To help you work more efficiently with Aliencell Space when designing and managing your laser engraving projects, we’ve put together a list of commonly used keyboard shortcuts. Once you get familiar with them, you’ll be able to move through your workflow faster and stay focused on creativity and fine-tuning your settings.
- Cross-platform support: This guide includes shortcuts for both Windows and macOS.
- Key mapping note: On macOS, the Cmd (Command) key generally corresponds to the Ctrl key on Windows.
Shortcuts for creating, opening, saving, and importing files.
| Category | Description | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Project | Create a new engraving project | Ctrl + N |
Cmd + N |
| New Workspace | Add a new workspace within the project | Ctrl + Shift + N |
Cmd + Shift + N |
| Open Project | Open an existing project | Ctrl + O |
Cmd + O |
| Save | Save the current project | Ctrl + S |
Cmd + S |
| Save As | Save as a reusable template | Ctrl + Shift + S |
Cmd + Shift + S |
| Import | Import images or vector files | Ctrl + I |
Cmd + I |
| Quit | Exit the application | Ctrl + Q |
Cmd + Q |
General editing commands that apply to all objects.
| Category | Description | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undo | Reverse your last action | Ctrl + Z |
Cmd + Z |
| Redo | Restore an undone action | Ctrl + Shift + Z |
Cmd + Shift + Z |
| Copy | Copy the selected object | Ctrl + C |
Cmd + C |
| Paste | Paste at the current position | Ctrl + V |
Cmd + V |
| Cut | Cut the selected object | Ctrl + X |
Cmd + X |
| Select All | Select all objects in the canvas | Ctrl + A |
Cmd + A |
| Delete | Delete the selected object | Delete |
Delete |
Zoom, navigate, and adjust your canvas for detailed design work.
| Category | Description | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit to View | Zoom to fit canvas | Ctrl + 0 |
Cmd + 0 |
| Actual Size (100%) | View at true size | Ctrl + 1 |
Cmd + 1 |
| Pan Canvas | Pan using the hand tool | Space + drag |
Space + drag |
| Zoom In | Gradually zoom in | Ctrl + + |
Cmd + + |
| Zoom Out | Gradually zoom out | Ctrl + - |
Cmd + - |
| Show/Hide Grid | Toggle background grid | Ctrl + ' |
Cmd + ' |
| Show/Hide Rulers | Toggle rulers | Ctrl + R |
Cmd + R |
Quick access to drawing tools and special modifier behaviors.
| Category | Description | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Tool | Switch to selection tool | V |
V |
| Hand Tool | Switch to hand/pan tool | H |
H |
| Line Tool | Draw a line (Hold Shift for vertical/horizontal) | L |
L |
| Rectangle Tool | Draw a rectangle (Hold Shift for a square) | R |
R |
| Ellipse Tool | Draw an ellipse (Hold Shift for a circle) | O |
O |
| Text Tool | Add a text object | T |
T |
Deep editing controls for object grouping, ordering, visibility, and locking.
| Category | Description | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Objects | Group multiple objects | Ctrl + G |
Cmd + G |
| Ungroup | Ungroup objects | Ctrl + Shift + G |
Cmd + Shift + G |
| Create Mask | Apply a clipping mask | Ctrl + Shift + M |
Cmd + Shift + M |
| Bring to Front | Move object to the top layer | ] |
] |
| Send to Back | Move object to the bottom layer | [ |
[ |
| Bring Forward | Move up one layer | Ctrl + ] |
Cmd + ] |
| Send Backward | Move down one layer | Ctrl + [ |
Cmd + [ |
| Flip Horizontal | Flip selected object horizontally | Shift + H |
Shift + H |
| Flip Vertical | Flip selected object vertically | Shift + V |
Shift + V |
| Hide/Show | Toggle visibility of selected object | Ctrl + Shift + H |
Cmd + Shift + H |
| Lock/Unlock | Lock or unlock selected object | Ctrl + Shift + L |
Cmd + Shift + L |
| Unlock All | Remove all locks | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + L |
Cmd + Opt + Shift + L |
| Show All Hidden | Reveal all hidden objects | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + H |
Cmd + Opt + Shift + H |
| Hold to Lock | Hold to temporarily lock; release to unlock | K |
K |