SketchUp Keyboard Shortcuts

Default Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut /
Command Description
Use Arc tool.
● You can specify the amount of the arc’s bulge by typing a number
and then pressing Enter.
● You can specify the radius of the Arc by typing the dimension,
pressing R, and hitting Enter.
● You can specify the number of segments of the Arc (more
segments mean smoother-looking Arcs) by typing the number of
2 Point Arc (A) segments, pressing S, and hitting Enter.
Lock Axis when generating or moving an element.
● Up Arrow for the Blue Axis.
● Left Arrow for the Green Axis.
Axis Lock ● Right Arrow for the Red Axis.
(Arrow Keys) ● Down Arrow for Parallel or Perpendicular Axes.
Use Circle tool.
● You can lock the program’s current inferences (i.e. Axis, Plane, and
Perpendicularity of generated element) by pressing Shift.
● You can specify the Radius of the Circle by typing the dimension
and pressing Enter.
● You can specify the number of segments of the Circle (more
segments mean smoother-looking Circles) by typing the number of
Circle (C) segments, pressing S, and hitting Enter.
Use the Eraser tool.
● You can soften/smooth surfaces by using the Eraser to take away
the edges but retain the surface adjacent to them. Do this by holding
Ctrl (Win) or Option (Mac).
● You can unsoften/unsmooth surfaces by holding down Ctrl (Win)
or Option (Mac) and Shift.
● You can use the Eraser shortcut to Hide elements instead by
Eraser (E) holding down the Shift key.
Use the Line tool.
● You can lock the program’s current inferences (i.e. Axis, Plane, and
Perpendicularity of generated element) by pressing Shift.
● You can specify the length of the line by typing in the dimension and
Line (L) pressing Enter.
 Move the selected element.
● You can make a copy without displacing the original element by
holding down Ctrl (Win) or Option (Mac).
● You can copy an element and create an External Copy Array in a
row by moving the first copy, typing the number of copies in the
array, pressing X and then Enter.
● You can copy an element and create an Internal Copy Array in
between by moving the first copy, typing the number of copies in the
array, pressing X and then Enter.
● You can lock the program’s current inferences (i.e. Axis, Plane, and
Perpendicularity of generated element) by pressing Shift.
● You can move otherwise unmovable elements due to face or
edge constraints by enabling auto-fold. Hold down Alt (Win) or
Command (Mac).
● You can specify the distance you’re moving an element to by typing
Move (M) in the distance and pressing Enter.
Offset line or perimeter objects.
● You can allow resulting offsets to overlap by holding down Alt (Win) or
Command (Mac).
● You can specify the distance of the offset by typing in the distance
Offset (F) and pressing Enter.
Orbit the view of the model.
● You can also Orbit by pressing the mouse’s middle scroll button.
● You can disable “gravity-weighted” orbiting by holding down Ctrl
(Win) or Option (Mac).
● You can activate the Pan View tool by holding Shift. You can also
Orbit (O) do this by pressing the mouse’s middle scroll button while holding
Shift.
Use the Paint Bucket tool to change or copy the Materials on Face elements.
● You can fill a face and all adjacent faces with the same material
by holding Ctrl (Win) or Option (Mac).
● You can replace all matching material faces in the model with your
currently selected material by holding Shift.
● You can replace all matching material faces in the selected object
with your currently selected material by holding Shift and Ctrl (Win)
or Option (Mac).
● You can sample a Material by holding down Alt (Win) or
Paint Bucket (B) Command (Mac).
Push or Pull a selected face on an object.
● You can utilize the Push/Pull and create a copy of the original
face and leave the original face in place by holding down Ctrl
(Win) or Option (Mac).
● Apply the same amount of Push/Pull as the previous face
by double-clicking.
● You can specify the distance you’re moving an element to by typing
Push/Pull (P) in the distance and pressing Enter.

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 Generate a rectangle.
● You can start drawing the rectangle from its center by pressing Ctrl
(Win) or Option (Mac).
● Specify the dimensions of the rectangle by typing in the length, a
Rectangle (R) comma, and then the width, and then press Enter.
Rotate a selected element.
● You can rotate a copy and keep the original element in place by
pressing Ctrl (Win) or Option (Mac).
● You can specify the angle of rotation by typing in the angle and
pressing Enter. You can indicate this as a slope by typing the value
for the rise, a colon (:), and then a value for the run, and then
Rotate (Q) pressing Enter.
You can scale the size of an element up or down.
● Hold down Ctrl (Win) or Option (Mac) to scale about the element’s
center.
● To scale the object uniformly, you can hold down Shift. You can
specify the scale factor by typing in the number and pressing Enter.
● You can specify the factor in length units by typing in the units
Scale (S) after the number.
Select elements with this tool.
● You can add to the current selection by holding Ctrl (Win) or Option
(Mac).
● You can add/subtract to/from the current selection by holding Shift.
● You can subtract from the current selection by holding Shift and Ctrl
Select (Spacebar) (Win) or Option (Mac).
Make use of the Tape Measure tool to create guides or measure lengths.
● You can resize the model by measure a distance, typing the intended
Tape Measure (T) size, and pressing Enter.
Zoom in and out of the view of the model.
● You can use this to change the Field of View of the model by
Zoom (Z) holding down Shift and click-dragging the mouse.

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