Paint.NET keyboard shortcuts

Paint.NET  

Zeynel Öztürk -
6 years ago
- Shortcuts

If you were using Paint.net without keyboard shortcuts, take look at this list. They'll not only make you faster on drawing lines, shapes or filling areas with color, but you'll also learn more about Paint.net features.

0
Space +
+

Pan image

1
Page Up

Scroll up

1
or
1
Page Down

Scroll down

0
or
1
↑   Shift +

Scroll left

0
or Shift + Page Up
0
or Home
-1
↑   Shift +

Scroll right

1
or Shift + Page Down
1
or End
0
Home

(twice) Scroll image to top left of editing window

0
Ctrl + Home

Scroll top left image to center screen

0
End

(twice) Scroll image to bottom right of editing window

1
Ctrl + End

Scroll bottom right image to center screen

2
Ctrl +

Zoom in / out

1
or Ctrl + -
0
or Ctrl + +
0
Ctrl + 0

Set actual size

Alternatively, in the Status Bar drag the slider or type a value in the percentage text box.
0
Ctrl + B

(twice) First combination zooms to Window, the second restores the previous zoom level

-1
Space +

Pan canvas

0
or Space +
0
Space + Ctrl +

Pan canvas x10

0
Ctrl + D

Deselect active selection

0
or ⤶ Enter
-1

Shift current tool per pixel (may not work with all tools)

0
Ctrl +

Shift current tool 10 pixels (may not work with all tools)

0
Alt

Show menu. Press underlined letter in menu to use menu hotkey

0
F5

Show / hide Tools window

0
F6

Show / hide History window

0
F7

Show / hide layers window

-1
F8

Show / hide colors window

0
Esc

Commit text or tool drawing to layer

0
or ⤶ Enter
0
or Ctrl + D
... or Click Finish on the toolbar.
Note: x2 means pressing shortcut twice, x3 is pressing three times etc.
1
S

Rectangle select

-1
S

(x2) Lasso select

-1
S

(x3) Ellipse select

-1
S

(x4) Magic Wand tool

0
F

Paint Bucket

0
B

Paintbrush

0
P

Pencil

0
L

Clone Stamp

-2
T

Text

0
O

(x2) Shapes

0
M

Move selected pixels

0
M

(x2) Move selection

0
Z

Zoom

0
H

Pan

To temporarily activate panning, hold Space and drag with left mouse button.
0
G

Gradient

1
E

Eraser

0
K

Color Picker

0
R

Recolor

0
O

Line / Curve

1
Ctrl + Tab

Next image

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + Tab

Previous image

0
Ctrl + 1

... to 9: Switch to image number pressed

0
or Alt + 1
1
[

Open File menu

-1
]

New image

0
Ctrl + O

Open image

0
Ctrl + W

Close image

0
or Ctrl + F4
0
Ctrl + S

Save image

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + S

Save image as

0
Ctrl + P

Print

1
Alt + F4

Exit Paint.net

0
Alt + F

then X: Exit Paint.net

1
Alt + E

Open Edit menu

0
Ctrl + Z

Undo

0
Ctrl + Y

Redo

0
Ctrl + X

Cut

0
or ↑   Shift + Del
0
Ctrl + C

Kopyala

0
or Ctrl + Insert
0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + C

Copy merged

0
Ctrl + V

Paste

1
or ↑   Shift + Insert
0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + V

Paste into new layer

2
or Ctrl + Alt + V
1
Del

Erase selection

0
Backspace

Fill selection

0
Ctrl + I

Invert selection

0
Ctrl + A

Select all

0
Ctrl + D

Deselect active selection

0
or ⤶ Enter
0
Alt + V

Open view menu

-1
Ctrl + +

Zoom in

0
Ctrl + -

Zoom out

0
Ctrl + B

Zoom to window

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + B

Zoom to selection

0
Ctrl + 0

Actual size

0
Alt + I

Open image menu

1
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + X

Crop to selection

0
Ctrl + R

Resize

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + R

Canvas size

0
Ctrl + H

Rotate 90° (clockwise)

0
Ctrl + G

Rotate 90° (counter-clockwise)

0
Ctrl + J

Rotate 180°

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + F

Flatten

0
Alt + L

Open Layers menu

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + N

Add new layer

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + Del

Delete layer

1
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + D

Duplicate layer

0
Ctrl + M

Merge layer down

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + Z

Rotate / zoom

0
F4

Layer properties

0
Ctrl +

(on blue up or down arrow) Move active layer top or bottom of list

0
Alt + A

Open Adjustments menu

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + L

Auto-level

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + G

Black & White

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + T

Brightness / contrast

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + M

Curves

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + U

Hue / saturation

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + I

Invert colors

0
Ctrl + L

Levels

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + P

Posterize

0
Ctrl + ↑   Shift + E

Sepia

0
Alt + C

Open Effects menu

0
Ctrl + F

Repeat last effect

0
Alt + X

Open Settings dialog

0
Alt + H

Open Help menu

0
F1

Online documentation

0
Ctrl + E

Paint.net search page

0
F8

Toggle visibility of the window

0
X

Swap primary and secondary colors

1
C

Switch active color

0
S

Rectangle select

0
S

(x2) Lasso select

0
S

(x3) Ellipse select

0
+

Create a selection

0
or
+
0
Ctrl +
+

Add to selection

-1
Alt +
+

Subtract from selection

0
Ctrl +
+

Invert selection mode

0
Alt +
+

Intersect selection modu

0
↑   Shift +

Force rectangle select to square

0
↑   Shift +

Force ellipse select to circle

Move Selected Pixels tool + Ctrl: Move a copy of selection
0
S

(x4) Activate Magic Wand

0

Create selection of like piksels

0
Ctrl +

Add to selection

0
Alt +

Subtract from selection

0
Ctrl +

Invert a portion of selection

0
Alt +

Intersect selection mode

Shift + other Magic Wand action: Global selection
0
M

Move Selected Pixels tool

0
M

(x2) Move Selection tool

0

(drag corner or edge nub) Resize the selection

0
↑   Shift +

(drag corner nub) Resize and keep proportions

0
+

(when pointer is a four-way arrow) Move selection

0
+

(when pointer is a double headed arrow) Rotate selection

0
or
+
1
Ctrl

(hold while using this tool) Manipulate a copy of the selection (Move Selected Pixels Tool only)

0
Z

Activate zoom tool

0

Zoom in

0

Zoom out

0
+

Pan while zoomed

0
or
0
H

Activate Pan tool

0
+

Pan the canvas

0
or
+
0
or
+
+
0

Reposition Pan tool

0

Pan tool

0
F

Activate Paint Bucket

0

Fill area with primary color

0
or Backspace
0

Fill area with secondary color

0
or ↑   Shift + Backspace
0
↑   Shift

(hold in Contiguous mode) Global fill mode

0
↑   Shift

(hold in Global mode) Contiguous fill mode

0
G

Activate Gradient tool

0
+

Primary to secondary gradient

0
+

Secondary to primary gradient

0

(click the nub) Swap gradient direction (i.e. swap color roles)

0

(four arrow icon) Move gradient while drawing

0
↑   Shift

(hold while dragging either nub) Constrain gradient to 15 degree increment

0
B

Activate Paintbrush tool

0

Draw in primary color

0
or
+
0

Draw in secondary color

0
or
+
0
P

Activate Pencil tool

0

Draw in primary color

0
or
+
0

Draw in secondary color

0
or
+
0
E

Activate Eraser tool

-1
+

Erase an area

0
K

Activate color picker

0

Set primary color

0

Set secondary color

0
R

Activate Recolor tool

0

Recolor secondary color with primary

0

Recolor primary with secondary

0
L

Activate Clone Stamp tool

0
Ctrl +

Set source point

0
+

Copy pixels

0
or
+
0
T

Activate Text tool

0
Esc

Commit text to layer

0
O

Activate Line/Curve tool

0
,

Start Cap style

0
.

Line style

0
/

End Cap style

0
+

(hold the nub) Move line / curve

0

(drag nub) Move line / curve

0

(drag four way arrow icon) Drag entire line / curve

0

Move line / curve by 1px

0
+

Rotate line / curve

0
↑   Shift

(while rotating) Lock rotation to 15° increments

0
O

(x2) Activate Shape tool

0
+

Draw shape in primary color

0
+

Draw shape in secondary color

0
A

Cycle forward through shapes

0
↑   Shift + A

Cycle backward through shapes

0

(drag nub) Move Shape nubs

0
+

(click and hold the nub) Move Shape nubs

0
↑   Shift

(hold while dragging any nub) Lock Shape height and width ratio

0
+

(drag four-way arrow icon) Drag entire shape

0

Move Shape by 1px

0
Ctrl +

Move Shape by 10px

0
+

Rotate Shape

0
↑   Shift

(hold while rotating) Lock rotation to 15° increments

0
Ctrl

(hold while clicking - or + corner size keys in the toolbar) Increase corner value change to 5px (Rounded Rectangle only)


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Program information

Program name: Paint.NET Paint.NET (Imaging)

Paint.net is a free raster graphics editor for Windows. Developed on the .NET Framework, it was originally created by Washington State student Rick Brewster. Paint.net grew from a simple alternative for the Microsoft Paint into editor with layers, blending, transparency and plugin support.

Web page: getpaint.net

Last update: 5/12/2020 8:18 AM UTC

How easy to press shortcuts: 87%

More information >>

Updated: Updated program information. (2 updates.) 5/12/2020 10:10:46 AM Added some shortcuts.
5/12/2020 10:18:33 AM Updated program information.

Shortcut count: 224

Platform detected: Windows or Linux (not macOS)

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What is your favorite Paint.NET hotkey? Do you have any useful tips for it? Let other users know below.


beyakarylle OP says: 14 months ago 4/6/2022 10:18 AM
Thanks for the Info.
I use Paint .Net a lot for most editing and resizing tasks, but it does lack such things as HDR photo editing and other high end features. But it opens so fast, and you can specify what tool you want it to default to when it opens, so that’s very handy.
I am using a XP-Pen Star 03 ( https://www.xp-pen.com/product/44.html ) digital drawing tablet. They are like perfectly tuned to paint .net . All the button functions will work and it was affordable as well.