Skip to content

Lab · Interactive guide · SketchUp 2026

SketchUp Keyboard Shortcuts

Press a key on your keyboard, or click one below: a moving drawing shows what the tool does. Then press Ctrl, Alt or Shift to find the modes hidden inside it.

Press a key on your keyboard…Tool key Modifier Axis lock
Axis lock with the arrow keysLine, Move, Tape Measure, Arc: press an arrow key
Getting around with the mouseThe middle button (wheel) works in every tool

Measurements box: type after you click

After the first click with a tool, let go of the mouse and just type: the value goes to the Measurements box at the bottom right, and Enter applies it.

    Speed in SketchUp comes from the keyboard more than the mouse. The guide above puts every default SketchUp keyboard shortcut on one interactive keyboard, from the single-letter tool keys to the modifier keys hidden inside each tool, and draws what each one does as you press it. The keys follow SketchUp's official default shortcut list and the 2026 Quick Reference Card; switch between Windows and Mac keys with the toggle at the top.

    The SketchUp shortcuts you will use most

    Most of a model is drawn with a handful of tools. Learn these keys and your left hand stays on the keyboard while your right hand stays on the mouse:

    • Space Select. Also the quickest way out of any other tool.
    • L Line, R Rectangle, C Circle, A 2 Point Arc.
    • P Push/Pull: turns a face into a 3D volume.
    • M Move, Q Rotate, S Scale, F Offset.
    • T Tape Measure, B Paint Bucket, E Eraser, G Make Component.
    • O Orbit, H Pan, Z Zoom, Shift + Z Zoom Extents.

    Modifier keys: the hidden modes of each tool

    The real power is in the keys you press after picking a tool. In Move, Ctrl (Option on a Mac) turns on copy mode; type 5x and press Enter for five copies at the same spacing, or 5/ to spread five copies evenly between the original and the copy. In Push/Pull the same key leaves the original face where it is and starts a new storey. In Scale, Ctrl scales about the centre and Shift scales uniformly. Press the modifier buttons on each tool's card to watch what changes in the drawing. Shortcuts take you a long way; when the same job keeps coming back, that is where a SketchUp plugin does the repetitive part for you.

    Locking an axis with the arrow keys

    In Line, Move and Tape Measure the arrow keys lock the direction to an axis: Up to blue (vertical), Right to red, Left to green, and Down to parallel/perpendicular. It is the easiest way to stop SketchUp guessing the wrong inference in a busy model.

    Exact sizes with the Measurements box

    After the first click, let go of the mouse and type: the value goes to the Measurements box at the bottom right. For a rectangle, type both sizes with a comma (3000,2000; where the decimal mark is a comma, use a semicolon instead); for a circle, the number of sides as 48s; for an arc, the radius as 800r. Once these become habit, the next step is the tools themselves: see the plugins that cut hours of modelling down to minutes, and if you have never added one, how to install SketchUp plugins.

    Want to try something without paying? Have a look at our free SketchUp plugins and the free online tools.

    Questions

    What are the most used SketchUp shortcuts?

    Line L, Rectangle R, Push/Pull P, Move M, Rotate Q, Scale S, Offset F, Tape Measure T, Paint Bucket B, Eraser E and the Spacebar for Select. For the camera: Orbit O, Pan H, Zoom Z and Zoom Extents Shift+Z.

    How do I copy with the Move tool in SketchUp?

    With Move (M) active, tap Ctrl on Windows or Option on macOS once to turn on copy mode. After you place the first copy, type 5x and press Enter for 5 copies at the same spacing, or type 5/ to spread 5 copies evenly across the gap.

    What do the arrow keys do in SketchUp?

    In tools such as Line, Move and Tape Measure they lock the direction to an axis: the Up arrow to blue (vertical), the Right arrow to red, the Left arrow to green, and the Down arrow to parallel/perpendicular.

    Can I change the keyboard shortcuts in SketchUp?

    Yes. On Windows, Window > Preferences > Shortcuts lets you give any command your own key. A shortcut cannot start with a number, because numbers go to the Measurements box.

    Source of every key: SketchUp’s official Default Keyboard Shortcuts · Quick Reference Card 2026 (Windows) · Quick Reference Card 2026 (macOS). These are the default shortcuts; keys you have assigned yourself may differ.