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Do these shortcuts work for you?
A letter, alone or with Shift, is all that any GIMP shortcut in Tools needs: Rectangle select, Paintbrush, Pencil, Gradient and Text are single letters, and Eraser, Bucket fill, Rotate, Scale and Perspective are a letter with Shift. In the Image & Layers section, New layer and Duplicate layer share their two modifiers, and Flatten image adds Shift to the keys of Merge down.
Start with these
- Rectangle select
- Paintbrush
- Eraser
- New layer
- Export as
- Fit image in window
Tips for GIMP
- Zoom in + and Zoom out - are the plus and minus keys with no modifier.
- In Select, Shift and the keys of Select all ⌘A give Select none ⇧⌘A.
- In File, Open image ⌘O and Open as layers ⌥⌘O share a letter, and the second has one modifier more.
File7
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New image | |
| Open image | |
| Open as layers | |
| Save | |
| Save as | |
| Export as | |
| Quit GIMP |
Edit7
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Undo | |
| Redo | |
| Copy | |
| Cut | |
| Paste | |
| Paste as new image | |
| Preferences |
Select4
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select all | |
| Select none | |
| Invert selection | |
| Select by color |
View5
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Fit image in window | |
| Zoom in | |
| Zoom out | |
| Toggle rulers | |
| Toggle guides |
Image & Layers6
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Canvas size | |
| Fit canvas to layers | |
| New layer | |
| Duplicate layer | |
| Merge down | |
| Flatten image |
Tools14
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Rectangle select | |
| Ellipse select | |
| Free select (Lasso) | |
| Fuzzy select (Magic Wand) | |
| Pencil | |
| Paintbrush | |
| Eraser | |
| Gradient | |
| Bucket fill | |
| Text | |
| Color picker | |
| Rotate | |
| Scale | |
| Perspective |
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More Design shortcuts
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many keyboard shortcuts does GIMP have on macOS?
GIMP has 43 keyboard shortcuts on macOS, organized into 6 sections: File, Edit, Select, View, and more. This page lists all of them with searchable, organized shortcut tables.
Which GIMP shortcuts should I learn first?
Start with Rectangle select (R), Paintbrush (P), Eraser (⇧E), New layer (⇧⌘N), Export as (⇧⌘E), Fit image in window (⇧⌘J). The sections on this page list the rest.
Can I download GIMP shortcuts as a PDF?
Yes. Click the download button at the top of this page to generate a printable PDF cheat sheet with all 43 GIMP shortcuts. The PDF includes organized sections, keycap-style key labels, and space for your own notes.
Do these GIMP shortcuts work on all Mac keyboards?
Yes. These shortcuts work on all Mac keyboards, including MacBook built-in keyboards and external Apple keyboards. The modifier keys are Command (⌘), Option (⌥), Control (⌃), and Shift (⇧). On keyboards without a Function row, some F-key shortcuts may require holding the Fn key.
Maintained by Vladik Didyk
Access GIMP shortcuts from your menu bar
KeyShortcut detects the active app and shows its shortcuts instantly. Switch it on in Settings. No memorization needed.