Alteryx Shortcuts: The Complete Keyboard Guide (2026)
Alteryx Designer rewards people who stop reaching for the mouse. The most-used Alteryx shortcuts are Ctrl+R to run a workflow, Ctrl+S to save it, and Ctrl+Shift+B to add a Browse tool to every selected output. Learning even a dozen of these can cut real minutes off every workflow you build, especially once your canvas has fifty or more tools on it.
This guide covers every current shortcut in Alteryx Designer, organized the way you actually use them: running and saving workflows, moving around the canvas, selecting and aligning tools, and showing or hiding windows. There is also a free PDF version at the bottom so you can keep a copy on your desk.
What Is an Alteryx Shortcut
An Alteryx shortcut is a key or key combination that performs an action inside Alteryx Designer without using the menus or the mouse, such as running a workflow, undoing a change, or jumping straight to a specific tool’s configuration window. Alteryx Designer currently has more than 40 documented shortcuts across five categories: keyboard navigation, tool selection and alignment, workflow management, canvas zoom and magnification, and mouse-based shortcuts.
One note before the tables: Alteryx Designer is a Windows application. There is no separate Mac version and no distinct set of Mac shortcuts, since Mac users run Designer through a Windows virtual machine such as Parallels or a Boot Camp partition. Every shortcut below works the same way whether you are on a native Windows machine or a Windows VM on a Mac. If you have seen a “Mac shortcuts” table elsewhere with Command-key equivalents, treat it with caution. It is not something Alteryx documents, because Designer does not run natively on macOS.
Most-Used Alteryx Shortcuts (Quick Reference)
| Action | Shortcut |
| Run or stop workflow | Ctrl + R |
| Save workflow | Ctrl + S |
| Save all open workflows | Ctrl + Shift + S |
| Open workflow | Ctrl + O |
| New workflow | Ctrl + N |
| Close open workflow | Ctrl + F4 |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y |
| Copy / Cut / Paste | Ctrl + C / Ctrl + X / Ctrl + V |
| Add a Browse tool to selected outputs | Ctrl + Shift + B |
| Move between open workflows | Ctrl + Tab |
Workflow Management Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
| Run workflow or stop it from running | Ctrl + R |
| Open a workflow | Ctrl + O |
| Close the open workflow | Ctrl + F4 |
| Save the workflow | Ctrl + S |
| Save As (opens Browse dialog) | F12 |
| Save all open workflows | Ctrl + Shift + S |
| Create a new workflow | Ctrl + N |
| Move between open workflows | Ctrl + Tab |
| Export workflow | Ctrl + Alt + E |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y |
| Copy | Ctrl + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V |
Canvas Navigation and Scrolling Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
| Scroll vertically on the canvas | Scroll wheel |
| Scroll horizontally on the canvas | Shift + Scroll wheel |
| Move up, down, left, or right | Arrow keys |
| Skip up, down, left, or right | Shift + Arrow keys |
| Jump to the top or bottom of the canvas | Home or End |
| Jump to the left or right edge of the canvas | Shift + Home or Shift + End |
| Pan the canvas | Space Bar + Left Click, or hold the mouse center button |
Zoom and Magnification Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
| Zoom in or out | Ctrl + Plus (+) or Minus (-) |
| Zoom to or from the cursor | Ctrl + Scroll wheel |
| Zoom to fit the entire workflow | Ctrl + 0, or double-click the mouse center button |
| Jump to the current selection | Ctrl + 0 |
| Zoom to expand sizing levels | Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 5 |
| Zoom to a specific area | Right-click and drag with the magnifying glass |
Select, Align, and Move Tool Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
| Select all items | Ctrl + A |
| Deselect all selected items | Ctrl + D |
| Align tools horizontally | Ctrl + Shift + Minus (-) |
| Align tools vertically | Ctrl + Shift + Plus (+) |
| Move the selected tool | Arrow keys |
| Move the selected tool by one pixel | Ctrl + Arrow keys |
| Delete the selected tool | Delete |
| Show the system menu | Alt + Space |
Show, Hide, and Select Windows
Alteryx gives you two ways to work with its panels: one shortcut set jumps focus into a window (useful with a keyboard only), and a second set toggles the window open or closed.
| Action | Select (jump into window) | Show / Hide (toggle window) |
| Tool palette | Ctrl + Shift + T | Ctrl + Alt + T |
| Overview window | Ctrl + Shift + V | Ctrl + Alt + V |
| Results window | Ctrl + Shift + G | Ctrl + Alt + R |
| Configuration window | Ctrl + Shift + C | Ctrl + Alt + C |
| Canvas | Ctrl + Shift + W | Not applicable |
| Interface Designer window | Ctrl + Shift + D | Ctrl + Alt + D |
| Global Search field | Ctrl + Shift + F | Not applicable |
Find, Replace, and Help Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
| Open the Find tab (Find and Replace) | Ctrl + F |
| Open the Replace tab (Find and Replace) | Ctrl + H |
| Open the help page for the selected tool, or the Designer help page if nothing is selected | F1 |
| Open the Annotation window for the selected tool | F2 |
| Refresh workflow / tool configurations | F5 |
| Add a Browse tool after the selected tool or tools | Ctrl + Shift + B |
| Open the right-click context menu from the keyboard | Shift + F10 |
| Close Alteryx Designer | Alt + F4 |
Less Common but Useful Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
| Open Designer User Settings | Ctrl + Alt + U |
| Open Compare Workflows | Ctrl + Alt + X |
| Open the Templates window | Ctrl + Shift + N |
| Open the Workflow Dependencies window | Ctrl + Alt + W |
| Restore default settings (opens a confirmation dialog) | Ctrl + Alt + F |
| Activate the menu bar, then select an underlined letter | Alt, then the underlined letter |
| Copy a tool’s background color and paste it onto another tool | Click inside the color box, Ctrl + C, then click another color box and Ctrl + V |
Download the Free PDF
Keep this full shortcut list handy with the downloadable PDF version, formatted for quick reference while you build workflows.
Download Alteryx Shortcuts PDF
FAQs
What is the shortcut to run a workflow in Alteryx?
Ctrl + R runs the workflow, and pressing it again while the workflow is running stops it.
Does Alteryx have a shortcut to add a Browse tool?
Yes. Select one or more tools and press Ctrl + Shift + B. If a selected tool has multiple outputs, a Browse tool is added to each one.
Are there separate Alteryx shortcuts for Mac?
No. Alteryx Designer only runs on Windows, including on a Windows virtual machine on a Mac, so the shortcuts are identical across both setups.
Can I create custom shortcuts in Alteryx?
Alteryx Designer does not currently support user-defined custom keyboard shortcuts. The shortcuts above are the full built-in set.
What is the shortcut to undo in Alteryx?
Ctrl + Z undoes the last action, and Ctrl + Y redoes it.
Conclusion
Alteryx Designer has a smaller shortcut set than tools like Excel, but the ones it does offer save real time once they become second nature. Start with the basics: Ctrl+R to run, Ctrl+S to save, and Ctrl+Shift+B to add a Browse tool. Once those feel automatic, move on to the canvas navigation and alignment shortcuts, since those are what actually speed up building and debugging larger workflows.
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