| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + S | Save (on the web your changes also save on their own) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + P | Export a PDF chart (PDF Export) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + K | Command palette |
| Cmd/Ctrl + , | Settings |
| Cmd/Ctrl + / | Show the keyboard shortcuts |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z or Cmd/Ctrl + Y | Redo |
| Esc | Close a dialog, cancel, or deselect |
Keyboard Shortcuts
Every keyboard shortcut in Stitchmate, grouped by where you use it: the editor tools, canvas navigation, colors, progress tracking, the import screens, and search fields.
Location: Editor → Help → Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard & modifiers
- Cmd+Ctrl+
- Show the keyboard shortcuts in the editor
Basics
On a Mac, shortcuts use ⌘ (Cmd); on Windows and Linux they use Ctrl. This page writes them as Cmd/Ctrl. Single-letter keys don't fire while you're typing in a text field.
To see the list inside the editor, open Help → Keyboard Shortcuts in the menu bar, or press Cmd/Ctrl + /. Cmd/Ctrl + ? (Shift + /) works too.
General
Desktop app only
The desktop app's menus add these:
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + O | Open a pattern |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + S | Save As… |
| Cmd/Ctrl + E | Export a PDF chart |
| Cmd/Ctrl + W | Close the pattern |
| Ctrl + Cmd + F (Mac) / F11 (Windows) | Full screen |
Canvas navigation
See Canvas Navigation.
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + = (or +) | Zoom in (hold for continuous zoom) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + - | Zoom out |
| Cmd/Ctrl + 0 | Fit the pattern to the screen |
| Space + drag | Pan |
| Shift + arrow keys | Move the view by one stitch |
The zoom keys need Cmd/Ctrl. A bare + or - does nothing.
Tools
| Key | Tool |
|---|---|
| H | Hand (pan) |
| V | Selection |
| P / B | Draw: pencil / brush |
| E | Eraser |
| I | Eyedropper |
| G | Fill |
| Shift + G | Gradient |
| R / O | Shape: rectangle / ellipse |
| L | Line |
| T | Text (with a selection on the Selection tool: Transform) |
| K | Backstitch (press again to switch between drawing and selecting backstitches) |
| M | Motifs |
| U | Show or hide the Overlay |
| Shift + C | ConfettiScope on or off |
Drawing
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| W / S | Larger / smaller brush, or thicker / thinner line |
| X | Swap primary and secondary colors |
| D | Switch between painting and erasing |
| Shift + click | Draw a straight line from the last point |
| Alt/Option + click | Pick a color from the canvas |
| Cmd/Ctrl + click | Flood fill |
| Right-click | Paint with the secondary color |
| Arrow keys, then Enter / Delete | Brush precision mode: move, paint, erase |
Tool-specific keys are listed on each tool's page, for example Text and Backstitch.
Selection
See Selection.
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + A | Select all |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I | Invert the selection |
| Cmd/Ctrl + C / X / V | Copy / cut / paste |
| F | Fill the selection with the current color |
| Delete | Erase the selection |
| Arrow keys | Nudge the selection |
| Shift + V | Switch dragging between moving the stitches and moving the outline |
| Esc or Enter | Done with the selection |
| Enter / Esc | Apply / cancel a transform |
Colors and palette
See Editing Colors.
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| [ / ] | Previous / next color in the palette |
| Esc | Show all colors again after Highlight on chart (when nothing else is using Esc) |
| Arrow keys | Move through a focused thread list or grid |
Progress tracking
See Progress Tracker.
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| M / E | Mark / Unmark tool |
| I | Pick color tool |
| H | Move (pan) tool |
| L | Line tool (the place-keeper) |
| U | Measure tool |
| P | Marks tool (not offered for every craft) |
| Arrow keys | Move the cursor |
| Space | Mark the cursor cell (on release; hold and drag to pan instead) |
| N | Ring the next stitch |
| V (hold) | See the finished design |
| C | Cycle the finished-stitch style |
| Esc | Clear the measurement (with a line down, the first press releases the line) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Z / Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z | Undo / redo marks |
With a line down:
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Enter | Finish the run and move on |
| [ / ] or ↑ / ↓ | Previous / next line |
| ← / → | Move along the line |
Import screens
The photo converter's keys are on Image Import. The main ones:
| Keys | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + = / - / 0, Shift + arrows | Pattern step | Zoom, fit and pan the preview |
| Shift + C | Pattern step | ConfettiScope on or off |
| [ / ] (with Shift: 5°) | Crop & straighten | Straighten by 0.5° |
| R / Shift + R | Crop & straighten | Turn right / left |
| \ (hold) | Crop & straighten | Show the original |
| E / R / M | Erase background | Erase, Restore, Magic wand |
| B / E | Keep details brush | Keep, Erase |
| S / W (or [ / ]) | Erase background, Keep details | Smaller / larger brush |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Z / Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z | Erase background, Keep details | Undo / redo a stroke |
| Esc | Crop & straighten, Erase background | Cancel and go back |
| Esc or Enter | Keep details brush | Done |
Search fields
Where a list has its own search, Cmd/Ctrl + F jumps into it instead of opening the browser's find bar:
- The pattern list and the Palettes tab on Home
- The thread picker, and the thread search when you edit a palette (Editing Colors)
- The fabric color and thread brand dropdowns
- The font dropdown in the Text tool
- The font picker in PDF Export
A faint ⌘F or Ctrl+F hint at the right end of a field shows it takes the key. With no such field on screen, the browser's own find opens.
Tips & gotchas
- Keys don't work? Click the canvas first. Single-letter keys are ignored while a text field has focus.
- Esc does the nearest thing first. It closes a menu or cancels a gesture before it clears Highlight on chart.
- Palette cycling moved to [ and ]. Older guides mention Q and E; E is now the Eraser.
- On the web, some menu shortcuts belong to the browser. Cmd/Ctrl + O, W and E stay with the browser; use the menu bar instead, or the desktop app.