Keyboard shortcuts that can be used while editing

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
SHIFT+TAB	Hide the toolbar temporarily

Feature Construction toolbar keyboard shortcuts

Edit Vertices toolbar

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
TAB	Show the toolbar
SHIFT+TAB	Hide the toolbar temporarily

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
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 tool

Keyboard shortcut	Editing function
SPACEBAR	Snap to an existing feature

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 text expression from a feature under the cursor position. If the target is a feature-linked annotation feature class, text is derived only from a feature in the origin feature class. With a standard annotation feature class as the target, the text is based on the label expression of the layer containing the first visible and selectable feature.
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
N	Select nodes
E	Select edges
S	Split and move node
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