Keyboard shortcuts for editing

Keyboard shortcuts are keys or combinations of keys that you press to run a command instead of clicking an icon or command name. You can customize existing keyboard shortcuts, remove them, and add new ones.

To view, modify, add, or remove keyboard shortcuts, click the ribbon Help tab and click Shortcuts in the Customize group, or press F12.

Tip:

If the Contents pane is active, F12 opens a properties dialog box for the map, layer, or table that is highlighted in the pane. If the active view is a Layout, the Elements pane appears.

To deselect the Contents pane, click any empty space in the active view.

The default keyboard shortcuts for editing are listed in the following table:

General editing

Keyboard shortcuts for general editing functions

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Ctrl+Shift+M	Open the Modify Features pane.	To find an editing tool, expand a category or type the name in the Search text box.
Ctrl+Shift+C	Open the Create Features pane.	To find a feature template, expand a layer name or type your search criteria in the Search text box.
Ctrl+Shift+T	Open the Attibutes pane.	Select features and edit their attributes.
C and drag	Pan .	Pan the view.
X and drag	Zoom out .	Press X and drag the pointer. Release the pointer to zoom out.
Z and drag	Zoom in or out .	Zoom the view in or out.
T	Show vertices.	Press and hold to show vertices of existing features near the pointer as you draw a new line.
Spacebar	Snapping .	Press and hold to turn snapping on or off as you create or modify features.
Esc or Ctrl+Delete	Cancel edits .	Deactivate the current interactive editing tool and cancel any unfinished edits.
F2	Finish .	Apply your changes to the current feature and complete the active operation.

Undo and Redo

Keyboard shortcuts for undo and redo functions

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Ctrl+Z	Undo .	Incrementally undo actions and edits recorded in the undo stack.
Ctrl+Y	Redo .	Incrementally restore actions and edits recorded in the undo stack.

Selection tools

Keyboard shortcuts for the selection tools

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Shift+ Select	Add the selected feature .	Add the selected feature to the current selection. Note: When using editing tools that sketch geometry such as the Reshape tool , this shortcut pauses the sketch mode and allows you to add features to the selection.
Ctrl+ Select	Remove the selected feature .	Remove the selected feature from the current selection.
Ctrl+Shift+ Select	Select only this feature .	Keep the selected feature and remove all other features from the current selection.

Edit vertices

Keyboard shortcuts for the Edit Vertices tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
T and hover	Show vertices within the snapping tolerance.	Flash a square at vertices that are within the current snapping tolerance of the pointer.
Shift and click vertices	Select multiple vertices.	Drag multiple segments in unison between the selected vertices.
Shift and click segments	Select all vertices between the clicked segments.	Drag multiple segments in unison between the selected vertices.
Shift+Ctrl and click a selected vertex	Unselect a vertex.	Unselect one of many selected vertices.
A and click	Add a vertex .	Create a vertex where you click a segment.
D and click	Delete a vertex .	Delete the clicked vertex.
H and drag	Edit the elevation.	Move a z-enabled vertex vertically and preserve its x,y coordinates. Hover over a control handle until the pointer becomes a vertex and drag the vertex. This shortcut is available in 3D scenes.
Ctrl and drag	Move a Bézier curve.	Move a Bézier curve and preserve its shape. Hover over a curve until the pointer becomes a segment, and drag the curve.
Ctrl and drag	Move a Bézier handle.	Move a Bézier control handle that can't otherwise be selected when it is coincident with another vertex. Hover over a control handle until the pointer becomes a vertex and drag the handle.
Ctrl+H	Move the z-value to the pointer.	Move the z-value for the selected vertex to the elevation of the pointer. The x- and y-values are preserved. This is available only when stereoscopic mode is enabled.
Ctrl+G	Move the pointer z-value.	Move the pointer z-value to the elevation of the selected vertex. This is available only when stereoscopic mode is enabled.

Modify annotation

The following shortcuts are available when you edit annotations in the Modify Features pane.

Keyboard shortcuts for editing annotation

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Ctrl and drag	Change the Follow Feature distance.	In Follow Feature mode, change the distance between the annotation feature and the boundary feature.
O	Follow Feature Options	In Follow Feature mode, change settings for text alignment, placement constraints, and other annotation options.

Geometry properties table

The following shortcuts are available when you edit vertex values in the geometry properties table in the Modify Features pane or in the Attributes pane on the Geometry tab.

Keyboard shortcuts for the geometry properties table

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Down arrow key	Advance to the next vertex.	Advance to the next vertex and flash it on the map.
Up arrow key	Return to the previous vertex.	Return to the previous vertex and flash it on the map.
Shift and click	Select inclusive rows.	Select all rows between the first and last row you click.
Ctrl and click	Select multiple rows.	Select multiple rows.
Shift+Down arrow key	Add the next vertex.	Add the next vertex to the selection and flash it on the map. Rows are deselected if you switch arrow keys while pressing Shift.
Shift+Up arrow key	Add the previous vertex.	Add the previous vertex to the selection and flash it on the map. Rows are deselected if you switch arrow keys while pressing Shift.
Ctrl+U	Switch the selection.	Deselect the current selection and select all unselected rows.
Ctrl+A	Select all vertices.	Select all vertices.
Ctrl+Spacebar	Select or deselect the row.	Select or deselect the current row.
Tab	Advance to the next field.	Apply the current edit and go to the next column. If at the end of a row, go to the first cell in the next row.
Ctrl+Enter	Apply the edit and go to the next row.	Apply the current edit and go to next row in the same column.
Shift+Enter	Apply the edit and go to the previous row.	Apply the current edit and go to the previous row in the same column.

Copy and paste in tables

The following shortcuts are available when you edit values in tables that appear in the Attributes pane, the Modify Features pane, and the Template Properties dialog box.

Keyboard shortcuts for tables in tool and template panes

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Ctrl+C	Copy the selection.	Copy the selected value in the cell.
Ctrl+V	Paste the selection.	Paste the copied value to the cell.
F2	Edit the cell.	Edit the contents of the current cell.
Esc	Cancel the action.	Cancel the edited value and restore the original value to the cell.

Text formatting tags

The following formatting shortcuts are available when you modify selected annotation in the Attributes pane on the Annotation tab.

Keyboard shortcuts for formatting text

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Ctrl+U	Apply underline.	Insert inline text formatting tags <UND> the selected text string </UND>.
Ctrl+Shift+A	Apply all caps.	Insert inline text formatting tags <ACP> the selected text string </ACP>.
Ctrl+Shift+K	Apply lowercase.	Insert inline text formatting tags <SCP> the selected text string </SCP>.
Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign (+)	Apply superscript.	Insert inline text formatting tags <SUP> the selected text string </SUP>.
Ctrl+Equals sign (=)	Apply subscript.	Insert inline text formatting tags <SUB> the selected text string </SUB>.

Move

Keyboard shortcuts for the Move tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Ctrl and click	Relocate the anchor.	Relocate the selection anchor to the clicked location. You can zoom in to a feature without the current location of the anchor being visible in the active view.
Ctrl and drag	Move the anchor.	Move the selection anchor.

Scale

Keyboard shortcuts for the Scale tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
F	Apply a scale factor.	Open the Scale dialog box.
Ctrl and click	Relocate the anchor.	Relocate the selection anchor to the clicked location. You can zoom in to a feature without the current location of the anchor being visible in the active view.
Ctrl and drag	Move the anchor.	Move the selection anchor.
S	Access the secondary anchor.	Turn the secondary anchor on and off. When it is turned on, the anchor is positioned at the pointer location.

Rotate

Keyboard shortcuts for the Rotate tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
A	Angle.	Open the Angle dialog box.
Ctrl and click	Relocate the anchor.	Relocate the selection anchor to the clicked location. You can zoom in to a feature without the current location of the anchor being visible in the active view.
Ctrl and drag	Move the anchor.	Move the selection anchor.
S	Access the secondary anchor.	Turn the secondary anchor on and off. When it is turned on, the anchor is positioned at the pointer location.

Create annotation

Keyboard shortcuts for annotation construction tools

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Ctrl+W	Find text .	Replace the text string in the text box with the label expression or field value from the topmost selected feature layer. When you select feature-linked annotation, the text is calculated from the origin feature class. If it can't be calculated, the word Text is used.
N	Find the next text.	Step through the selected annotation features when using Find Text .
F6	Specify absolute X,Y,Z .	Open the Absolute X,Y,Z dialog box.
Tab	Switch sides and Flip annotation .	Flip unfinished text 180 degrees and to the left or right side of the followed edge. This shortcut is available when you create text with Follow feature .
O	Use the Follow Feature options.	Open the Editor Settings dialog box. This shortcut is available when you create text with Follow feature .
Ctrl and drag	Change the Follow Feature distance.	In Follow Feature mode, change the distance between the annotation feature and the boundary feature.

Create point features

Keyboard shortcuts for point construction tools

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
F6	Specify absolute X,Y,Z .	Open the Absolute X,Y,Z dialog box.

Create polyline and polygon features

Keyboard shortcuts for polyline and polygon construction tools

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
F6	Specify absolute X,Y,Z .	Open the Absolute X,Y,Z dialog box.
A	Specify the direction .	Open the Direction dialog box.
D	Specify the distance .	Open the Distance dialog box.
G	Specify the direction and distance .	Open the Direction and Distance dialog box.
F	Specify deflection .	Open the Deflection dialog box.
F7	Specify segment deflection .	Open the Segment Deflection dialog box.
P	Make the line parallel .	Constrain the direction of a new line segment parallel to another segment. Hover over an existing segment and press the keyboard shortcut. Release the key to set the constraint and flash the segment to which it is constrained.
E	Make the line perpendicular .	Constrain the direction of a new line segment perpendicular to another segment. Hover over an existing segment and press the keyboard shortcut. Release the key to set the constraint and flash the segment to which it is constrained.
Esc or Ctrl+Delete	Cancel the edits .	Cancel an unfinished feature.
F3	Square and finish the feature .	Autocomplete the last two segments at right angles and finish the feature.
F4 or Shift+double-click	Finish the current part .	Apply your changes to the current part and leave the construction tool active to create another part for the feature.
Spacebar	Turn snapping on and off .	Temporarily turn snapping off when you press and hold the spacebar. Temporarily turn snapping on when you are creating freehand polyline or polygon features.

Create arc segments

Keyboard shortcuts for the Arc segment construction tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
R	Specify a radius.	Open the Radius dialog box.

Create endpoint arc segments

Keyboard shortcuts for the End Point Arc segment construction tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
R	Specify a radius.	Open the Radius dialog box.

Create by tracing

Keyboard shortcuts for the Trace segment construction tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
O	View the options.	Open the Options dialog box.
Tab	Set a negative offset.	Switch the side of the offset and trace the other side of an edge.
Ctrl and drag	Trace selected features.	Trace only selected features. If Trace selected features is turned on, you can trace selected features and unselect features.

Create by streaming

Keyboard shortcuts for the Streaming construction tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
O	View the options.	Open the Options dialog box.
F8	Start or stop streaming.	Begin or stop streaming.

Create a circle

Keyboard shortcuts for the Circle construction tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
F6	Specify absolute X,Y,Z .	Open the Absolute X,Y,Z dialog box.
R	Specify a radius.	Open the Radius dialog box.

Create an ellipse

Keyboard shortcuts for the Ellipse construction tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
F6	Specify absolute X,Y,Z .	Open the Absolute X,Y,Z dialog box.
A	Specify the direction .	Open the Direction dialog box.
Shift and drag	Make the geometry a circle .	Constrain the geometry to a circle. Create the first point of the ellipse, press the keyboard shortcut, and drag.

Elevation tools

Keyboard shortcuts for setting z-values for 3D features

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
S	Suspend the sketch plane.	Suspend the current 3D elevation sketch plane while using Get Z from View . This allows you to click and set a z-value at a lower elevation.

Create a rectangle

Keyboard shortcuts for the Rectangle construction tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Tab	Turn Horizontal/Grid Aligned on or off.	When turned on, constrains the feature vertical or horizontal at 90-degree angles.
A	Specify a direction .	Open the Direction dialog box.
L	Specify a length .	Open the Length dialog box.
W	Specify a width .	Open the Width dialog box.
F6	Specify absolute X,Y,Z .	Open the Absolute X,Y,Z dialog box.
Shift and drag	Make the shape a square.	Constrain the shape to a square. Create the first point of the rectangle, press the keyboard shortcut, and drag.
Shift	Turn Square on or off.	When turned on, constrains the shape to a square.

Topology error inspector

Keyboard shortcuts for the topology error inspector

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
Up arrow key and Down arrow key	Move the pointer.	Move the pointer up and down the rows in the error table.
Ctrl+Shift+Equals sign (=)	Zoom To .	Zoom the active map to the current error.
D	Show the topology rule.	Show the topology rule the current error violates.
F	Select the features .	Select the primary features causing the error.
X	Mark the error as an exception .	Mark the current error as an exception.
E	Clear the exception .	Clear the current exception and mark the record as an error.
R	Rules	Show the Rules drop-down menu and enable filtering for topology rules. The main view of Error Inspector must be active.
M	Map Extent	Show errors in the current map extent.
V	Validate	Identify topology errors and symbolize them on layers in the current map extent.
Ctrl+U	Switch	Switch selected rows.
Ctrl+Shift+A	Clear	Unselect all selected rows.
Ctrl+8	Flash	Right-click the error row number and flash the shape of the error feature in the map.
Ctrl+Equals sign (=)	Zoom To	Right-click the error row number and zoom in and center the map on the error feature in the current row.
Ctrl+Spacebar	Select/Unselect	Right-click the error row number and select or unselect the current row.
R	Rule Description	Right-click the error row number and view a description and an example graphic of the rule violated by this error.