GIMP shortcuts can be a useful tool for speeding up your workflow while working with GIMP. It is not necessary for there to be a shortcut assigned to every tool or command. Learning these GIMP shortcut keys will be a good investment of your time.
I would advise you not to be afraid to try out different GIMP shortcuts. Below is a list of GIMP shortcuts for Windows & Mac users. You can use these shortcuts to better suit the way you want to work. Download the GIMP shortcuts for Windows as well as Mac users in PDF form.
File Operations Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Shortcuts Windows |
GIMP Shortcuts Mac |
| New Image |
Ctrl + N |
Command + N |
| Open Image |
Ctrl + O |
Command + O |
| Open as Layers |
Ctrl + Alt + O |
Command + Option + O |
| Create a new Image from Clipboard |
Ctrl + Shift + V |
Command + Shift + V |
| Save Image |
Ctrl + S |
Command + S |
| Save As |
Ctrl + Shift + S |
Command + Shift + S |
| Print |
Ctrl + P |
Command + P |
| Close |
Ctrl + W |
Command + W |
| Close All |
Ctrl + Shift + W |
Command + Shift + W |
| Quit |
Ctrl + Q |
Command + Q |
Similar Programs: Krita Keyboard Shortcuts
Edit Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Cheat Sheet |
GIMP Cheat Sheet |
| Undo |
Ctrl + Z |
Command + Z |
| Redo |
Ctrl + Y |
Command + Y |
| Cut |
Ctrl + X |
Command + X |
| Copy |
Ctrl + C |
Command + C |
| Copy Visible |
Ctrl + Shift + C |
Command + Shift + C |
| Paste |
Ctrl + V |
Command + V |
| Paste as New Image |
Ctrl + Shift + V |
Command + Shift + V |
| Clear |
Delete |
Delete |
| Fill with Foreground Color |
Ctrl + , |
Command + , |
| Fill with Background Color |
Ctrl + . |
Command + . |
| Fill with Pattern |
Ctrl + ; |
Command + ; |
Similar Programs: Canva Keyboard Shortcuts
View Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Hotkeys Windows |
GIMP Hotkeys Mac |
| Shrink Wrap |
Ctrl + E |
Command + E |
| Toggle Fullscreen View |
F11 |
F11 |
| Show Selection |
Ctrl + T |
Command + T |
| Show Guides |
Ctrl + Shift + T |
Command + Shift + T |
| Show Rulers |
Ctrl + Shift + R |
Command + Shift + R |
Layers Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Cheat Sheet |
GIMP Cheat Sheet |
| New Layer |
Ctrl + Shift + N |
Command + Shift + N |
| Duplicate Layer |
Ctrl + Shift + D |
Command + Shift + D |
| Anchor Layer |
Ctrl + H |
Command + H |
| Select Previous Layer |
Page Up key |
Page Up key |
| Select Next Layer |
Page Down key |
Page Down key |
| Select Top Layer |
Home |
Home |
| Select Bottom Layer |
End |
End |
Similar Programs: Clip Studio Paint Keyboard Shortcuts
Select Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Shortcuts Windows |
GIMP Shortcuts Mac |
| Select All |
Ctrl + A |
Command + A |
| Select None |
Ctrl + Shift + A |
Command + Shift + A |
| Invert Selection |
Ctrl + I |
Command + I |
| Create a Floating Selection |
Ctrl + Shift + L |
Command + Shift + L |
| Select by Color |
Shift + O |
Shift + O |
| Select from Path |
Shift + V |
Shift + V |
| Toggle Quick Mask |
Shift + Q |
Shift + Q |
Paint Tools Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Shortcuts Windows |
GIMP Shortcuts Mac |
| Bucket Fill |
Shift + B |
Shift + B |
| Eraser |
Shift + E |
Shift + E |
| Blur or Sharpen |
Shift + U |
Shift + U |
| Dodge or Burn |
Shift + D |
Shift + D |
| Blend |
L |
L |
| Pencil |
N |
N |
| Paintbrush |
P |
P |
| Airbrush |
A |
A |
| Ink |
K |
K |
| Clone |
C |
C |
| Heal |
H |
H |
| Smudge |
S |
S |
Similar Programs: Corel Painter Keyboard Shortcuts
Transform Tools Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Shortcut keys Windows |
GIMP Shortcut keys Mac |
| Align |
Q |
Q |
| Move |
M |
M |
| Crop |
Shift + C |
Shift + C |
| Rotate |
Shift + R |
Shift + R |
| Scale |
Shift + T |
Shift + T |
| Shear |
Shift + S |
Shift + S |
| Perspective |
Shift + P |
Shift + P |
| Flip |
Shift + F |
Shift + F |
Image Operations Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Shortcut keys Windows |
GIMP Shortcuts Mac |
| Duplicate Image |
Ctrl + D |
Command + D |
| Merge Visible Layers |
Ctrl + M |
Command + M |
| Display Image Properties |
Alt + Enter |
Option + Return |
Similar Programs: Corel Photo-Paint Keyboard Shortcuts
Selection Tools Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Shortcut keys Windows |
GIMP Shortcuts Mac |
| Rectangle Select |
R |
R |
| Ellipse Select |
E |
E |
| Free Select |
F |
F |
| Fuzzy Select |
U |
U |
| Select by Color |
Shift + O |
Shift + O |
| Intelligent Scissors |
I |
I |
Dockable dialogs Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Shortcut keys Windows |
GIMP Shortcut keys Mac |
| Layers |
Ctrl + L |
Command + L |
| Brushes |
Ctrl + Shift + B |
Command + Shift + B |
| Patterns |
Ctrl + Shift + P |
Command + Shift + P |
| Gradients |
Ctrl + G |
Command + G |
| Toolbox |
Ctrl + B |
Command + B |
Others Shortcuts
| Action |
GIMP Shortcuts Windows |
GIMP Shortcuts Mac |
| Help |
F1 |
F1 |
| Context Sensitive Help |
Shift + F1 |
Shift + F1 |
| Plug-In |
Ctrl + Shift + F |
Command + Shift + F |
| Repeat the Last Plug-In |
Ctrl + F |
Command + F |
GIMP is 100% free and can perform all the tasks that Photoshop software can. Take a look at Adobe Photoshop Shortcut keys. GIMP is particularly important for Linux users, as Photoshop is not supported on Linux devices.
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