tab

RadialDeck is free for two rings and has a 14-day trial of Pro, which adds a ring per program such as Photoshop. It is in the Microsoft Store.

Try it in RadialDeck

Free for two rings, with a 14-day trial of everything in Pro. Windows 10 and 11, from the Microsoft Store.

Get it from Microsoft or download the installer (.exe)