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Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete reference of keyboard shortcuts in Rayforge.

Platform Conventions

  • Linux/Windows: Ctrl key
  • macOS:  (Command) key
  • Documentation uses Ctrl - macOS users substitute with 

File Operations

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+I Import Open file import dialog
Ctrl+E Export Export G-code
Ctrl+Q Quit Exit Rayforge
Ctrl+, Preferences Open preferences dialog

Edit & Clipboard

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+Z Undo Undo last action
Ctrl+Y Redo Redo last undone action
Ctrl+Shift+Z Redo (alternate) Alternative redo shortcut
Ctrl+X Cut Cut selection to clipboard
Ctrl+C Copy Copy selection to clipboard
Ctrl+V Paste Paste from clipboard
Ctrl+A Select All Select all items in active layer
Ctrl+D Duplicate Duplicate selected items
Delete Remove Delete selected items
Ctrl+Shift+Delete Clear Clear all items from document

View & Display

Shortcut Action Description
H Toggle Workpieces Show/hide workpiece visibility
T Toggle Tabs Show/hide holding tabs
Alt+C Toggle Camera Show/hide camera overlay
F12 3D View Toggle 3D preview window
Ctrl+Shift+S Simulation Mode Toggle simulation mode

3D View Controls

Shortcut Action Description
1 Top View Switch to top-down view
2 Front View Switch to front view
7 Isometric View Switch to isometric view
P Toggle Perspective Switch between perspective and orthographic

Layer & Organization

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+G Group Group selected items
Ctrl+U Ungroup Ungroup selected group
Ctrl+Page Up Move Layer Up Move layer up in stack
Ctrl+Page Down Move Layer Down Move layer down in stack
Alt+S Add Stock Add stock/material item

Tabs (Holding Tabs)

Shortcut Action Description
Alt+T Add Tabs (Equidistant) Add evenly-spaced tabs
T Toggle Tab Visibility Show/hide tabs overlay

Alignment & Distribution

Alignment

Shortcut Action Description
Shift+Left Align Left Align selected items to left
Shift+Right Align Right Align selected items to right
Shift+Up Align Top Align selected items to top
Shift+Down Align Bottom Align selected items to bottom
Shift+Home Align H-Center Align selected items horizontally to center
Shift+End Align V-Center Align selected items vertically to center

Distribution

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+Shift+H Spread Horizontally Distribute items evenly horizontally
Ctrl+Shift+V Spread Vertically Distribute items evenly vertically

Layout

Shortcut Action Description
Alt+A Pixel Perfect Snap to pixel grid

Transform

Shortcut Action Description
Shift+H Flip Horizontal Mirror selected items horizontally
Shift+V Flip Vertical Mirror selected items vertically

Machine Control

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+J Jog Dialog Open manual jog control dialog
Ctrl+< Machine Settings Open machine settings dialog
F1 About Show about dialog

Machine Operations

Machine control operations (Home, Frame, Send, etc.) currently don't have default shortcuts but can be accessed via toolbar buttons or menus.

Canvas Navigation

Mouse Controls

Input Action Description
Left Click Select Select item
Left Drag Move Move selected items
Ctrl+Left Drag Box Select Select multiple items
Middle Click Drag Pan Pan the canvas
Scroll Wheel Zoom Zoom in/out
Ctrl+Scroll Precision Zoom Finer zoom control

Arrow Keys

Shortcut Action Description
Nudge Move selected items by 1 unit
Shift+Arrow Large Nudge Move selected items by 10 units

Text Editor (G-code Editor)

When editing G-code or text fields:

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl+Z Undo Undo text edit
Ctrl+Y Redo Redo text edit
Ctrl+A Select All Select all text
Ctrl+X Cut Cut selected text
Ctrl+C Copy Copy selected text
Ctrl+V Paste Paste text
Ctrl+F Find Find text (if supported)

Quick Reference by Category

Most Used (Top 10)

  1. Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y - Undo/Redo
  2. Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V - Copy/Paste
  3. Ctrl+D - Duplicate
  4. Delete - Remove
  5. Ctrl+A - Select All
  6. Ctrl+I - Import
  7. Ctrl+E - Export
  8. H - Toggle Workpieces
  9. F12 - 3D View
  10. Ctrl+Shift+S - Simulation Mode

View & Visualization

  • H - Hide/show workpieces
  • T - Hide/show tabs
  • Alt+C - Toggle camera
  • F12 - 3D view
  • Ctrl+Shift+S - Simulation mode
  • 1, 2, 7 - 3D view presets
  • P - Perspective toggle

Edit & Transform

  • Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y - Undo/Redo
  • Ctrl+X / Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V - Cut/Copy/Paste
  • Ctrl+D - Duplicate
  • Delete - Remove
  • Shift+H / Shift+V - Flip H/V
  • Ctrl+G / Ctrl+U - Group/Ungroup

Alignment

  • Shift+Arrow Keys - Align to edges
  • Shift+Home / Shift+End - Center align
  • Ctrl+Shift+H / Ctrl+Shift+V - Distribute
  • Alt+A - Pixel perfect

Customizing Shortcuts

Custom Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are currently hardcoded. Custom shortcut configuration may be added in future versions.

Current limitations:

  • Shortcuts cannot be changed without modifying source code
  • No GUI for shortcut customization
  • Some actions may not have shortcuts assigned

Feature request: If you need custom shortcuts, please open an issue on GitHub.

Tips & Tricks

Efficiency Tips

  1. Learn the edit shortcuts first - Ctrl+Z/Y/C/V/D are used constantly
  2. Use single-key toggles - H, T, P for quick view changes
  3. 3D view shortcuts - 1, 2, 7 for instant view switching
  4. Alignment shortcuts - Shift+Arrow faster than clicking alignment buttons
  5. Simulation mode - Ctrl+Shift+S to quickly check execution

Workflow Shortcuts

Quick edit cycle:

1. Import (Ctrl+I)
2. Arrange items (arrow keys, Shift+Arrow for alignment)
3. Duplicate parts (Ctrl+D)
4. Check in 3D (F12)
5. Simulate (Ctrl+Shift+S)
6. Export (Ctrl+E)

Precision positioning:

1. Select item
2. Arrow keys for 1mm nudges
3. Shift+Arrow for 10mm jumps
4. Shift+Home/End for centering

Hidden Shortcuts

Some lesser-known shortcuts:

  • Ctrl+, - Quick access to preferences (standard on macOS, works here too)
  • Ctrl+Shift+Z - Alternative redo (for users who prefer this over Ctrl+Y)
  • Alt+A - Pixel-perfect snapping for precise placement
  • Alt+T - Quick equidistant tab placement

Platform Differences

Linux

  • Uses standard Ctrl modifier
  • All shortcuts work as documented
  • GTK standard shortcuts apply in text fields

Windows

  • Uses standard Ctrl modifier
  • Identical to Linux shortcuts
  • Windows-specific keys (Win key) not used

macOS

  • Ctrl maps to  (Command)
  • Alt maps to % (Option)
  • Standard macOS conventions apply
  • Cmd+Q to quit (instead of Ctrl+Q)

Troubleshooting Shortcuts

Shortcut Not Working

Common issues:

  1. Focus on wrong element - Ensure canvas or main window has focus, not a text field
  2. Conflicting application - Another app may be intercepting the shortcut
  3. Desktop environment shortcut - System shortcuts may override (e.g., Alt+F4)
  4. Numpad vs number row - Use number row for 3D view shortcuts, not numpad

Solutions:

  • Click on the canvas to ensure it has focus
  • Check system keyboard shortcuts for conflicts
  • Try the menu action instead to verify functionality

Modifier Keys

If Ctrl doesn't work:

  • Verify Caps Lock is off (can interfere on some systems)
  • Try Ctrl on both sides of keyboard
  • Check keyboard layout settings

If Alt doesn't work:

  • Some window managers capture Alt for window dragging
  • Try disabling window manager Alt shortcuts
  • Use menu items as alternative

Shortcut Cheat Sheet

Print this quick reference:

Category Shortcut Action
File Ctrl+I Import
Ctrl+E Export
Ctrl+Q Quit
Ctrl+, Preferences
Edit Ctrl+Z Undo
Ctrl+Y Redo
Ctrl+C Copy
Ctrl+V Paste
Ctrl+D Duplicate
Delete Remove
View H Workpieces
T Tabs
Alt+C Camera
F12 3D View
½/7 View Presets
P Perspective
Align Shift+Left Align Left
Shift+Right Align Right
Shift+Up Align Top
Shift+Down Align Bottom
Shift+Home H-Center
Shift+End V-Center
Simulate Ctrl+Shift+S Mode
Transform Shift+H Flip H
Shift+V Flip V
Ctrl+G Group
Ctrl+U Ungroup
Machine Ctrl+J Jog Dialog
Ctrl+< Machine Settings
F1 About