A Kittl keyboard shortcut might seem like a small thing, but for designers, it can be a game-changer.
How many times have you reached for your mouse mid-design, lost your focus, or felt your workflow slow to a crawl? Every extra click breaks momentum. Shortcuts fix that.
They help you move through Kittl’s editor faster, stay in your creative rhythm, and focus on your design.
Why does this matter so much? Because, as one article puts it, mastering keyboard shortcuts “is one of the most effective ways to speed up your design process.”
Instead of navigating through multiple panels or tools, a single keystroke can duplicate, align, or resize objects instantly. Shortcuts also help designers “work smarter, not harder” by cutting down repetitive actions and letting creative decisions flow naturally.
In this guide, you’ll find a complete list of Kittl’s most useful keyboard shortcuts. Once you get the hang of them, you’ll save minutes on every project, reduce frustration, and move through your ideas with ease.
31 Kittl keyboard shortcuts that make designing in the Editor faster and easier
Kittl’s shortcuts are built to feel natural from the start. Most follow familiar patterns from design software like Illustrator, Photoshop, or Figma, so your muscle memory kicks in instantly.
They’re designed for comfort and consistency, helping you stay focused on your creative flow without unnecessary clicks.
1. Spacebar: Hold to move canvas
Holding the Spacebar lets you glide around your canvas freely, just as you would in other design programs. It keeps your workflow fluid when exploring large artboards or detailed illustrations.
This shortcut becomes especially useful in Kittl’s Infinite Canvas, where you can move seamlessly across multiple artboards in one continuous workspace. Perfect for designers managing large projects or complex layouts.
2. Backspace: Delete selected element
Press Backspace to remove any selected element instantly. It’s a command that makes tidying up your layout effortless while you test ideas or adjust placements.
3. + : Zoom in
+ Zooms in for closer detail work. It’s especially useful when refining vector lines, adjusting anchor points, or smoothing out curves in your illustrations. You’ll use it often while perfecting icon shapes or working on intricate shape details where precision truly matters.
4. – : Zoom out
Tap – to zoom out gradually and get a sense of scale while you work. Unlike Shift + 1, which snaps the whole design into view, this shortcut gives you flexible control. It helps you move smoothly between close-up detailing and midrange layout checks.
5. Shift + 1: Fit view to content
You don’t have to scroll or zoom manually to find your work. Shift + 1 fits your entire design to the screen, ideal for reviewing your overall progress.
6. Shift + 2: Fit view to artboard
While other tools make you pan around to locate your artboard, Shift + 2 centers it perfectly. This shortcut is especially handy when managing multiple versions of a design.
7. Shift + 3: Fit view to selection
If you’re editing a small shape or logo inside a busy layout, Shift + 3 zooms directly into that element. It keeps you focused on the shape without disrupting your view.
8. Ctrl + A: Select all elements
A familiar command in nearly every creative app, Ctrl + A selects everything at once. Great for moving an entire composition or recoloring a full layout with a single action.
9. Ctrl + C: Copy selected elements
Ctrl + C copies your chosen objects for reuse. Whether you’re building patterns, duplicating assets, or testing different arrangements.
10. Ctrl + V: Paste selected elements
Paste with Ctrl + V to drop copied items wherever needed. It’s an easy way to build design variations or mirror layouts quickly.
11. Ctrl + X: Cut selected elements
Ctrl + X removes and stores your selection so you can paste it elsewhere. Perfect when rearranging layouts or moving assets between artboards.
12. Ctrl + G: Group selected elements
When working with complex layouts, Ctrl + G helps you stay organized by linking multiple shapes, text blocks, or icons into one manageable unit. Grouping isn’t only about moving objects together.
It also prevents accidental misalignment when scaling or rotating detailed compositions. For example, if you’re building a logo with layered vector shapes and custom lettering, grouping keeps everything locked in place so edits feel intentional.
13. Ctrl + Shift + L: Lock/Unlock
Ctrl + Shift + L locks your selection to prevent accidental edits. Use it for background elements or aligned graphics you’ve already positioned perfectly.
14. Ctrl + K: Launch Copilot
A Kittl exclusive, Ctrl + K opens Copilot, your built-in AI assistant. You can search for tools, issue commands, or even ask the AI to replace elements, duplicate objects, or make quick edits to your layout.
As explained in this guide to Kittl Copilot, the feature also suggests context-aware actions, helping you complete tasks faster while staying focused on your creative flow.
15. Ctrl + Z: Undo action
Mistakes happen. Ctrl + Z lets you step back instantly. Every designer knows this is the most-used shortcut of them all.
16. Ctrl + Shift + Z: Redo action
If you undo one step too far, Ctrl + Shift + Z brings your change back. It’s part of that flexible, forgiving workflow every creative needs.
17. Ctrl + dragging: Avoid snapping
Hold Ctrl while dragging an object to temporarily disable snapping. Perfect when you want total freedom to position things by eye instead of to the grid.
18. Shift + rotate: Perfect rotation
Holding Shift while rotating locks your movement to clean, fixed angles. It’s an easy way to keep geometry sharp and precise.
19. Shift + scale: Stretch element
By default, resizing an object in Kittl keeps its proportions locked, but holding Shift while scaling lets you stretch or squash it freely. This is especially useful when you’re creating stylized text effects, elongated badges, or banner shapes that need a wider or taller look.
For example, you might stretch a wordmark horizontally to make it fit a poster header or vertically to give it that exaggerated, vintage-letterpress feel.
20. Alt + scale: Scale from center
Holding Alt while resizing makes your element grow or shrink evenly from its center point, instead of pulling from one side or corner. This keeps everything perfectly aligned as you adjust the size.
Extremely helpful when you’re working with symmetrical logos, circular icons, or badges that need to stay centered in a layout.
For example, if you’re enlarging a crest or emblem placed in the middle of a poster, scaling from the center ensures it expands outward evenly without shifting out of position.
21. Ctrl + ’ : Show/Hide grid
Press Ctrl + ’ whenever you need to toggle the grid. Grids help you maintain spacing and alignment across your layout, making it easier to build a consistent visual structure.
22. Shift + R: Show/Hide Ruler & Guides
Rulers are essential for precision, but not always for presentation. Shift + R helps you toggle them easily while moving between detailed alignment and final viewing.
As noted in a guide to Kittl’s layout tools, using grids alongside rulers and guides ensures your elements stay balanced and proportionate throughout your design.
23. V / Esc: Select (Move)
Press V or Esc to return to the main selection tool. The main selection tool or the cursor icon at the bottom menu, is the default mode for selecting, moving, and adjusting elements on your canvas after using other tools.
24. A: Artboard
Hit A to manage or create new artboards. This shortcut is especially useful when you’re designing multiple versions of a project.
For instance, a logo set in different colorways, a poster series with various formats, or product mockups for different sizes. Each artboard acts as its own export-ready frame, keeping your variations organized within the same workspace.
25. E: Eraser
Switch to Eraser mode with E to refine edges or remove unwanted areas in your design. According to this guide to Kittl’s Eraser Tool, it’s often best to start with a larger brush size for broad areas, then switch to a smaller one for detailed precision.
26. [ or ] : Change size (Eraser mode)
Another familiar control you may have encountered in other software. When using the Eraser, tap [ to decrease the brush size or ] to increase it. This helps you switch quickly between detailed touch-ups and broader cleanups while editing.
27. C: Show/Hide Comment Panel
Press C to open or hide comments. This shortcut is especially useful when working with Kittl Teams, where designers can review feedback, reply to notes, and make quick revisions without leaving the shared project.
28. ] : Forward
Moves your selected element one step forward in the layer order. For example, if you’ve placed text behind a semi-transparent banner or icon, this shortcut brings it one layer up so it becomes visible without rearranging the entire stack.
29. Shift + ] : Move to front
Shift + ] sends your object straight to the top layer, ensuring it stands out when layering multiple components.
30. [ : Backward
Moves an element one step back in the layer stack. For instance, if you’ve just added a shape that overlaps your headline, this shortcut sends it one layer behind so the text stays readable without changing the rest of your layout.
31. Shift + [ : Move to back
Unlike [, which only moves an element one step backward, Shift + [ sends it all the way to the very back of your design. This is useful when positioning full-background elements, textures, or large color blocks that need to sit behind every other layer without adjusting them one by one.
Key takeaways of what to make of using the Kittl keyboard shortcut
Learning these Kittl keyboard shortcuts is about maintaining focus while you design.
When common actions like zooming, grouping, or rearranging layers become second nature, you spend less time navigating menus and more time creating.
- Shortcuts improve efficiency. Every second saved on tool switching adds up across larger projects.
- They keep your flow steady. You stay focused on composition, not on finding buttons.
- They build creative rhythm. Once familiar, shortcuts help you move intuitively through each stage of the design process.
- They mirror common design tools. If you’ve used other creative software before, Kittl’s shortcuts will feel instantly natural.
Experiment with a few at a time until they become part of your routine. Soon, you’ll find your hands doing most of the work without even thinking about it.
So, what are you waiting for?
Open the Kittl Editor and try these shortcuts for yourself. You’ll notice how naturally they fit into your workflow.
Dev Anglingdarma is a Content Writer at Kittl, specializing in UX writing and emerging tech that empowers designers to work faster and smarter. With five years of experience in economic research and IT solutions, she transforms complex topics into clear, actionable insights for creative workflows. At Kittl, Dev explores AI features and tools that make design intuitive from the start.
