Tired of clicking through endless menus? Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned designer, this guide is your go-to cheat sheet for mastering Photoshop in record time.
We’ve grouped every essential shortcut by specific tasks—so you can instantly find what you need:
- 🧰 Basic File & Navigation
- 🧭 Zoom & Canvas Control
- 🖱️ Selection Tools
- 🧱 Layer Management
- 🎨 Brush & Painting Tools
- 🧮 Transform & Move
- ✏️ Text & Typography
- 🖼️ Masks & Adjustments
- 📐 Guides, Grids, and Snapping
- ⏳ History & Undo
- 🧙 AI & Smart Tools (Photoshop 2025)
- 🧹 Miscellaneous Power Shortcuts
Use this as your daily quick-access guide or bookmark it for whenever you feel stuck. You’ll go from beginner to keyboard ninja in no time.
1. Basic File & Navigation Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut (Windows) | Shortcut (Mac) |
|---|---|---|
| New File | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Open File | Ctrl + O | Cmd + O |
| Save | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Save As | Ctrl + Shift + S | Cmd + Shift + S |
| Close File | Ctrl + W | Cmd + W |
Ctrl + P | Cmd + P | |
| Exit Photoshop | Ctrl + Q | Cmd + Q |
🧭 2. Zoom & Navigation
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Zoom In | Ctrl + + / Cmd + + |
| Zoom Out | Ctrl + - / Cmd + - |
| Fit to Screen | Ctrl + 0 / Cmd + 0 |
| Actual Pixels (100%) | Ctrl + 1 / Cmd + 1 |
| Hand Tool | Hold Spacebar |
| Rotate View | R, then drag |
🖱️ 3. Selection Tools
| Tool | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Marquee Tool | M |
| Lasso Tool | L |
| Quick Selection / Magic Wand | W |
| Select All | Ctrl + A / Cmd + A |
| Deselect | Ctrl + D / Cmd + D |
| Reselect | Ctrl + Shift + D |
| Invert Selection | Ctrl + Shift + I |
| Feather Selection | Shift + F6 |
🧱 4. Layers Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Layer | Ctrl + Shift + N |
| Duplicate Layer | Ctrl + J |
| Merge Layers | Ctrl + E |
| Merge Visible | Shift + Ctrl + E |
| Group Layers | Ctrl + G |
| Ungroup Layers | Ctrl + Shift + G |
| Bring Forward | Ctrl + ] |
| Send Backward | Ctrl + [ |
| Bring to Front | Ctrl + Shift + ] |
| Send to Back | Ctrl + Shift + [ |
| Create Clipping Mask | Ctrl + Alt + G |
| Convert to Smart Object | Right-click → Convert |
🎨 5. Brush & Painting
| Tool / Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Brush Tool | B |
| Increase Brush Size | ] |
| Decrease Brush Size | [ |
| Increase Hardness | Shift + ] |
| Decrease Hardness | Shift + [ |
| Eyedropper Tool | I |
| Fill with Foreground | Alt + Backspace |
| Fill with Background | Ctrl + Backspace |
| Swap Foreground/Background | X |
| Default Colors (B/W) | D |
🧮 6. Transformation & Move Tools
| Action / Tool | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Move Tool | V |
| Free Transform | Ctrl + T |
| Flip Horizontal | Right-click → Flip H |
| Rotate | Drag corner in Transform |
| Warp | Right-click → Warp |
| Skew | Right-click → Skew |
| Perspective | Right-click → Perspective |
| Confirm Transform | Enter |
| Cancel Transform | Esc |
✏️ 7. Text Tool Shortcuts
| Tool / Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Horizontal Type Tool | T |
| Select All Text | Ctrl + A (while typing) |
| Commit Text | Enter (on keypad) |
| Cancel Text | Esc |
| Increase Font Size | Ctrl + Shift + > |
| Decrease Font Size | Ctrl + Shift + < |
🖼️ 8. Masking & Adjustments
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Add Layer Mask | Alt + Click Mask Icon |
| Invert Mask | Ctrl + I on mask |
| Apply Mask | Ctrl + Shift + E |
| Disable/Enable Mask | Shift + Click Mask |
| Adjustment Layer (New) | Layer → New Adjustment |
📐 9. Guides, Grids, & Snapping
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Show/Hide Rulers | Ctrl + R |
| Show/Hide Grid | Ctrl + ' |
| Show/Hide Guides | Ctrl + ; |
| Snap to Grid/Guides | View → Snap |
| Lock Guides | Ctrl + Alt + ; |
⏳ 10. History & Undo
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl + Z (toggle) |
| Step Backward | Ctrl + Alt + Z |
| Step Forward | Ctrl + Shift + Z |
| Open History Panel | Window → History |
🧙 11. Photoshop AI Shortcuts (2025-Specific)
| Feature | Shortcut / Access |
|---|---|
| Select Subject | Select → Subject (no default key) |
| Select Sky | Select → Sky |
| Object Selection Tool | W (part of selection tools group) |
| Content-Aware Fill | Edit → Content-Aware Fill |
| Remove Tool (New) | J (shared with Healing tools) |
| Hover-AI Previews | Shift + Hover (where supported) |
🧹 12. Miscellaneous Productivity Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle Full Screen Mode | F or Shift + F |
| Toggle UI Panels | Tab |
| Show/Hide All Extras | Ctrl + H |
| Open Preferences | Ctrl + K / Cmd + K |
Summary: The Top 10 Shortcuts Every Beginner Should Know
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Move Tool | V |
| Brush Tool | B |
| Zoom In/Out | Ctrl + +/- |
| Free Transform | Ctrl + T |
| Deselect | Ctrl + D |
| Duplicate Layer | Ctrl + J |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Save | Ctrl + S |
| Select Subject | Select → Subject |
| Toggle Panels | Tab |
Wrapping Up
Learning shortcuts in Photoshop 2025 isn’t just about saving time—it’s about unlocking flow.
Once your hands know what to press, your brain gets to focus on design, not clicks.
