Figma keyboard shortcuts on a Mac: learning the single-key tools
In Figma, every main tool is one key with no modifier: V for Move, F for Frame, R for Rectangle, O for Ellipse, T for Text and P for Pen. Learn those first, because you switch tools more often than you do anything else. Then press Control-Shift-? (⌃⇧?) to open Figma’s keyboard shortcuts panel, which lists the rest by category, and pick up a few more each week.
On a US keyboard, the ? in that shortcut is the slash key with Shift, so in practice you hold Control and Shift and press the key to the left of the right Shift key.
The single-key tools
These are Figma’s defaults on a Mac. None needs a modifier except the few that add Shift:
| Key | Tool |
|---|---|
| V | Move |
| K | Scale |
| F or A | Frame |
| ⇧S | Section |
| R | Rectangle |
| O | Ellipse |
| L | Line |
| ⇧L | Arrow |
| P | Pen |
| ⇧P | Pencil |
| T | Text |
| C | Comment |
| I | Eyedropper |
Start with V, F, R and T. Most design work is drawing frames and shapes, typing, and moving things, and those four cover it. Add O, L and P next. K, the Scale tool, is worth learning early if you resize groups often: it scales everything inside a selection together, stroke weights, blurs and text size included, where dragging the bounding box leaves stroke weights as they were.
To move around the canvas, hold Space and drag. To zoom, Shift-1 (⇧1) fits everything on the page in view, Shift-2 (⇧2) zooms to the selection, and Shift-0 (⇧0) goes to 100 percent. Command-\ (⌘) hides the whole interface so you can see the design alone, and pressing it again brings the panels back.
Why single keys sometimes type letters instead
Single-key tools have one catch: they only work when Figma is not expecting text. If you are editing a text layer, pressing R types an R. The same goes for a field in the properties panel or a comment you are writing.
Press Escape to leave text editing. The text layer stays selected, and the letter keys go back to being tools. If you get into the habit of tapping Escape before you reach for a tool, this stops being a problem within a day.
The same habit helps with selection. With a frame selected, Return selects the layers inside it, and Shift-Return (⇧Return) selects the parent. Tab and Shift-Tab move between layers at the same level. Escape clears the selection.
Figma’s shortcuts panel
Press Control-Shift-? and the keyboard shortcuts panel opens along the bottom of the window, and you can keep working while it is open. It groups shortcuts into tabs by category. You can also open it from the Help and resources button in the lower-right corner: choose Keyboard shortcuts.
Two ways to use it for learning rather than reference:
- Read one tab a week. Not the whole panel. One category, tried on the file you are working on that day.
- Look for what you already use. The panel highlights shortcuts you have already used, so the gaps stand out. Pick the gap in the tab you use most.
When the tools are automatic, these are the next layer for most people:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘G | Group selection |
| ⌥⌘G | Frame selection |
| ⇧A | Add auto layout |
| ⌥⌘K | Create component |
| ⌘D | Duplicate |
| ⌘R | Rename layer |
Option-drag (holding Option while you drag a layer) duplicates it as you move it, which is often quicker than Command-D.
Learning the Mac modifier symbols helps too
On a Mac, menus show shortcuts as symbols, Figma’s included: ⌘ for Command, ⌥ for Option, ⇧ for Shift and ⌃ for Control. If you came from Windows, where Figma shows Ctrl and Alt, the symbols slow you down until they are second nature. Mac keyboard symbols explained is a quick refresher.
A note for people switching from Windows: Figma’s Ctrl shortcuts generally become Command on a Mac, and Alt becomes Option. The shortcuts panel shows the Mac version when you are on a Mac, so check there rather than in an old Windows tutorial.
Keep the tools in view while you work
The shortcuts panel takes space at the bottom of the window, and most people close it to get the canvas back. Then the shortcuts are out of sight again.
Typebar puts a keyboard on your screen and keeps the shortcuts on it. Holding a modifier such as Command or Option for a moment relabels the keys with what they do in the app in front, read from its menus. Figma’s single-key tools have no modifier to hold, so Typebar has a hand-made Figma pack: hold fn and the tools show on their keys. Its Cheatsheet List is searchable, so you can look up a command, pick it, and watch its keys light up on the board.
If you want a sheet on your desk instead, Typebar can export a cheatsheet as PNG or PDF, and you can rename, hide or add shortcuts first so it shows only what you are learning. Make a printable cheat sheet of any Mac app’s shortcuts walks through the options, built-in ones included.
If you record design tutorials, the keystroke pill shows each key as you press it, so viewers see that you pressed F before drawing a frame. Typing gathers into one chip, so a line of text in a text layer does not fill the screen with letters. How to record a software tutorial people can actually follow has more. Typebar is $9 once, with a 24-hour free trial.
Questions
What is the shortcut to see all Figma shortcuts on a Mac?
Control-Shift-?. It opens the keyboard shortcuts panel at the bottom of the window.
Why does pressing V or R type a letter?
You are editing text or a field. Press Escape, then press the tool’s key.
Is the Frame tool F or A?
Both. F and A each select the Frame tool.