Balsamiq Shortcuts: The Complete Keyboard Guide (Windows & Mac)
Balsamiq keyboard shortcuts let you build wireframes without constantly reaching for your mouse. Below is a complete, current list covering selection, editing, icons, text, search, drawing, project actions, views, and fullscreen presentation mode, for both Windows and Mac.
The most-used shortcuts at a glance: press Enter or F2 to edit a UI element’s text, Ctrl + G (Windows) or Cmd + G (Mac) to group elements, Ctrl + Alt + T to open the Transform tool, and Ctrl + F to search your project. These four alone cover most of what you’ll reach for in a typical wireframing session.
Note: these shortcuts apply to Balsamiq’s current UI element terminology (Balsamiq Cloud and Balsamiq for Desktop). Some shortcuts may not fire inside a web browser depending on your OS and browser settings.
Selection & Positioning Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| Edit the selected UI element’s text | Enter or F2 | Return or F2 |
| Add to selection | Shift + Click | Shift + Click |
| Toggle selection | Ctrl + Click | Cmd + Click |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Cmd + A |
| Deselect All | Ctrl + Shift + A | Cmd + Shift + A |
| Ignore UI element(s) under cursor | Hold Alt | Hold Option |
| Resize maintaining aspect ratio | Hold Shift while resizing | Hold Shift while resizing |
| Move along horizontal/vertical axis | Hold Shift while dragging | Hold Shift while dragging |
| Disable snapping during move/resize | Hold Ctrl | Hold Cmd |
| Grow text or icon size | Ctrl + ] | Cmd + ] |
| Shrink text or icon size | Ctrl + [ | Cmd + [ |
| Nudge selection 1px | Arrow keys | Arrow keys |
| Nudge selection 10px | Shift + Arrow keys | Shift + Arrow keys |
| Nudge-resize selection 1px | Ctrl + Alt + Arrow keys | Cmd + Option + Arrow keys |
| Nudge-resize selection 10px | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Arrow keys | Cmd + Option + Shift + Arrow keys |
| Auto-size selection | Ctrl + Alt + 0 | Cmd + Option + 0 |
| Pan the board (Hand tool) | Space + Click and drag | Space + Click and drag |
| Bring to front | Ctrl + Shift + Up | Cmd + Shift + Up |
| Send to back | Ctrl + Shift + Down | Cmd + Shift + Down |
| Bring forward | Ctrl + Up | Cmd + Up |
| Send backward | Ctrl + Down | Cmd + Down |
| Duplicate selection while moving | Alt + drag | Option + drag |
Edit & History Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| Undo last command | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
| Redo last command | Ctrl + Y or Ctrl + Shift + Z | Cmd + Y or Cmd + Shift + Z |
| Cut selected UI elements | Ctrl + X or Shift + Delete | Cmd + X |
| Copy selected UI elements | Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert | Cmd + C |
| Paste | Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert | Cmd + V |
| Paste in place | Ctrl + Shift + V | Cmd + Shift + V |
| Delete selected UI elements | Delete or Backspace | Delete |
| Duplicate selected UI elements | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Lock selected UI elements | Ctrl + 2 | Cmd + 2 |
| Unlock all locked UI elements | Ctrl + 3 | Cmd + 3 |
| Transform selected UI elements | Ctrl + Alt + T | Cmd + Option + T |
| Find | Ctrl + F | Cmd + F |
| Find and replace | Ctrl + Alt + F | Cmd + Option + F |
Group & Align Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| Group selected UI elements | Ctrl + G | Cmd + G |
| Ungroup selected groups | Ctrl + Shift + G | Cmd + Shift + G |
| Align left | Ctrl + Alt + 1 | Cmd + Option + 1 |
| Align center | Ctrl + Alt + 2 | Cmd + Option + 2 |
| Align right | Ctrl + Alt + 3 | Cmd + Option + 3 |
| Align top | Ctrl + Alt + 4 | Cmd + Option + 4 |
| Align middle | Ctrl + Alt + 5 | Cmd + Option + 5 |
| Align bottom | Ctrl + Alt + 6 | Cmd + Option + 6 |
Working with Icons Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| Navigate the icon suggestion list | Arrow keys | Arrow keys |
| Use the selected icon | Enter | Return |
| Close the icon library | Esc | Esc |
| Close the suggestion list | Esc | Esc |
| Grow icon size | Ctrl + ] | Cmd + ] |
| Shrink icon size | Ctrl + [ | Cmd + [ |
Working with Text Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| Start editing selected UI element’s text | Enter or F2 | Return or F2 |
| Commit current text (single-line elements) | Enter | Return |
| Commit current text (multi-line elements) | Ctrl + Enter | Cmd + Return |
| Cancel current edit | Esc | Esc |
| Grow text size | Ctrl + ] | Cmd + ] |
| Shrink text size | Ctrl + [ | Cmd + [ |
| Generate placeholder text | Type “lorem” inside a text element | Type “lorem” inside a text element |
Search Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| Jump focus to search | / or + | / or + |
| Navigate the suggestion list | Up / Down Arrow keys | Up / Down Arrow keys |
| Close the suggestion list | Esc | Esc |
| Return focus to the board | Esc | Esc |
| Add UI element at cursor position | Shift + Enter | Shift + Return |
Drawing UI Elements
Hold the letter key and drag on the board to draw directly, no need to open the UI element library first.
| Action | Shortcut |
| Draw a rectangle | R + drag |
| Draw a block of text | T + drag |
| Draw a single line of text | Y + drag |
| Draw an image placeholder | I + drag |
| Draw an arrow | A + drag |
Project Actions Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| New blank board | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Duplicate current board | Ctrl + Shift + N | Cmd + Shift + N |
| New project | Ctrl + Alt + N | Cmd + Option + N |
| Open project | Ctrl + O | Cmd + O |
| Save as | Ctrl + Shift + S | Cmd + Shift + S |
| Rename board | F2 or Ctrl + Alt + R | F2 or Cmd + Option + R |
| Close current project | Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F4 | Cmd + W |
| Export | Ctrl + E | Cmd + E |
| Export to PDF | Ctrl + P | Cmd + P |
| Export to PNG | Ctrl + R | Cmd + R |
| Export snapshot to clipboard | Ctrl + Shift + C | Cmd + Shift + C |
| Quit Balsamiq | Ctrl + Q | Cmd + Q |
| Next board | Ctrl + Tab | Cmd + Page Down or Fn + Cmd + Down |
| Previous board | Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Cmd + Page Up or Fn + Cmd + Up |
| Top of board | Home | Fn + Shift + Up |
| Bottom of board | End | Fn + Shift + Down |
Views & Zoom Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| Hide/show UI elements panel | Ctrl + L or Ctrl + F1 | Cmd + L |
| Hide/show Comments panel | Ctrl + . | Cmd + . |
| Hide/show Boards panel | Ctrl + J | Cmd + J |
| Zoom in | Ctrl + + or Ctrl + scroll | Cmd + + or Cmd + scroll |
| Zoom out | Ctrl + – or Ctrl + scroll | Cmd + – or Cmd + scroll |
| Zoom to fit | Ctrl + 0 or 0 | Cmd + 0 or 0 |
| Zoom to selection | Ctrl + 8 or 8 | Cmd + 8 or 8 |
| Zoom to width | Ctrl + 9 or 9 | Cmd + 9 or 9 |
| Zoom to actual size | Ctrl + 1 or 1 | Cmd + 1 or 1 |
Fullscreen Presentation Mode
Useful when presenting a wireframe to stakeholders without the editing chrome visible.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
| Enter Full Screen view | Ctrl + Shift + F or F5 | Cmd + Shift + F or F5 |
| Exit Full Screen view | Esc | Esc |
| Edit current board | e | e |
| Hide/show settings panel | s | s |
| Hide/show Boards panel | j | j |
| Hide/show notes | n | n |
| Hide/show comments | c | c |
| Hide/show link hints | l | l |
| Hide/show big arrow cursor | b | b |
| Zoom | z | z |
| Pan canvas | Click + drag | Click + drag |
| Next board | Page Down | Option + Down |
| Previous board | Page Up | Option + Up |
| Back | ← | ← |
| Forward | → | → |
How to Customize Your Own Shortcuts
Balsamiq for Desktop supports custom keyboard shortcuts if the defaults don’t fit your workflow, for example, if a shortcut conflicts with your OS or another app you run alongside Balsamiq.
- Open Balsamiq for Desktop and go to its preferences or settings menu.
- Locate the keyboard shortcuts section.
- Select the action you want to remap.
- Enter your preferred key combination.
- Save your changes; the new shortcut takes effect immediately.
Custom shortcuts are stored locally to your installation, so they won’t carry over automatically if you switch computers or move to Balsamiq Cloud.
Download Balsamiq Mockups Shortcuts PDF
FAQ
What is the shortcut to group elements in Balsamiq?
Ctrl + G on Windows, Cmd + G on Mac. Ungroup with Ctrl + Shift + G or Cmd + Shift + G.
How do I quickly duplicate a UI element in Balsamiq?
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and drag the element, or use Ctrl + D / Cmd + D to duplicate in place.
Is there a shortcut to search inside a Balsamiq project?
Yes. Press / or + to jump into search, use the arrow keys to navigate suggestions, and Esc to return focus to the board.
Do Balsamiq shortcuts work the same in the browser and desktop app?
Mostly, but some shortcuts are intercepted by the browser or OS depending on which one you’re using, so a handful may not fire identically in Balsamiq Cloud versus Balsamiq for Desktop.
What’s the fastest way to draw a new UI element without opening the library?
Hold a letter key and drag on the board: R for rectangle, T for a text block, Y for a text line, I for an image, and A for an arrow.
Can I change a Balsamiq shortcut if it conflicts with another app?
Yes, in Balsamiq for Desktop you can remap shortcuts in the app’s preferences. This isn’t currently available in the browser-based Balsamiq Cloud.
How do I export my wireframe as a PDF using a shortcut?
Ctrl + P on Windows or Cmd + P on Mac exports the current board to PDF.
What’s the shortcut for the Transform tool?
Ctrl + Alt + T on Windows, Cmd + Option + T on Mac. It lets you resize and reposition a UI element with more precision than a simple drag.
Final Thoughts
Balsamiq’s whole design philosophy is speed, sketch fast, iterate faster, and these shortcuts are what make that possible once they’re in muscle memory. Start with the group, align, and transform shortcuts since those get used constantly, then layer in the drawing shortcuts (R, T, Y, I, A) once you’re comfortable, they’re the biggest time-saver most people skip.
If Balsamiq isn’t the right fit for your team, Figma is a common alternative for teams that want wireframing and high-fidelity design in the same tool. See our Figma shortcuts guide for the equivalent list there.
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