50 Adobe Animate Keyboard Shortcuts – Cheat Sheet
If you use Adobe Animate regularly, keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time. Instead of clicking menus again and again, you can quickly create new files, copy/paste objects, zoom in/out, work faster on the timeline, and preview your animation in just seconds.
Table of Contents
In this guide, I’ve shared the most useful Adobe Animate keyboard shortcuts for both Windows and Mac. Whether you’re a beginner learning animation or someone who works on projects daily, these shortcut keys will help you speed up your workflow and stay focused while designing and animating.
Tip: You can also download the PDF version of this shortcut list for quick offline access.
Most Used Adobe Animate Shortcuts (Quick Cheat Sheet)
If you don’t want to scroll through every category, start with these. These are the most commonly used Adobe Animate shortcuts that help you work faster while animating, editing objects, and previewing your project.
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y | Cmd + Shift + Z |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Cmd + C |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Cmd + V |
| Cut | Ctrl + X | Cmd + X |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Cmd + A |
| Save | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Duplicate | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Zoom In | Ctrl + + | Cmd + + |
| Zoom Out | Ctrl + – | Cmd + – |
| Fit in Window | Ctrl + 0 | Cmd + 0 |
| Test / Preview Movie | Ctrl + Enter | Cmd + Return |
File Shortcuts
These Adobe Animate file shortcuts help you create new projects, open saved files, and export your work faster. It’s useful when you want to save time instead of clicking menus again and again.
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Import Image & Sound etc. | Ctrl + R | Command + R |
| Export to .swf & .gif etc. | Ctrl + Shift + R | Command + Shift + R |
| Open as Library | Ctrl + Shift + O | Command + Shift + O |
Edit Shortcuts
Use these Edit shortcuts to copy, paste, undo, redo, and quickly make changes while working. These are some of the most used shortcuts in Adobe Animate for daily editing tasks.
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Group | Ctrl + G | Command + G |
| Ungroup | Ctrl + U | Command + U |
| Break Apart | Ctrl + B | Command + B |
| Paste in Place | Ctrl + Shift + V | Command + Shift + V |
| Duplicate | Ctrl + D | Command + D |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Command + A |
| Deselect All | Ctrl + Shift + A | Command + Shift + A |
| Align Window | Ctrl + K | Command + K |
| Scale and Rotate | Ctrl + Shift + S | Command + Shift + S |
| Remove Transform | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Command + Shift + Z |
| Move Ahead | Ctrl + Up Arrow key | Command + Up Arrow key |
| Move Behind | Ctrl + Down Arrow key | Command + Down Arrow key |
| Bring to Front | Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow key | Command + Shift + Up Arrow key |
| Send to Back | Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow key | Command + Shift + Down Arrow key |
| Modify font | Ctrl + T | Command + T |
| Modify paragraph | Ctrl + Shift + T | Command + Shift + T |
| Narrower letterspacing | Ctrl + Left Arrow key | Command + Left Arrow key |
| Wider Letterspacing | Ctrl + Right Arrow key | Command + Right Arrow key |
View Shortcuts
View shortcuts make it easier to zoom in/out, fit the stage, and adjust what you see on the screen. These are helpful when you are working on small details or complex animations.
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Full-size view | Ctrl + 1 | Command + 1 |
| Show frame | Ctrl + 2 | Command + 2 |
| Show all | Ctrl + 3 | Command + 3 |
Window Shortcuts
These shortcuts help you open and manage important panels like Properties, Library, and Timeline. It keeps your workflow smooth without searching for panels manually.
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Modify Movie Properties | Ctrl + M | Command + M |
| Show or Hide Libraries | Ctrl + L | Command + L |
| Toggle between Edit Movie | Ctrl + E | Command + E |
| Show or Hide Work Area | Ctrl + Shift + L | Command + Shift + L |
| Show or Hide Timeline | Ctrl + Shift + W | Command + Shift + W |
Other Adobe Animate Shortcuts
This section includes extra Adobe Animate shortcuts that are very useful but not part of the main categories. These shortcut keys help with zooming, ruler settings, script navigation, code formatting, and quick panel controls while you work on bigger projects.
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Show a smaller area of the drawing with more detail | Ctrl + = | Command + = |
| Show a larger area of the drawing with less detail | Ctrl + + | Command + + |
| Show or hide the Align panel | Ctrl + K | Command + K |
| Add Component Widgets | Ctrl + 3 | Command + 3 |
| Show or hide the History panel | Ctrl + T | Command + T |
| Show or change the properties and position of the selected object | Ctrl + I | Command + I |
| Show or hide the Library panel for this document | Ctrl + L | Command + L |
| Show or hide the Property Inspector | Ctrl + 9 | Command + 9 |
| Select colors from swatches and manage swatches | Ctrl + 5 | Command + 5 |
| Show or hide the drawing toolbar | Ctrl + 8 | Command + 8 |
| Scale and/or rotate the selection using numeric values | Ctrl + T | Command + T |
| Auto formats the editor code | Ctrl + Shift + F | Command + Shift + F |
| Show hidden characters | Ctrl + Shift + 8 | Command + Shift + 8 |
| Suppresses highlighting of selected items | Ctrl + Shift + E | Command + Shift + E |
| Show or hide the rulers | Ctrl + Shift + Alt + R | Command + Shift + Option + R |
| Show Frame Script Navigator | Ctrl + Alt + [ | Command + Option + [ |
| Show or hide the twining shape hints | Ctrl + Alt + ] | Command + Option + ] |
| Show or hide the Color panel | Ctrl + Shift + 5 | Command + Shift + 5 |
| Show or hide the Compiler Errors panel | Ctrl + Alt + 8 | Command + Option + 8 |
| Rotate the selection to 90 degrees left | Ctrl + Shift + 7 | Command + Shift + 7 |
Download Adobe Animate Shortcuts PDF
If you want a printable version, you can download the Adobe Animate shortcuts PDF from the button below.
That’s it! These Adobe Animate keyboard shortcuts will help you save time and work faster while creating animations. If you use these shortcut keys daily, you’ll notice your workflow becomes smoother, especially when editing objects, arranging layers, and previewing your project.
If you found this shortcut list helpful, bookmark this page so you can quickly come back anytime you need it. Also, if I missed any useful Adobe Animate shortcuts, feel free to share them in the comments.
Looking for Adobe Animate Alternatives?
If you’re comparing animation tools, you can also check my list of Adobe Animate alternatives. It includes popular options that work for beginners, professional animators, and different budgets.
FAQs About Adobe Animate Keyboard Shortcuts
Here are some common questions people ask about Adobe Animate shortcut keys (Windows and Mac)
The most used Adobe Animate shortcuts include Group (Ctrl + G), Duplicate (Ctrl + D), Select All (Ctrl + A), and Paste in Place (Ctrl + Shift + V). These are commonly used while editing objects and working on animations faster.
Most Adobe Animate shortcuts are the same on both platforms, but the main difference is the key used. On Windows, you’ll usually use Ctrl, and on Mac, you’ll use Command (Cmd).
To change shortcuts in Adobe Animate, go to Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts. From here, you can select a shortcut set, customize keys, and save your own shortcut layout for faster workflow.
If your Adobe Animate shortcuts are not working, first check if Caps Lock, Fn keys, or another background app is interfering. Also make sure you are clicking inside the Animate workspace (not another window), and reset shortcuts from Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts if needed.
To zoom in, use Ctrl + = (Windows) or Cmd + = (Mac). To zoom out, use Ctrl + + (Windows) or Cmd + + (Mac). These shortcuts help you work on details quickly.
You can show or hide the Library panel using Ctrl + L on Windows and Cmd + L on Mac. This is helpful when you want a clean workspace while animating.
READ NEXT:
