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Using keyboard shortcuts in the upgraded Editor

Gino
Gino
  • Updated

Available on the following plans: Premium, Business and Enterprise.

Use standard keyboard command shortcuts to navigate efficiently without a mouse in Venngage's upgraded Editor.

Commands Cheat Sheet

Here's a list of all the keyboard commands in Venngage's upgraded Editor, at a glance, for Windows and Mac OS.

For Mac commands, the word "Cmd" is used for the key, and "Option" is used for the key.

Commands

Windows

Mac

Copy

  • Ctrl + C
  • Cmd + C

Cut 

  • Ctrl + X
  • Cmd + X

Paste

  • Ctrl + V
  • Cmd + V

Duplicate

  • Ctrl + D
  • Cmd + D

Delete

  • Delete
  • Delete

Add new page

  • Ctrl + Enter 
  • Cmd + Return

Navigate pages

  • Alt + Arrow Up
  • Alt + Arrow Down
  • Option + Arrow Up
  • Option + Arrow Down

Open the in-context tools

  • Ctrl + Alt + T
  • Cmd + Option + T
Undo
  • Ctrl + Z
  • Cmd + Z
Redo
  • Ctrl + Shift + Z
  • Ctrl + Y
  • Cmd + Shift + Z
  • Cmd + Y
Zoom Canvas In
  • Ctrl + Alt + + (Plus)
  • Cmd + Option + + (Plus)
Zoom Canvas Out
  • Ctrl + Alt + - (Hyphen)
  • Cmd + Option + -(Hyphen)
Browser Zoom In
  • Ctrl + + (Plus)
  • Cmd + + (Plus)
Browser Zoom Out
  • Ctrl + - (Hyphen)
  • Cmd + - (Hyphen)
Group widgets
  • Ctrl + Alt + G
  • Cmd + Option + G
Ungroup widgets
  • Ctrl + Alt + Shift + G
  • Cmd + Option + Shift + G
Select everything on the canvas
  • Ctrl + A
  • Cmd + A
Lock/Unlock
  • Ctrl+ Alt + L
  • Cmd + Option + L
Add a text box
  • T
  • T
Add a circle (shape)
  • C
  • C
Add a rectangle (shape)
  • R
  • R
Add a line (shape)
  • L
  • L
Nudge (move by 1px)
  • Arrow (Up, Down, Left or Right)
  • Arrow (Up, Down, Left or Right)
Big Nudge (move by 10px)
  • Shift + Arrow (Up, Down, Left or Right)
  • Shift + Arrow (Up, Down, Left or Right)
Resize vertically (resizes from the bottom by 1px)
  • Ctrl + Arrow (Up or Down)
  • Cmd + Arrow (Up or Down)
Resize vertically (resizes from the bottom by 10px)
  • Ctrl + Shift + Arrow (Up or Down)
  • Cmd + Shift + Arrow (Up or Down)
Resize horizontally (resizes from the right side by 1px)
  • Ctrl + Arrow (Right or Left)
  • Cmd + Arrow (Right or Left)
Resize horizontally (resizes from the right side by 10px)
  • Ctrl + Shift + Arrow (Right or Left)
  • Cmd + Shift + Arrow (Right or Left)
Resize proportionally (resizes from the bottom right)
  • Ctrl + Alt + Arrow (Up, Down, Left or Right)
  • Cmd + Option + Shift + Arrow (Up, Down, Left or Right)
Rotate object(s) (by 1°)
  • Alt + Arrow (Left or Right
  • Option + Arrow (Left or Right)
Rotate object(s)  (by 15°)
  • Alt + Shift + Arrow (Left or Right)
  • Option + Shift + Arrow (Left or Right)
Move to front
  • Ctrl + Shift + >
  • Ctrl + Shift + >
Move to back
  • Ctrl + Shift + <
  • Ctrl + Shift + <

Move forward

  • Ctrl + >
  • Ctrl + >
Move backward
  • Ctrl + <
  • Ctrl + <
Select multiple objects
  • Shift + Click
  • Shift + Click

 

These keyboard shortcuts also work in different widgets in the upgraded Editor, like the Page manager.

 

Navigate menus, sidebars and the design canvas

Tab

The "Tab" key changes selection/focus to different sections of the Editor, including the toolbars and canvas, by selecting them in a logical order. 

A close-up of an onscreen accessible keyboard, left-side, top four rows. The tab key is highlighted by a flashing red border.

 

Press the "Tab" key on your keyboard. A dark blue dox will appear on one of the element in the Editor, indicating that it is selected. 

A partial view of a design open in the upgraded Venngage Editor; the title on the design is Quarterly Performance Review. The left sidebar Icon Search menu is open. Overlaying the bottom third of the screen is a partial view of the onscreen accessibility keyboard. As the user navigates using the Tab and Tab+Shift keys on the keyboard, those keys are bordered in red, and a dark blue border appears around different widgets and widget sections in the Editor.

 

Press the Tab key to move forward through these areas in sequence:

  1. Top navigation menu (in sequence): File menu, Accessibility Checker, File name, Zoom, Undo and Redo, Download menu, Share menu
  2. Left sidebar (in sequence): Text, Shapes, Icons, Photos, Uploads, Charts and Elements
  3. Top toolbar (the tools displayed here change depending on what element is selected on the design canvas)
  4. Design canvas (any elements present on the design canvas)
  5. Page Manager tool
  6. Help menu
  7. Chat widget for live customer service

 

Shift+Tab

Move backward in sequence: hold down the Shift key and press Tab again. 

A close-up of an onscreen accessible keyboard, left-side, top four rows. The shift key is bordered in red as it is engaged, and the tab key is highlighted by a flashing red border as it is pressed.

 

Select and unselect tools and elements

Spacebar

Use Tab to focus (highlight) the tool or area you want to interact with.

Press the Spacebar to select it or open it. 

A close-up of an onscreen accessible keyboard, centered, bottom three rows. The Space key is highlighted by a flashing red border as it is pressed.

 

Return/Enter

Use Tab to focus (highlight) the tool or area you want to interact with.

Press the Enter key to select it or open it. 

A close-up of an onscreen accessible keyboard, centered, bottom three rows. The Space key is highlighted by a flashing red border as it is pressed.

 

Add elements to the design canvas

Use these shortcuts to create new text boxes, shapes or lines directly on the canvas. Click on the canvas or use Tab + Spacebar to select the canvas space, then press the keyboard key to add any of the following elements: 

  • T - add a text box 
  • C - add a circle (shape)
  • R - add a rectangle (shape)
  • L - add a line (shape)

Move elements on the design canvas

Change the position of elements like text boxes, images, icons, etc., on the design canvas itself.

Arrow keys to move 1px at a time

Use Tab to navigate to the element so that it appears with a selection border.

Use the arrow keys to nudge the element up, down, left or right

A close-up of an onscreen accessible keyboard, right, bottom three rows. The direction arrow keys are highlighted by a flashing red border as each one is pressed, beginning with the Up arrow, then the Down arrow, then the left arrow, then the right arrow.

 

Shift + Arrow keys to move 10px at a time

For a bigger "nudge", hold Shift and use the arrow keys to move a selected element(s) across the design canvas.

 

Resize or rotate elements 

Resize elements vertically, horizontally, or proportionally by 1px or 10px 

Select an element on the canvas, and use Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) with arrows to resize (left/right arrows resize horizontally and up/down arrows resize vertically) by 1px. 

On a partial view of a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor, a user selects an icon of a white paint palette with four colorful paint spots, and uses the onscreen keyboard to resize the icon by small increments of 1px, using the Command keys and the up and down arrows.

 

Resize proportionally (vertically and horizontally) from the bottom right with Ctrl + Alt + Arrow (Up, Down, Left or Right) for Windows, or Cmd + Option + Shift + Arrow (Up, Down, Left or Right) for Mac.

On a partial view of a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor, a user selects an icon of a white paint palette with four colorful paint spots, and uses the onscreen keyboard to resize the icon by larger increments of 10px, using the Command keys and the up and down arrows.

To resize in bigger increments (10px instead of 1px), use Ctrl + Shift + Arrow (Right or Left) for Windows or Cmd + Shift + Arrow (Right or Left) for Mac.

Rotate elements by 1° or 15°

Change the orientation of an icon in 1° increments with Alt + Arrow (Left or Right) for Windows or Option + Arrow (Left or Right) for Mac.

Rotate objects(s) by 15° using Alt + Shift + Arrow (Windows) or Option + Shift + Arrow (Mac).

On a partial view of a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor, a user selects an icon of a white paint palette with four colorful paint spots, and uses the onscreen keyboard to rotate the icon in small increments of 1°, using the Option keys and the left and right arrows. The user then uses the Option, Shift and left and right arrow keys to rotate the icon in larger increments of 15°.

Arrange (layer) elements

Arrange elements in layers—place icons, charts, text, etc., over, under or stacked on the canvas—with Ctrl + < or > for both Mac and Windows.

To move an element forward, use Ctrl + > or move it all the way to the front with Ctrl + Shift + >. 

On a partial view of a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor, a user selects an icon depicting a projector screen with a simple read and blue pie chart on it. With the onscreen keyboard, the user holds the Control key and uses the comma key to reposition the projector icon, moving it behind an icon of a painter's palette that appears beside it, and then in front of it again.

 

Use Ctrl + < to move an element backward, or Ctrl + Shift + < to move it all the way to the back. 

On a partial view of a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor, a user selects an icon depicting a projector screen with a simple read and blue pie chart on it. With the onscreen keyboard, the user holds the Control key and then the shift key, and using the comma key, sends it to the back of three other icons, where it is visible behind them.

Group elements or lock elements to design canvas

Select multiple elements on the canvas with Shift + Click, then group them with Ctrl + Alt + G (Windows) or Cmd + Option + G (Mac) and ungroup them with Ctrl + Alt + Shift + G (Windows) or Cmd + Option + Shift + G (Mac).

On a partial view of a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor, a user selects a series of several icons, including a projector screen with a simple icon of a red and blue pie chart on it, a white paint palette with four colorful paint spots, a puppet head and a video player app. The user selects all of the icons at once by holding the Shift key down and clicking on each of the icons with the mouse; then the user groups the icons together by holding the Command key, the Option key, and then pressing the letter G.

 

Lock an element to the canvas so that it stays in place with Ctrl+ Alt + L (Windows) or Cmd + Option + L (Mac); to unlock the element, repeat the command. Locked elements appear on the canvas with a red border and a lock icon at the top right of the bounding box.

On a partial view of a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor, a user selects an icon of a white paint palette with four colorful paint spots. With the onscreen keyboard, the user holds the Command key and the Option key, and then presses the L key. The palette icon then appears on the screen with a red border and a small lock icon in the top right corner, indicating that it is locked in place on the design canvas.

Copy and paste between design canvases

Select an element on the design canvas in the upgraded Editor.

Use CMD+C or CTRL+C to copy the element from the canvas.

Use CMD+V or CTRL+V to paste it into another design canvas in the upgraded Editor. 

A design canvas is open in the upgraded Venngage Editor, with a pink stat chart selected and bordered by a blue bounding box. The user's keyboard appears on the screen. The user presses the keys for Command and then the letter 'C', which highlights these keys on the onscreen keyboard. The user copies the selected stat chart. The user then opens a new tab with a different design open in the upgraded Venngage Editor, and presses the Command keys, then the letter 'V', which are highlighted on the onscreen keyboard. The pink stat chart the user copied from the other design appears on this design canvas, where the user has pasted it.

 

Access in-context toolbar for a selected widget

Certain elements on the canvas have "in-context" toolbars. These are things like text boxes, which, when selected, will bring up color, size and styling options in the top toolbar. 

With the element selected, use CMD+Option+T (⌘ + ⌥ + T on Mac) or CTRL+ALT+t (Windows) to open the in-context tools.

In the GIF below, the user presses CMD+OPTION+T with a stat chart selected on the design canvas. The stat chart is a pink-half donut chart with the value "50%".

A partial view of a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor shows a colorful design with statistic charts. A user selects a statistics chart with a pink half-donut at the stat '50%'. Using their keyboard keys, which are visible in the onscreen keyboard, the user navigates to the top toolbar, moving the selection to the different tools with the Tab button and selecting them with the spacebar.

 

The top toolbar changes to display the different in-context tools for the stat chart: 

  • Field for value
  • Font color-picker
  • Font face drop-down
  • Styling options for font (Bold, Italic, Underline)

Using the Tab key, the user navigates through each of the tools and changes the value of the stat chart from "50%" to "82%" and the color of the font the value appears in from pink to green.

Use the in-context command to open the full Setup panel for a chart and modify the colors and display options.

A pie chart appears on a design canvas in the upgraded Venngage Editor, with the onscreen keyboard obscuring part of the bottom half of the canvas. A user presses Command, Option and T with the pie chart on the canvas selected, and the top toolbar changes to display more in-context tools for the chart. The user changes the chart from a pie chart to a bar chart, then uses the Tab and Return (Enter) key to select the Edit Chart option, opening the chart Setup panel on the right side of the screen, overlaying the canvas area partially.

 

Skip Links

Access the "Skip navigation" option when you first enter the upgraded Editor.

Press Tab to activate the command.

  • Access the left sidebar with "Skip navigation": when this option appears, press Enter.
  • Access the design on the canvas with "Skip to main content": when this option appears, press Enter

A design canvas with the title Quarterly Performance Review is open in the upgraded Editor, with the onscreen keyboard overlaying the bottom third of the screen. A user hits the Tab key to bring up the initial focus options in the Editor, including Skip Navigation and Skip to Main Content. When each option is selected, it is bounded by a dark blue border; to access it, the user must press the Enter or Return key.

 

The feature(s) discussed in this article is available on the following Venngage subscription plans: Free, Premium, Business and Enterprise.

Curious about upgrading? Compare our plan features side by side.

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