100 Most Useful GIMP Keyboard Shortcuts.Have you ever wished that the editing process was faster or more efficient? If so, getting to know some basic GIMP keyboard shortcuts can save you time and make your workflow smoother.From setting up layers and converting images to navigating through menus and executing commands, GIMP’s shortcut selections give users many options to speed up their editing tasks. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the most useful keyboard shortcuts available in GIMP, as well as tips on how best to use them.
Also, if you want to boost your productivity even further, be sure to check out our favorite Excel keyboard shortcuts and Google Docks keyboard shortcuts. You spend too much time clicking on everything.
GIMP Tool Keyboard Shortcuts
GIMP tools are similar to Photoshop tools. 
In fact, if you have ever worked in any image editing application, you will easily recognize most of them. They help you select and interact with an image and its elements.
| Action | Windows and Linux | macOS | ||
| Move tool | M | M | ||
| Rectangle Selection Tool | R | R | ||
| Ellipse selection tool | E | E | ||
| Free selection tool | F | F | ||
| Scissors selection tool | I | I | ||
| Fuzzy selection tool | U | U | ||
| Eraser Tool | Shift + E | Shift + E | ||
| Select By Color | Shift + O | Shift + O | ||
| Crop Tool | Shift + C | Shift + C | ||
| Pouring Bucket | td> | Shift + B | Shift + B | |
| Gradient | G | G | ||
| Brush | P | P | ||
| Pencil | N | N | ||
| Airbrush | A | A | ||
| Ink | K | K | ||
| MyPaint brush | Y | Y | ||
| Clone | C | C | ||
| Healing | H | H | ||
| Ways | B | B | ||
| Smudge | S | S | ||
| Text | T | T | ||
| Color palette | O | O |
Note: some tools are grouped so you won’t see them all in the tools menu. For example, Pencil, Airbrush, Ink, and MyPainBrush are grouped under Paintbrush. The same goes for the Ellipse selection tool; you can find it grouped with the Rectangular Selection tool.
GIMP Additional Selection Keyboard Shortcuts
The shortcuts listed here will help you select in unique ways, as well as interact with different selection options. We have selected the most common actions and they speak for themselves.
| Action | Windows and Linux | macOS |
| Select All | CTRL + A | Command + A |
| Toggle selection | CTRL + T | Command + T |
| Deselect All | Shift + CTRL + A | Shift + Command + A |
| Invert selection | CTRL + I | Command + I |
| Floating point selection | Shift + CTRL + L | Shift + Command + L |
| Select from Path | Shift + V | Shift + V |
GIMP Editing Keyboard Shortcuts
When it comes to editing a document or file, use these keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow.
| Action | Windows and Linux | macOS |
| Crop and resize | Shift + C | Shift + C |
| Rotate | Shift + R | Shift + R |
| Scale | Shift + T | Shift + T |
| Shift | Shift + S | Shift + S |
| Perspective | Shift + P | Shift + P |
| Flip | Shift + F | Shift + F |
| Blend | L | L |
| Lighten or darken | Shift + D | Shift + D |
| Swap colors | X | X |
| Default Colors | D | D |
| Undo previous action | CTRL + Z | Command + Z |
| Redo last action | CTRL + Y | Command + Y |
| Copy | CTRL + C | Command + C |
| Cut | CTRL + X | Command + X |
| Insert | CTRL + V | Command + V |
| Paste in Place | CTRL + Alt + V | Command + Option + V |
| Zoom brush size | ] | ] |
| Decrease brush size | [ | [ |
| Show or hide selection | CTRL + T | Command + T |
Note. The Paste in Place action allows you to paste the contents of the clipboard into the new file exactly where it was in the original file.
GIMP File Keyboard Shortcuts
The keyboard shortcuts listed in this section will help you open and interact with various files and images in GIMP.
| Action | Windows and Linux | macOS |
| Open new file | CTRL + N | Command + N |
| Open image | CTRL + O | Command + O |
| Open Image as new layer | CTRL + Alt + O | Command+ Option + O |
| Open last image 01 | CTRL + 1 | Command + 1 |
| Open last image 02 | CTRL + 2 | Command + 2 |
| Open last image 03 | CTRL + 3 | Command + 3 |
| Create new image from clipboard | Shift + CTRL + V | Shift + Command + V |
| Save as new name | Shift + CTRL + S | Shift + Command + S |
| Close all files | Shift + CTRL + W | Shift + Command + W |
| Exit GIMP | CTRL + Q | Command + Q |
Note. Opening the last image after 03 is the same command, just replace the number with the appropriate one. CTRL(Command) + 4,5,6 and so on.
GIMP View and Action Keyboard Shortcuts
The keyboard shortcuts listed here will help you interact with GIMP. Easily browse its menus, switch guides or rulers, and fill the background with color.
| Action | Windows and Linux | macOS |
| Main menu | F10 | F10 |
| Dropdown menu | Shift + F10 | Shift + F10 |
| Full screen | F11 | F11 |
| Toggle quick mask | Shift + Q | Shift + Q |
| Close document window | CTRL + W | Command + W |
| Shrink Wrap | CTRL + E | Command + E |
| Fit image to document window | Shift + CTRL + E | Shift + Command + E |
| Toggle rulers | Shift + CTRL + R | Shift + Command + R |
| Toggle Guides | Shift + CTRL + T | Shift + Command + T |
| Deselect | CTRL + K | Command + K |
| Foreground Fill | CTRL + , | Command + , |
| Fill with background color | CTRL + . | Command + . |
| Fill with template | CTRL + : | Command + : |
GIMP Dialogs Keyboard Shortcuts
These shortcuts will allow you to control dialogs in GIMP. Dialogs are moving windows that contain tool options or are designed for a specific task. Open dialog boxes to easily view and manage all of their options.
| Action | Windows and Linux | macOS |
| Layers | CTRL + L | Command + L |
| Brushes | Shift + CTRL + B | Shift + Command + B |
| Templates | Shift + CTRL + P | Shift + Command + P |
| Tool Options | Shift + CTRL + T | Shift + Command + T |
| Palettes | CTRL + P | Command + P |
| Info | Shift + CTRL + I | Shift + Command + I |
| Navigation | Shift + CTRL + N | Shift + Command + N |
| Close current window | Alt + F4 | Option + F4 |
| Go to next widget | Tab | Tab |
| Go to previous widget | Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab |
| Set new value | Enter | Option |
| Activate the current button in the list | Space | Space |
| Switch between tabs | CTRL + Alt + Page Up | Command + Option + Page up |
| Open location | Shift + L | Shift + L |
| Down folder | Alt + down arrow | Option + down arrow |
| folder up | Alt + Up arrow | Option + Up arrow |
| Home Folder | Alt + Home key | Option + Home key |
| Close current dialog | Esc | Esc |
GIMP Layers Keyboard Shortcuts
Layer management is critical to any image editing tool. If you do it quickly, you will complete your task in no time. What better way to quickly achieve the desired action than using keyboard shortcuts? Use the keyboard shortcuts listed in this table for easy and quick layer manipulation.
| Action | Windows and Linux | macOS |
| New Layer | Shift + CTRL + N | Shift + Command + N |
| Duplicate selected layer | Shift + CTRL + D | Shift + Command + D |
| Anchor layer | CTRL + H | Command + H |
| Select layer above | Up | Up |
| Select layer below | Page down | Page down |
| Select the first layer | Home key | Home key |
| Select the last layer | End key | End Key |
| Merge all visible layers | CTRL + M | Command + M |
How to Access the Full List of GIMP Keyboard Shortcuts
This article lists only the most common and useful keyboard shortcuts for GIMP. But each GIMP user has their own preferred and unique list of shortcuts, and over time, you’ll create that too. You’ll add the tools and features you use most often to these lists, or perhaps remove the shortcuts you don’t use as often. Here is how you can find the complete list of shortcuts in the GIMP application.
- Open GIMP on your PC or Mac.
- Go to the Edit menu (or the GIMP application menu on a Mac).
- Select Keyboard Shortcuts.
- GIMP will display a complete list of the various commands and shortcuts you can enable. You can also create your own shortcuts in this window.
How to Create Customized Keyboard Shortcuts
Not all GIMP commands have special keyboard shortcuts. After all, there are thousands of commands, and it’s up to you to choose the most useful ones and assign shortcuts if they don’t already exist. Here is how you can do it in GIMP:
- Open GIMP on your PC or Mac.
- Go to the Edit menu (or the GIMP application menu on a Mac).
- Select Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Use the search box to find the command you need.
- If no shortcut is assigned to this particular command, it will have Disabled next to it.
- Click anywhere in the command entry to create your own shortcut. You will see Disabled replaced with New accelerator…
- Press the desired keyboard shortcut to assign it to this command. Click backspace to remove the label if you make a mistake or change your mind.
- If the keyboard shortcut you selected is already assigned to another command, GIMP will display a pop-up asking you to confirm that you want to overwrite the keyboard shortcut.
- Select Reassign label to confirm.
GIMP keyboard shortcuts are an incredibly useful tool when it comes to image editing. With just a few keystrokes, you can create stunning works of art in no time. Whether you’re a professional photographer or just getting started with GIMP, these shortcuts can make your workflow smoother and more efficient.
96 Most Useful GIMP Keyboard Shortcuts
96 Most Useful GIMP Keyboard Shortcuts