Keyboard shortcuts that can be used while editing—Help

You can use keyboard shortcuts to perform certain functions from within the editing environment. The following sections list the shortcuts available for each editing tool and which functions they perform from within that tool.

Keyboard shortcuts common to all editing tools

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
Z	Zoom in.
X	Zoom out.
C	Pan.
B	Continuous zoom/pan.
V	Show vertices.
ESC	Cancel.
CTRL+Z	Undo.
CTRL+Y	Redo.

Shortcuts common to all editing tools

Edit tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
E	Toggle between construction, Edit, and Edit Annotation tools.
CTRL	Move the selection anchor.
SHIFT	Add to/Remove from the selection.
N	Select next feature.
P	Open Edit Sketch Properties window.
A	Insert a vertex where you click a segment. If you hold down A, then click and drag, you can insert the vertex and move it in one motion.
D	Delete the vertex you click. Hold down D and drag to delete multiple vertices.
BACKSPACE	Delete selected vertices.
R	Enter a radius for an existing arc segment.
CTRL over a Bézier control point	By default, if you have a vertex and a Bézier control point under the Edit tool pointer when you click and drag, the vertex will be moved. Hold down CTRL to move the Bézier control point instead.
CTRL over a Bézier control handle	Pressing CTRL when dragging a Bézier handle will break the curve's smoothness when you move the control point. If you have two adjacent Bézier curves, it will only modify one curve when you move the control point.

Edit tool keyboard shortcuts

Feature Construction toolbar

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
TAB	Move the toolbar away from the sketch. When the toolbar is disabled on the Editing Options dialog box, TAB shows and hides the toolbar temporarily.
SHIFT+TAB	Hide the toolbar temporarily.

Feature Construction toolbar keyboard shortcuts

Edit Vertices toolbar

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
SHIFT+TAB	Hide the toolbar temporarily.
TAB	Show the toolbar again after you have hidden it.

Edit Vertices toolbar keyboard shortcuts

Line, Polygon, and Auto-Complete Polygon tools

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
CTRL+A	Direction.
CTRL+L	Length.
CTRL+D	Delta x,y.
CTRL+G	Direction/Length.
CTRL+P	Parallel.
CTRL+E	Perpendicular.
F6	Absolute x,y.
F7	Segment deflection.
F8	Streaming.
M	When in streaming mode, digitize by holding down the left mouse button while dragging. This is most useful for tablet computing since it allows you to digitize when the pen is pressed down and stop when you lift up the pen.
CTRL+F5	Snap to feature: Endpoint.
CTRL+F6	Snap to feature: Vertex.
CTRL+F7	Snap to feature: Midpoint.
CTRL+F8	Snap to feature: Edge.
CTRL+DELETE	Delete sketch.
F2	Finish sketch.
SHIFT+double-click	Finish part.
E	Toggle between construction, Edit, and Edit Annotation tools.
P	Open Edit Sketch Properties window.

Line, Polygon, and Auto-Complete Polygon tools keyboard shortcuts

Circle tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
R	Enter a radius.
A	Enter x,y coordinates for the center point.

Circle tool keyboard shortcuts

Ellipse tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
TAB	By default, the Ellipse tool creates ellipses outward from a center point. Use TAB to draw the ellipse from an endpoint instead. This enters a mode where all the ellipses will be drawn from an endpoint. Press TAB again to exit this mode and create ellipses from a center point.
A	Enter x,y coordinates for the center (or end) point of the radius.
D	Specify an angle direction after you set the first point.
R	Enter a major or minor radius.
SHIFT	Make a circle instead of an ellipse.

Ellipse tool keyboard shortcuts

Freehand and Auto-Complete Freehand tools

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
SPACEBAR	Snap to an existing feature.
M	Draw a freehand line by holding down the left mouse button while dragging. This is most useful for tablet computing since it allows you to digitize when the pen is pressed down and stop when you lift up the pen.

Freehand and Auto-Complete Freehand tool keyboard shortcuts

Rectangle tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
TAB	Press TAB to orient the rectangle straight (vertical or horizontal at 90-degree angles) rather than rotated. This enters a mode where all the rectangles you create will be straight. Press TAB again to exit this mode and create rectangles with a rotation angle.
A	Enter x,y coordinates for a corner. You can set the coordinates for the first corner or any of the subsequent corners once you have established the angle of the rectangle.
D	Specify an angle direction after you set the first corner point.
L or W	Enter a measurement for the length and width of the sides.
SHIFT	Make a square instead of a rectangle.

Rectangle tool keyboard shortcuts

Arc construction method

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
R	Enter a radius.
TAB	After pressing R to enter a radius, TAB cycles through the possible curve solutions.

Arc construction method keyboard shortcuts

Bézier construction method

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
M	Shape a curve by holding down the left mouse button while dragging the Bézier control arm handle.

Bézier construction method keyboard shortcuts

Direction-Distance construction method

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
D or A	Direction.
D or R	Distance.
TAB	Change location.

Direction-Distance construction method keyboard shortcuts

Distance–Distance construction method

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
D or R	Distance.
TAB	Change location.

Distance–Distance construction method keyboard shortcuts

Endpoint Arc construction method

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
R	Enter a radius.

Endpoint Arc construction method keyboard shortcuts

Tangent construction method

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
R	Enter a radius.
TAB	After pressing R to enter a radius, TAB cycles through the possible curve solutions.

Tangent construction method keyboard shortcuts

Trace construction method

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
O	Set trace options.
TAB	Trace the other side of an edge.
CTRL	Trace only selected features. (If you have turned on the option to trace selected features, CTRL allows you to trace any feature again, regardless of whether it is selected.)

Trace construction method keyboard shortcuts

Fillet tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
O	Set fillet options.

Fillet tool keyboard shortcuts

Rotate tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
A	Set rotate angle.
S	Toggle secondary anchor.

Rotate tool keyboard shortcuts

Scale tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
A	Set rotate angle.
S	Toggle secondary anchor.
F	Set a scale factor.

Scale tool keyboard shortcuts

Annotation construction tools

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
E	Toggle between construction, Edit, and Edit Annotation tools.
F6	Absolute x,y.
A	Activate the Text box on the Annotation Construction window, so you can change the text for constructing new annotation.
CTRL+W	Find Text: Populate the text box on the Annotation Construction window with a string based on the label expression of the layer containing the topmost visible feature at the pointer's location. With feature-linked annotation, the text is derived only from a feature in the origin feature class. If there are multiple features underneath the pointer, press the N key to cycle through the possible text strings.
O	Open Follow Feature Options dialog box when creating new annotation in follow feature mode.
L	Flip selected annotation features 180 degrees when creating new annotation in follow feature mode.
P	Toggle annotation placement angle between parallel and perpendicular when creating new annotation in follow feature mode.
TAB	Toggle annotation placement between left side and right side when creating new annotation in follow feature mode.

Annotation construction tools keyboard shortcuts

Edit Annotation tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
CTRL	Move the selection anchor.
SHIFT	Add to/Remove from the selection.
N	Select next annotation.
R	Enter/Exit rotate mode.
F	Enter/Exit follow feature mode.
L	Flip annotation.
O	Set follow feature options.
P	Toggle annotation placement angle between parallel and perpendicular when in follow feature mode.
TAB	Switch to the other side of line while in follow feature mode.
E	Toggle between construction, Edit, and Edit Annotation tools.

Edit Annotation tool keyboard shortcuts

Unplaced Annotation dialog box

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
SPACEBAR	Place selected annotation.
P	Pan to selected annotation.
Z	Zoom to selected annotation.

Unplaced Annotation dialog box keyboard shortcuts

Topology Edit tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
SHIFT	Add to/Remove from the selection.
CTRL	Move the selection anchor.
P	Open Edit Sketch Properties window.
A	Insert a vertex where you click a segment. If you hold down A, then click and drag, you can insert the vertex and move it in one motion.
D	Delete the vertex you click. Hold down D and drag to delete multiple vertices.
BACKSPACE	Delete selected vertices.
R	Enter a radius for an existing arc segment.
CTRL over a Bézier control point	By default, if you have a vertex and a Bézier control point under the Edit tool pointer when you click and drag, the vertex will be moved. Hold down CTRL to move the Bézier control point instead.
CTRL over a Bézier control handle	Pressing CTRL when dragging a Bézier handle will break the curve's smoothness when you move the control point. If you have two adjacent Bézier curves, it will only modify one curve when you move the control point.

Topology Edit tool keyboard shortcuts

Fix Topology Error tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
SHIFT	Add to/Remove from selection.

Fix Topology Error tool keyboard shortcuts

Error Inspector dialog box

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
UP and DOWN ARROWs	Move up and down through the rows.
Z or SPACEBAR	Zoom to selected error.
P	Pan to selected error.
Z	Zoom to selected error.
F	Select the parent features causing the error.
D	View a description of the topology rule.
X	Mark the error as an exception.
E	Mark the exception as an error.

Error Inspector dialog box keyboard shortcuts