Draw Guide

Appendix A
Keyboard Shortcuts

CopyrightThis document is Copyright © 2020 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors arelisted below. You may distribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU General
Public License (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative Commons
Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later.
All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors
To This EditionPeter Schofield

To Previous EditionsPeter Schofield

Jean Hollis Weber

FeedbackPlease direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team’s
mailing list: documentation@global.libreoffice.org

Note
Everything sent to a mailing list, including your email address and any other personal
information that is written in the message, is publicly archived and cannot be deleted.

Publication date and software version
Published June 2020. Based on LibreOffice 6.4.

Using LibreOffice on macOS
Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux.
The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this document. For a
more detailed list, see the application Help.
Windows or LinuxmacOS equivalent

EffectTools > Options menu

LibreOffice > Preferences

Access setup options

Right-click

Control +click or right-click
depending on computer setup

Open a context menu

Ctrl (Control)⌘ (Command)

Used with other keys

F5

Shift + ⌘ + F5

Open the Navigator

F11

⌘ +T

Open the sidebar Styles deck

Documentation for LibreOffice is available at http://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/Contents
Copyright..............................................................................................................................2Contributors................................................................................................................................. 2
To This Edition......................................................................................................................... 2To Previous Editions................................................................................................................ 2Feedback..................................................................................................................................... 2
Publication date and software version.........................................................................................2
Using LibreOffice on macOS........................................................................................................2Introduction..........................................................................................................................4Tips on using macOS..........................................................................................................4
Draw-specific function keys and keyboard shortcuts.....................................................5
Function keys............................................................................................................................... 5
Shortcut keys for drawings...........................................................................................................5Page Pane navigation..................................................................................................................7

General function keys and keyboard shortcuts...............................................................7
Opening menus and menu items.................................................................................................7
Accessing menu commands........................................................................................................8
Accessing toolbar commands......................................................................................................8
Navigating and selecting with the keyboard.................................................................................8
Controlling dialogs....................................................................................................................... 9Getting help................................................................................................................................. 9Managing documents...................................................................................................................9Editing........................................................................................................................................ 10Selecting rows and columns in tables........................................................................................11

Defining keyboard shortcuts............................................................................................11
Further reading...................................................................................................................11Keyboard Shortcuts | 3

Introduction
You can use LibreOffice without requiring a pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, by using
its built-in keyboard shortcuts. Tasks as varied and complex as docking and un-docking toolbars
and windows, or changing the size or position of objects can all be accomplished with only akeyboard. Although LibreOffice has its own extensive set of keyboard shortcuts, each component
provides others which are specific to its work.
For help with LibreOffice keyboard shortcuts, or using LibreOffice with a keyboard only, search theLibreOffice Help using the “shortcut” or “accessibility” keywords.
In addition to using the built-in keyboard shortcuts (listed in this Appendix), you can also define
your own. You can assign shortcuts to standard Draw functions or your own macros and save themfor use with Draw only, or with the entire LibreOffice suite.
To adapt shortcut keys to your needs, use the Customize dialog as described in this section.

Tips on using macOS
Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux.
The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this book. For a moredetailed list, see the application Help.
Windows or LinuxmacOS equivalent

EffectTools > Options
menu selection

LibreOffice > Preferences

Access setup options

Right-click

Control+click and/or rightclick depending on computer
setupOpen a context menu

Ctrl (Control)⌘ (Command)

Used with other keys

F5Shift+⌘+F5Open the Navigator

F11

⌘+T

Open the Styles deck in the Sidebar

NoteSome of the shortcut keys in this appendix may be assigned to your desktop system.
Keys that are assigned to the desktop system are not available to LibreOffice. Try toassign different keys either for LibreOffice in Tools > Customize > Keyboard, or inyour computer system. For more information on customizing LibreOffice, see theGetting Started Guide.

4 | Keyboard Shortcuts

Draw-specific function keys and keyboard shortcuts
Function keys
Shortcut keys

EffectF1Opens LibreOffice Draw Help

F2Enters text mode, to add or edit text.

F3Enters group to edit individual objects.

Shift+F3

Opens the Duplicate dialog.

Ctrl+F3

Exits a group.

F4Opens the Position and Size dialog.

F5Opens the Navigator.

F7Check spelling.

Ctrl+F7Opens the thesaurus.

F8Turns Edit Points on/off.

Ctrl+Shift+F8

Fits text to frame.

Shift+F10

Opens context menu of a selected object.

F11Opens the Styles and Formatting dialog.

Shortcut keys for drawings
Shortcut Keys

EffectPlus (+) key

Zooms in.

Minus (-) key

Zooms out.

Multiple (×) Key (numberpad)

Zooms to fit entire page in screen.

Divide (÷) Key (numberpad)

Zooms in on the current selection.

Ctrl+Shift+GGroups selected objects.

Shift+Ctrl+Alt+A

Ungroups selected group.

Ctrl+Shift+K

Combines selected objects.

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K

Un-combines selected objects.

Ctrl+Shift+Plus (+) key

Brings current selection to front.
Draw-specific function keys and keyboard shortcuts | 5Shortcut KeysEffect

Ctrl+Plus (+) key

Brings current selection forward.

Ctrl+Minus (-) key

Sends current selection backward.

Ctrl+Shift+Minus (-) key

Sends current selection to back.

Page Up

Switches to previous page.

Page Down

Switches to next page.

Ctrl+Page Up

Switches to previous layer.

Ctrl+Page Down

Switches to next layer.

Arrow KeyMoves the selected object in the direction of the arrow key.

Ctrl+Arrow Key

Moves the page view in the direction of the arrow key.

Ctrl+click while dragging
an object.

Creates a copy of the object being dragged when mouse button isreleased. Note that this shortcut key works only when the Copy whenmoving option in LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice Draw >General is enabled (this option is enabled by default).

Ctrl+Enter with keyboard
focus (F6) on a drawing
object icon on Tools bar .

Inserts a drawing object of default size into the center of the currentview.

Shift+F10

Opens the context menu for the selected object.

F2Enters text mode.

Enter

Enters text mode if a text object is selected.

Ctrl+Enter

Enters text mode if a text object is selected. If there are no text
objects or if you have cycled through all of the text objects on thepage, a new page is inserted.

AltPress the Alt key and drag with the mouse to draw or resize anobject from the center of the object outward.

Alt + click on an object

Selects the object behind the currently selected object.

Alt+Shift + click on anobject

Selects the object in front of the currently selected object.

Shift key while selecting
an object

Adds or removes object to or from the selection.

Shift key while moving
an object

Constrains the movement of the selected object by multiples of 45degrees.

Shift key while dragging
to create or resize anobject

Constrains the size to keep the object aspect ratio.

6 | Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Keys

EffectTab

Cycles through the objects on the page in the order in which theywere created.

Shift+Tab

Cycles through the objects on the page in the reverse-order in which
they were created.

Esc

Exits current mode.

Page Pane navigation
Shortcut Keys

EffectHome/EndSets the focus to the first/last page.

Left/Right arrow keys orPage Up/Page Down

Sets the focus to the next/previous page.

Enter

Creates a new page.

General function keys and keyboard shortcuts
Opening menus and menu items
Shortcut Keys

ResultOpens a menu where <?> is the underlined character of the menu
you want to open. For example, Alt+F opens the File menu.

Alt+<?>

With the menu open, menu items have underlined characters. Toaccess these menu items directly, press the underlined character key.
Where two menu items have the same underlined character, press
the character key again to move to the next item.
If an item in a menu has no underlined character, you need to click it
directly.

Esc

Closes an open menu.

F6

Repeatedly pressing F6 switches the focus and circles through thefollowing objects:
Menu bar
Every toolbar from top to bottom and from left to rightEvery free window from left to right
Document

Shift+F6

Switches through objects in the opposite direction.

Ctrl+F6

Switches the focus to the document.

F10 or Alt

Switches to the Menu bar and back.

General function keys and keyboard shortcuts | 7

Accessing menu commands
Press Alt or F6 or F10 to select the first item on the menu bar (the File menu). With theright- arrow , the next menu to the right is selected; with the left-arrow , the previous menu. TheHome and End keys select the first and the last item on the Menu bar.
The down-arrow opens a selected menu. An additional down-arrow or up-arrow moves theselection through the menu commands. The right-arrow opens any existing submenus.
Press Enter to execute the selected menu command.

Accessing toolbar commands
Press F6 repeatedly until the first icon on the toolbar is selected. Use the right and left arrows
to select an icon on a horizontal toolbar. Similarly, use the up and down arrows to select an icon
on a vertical toolbar. The Home key selects the first icon on a toolbar and the End key, the last.
Press Enter to activate the selected icon. If the selected icon normally requires a consecutive
mouse action, such as inserting a rectangle, then pressing the Enter key is not sufficient; in thesecases, press Ctrl+Enter .
•Press Ctrl+Enter on an icon to create a draw object. The draw object will be placed intothe middle of the view, with a predefined size.

•Press Ctrl+Enter on the Selection tool to select the first draw object in the document. If you
want to edit, size, or move the selected draw object, first use Ctrl+F6 to move the focus
into the document.

Navigating and selecting with the keyboard
You can navigate through a document and make selections with the keyboard.
•To move the cursor, press the key or key combination given in the following table.

•To select the characters under the moving cursor, additionally hold down the Shift key
when you move the cursor.

KeyFunction

Plus Ctrl key

Right, left
arrow keys

Moves the cursor one character tothe left or to the right.

Moves the cursor one word to the leftor to the right.

Up, down
arrow keys

Moves the cursor up or down oneline.

(Ctrl+Alt) Moves the current
paragraph up or down.

Home

Moves the cursor to the beginning of
the current line.

Moves the cursor to the beginning of
the document.

End

Moves the cursor to the end of thecurrent line.

Moves the cursor to the end of thedocument.

PgUp

Scrolls up one page.

Moves the cursor to the header.

PgDn

Scroll down one page.

Moves the cursor to the footer.

8 | Keyboard Shortcuts

Controlling dialogs
When you open any dialog, one element (such as a button, an option field, an entry in a list box, ora checkbox) is highlighted or indicated by a dotted box around the field or button name. Thiselement is said to have the focus on it.
Shortcut Keys

ResultEnter

Activates selected button. In most cases where no button is selected,
Enter is equivalent to clicking OK.

EscCloses dialog without saving any changes made while it was open. In
most cases, Esc is equivalent to clicking Cancel. When an open
drop-down list is selected, Esc closes the list.

SpacebarChecks an empty checkbox. Clears a checked checkbox.

Up, down arrow keys

Moves focus up and down a list. Increases or decreases value of avariable. Moves focus vertically within a section of dialog.

Left, right arrow keys

Moves focus horizontally within a section of a dialog.

Tab

Advances focus to the next section or element of a dialog.

Shift+Tab

Returns focus to the previous section or element in a dialog.

Alt+Down Arrow

Shows items in a drop-down list.

Getting help
Shortcut Keys

ResultF1

Opens the LibreOffice Help dialog. In LibreOffice Help: jumps to thefirst help page of the selected tab.

Shift+F1

Turns the cursor into the What’s This? question mark. Shows the tip
for an item underneath the cursor.

Shift+F2

Shows tip for a selected item.

Esc

In LibreOffice Help: goes up one level.

Managing documents
Shortcut Keys

ResultCtrl+F4 or Alt+F4

Closes the current document. Closes LibreOffice when the last opendocument is closed.

Ctrl+O

Launches the Open dialog to open a document.

Ctrl+S

Saves the current document. If you are working on a previously
unsaved file, the shortcut launches the Save As dialog.

Ctrl+N

Creates a new document.
General function keys and keyboard shortcuts | 9

Shortcut Keys

ResultShift+Ctrl+N

Opens the Templates and Documents dialog.

Ctrl+P

Opens the Print dialog to print the document.

Ctrl+Q

Closes the application.

DelIn the Save and Open dialogs, deletes the selected files or folders.
Items can be retrieved from the Recycle Bin (Trash).

Shift+Del

In the Save and Open dialogs, deletes the selected files or folders.
Items are permanently deleted: they can not be retrieved from theRecycle Bin (Trash).

BackspaceIn the Save and Open dialogs, shows contents of the parent folder ofthe current directory.

Editing
Shortcut Keys

ResultCtrl+X

Cuts selected items.

Ctrl+C

Copies selected items to the clipboard.

Ctrl+V

Pastes copied or cut items from the clipboard.

Ctrl+Shift+V

Opens the Paste Special dialog.

Ctrl+A

Selects all.

Ctrl+Z

Undoes last action.

Ctrl+Y

Redoes last action.

Ctrl+Shift+Y

Repeats last command.

Ctrl+F

Opens the Find dialog

Ctrl+H

Opens the Find & Replace dialog.

Ctrl+Shift+F

Searches for the last entered search term.

Ctrl+Shift+R

Refreshes (redraws) the document view.

Ctrl+Shift+I

Shows or hides the cursor in read-only text.

Selecting rows and columns in tables
Shortcut keys

ResultSpacebar

Toggles row selection, except when the row is in edit mode.

10 | Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut keys

ResultCtrl+Spacebar

Toggles row selection.

Shift+Spacebar

Selects the current column.

Ctrl+Page Up

Moves pointer to the first row.

Ctrl+Page Down

Moves pointer to the last row.

Defining keyboard shortcuts
In addition to using the built-in keyboard shortcuts listed in this Appendix, you can define your own
keyboard shortcuts. See the Getting Started Guide for more information on defining keyboard
shortcuts.

Further reading
For help with LibreOffice keyboard shortcuts, or using LibreOffice with a keyboard only, search theLibreOffice Help using the key words “shortcut keys” or “accessibility”.

Further reading | 11