Affinity Designer Keyboard Shortcuts

70+ Affinity Designer shortcuts for vector illustration and graphic design. Mac and Windows reference.

57 shortcuts 8 categories

Tools

Action	Shortcut
Move tool
Node tool
Pen tool
Pencil tool
Vector Brush tool
Fill tool
Text tool
Rectangle tool
Ellipse tool
Corner tool
Zoom tool
Hand tool
Color Picker tool
Transparency tool

Edit

Action	Shortcut
Undo
Redo
Copy
Paste
Cut
Duplicate
Deselect
Select all
Delete

Layers

Action	Shortcut
Group
Ungroup
Move forward
Move backward
Move to front
Move to back
Lock/unlock layer

View

Action	Shortcut
Zoom in
Zoom out
Zoom to fit
Zoom 100%
Toggle grid
Toggle guides
Toggle rulers
Toggle snapping

Curves

Action	Shortcut
Curves to sharp
Close curve
Add (Boolean)
Subtract (Boolean)
Intersect (Boolean)
XOR (Boolean)
Divide (Boolean)

Personas

Action	Shortcut
Switch to Pixel Persona
Switch to Export Persona

File

Action	Shortcut
Save
Save As
New document
Export
Print

Text

Action	Shortcut
Bold
Italic
Underline
Increase font size
Decrease font size

Pro tips

Personas Are Key

Affinity Designer has three personas: Designer (vector), Pixel (raster), and Export. Switch between them seamlessly to combine vector precision with pixel-level editing in one document.

Symbols for Reusable Assets

Create symbols for repeated elements. Edit any instance and all others update. Perfect for icon sets, UI components, and design systems where consistency matters.

Constraints for Responsive Design

Use constraints to define how objects resize relative to their parent. Set objects to pin to edges or scale proportionally - essential for multi-device design work.

Boolean Operations

Use Add, Subtract, Intersect, XOR, and Divide booleans non-destructively. Unlike Illustrator, Affinity keeps boolean shapes editable - modify the original shapes anytime.

Asset Manager

Drag objects into the Assets panel to build a reusable library. Organize into categories and subcategories. Assets persist across documents for a consistent design system.

Export Persona Slices

Use Export Persona to create slices for batch export. Define multiple export formats (SVG, PNG@1x, PNG@2x) per slice and export everything at once - perfect for web and app assets.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Affinity Designer cost?

Affinity Designer 2 is a one-time purchase: $69.99 for desktop (Windows/Mac) and $21.99 for iPad. The Universal License ($169.99) includes all three Affinity apps on all platforms. No subscription required.

Can Affinity Designer replace Illustrator?

For most vector design work, yes. Affinity Designer handles illustrations, UI design, icons, and print layout well. It lacks some advanced features like mesh gradients, variable fonts (partially supported), and Adobe ecosystem integration.

Does Affinity Designer support AI/EPS files?

Yes, Affinity Designer opens AI (PDF-compatible), EPS, SVG, and PSD files. Export to AI isn't supported directly, but PDF export is compatible with most Adobe workflows. SVG is the best interchange format.

Is there an iPad version?

Yes, Affinity Designer for iPad ($21.99) is a full-featured version with Apple Pencil support. It's not a companion app - it has the same capabilities as the desktop version.

What's the difference between Affinity Designer and Photo?

Designer focuses on vector design (illustrations, logos, UI). Photo focuses on photo editing and raster manipulation. Both can handle each other's basics through their persona system.

Does Affinity Designer support plugins?

Affinity Designer 2 does not support third-party plugins. However, it includes extensive built-in features and supports macros for automation. The company has discussed potential plugin support for future versions.

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