ZBrush Keyboard Shortcuts: The Complete Hotkeys Guide (Windows & Mac)

The most-used ZBrush shortcuts are Q (Draw), W (Move), E (Scale), R (Rotate), S (Draw Size), Ctrl + Z (Undo) and Ctrl + S (Save Project). Navigation is mouse-driven: click-and-drag the empty canvas to rotate, hold Alt and drag to move/pan. On Mac, every Ctrl shortcut below becomes Cmd, and Alt becomes Option. Scroll down for the full list by task, plus a free PDF cheat sheet.

ZBrush packs hundreds of commands behind its menus, and digging through them mid-sculpt breaks your flow. Keyboard shortcuts fix that. They give you instant access to the tools you reach for most drawing, masking, navigating, rendering so your hands stay on the work instead of hunting through palettes. This guide lists every essential ZBrush shortcut, grouped by what you’re actually trying to do, with the Mac equivalent for each and a short note on when you’d use it.

What Are ZBrush Shortcuts?

ZBrush shortcuts also called hotkeys are keyboard combinations that trigger a ZBrush command without clicking through the interface. Pressing W, for example, activates the Move tool instantly, the same as selecting it from the toolbar. ZBrush ships with a large set of default hotkeys and mouse actions, and you can assign your own custom hotkeys to any command you use often.

Windows vs Mac: One Rule to Remember

You don’t need a separate Mac shortcut list. Per Maxon’s documentation, the mapping is consistent:

Everywhere you see Ctrl below, Mac users press Cmd; everywhere you see Alt, press Option. On keyboards that have both Ctrl and Cmd, either works.

Most-Used ZBrush Shortcuts (Top 10)

These are the shortcuts you’ll use in almost every session. If you memorize nothing else, memorize these.

Navigation & Camera Controls

ZBrush navigation is driven by the mouse together with modifier keys, not by single keypresses. These are the actions you perform constantly to move around your model in Edit mode.

Tip: For the smoothest navigation, turn off RightClick Navigation in Preferences > Interface.

Sculpting & Brush Shortcuts

The core of the workflow. These control your brush behavior and the basic transform tools.

Stroke & Curve Shortcuts

Color Shortcuts

Masking Shortcuts

Masking protects parts of your model so your brush only affects what you want. This is one of the most-used systems in ZBrush, and most of it runs off the Ctrl key.

SubTool & Selection Shortcuts

SubTools are the separate mesh objects that make up your project. These shortcuts let you move between them and manage visibility.

3D Model & Geometry Shortcuts

Resolution, subdivision, and topology the structural side of your sculpt.

Canvas, Zoom & Layer Shortcuts

Render Shortcuts

Timeline Shortcuts

UI Configuration & ZScript Shortcuts

How to Create Custom Hotkeys in ZBrush

You’re not stuck with the defaults. ZBrush lets you assign any command to any key:

1. Hover your cursor over the interface item a button, slider, brush, or menu you want to assign.
2. Hold Ctrl + Alt (Mac: Cmd + Option) and click that item.
3. Press the key or key combination you want to assign to it.
4. Open Preferences > Hotkeys and click Store to save your hotkeys so they persist between sessions.

To assign a specific brush, press B to open the brush pop-up, narrow to a brush by typing its first letter, then Ctrl + Alt + click it and press your new key. Note that ZBrush will reassign a key if it’s already in use by another brush.

How to Reset Hotkeys to Default

If your custom hotkeys get tangled, open Preferences > Hotkeys and choose the option to restore defaults. Save your current configuration first (Store Configuration File) if you might want it back later.

Download the ZBrush Shortcuts PDF Cheat Sheet

Want all of these in one printable page? Download the ZBrush Shortcut Keys PDF here. Keep it next to your tablet while the muscle memory builds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a ZBrush shortcuts PDF I can download?

Yes you can download a free printable ZBrush shortcut keys PDF from the link in the section above. Maxon also publishes an official cheat-sheet PDF in its documentation.

What is the clear canvas / clear layer shortcut in ZBrush?

Ctrl + N (Cmd + N on Mac) clears the active document layer.

How do I undo in ZBrush?

Ctrl + Z (Cmd + Z on Mac). Redo is Shift + Ctrl + Z (Shift + Cmd + Z).

What are the Q, W, E, R keys in ZBrush?

They are the core transform tools: Q is Draw, W is Move, E is Scale, and R is Rotate.

Do ZBrush shortcuts work the same on Mac?

Almost entirely. Replace Ctrl with Cmd and Alt with Option, and the rest is identical. Note that the F1–F6 palette pop-ups are PC-only in some versions.

How do I turn on symmetry in ZBrush?

Press X to toggle symmetry across the active axis.

Can I change ZBrush shortcuts?

Yes. Hold Ctrl + Alt (Cmd + Option on Mac), click the command, press your new key, then Store it under Preferences > Hotkeys.

What is the most-used shortcut in ZBrush?

The transform keys (Q/W/E/R) and Draw Size (S), since they’re used in nearly every sculpting action, along with the mouse-driven navigation for rotating and zooming the view.

Final Thoughts

ZBrush rewards muscle memory more than almost any other sculpting tool. The artists who work fastest aren’t relying on better hardware they’re the ones whose hands never leave the pen and keyboard. You don’t need to memorize all of these ZBrush shortcuts at once. Start with the Top 10, lean on the navigation and brush keys until they’re automatic, then fold in masking and SubTool shortcuts as your projects get more complex. Within a few weeks the menu-hunting disappears and the speed becomes invisible which is exactly the point.

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