Keyboard shortcuts
Selecting
Section titled “Selecting”Moving the selection around the diagram without touching the mouse.
| Action | Mac | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Move the selectionSelects the nearest block in that direction. | ←→↑↓ | ←→↑↓ |
| Extend the selectionAdds the nearest block in that direction to the selection. | Shift←→↑↓ | Shift←→↑↓ |
| Select up or down a levelWalks the containment hierarchy: the parent container, or back down to its contents. | [] | [] |
| Select everythingSelects every block and path on the canvas. | ⌘A | CtrlA |
| Enter a containerSteps inside the selected container so the next selection is scoped to its contents. | ⌘Enter | CtrlEnter |
| Step backUndoes one layer of context per press, in order: closes the inspector if it is open, then clears the selection, then leaves the container you had stepped into. | Escape | Escape |
Editing
Section titled “Editing”Creating, duplicating, connecting and removing blocks.
| Action | Mac | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Start typingTyping with a block selected puts text inside it — no need to enter an edit mode first. | any letter or number | any letter or number |
| Edit the selected textOpens the selection for editing with the caret placed in its existing text. | Enter | Enter |
| DuplicatePlaces a copy beside the original, pushing neighbours aside to make room. | ⌘D | CtrlD |
| Duplicate in a directionDuplicates towards the arrow, which is the fast way to lay out a row or a column. | Option←→↑↓ | Alt←→↑↓ |
| NudgeMoves the selection, pushing and squeezing exactly as a drag would. | ⌘←→↑↓ | Ctrl←→↑↓ |
| ConnectDraws a path between the selected blocks. | ⌘L | CtrlL |
| Reverse a pathSwaps the ends of the selected path and reroutes it. | OptionR | AltR |
| GroupSeals the selected containers so they move and select as one object. | ⌘G | CtrlG |
| UngroupOpens a sealed group again. | ⌘ShiftG | CtrlShiftG |
| CopyCopies the selection, with its styles, to the clipboard. | ⌘C | CtrlC |
| DeleteRemoves the selection along with anything inside it. | BackspaceDelete | BackspaceDelete |
| Delete but keep contentsRemoves the selected container and leaves its children where they are. | ShiftBackspaceDelete | ShiftBackspaceDelete |
Editing text
Section titled “Editing text”Available while the caret is inside a block of text.
| Action | Mac | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Move the caretAt the edge of the text, carries on into the neighbouring block. | ←→↑↓ | ←→↑↓ |
New lineWhat a new line does is governed by the new-line-behaviour style property. | Enter | Enter |
| BackspaceAt the start of a line, merges this text into the line above it. | Backspace | Backspace |
| Stop editingReturns focus to the canvas with the block still selected. | Escape | Escape |
Viewing
Section titled “Viewing”Panning and zooming, and the panels around the canvas.
| Action | Mac | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| PanHold space and drag to pan the canvas. | Space | Space |
| Zoom inZooms about the centre of the viewport. | ⌘+NumpadAdd | Ctrl+NumpadAdd |
| Zoom outZooms about the centre of the viewport. | ⌘−NumpadSubtract | Ctrl−NumpadSubtract |
| Reset the zoomReturns to 100%. | ⌘0Numpad0 | Ctrl0Numpad0 |
| Show the paletteOpens the palette of block types and icon libraries. | ⌘P | CtrlP |
| Show or hide the inspectorToggles the panel of style controls for the current selection. | ⌘I | CtrlI |
| Open the command menuSearches every command, including the ones with no shortcut of their own. | ⌘K | CtrlK |
History
Section titled “History”Undo and redo operate on whole diagram snapshots, so one step undoes one gesture.
| Action | Mac | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| UndoRestores the previous snapshot, including the selection it was made with. | ⌘Z | CtrlZ |
| RedoSteps forward again until a new edit replaces the redo stack. | ⌘ShiftZ | CtrlShiftZ |
Everything else
Section titled “Everything else”Commands without a shortcut of their own (alignment, arrangement, selecting by type, etc.) are still accessible from the keyboard, via the Command Menu.