SketchUp Shortcuts: The Complete Keyboard Cheat Sheet (Windows & Mac)

Speed in SketchUp comes almost entirely from your left hand. Modellers who never touch the toolbar work two or three times faster than those who do. Here is the complete shortcut reference, plus the modifier keys that most people never learn. If you are new, pair this with the SketchUp beginner guide.

Default drawing tool shortcuts

Space - Select
L - Line
A - Arc
R - Rectangle
C - Circle
P - Push/Pull
M - Move
Q - Rotate
S - Scale
F - Offset
T - Tape Measure
B - Paint Bucket
E - Eraser
G - Make Component

Navigation shortcuts

O - Orbit (or hold the middle mouse button)
H - Pan (or middle mouse button + Shift)
Z - Zoom
Shift + Z - Zoom Extents, the fastest way to find lost geometry
Scroll wheel - Zoom towards the cursor

View and display

K - Toggle back edges
Alt + click a face (with Paint Bucket) - Sample material
View > Face Style > X-Ray - Assign a key here, you will use it constantly

Editing shortcuts that save the most time

Ctrl / Option while Move - Copy instead of move
Type a number then x after a copy - Create that many copies (for example 5x)
Type a number then / after a copy - Divide the distance into equal copies
Ctrl / Option while Push/Pull - Create a new face rather than extending
Double-click with Push/Pull - Repeat the last extrusion distance
Triple-click with Select - Select all connected geometry
Arrow keys - Lock inference to the red, green or blue axis; the up arrow locks to blue
Shift while inferencing - Lock the current inference direction

Mac versus Windows

The letter shortcuts are identical. The modifiers differ: Windows uses Ctrl and Alt where macOS uses Option and Command. On macOS, Copy in the Move tool is Option, and shortcut preferences live under SketchUp > Settings > Shortcuts rather than Window > Preferences.

Creating your own shortcuts

Go to Window > Preferences > Shortcuts (Windows) or SketchUp > Settings > Shortcuts (macOS). Search for a command, click the field, press your key combination and click the plus button. Worth assigning on day one:

Hide (H is taken, try Ctrl+H)
Unhide All
Make Group
Toggle X-Ray
Purge Unused
Zoom Extents on a thumb-reachable key

You can export your shortcut set as a .dat file and reimport it on another machine or after an upgrade, which saves rebuilding your setup every year.

Building the habit

Do not try to learn forty shortcuts at once. Pick five you use daily, hide the corresponding toolbar for a week, and force yourself to use the keys. Then add five more. Within a month the whole set is muscle memory. If you want a structured path from beginner to production speed, our SketchUp Master course covers the full professional workflow.

FAQ

What are the most useful SketchUp shortcuts?

Space for Select, L for Line, R for Rectangle, P for Push/Pull, M for Move, Q for Rotate, S for Scale and Shift+Z for Zoom Extents cover the vast majority of everyday modelling.

How do I create a custom shortcut in SketchUp?

Open Window > Preferences > Shortcuts on Windows or SketchUp > Settings > Shortcuts on macOS, search for the command, click into the shortcut field, press your key combination and confirm with the plus button.

Are SketchUp shortcuts the same on Mac and Windows?

The single-letter tool shortcuts are identical. Modifier keys differ: Windows uses Ctrl and Alt while macOS uses Command and Option, so copy operations and toggles use different keys.

How do I reset SketchUp shortcuts to default?

In the Shortcuts preferences panel, click Reset All. You can export your current set first if you want to keep a backup before restoring the defaults.

Can I copy my shortcuts to another computer?

Yes. In the Shortcuts preferences, use Export to save a .dat preferences file, then use Import on the other machine to load the exact same set.