Printable Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
97 Photoshop shortcuts on one page, Windows and Mac keys side by side — selection, layers, transform, view, filters and the tool letters. Hit Print or Download PDF; no signup. For the keys that work in every app rather than just this one, see the general keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet.
Prints on one US Letter page. Set margins to "None" for the sharpest result.
Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts
97 shortcuts — Windows and Mac keys side by side
Selection
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Select every pixel | Ctrl+A | Cmd+A |
| Deselect | Ctrl+D | Cmd+D |
| Reselect what you dropped | Ctrl+Shift+D | Cmd+Shift+D |
| Invert the selection | Ctrl+Shift+I | Cmd+Shift+I |
| Select and Mask workspace | Ctrl+Alt+R | Cmd+Opt+R |
| Feather the edge | Shift+F6 | Shift+F6 |
| Add to / subtract from it | Shift / Alt+drag | Shift / Opt+drag |
| Load a layer as a selection | Ctrl+click thumb | Cmd+click thumb |
| Select every layer | Ctrl+Alt+A | Cmd+Opt+A |
| Quick Mask on / off | Q | Q |
| Fill with the foreground | Alt+Backspace | Opt+Delete |
| Fill with the background | Ctrl+Backspace | Cmd+Delete |
| Copy every visible layer | Ctrl+Shift+C | Cmd+Shift+C |
| Paste in place | Ctrl+Shift+V | Cmd+Shift+V |
| Paste into the selection | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V | Cmd+Opt+Shift+V |
| Nudge the outline 1 / 10 px | Arrow / Shift+Arrow | Arrow / Shift+Arrow |
Layers
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New layer, with the dialog | Ctrl+Shift+N | Cmd+Shift+N |
| New layer, skip the dialog | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+N | Cmd+Opt+Shift+N |
| Selection to its own layer | Ctrl+J | Cmd+J |
| Same, cutting it out | Ctrl+Shift+J | Cmd+Shift+J |
| Group the selected layers | Ctrl+G | Cmd+G |
| Ungroup | Ctrl+Shift+G | Cmd+Shift+G |
| Merge down | Ctrl+E | Cmd+E |
| Merge everything visible | Ctrl+Shift+E | Cmd+Shift+E |
| Stamp visible to a new layer | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E | Cmd+Opt+Shift+E |
| Clipping mask on / off | Ctrl+Alt+G | Cmd+Opt+G |
| Bring forward / send back | Ctrl+] / Ctrl+[ | Cmd+] / Cmd+[ |
| Straight to front / back | Ctrl+Shift+] / [ | Cmd+Shift+] / [ |
| Select the layer above / below | Alt+] / Alt+[ | Opt+] / Opt+[ |
| Select the top / bottom layer | Alt+. / Alt+, | Opt+. / Opt+, |
| Layer opacity 10 % … 100 % | 1 … 0 | 1 … 0 |
| Next / previous blend mode | Shift++ / Shift+- | Shift++ / Shift+- |
| Show this layer only | Alt+click the eye | Opt+click the eye |
View & Navigation
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom in / out | Ctrl++ / Ctrl+- | Cmd++ / Cmd+- |
| Fit the image on screen | Ctrl+0 | Cmd+0 |
| Actual pixels (100 %) | Ctrl+1 | Cmd+1 |
| Hand tool while you hold it | Space | Space |
| Zoom / Hand / Rotate View | Z / H / R | Z / H / R |
| Rulers on / off | Ctrl+R | Cmd+R |
| Guides on / off | Ctrl+; | Cmd+; |
| Lock the guides | Ctrl+Alt+; | Cmd+Opt+; |
| Grid on / off | Ctrl+' | Cmd+' |
| Snapping on / off | Ctrl+Shift+; | Cmd+Shift+; |
| Hide the extras* | Ctrl+H | Cmd+H |
| Cycle the screen modes | F | F |
| Hide every panel | Tab | Tab |
| Hide all but the toolbar | Shift+Tab | Shift+Tab |
| Proof colors (soft proof) | Ctrl+Y | Cmd+Y |
Transform
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Free Transform | Ctrl+T | Cmd+T |
| Free Transform a copy | Ctrl+Alt+T | Cmd+Opt+T |
| Repeat the last transform | Ctrl+Shift+T | Cmd+Shift+T |
| Repeat it onto a copy | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T | Cmd+Opt+Shift+T |
| Scale from the center† | Alt+drag | Opt+drag |
| Free the proportions† | Shift+drag | Shift+drag |
| Distort one corner† | Ctrl+drag | Cmd+drag |
| Skew a side handle† | Ctrl+Shift+drag | Cmd+Shift+drag |
| Perspective, corner handle† | Ctrl+Alt+Shift | Cmd+Opt+Shift |
| Rotate† | drag outside | drag outside |
| Commit / cancel | Enter / Esc | Return / Esc |
| Content-Aware Scale | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C | Cmd+Opt+Shift+C |
| Image Size | Ctrl+Alt+I | Cmd+Opt+I |
| Canvas Size | Ctrl+Alt+C | Cmd+Opt+C |
Filters & Adjustments
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat the last filter‡ | Ctrl+Alt+F | Cmd+Ctrl+F |
| Fade what you just applied | Ctrl+Shift+F | Cmd+Shift+F |
| Camera Raw Filter | Ctrl+Shift+A | Cmd+Shift+A |
| Liquify | Ctrl+Shift+X | Cmd+Shift+X |
| Lens Correction | Ctrl+Shift+R | Cmd+Shift+R |
| Vanishing Point | Ctrl+Alt+V | Cmd+Opt+V |
| Cancel becomes Reset | hold Alt | hold Opt |
| Levels | Ctrl+L | Cmd+L |
| Curves | Ctrl+M | Cmd+M |
| Hue/Saturation | Ctrl+U | Cmd+U |
| Color Balance | Ctrl+B | Cmd+B |
| Black & White | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+B | Cmd+Opt+Shift+B |
| Desaturate | Ctrl+Shift+U | Cmd+Shift+U |
| Invert | Ctrl+I | Cmd+I |
| Reuse the last settings§ | add Alt | add Opt |
Tools & Essentials
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Move / Marquee / Lasso | V / M / L | V / M / L |
| Quick Select, Magic Wand | W | W |
| Crop / Eyedropper | C / I | C / I |
| Healing Brush & Patch | J | J |
| Brush / Clone Stamp | B / S | B / S |
| Eraser / Gradient | E / G | E / G |
| Dodge, Burn, Sponge | O | O |
| Pen / Type | P / T | P / T |
| Cycle a slot's tools | Shift+the letter | Shift+the letter |
| Brush smaller / bigger | [ / ] | [ / ] |
| Brush softer / harder | Shift+[ / Shift+] | Shift+[ / Shift+] |
| Paint opacity 10 % … 100 % | 1 … 0 | 1 … 0 |
| Sample a color mid-brush | hold Alt | hold Opt |
| Default / swap colors | D / X | D / X |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | Cmd+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Shift+Z | Cmd+Shift+Z |
| Toggle the last state | Ctrl+Alt+Z | Cmd+Opt+Z |
| Save | Ctrl+S | Cmd+S |
| Save As | Ctrl+Shift+S | Cmd+Shift+S |
| Save a Copy (JPEG, PNG…) | Ctrl+Alt+S | Cmd+Opt+S |
Photoshop defaults — Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K) shows the set you are actually running. * Selection edges, guides, grid and slices; on a Mac the first Cmd+H asks whether you meant to hide Photoshop. † While Free Transform is active. ‡ Ctrl+F and Cmd+F open Search, so repeating a filter moved to these keys; on a Mac, Cmd+Opt+F reopens the last filter with its dialog. § Hold Alt or Option as you pick an adjustment to load the settings you used last. Adjustment keys change the pixels on the layer — use the Adjustments panel instead if you want them editable later. · printablepolly.com/photoshop-shortcuts
The Shortcuts Worth Learning First
1. Ctrl + J before you touch anything
Ctrl + J (Cmd + J) copies the selection — or the whole layer, if nothing is selected — onto a new layer above. Making it the reflex you reach for before every edit means the original is always one eye-icon click away, and Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E collapses the result into a single flattened layer when you want to sharpen or filter the finished stack without losing the pieces.
2. The modifier keys inside a transform
Ctrl + T is only the start. Once the box is up, Alt scales from the center, Ctrl drags a single corner into a distortion, Ctrl + Shift skews a side handle, and dragging just outside a corner rotates. Since 2019 corner handles keep the proportions on their own — Shift now frees them, which is the opposite of the muscle memory older tutorials teach.
3. Alt is the "other half" key
Alt (Option) subtracts from a selection, samples a color while you are painting, turns Cancel into Reset in any filter dialog, loads an adjustment with the settings you used last, and — held while you click an eye icon — hides every layer except that one. Learning it as a modifier rather than as thirty separate shortcuts is what makes the rest of the sheet shrink.
4. Print it beside the sheets for your other tools
Photoshop's single-letter tool keys are unique to it, but the Ctrl/Cmd combos are the same ones you already use elsewhere. If your day moves between apps, the VS Code keybindings, Excel shortcuts and Google Sheets shortcuts sheets print to the same one-page format and pin up beside this one.
Printable PDF
The chart above is the whole thing — one US Letter page, black-and-white friendly, with all 97 shortcuts for Windows and Mac. Print as many copies as you need for a class, a studio or a computer lab. No signup, no watermark.
To go with the chart
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- Book pick
Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book
Adobe's own course, updated each release, with the practice files to work along on. It teaches the same ground this sheet abbreviates — selections, layer masks, Camera Raw, Smart Objects — in the order that makes the shortcuts stick, which a printed grid on its own cannot do.
- Tablet pick
Wacom Intuos S drawing tablet
The pressure-sensitive pen is what turns masking and dodge-and-burn from clicking into drawing, and the tablet's ExpressKeys can hold the modifiers this chart uses most — Alt to subtract from a selection or sample a color, [ and ] for brush size — so your other hand stays on the keyboard.
- Upgrade pick
Wacom Intuos Pro Medium
A larger active area, 8 customizable ExpressKeys and a touch ring for zoom and brush size. Worth it only if you retouch for hours at a stretch — the Intuos S does everything on this sheet for a fifth of the price.
More Printable Tech Cheat Sheets
FAQ
What is the shortcut to deselect in Photoshop?
Ctrl+D on Windows, Cmd+D on a Mac. If you dropped a selection you spent five minutes making, Ctrl+Shift+D (Cmd+Shift+D) brings the last one back — it survives you clicking elsewhere, painting, or switching tools in between. Ctrl+Shift+I inverts a selection, which is often faster than selecting the awkward half: select the sky with the Object Selection tool, then invert to get the landscape.
What does Ctrl+J do in Photoshop?
It copies the current selection onto a brand-new layer, or duplicates the whole layer if nothing is selected — Layer > New > Layer via Copy. It is the safest first keystroke in almost any edit, because everything after it happens on a copy you can hide or throw away. Ctrl+Shift+J does the same thing but cuts the pixels out of the original layer instead of copying them.
What is Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E in Photoshop?
Stamp Visible: it merges everything currently visible into one new layer on top, while leaving all the original layers intact underneath. Use it before sharpening or running a filter over a finished composite — Ctrl+Shift+E (Merge Visible) would flatten those layers away permanently, and this does not. On a Mac it is Cmd+Opt+Shift+E.
Why doesn't Ctrl+F repeat my last filter anymore?
Because Photoshop CC 2017 handed Ctrl+F (Cmd+F) to the Search panel. Repeating the last filter moved to Ctrl+Alt+F on Windows and Cmd+Ctrl+F on a Mac; on a Mac, Cmd+Opt+F reopens the last filter with its dialog so you can change the settings first. If you would rather have the old key back, Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K) lets you reassign it under the Filter menu.
How do I change brush size with the keyboard?
The square brackets: [ makes the brush smaller and ] makes it bigger, with Shift+[ and Shift+] stepping the hardness. Holding Alt and right-dragging (Ctrl+Opt+drag on a Mac) resizes it live on the canvas — drag sideways for size, up and down for hardness — which is quicker than tapping a bracket thirty times. Number keys set the tool's opacity: 5 is 50 %, 0 is back to 100 %.
Are Photoshop shortcuts the same on Windows and Mac?
Nearly. As a rule Ctrl becomes Cmd and Alt becomes Option, which covers most of this sheet — that is why both columns are printed side by side rather than one column and a note. The exceptions are worth knowing: filling with the background color is Ctrl+Backspace on Windows but Cmd+Delete on a Mac, repeating a filter is Ctrl+Alt+F against Cmd+Ctrl+F, and Cmd+H hides Photoshop itself the first time you press it until you tell macOS you meant Hide Extras.
Where do I see or change every Photoshop shortcut?
Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts, or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K (Cmd+Opt+Shift+K). The dialog lists every menu command, tool and panel by name, flags any key you assign that is already taken, and saves your changes as a named set you can carry to another machine. This sheet lists the shipped defaults, so a customized set will not match it.
Is this Photoshop cheat sheet free to print?
Yes. Click Print or Download PDF and all 97 shortcuts come out on one US Letter page — no signup, no watermark, and no limit on copies for a class, a studio or a computer lab.