Balsamiq Wireframes keyboard shortcuts
Balsamiq Wireframes sketches screens in a deliberately rough, hand-drawn style so feedback stays on layout, not looks. These keys select, move, and resize controls, arrange and group them, edit text and icons, manage projects and boards, and run presentation mode.
Windows, macOS · 100 shortcutsSelect, move, and resize
Modifier keys in this group are held while clicking, dragging, or resizing. Arrow-key amounts are one pixel normally and ten pixels with Shift.
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Edit the selected control's text | Windows / macOSEnterorF2 |
| Add a control to the selection | Windows / macOSShift + Click |
| Toggle a control in the selection | WindowsCtrl + Click macOSNot documented |
| Select all controls | WindowsCtrl + A macOSNot documented |
| Deselect all controls | WindowsCtrl + Shift + A macOSNot documented |
| Ignore the control under the pointer while selecting | Windows / macOSAlt + Hold |
| Keep the aspect ratio while resizing | Windows / macOSShift + Resize |
| Move only horizontally or vertically while dragging | Windows / macOSShift + Drag |
| Disable snapping while moving or resizing | WindowsCtrl + Drag macOSNot documented |
| Move the selection by one pixel | Windows / macOSArrow keys |
| Move the selection by ten pixels | Windows / macOSShift + Arrow keys |
| Resize the selection by one pixel | WindowsCtrl + Alt + Arrow keys macOSNot documented |
| Resize the selection by ten pixels | WindowsCtrl + Alt + Shift + Arrow keys macOSNot documented |
| Restore the selection's automatic size | WindowsCtrl + Alt + 0 macOSNot documented |
| Pan the canvas | Windows / macOSSpace then Drag |
| Grow the selected control | WindowsCtrl + ] macOSNot documented |
| Shrink the selected control | WindowsCtrl + [ macOSNot documented |
Arrange and edit controls
Layer commands change the selected control's stacking order. Paste in place retains the copied control's original canvas coordinates.
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Bring the selection to the front | WindowsCtrl + Shift + Up macOSNot documented |
| Send the selection to the back | WindowsCtrl + Shift + Down macOSNot documented |
| Bring the selection forward one layer | WindowsCtrl + Up macOSNot documented |
| Send the selection backward one layer | WindowsCtrl + Down macOSNot documented |
| Duplicate while dragging | Windows / macOSAlt + Drag |
| Undo | WindowsCtrl + Z macOSNot documented |
| Redo | WindowsCtrl + YorCtrl + Shift + Z macOSNot documented |
| Cut | WindowsCtrl + XorShift + Delete macOSNot documented |
| Copy | WindowsCtrl + CorCtrl + Insert macOSNot documented |
| Paste | WindowsCtrl + VorShift + Insert macOSNot documented |
| Paste in place | WindowsCtrl + Shift + V macOSNot documented |
| Delete the selection | Windows / macOSDeleteorBackspace |
| Duplicate the selection | WindowsCtrl + D macOSCmd + D |
| Lock the selection | WindowsCtrl + 2 macOSNot documented |
| Unlock the selection | WindowsCtrl + 3 macOSNot documented |
| Transform the selected control | WindowsCtrl + Alt + T macOSNot documented |
| Find controls | WindowsCtrl + F macOSNot documented |
| Find the next matching control | WindowsCtrl + Alt + F macOSNot documented |
Group and align
Alignment number keys act on a multi-control selection. Group and ungroup include the explicit Control/Command equivalents published by Balsamiq.
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Group selected controls | WindowsCtrl + G macOSCmd + G |
| Ungroup selected controls | WindowsCtrl + Shift + G macOSCmd + Shift + G |
| Align selected controls left | WindowsCtrl + Alt + 1 macOSNot documented |
| Align selected controls horizontally | WindowsCtrl + Alt + 2 macOSNot documented |
| Align selected controls right | WindowsCtrl + Alt + 3 macOSNot documented |
| Align selected controls to the top | WindowsCtrl + Alt + 4 macOSNot documented |
| Align selected controls vertically | WindowsCtrl + Alt + 5 macOSNot documented |
| Align selected controls to the bottom | WindowsCtrl + Alt + 6 macOSNot documented |
Text, icons, and drawing
Drawing letters create a control when held while dragging. Text-entry completion differs between single-line and multiline controls.
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Select the previous icon | Windows / macOSLeft |
| Select the next icon | Windows / macOSRight |
| Choose the highlighted icon | Windows / macOSEnter |
| Close the icon selector | Windows / macOSEsc |
| Make the icon smaller | WindowsCtrl + [ macOSNot documented |
| Make the icon larger | WindowsCtrl + ] macOSNot documented |
| Finish editing a single-line control | Windows / macOSEnter |
| Finish editing a multiline control | WindowsCtrl + Enter macOSNot documented |
| Cancel text editing | Windows / macOSEsc |
| Open Quick Add | Windows / macOS/or+ |
| Move through Quick Add results | Windows / macOSArrow keys |
| Close Quick Add | Windows / macOSEsc |
| Add a control at the pointer | Windows / macOSShift + Enter |
| Draw a rectangle | Windows / macOSR then Drag |
| Draw text | Windows / macOST then Drag |
| Draw a link | Windows / macOSY then Drag |
| Draw an image | Windows / macOSI then Drag |
| Draw an icon | Windows / macOSA then Drag |
Projects and boards
Project commands create, open, export, rename, or close files. Board navigation has different native Windows and macOS bindings.
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Create a new board | WindowsCtrl + N macOSNot documented |
| Duplicate the current board | WindowsCtrl + Shift + N macOSNot documented |
| Create a new project | WindowsCtrl + Alt + N macOSNot documented |
| Open a project | WindowsCtrl + O macOSNot documented |
| Save the project as | WindowsCtrl + Shift + S macOSNot documented |
| Rename the current board | WindowsF2orCtrl + Alt + R macOSNot documented |
| Close the current project or tab | WindowsCtrl + WorCtrl + F4 macOSNot documented |
| Export the project | WindowsCtrl + E macOSNot documented |
| Export as PDF | WindowsCtrl + P macOSNot documented |
| Export as PNG | WindowsCtrl + R macOSNot documented |
| Create a snapshot | WindowsCtrl + Shift + C macOSNot documented |
| Quit Balsamiq Wireframes | WindowsCtrl + Q macOSNot documented |
| Go to the next board | WindowsCtrl + Tab macOSCmd + Page DownorFn + Cmd + Down |
| Go to the previous board | WindowsCtrl + Shift + Tab macOSCmd + Page UporFn + Cmd + Up |
| Go to the first board | WindowsHome macOSFn + Shift + Up |
| Go to the last board | WindowsEnd macOSFn + Shift + Down |
Views and presentation mode
Panel commands use the documented Control/Command pairs. Single-key presentation commands work only after presentation mode is active.
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Toggle the UI Library | WindowsCtrl + LorCtrl + F1 macOSCmd + L |
| Toggle the Comments panel | WindowsCtrl + . macOSNot documented |
| Toggle the Boards panel | WindowsCtrl + J macOSCmd + J |
| Zoom in | WindowsCtrl + +orCtrl + Scroll Up macOSNot documented |
| Zoom out | WindowsCtrl + -orCtrl + Scroll Down macOSNot documented |
| Zoom to fit | WindowsCtrl + 0or0 macOS0 |
| Zoom to the selection | WindowsCtrl + 8or8 macOS8 |
| Zoom to board width | WindowsCtrl + 9or9 macOS9 |
| Use actual size | WindowsCtrl + 1or1 macOS1 |
| Enter presentation mode | WindowsCtrl + Shift + ForF5 macOSNot documented |
| Exit presentation mode | Windows / macOSEsc |
| Edit the current board | Windows / macOSE |
| Show symbols | Windows / macOSS |
| Show comments | Windows / macOSJ |
| Show notes | Windows / macOSN |
| Center the current board | Windows / macOSC |
| Show links | Windows / macOSL |
| Open the browser | Windows / macOSB |
| Toggle zoom | Windows / macOSZ |
| Go to the next board in presentation mode | WindowsPage Down macOSOption + Down |
| Go to the previous board in presentation mode | WindowsPage Up macOSOption + Up |
| Go back in presentation history | Windows / macOSLeft |
| Go forward in presentation history | Windows / macOSRight |
Source
Balsamiq Wireframes keyboard shortcuts · Checked
Current Balsamiq Wireframes shortcut reference checked August 31, 2026. The main table prints Control-based editing commands without a Mac equivalent; those rows are therefore labeled Windows. macOS entries appear only where Balsamiq explicitly publishes a Mac binding or a Control/Command pair.