Overview#
Keyboard shortcuts cut the time you spend travelling between the toolbar and the canvas. Autodesk publishes one reference page, "Fusion keyboard shortcuts reference" (Get Started in Fusion > Reference), and every table on this page is taken from it. Nothing is listed here that the reference does not list. Where the guide offers advice beyond the reference it is labelled as general guidance.
Note: On macOS, Ctrl becomes Command and Alt becomes Option for most system shortcuts, but not all of them: the reference gives separate macOS columns, and the Form environment uses Control on macOS where Windows uses Alt. Autodesk also states that keyboard shortcuts do not work while a text field is active.
Where to find it#
- The reference page. Autodesk help > Get Started in Fusion > Reference > Fusion keyboard shortcuts reference.
- Model Toolbox. The reference lists S as the key for the Model Toolbox (command search). In the Electronics workspace, S opens the Shortcut Dialog instead.
- Perform basic tasks. Autodesk's basic-tasks page describes the search field: type a function name, hover over a result in the drop-down and click Add to Shortcuts to add it as a button in the shortcuts dialog.
- Electronics shortcuts. In the Design tab of a Schematic or 2D PCB document, click the Shortcuts button to open the Shortcuts dialog (New, Edit, Delete). This is documented in "Assign Electronics keyboard shortcuts".
Note: not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation: assigning your own shortcut to a Design-workspace command through a three-dot "Change Keyboard Shortcut" menu, and tooltips showing the shortcut. Earlier versions of this guide described both; check your own build.
General tool shortcuts (Design)#
Single-key defaults from the reference. Several keys are reused across workspaces and contextual environments, so the same letter means different things in different places.
| Tool | Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Extrude | E | |
| Hole | H | |
| Press Pull | Q | |
| Model Fillet | F | Listed as "Model Fillet" |
| Move | M | |
| Toggle Visibility | V | |
| Display Component Colors | Shift+N | |
| Model Toolbox | S | Command search |
| Appearance | A | |
| Compute All | Ctrl+B (Windows) / Command+B (macOS) | |
| Joint | J | |
| As-built Joint | Shift+J | |
| Measure | I | |
| Scripts and Add-ins | Shift+S | Also listed for the Manufacture workspace |
| Window Selection | 1 | |
| Freeform Selection | 2 | |
| Paint Selection | 3 | |
| Delete | Del |
Notably absent from the reference: there are no default shortcuts documented for Create Sketch, Revolve, Sweep, Loft, Shell, Mirror, Combine or patterns, and no documented key for Rename or Fit to window in Design.
Sketch shortcuts#
These appear in the same reference table as the general keys and apply while a sketch is active.
| Tool | Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Line | L | |
| 2-point Rectangle | R | |
| Center Diameter Circle | C | |
| Trim | T | |
| Offset | O | |
| Project | P | |
| Normal / Construction | X | Toggles selected geometry |
| Sketch Dimension | D | |
| Sketch Coincident Constraint at Midpoint | Shift | Listed as the Shift key alone |
Tip (general guidance): E, Q, M, F, H, L, R, C, D, T, X and O cover most everyday modeling and sketching from the keyboard. This is the guide's observation, not an Autodesk recommendation.
The reference does not list defaults for Arc, Sketch Fillet, Finish Sketch, Look At, or for constraints. Earlier drafts of this page listed A as 3-Point Arc, F as sketch fillet and Ctrl+Enter as Finish Sketch. Those are not documented and were removed. The only documented meaning of A in Design is Appearance.
System, window and canvas shortcuts#
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| New Design | Ctrl+N | Command+N |
| Open | Ctrl+O | Command+O |
| Save (Version) | Ctrl+S | Command+S |
| Recovery Save | Ctrl+Shift+S | Command+Shift+S |
| Cycle open document tabs | Ctrl+Tab | Command+Tab |
| Show/Hide ViewCube | Ctrl+Alt+V | Option+Command+V |
| Show/Hide Browser | Ctrl+Alt+B | Option+Command+B |
| Show/Hide Comments | Ctrl+Alt+A | Option+Command+A |
| Show/Hide Text Commands | Ctrl+Alt+C | Option+Command+C |
| Show/Hide Navigation bar | Ctrl+Alt+N | Option+Command+N |
| Show/Hide Data Panel | Ctrl+Alt+P | Option+Command+P |
| Reset to Default Layout | Ctrl+Alt+R | Option+Command+R |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | Command+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y | Command+Shift+Z |
| Copy / Paste / Cut | Ctrl+C / V / X | Command+C / V / X |
Redo on Windows is Ctrl+Y only; Ctrl+Shift+Z is not in the reference. Paste New, Select All and Fit to window in Design are also not documented, so they were removed from this page.
Mouse navigation#
| Action | Windows and macOS |
|---|---|
| Pan | Hold the middle mouse button |
| Zoom | Roll the middle mouse button |
| Orbit | Hold Shift + middle mouse button |
| Orbit around point | Hold Shift + click + middle mouse button |
Mouse setup presets#
Preferences > General > Mouse setup (pan, zoom, orbit) offers Fusion (default), Alias, Inventor or SolidWorks per the Preferences reference. The same page also describes a PowerMill preset with its own Default Orbit type. There is no Tinkercad or Gesture preset in the docs. The preset mappings the docs spell out:
| Preset | Zoom | Pan | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion | Roll the middle mouse button, or Ctrl+Shift+middle mouse button | Middle mouse button | Shift+middle mouse button |
| Alias | Shift+Alt+right mouse button | Shift+Alt+middle mouse button | Shift+Alt+left mouse button |
| Inventor (Windows only) | F3+left mouse button | F2+left mouse button | F4+left mouse button |
| PowerMill | Roll the middle mouse button | Shift+middle mouse button | Middle mouse button |
See the ViewCube and Preferences pages in Getting Started for more.
Workspace switching and Autodesk Assistant#
- Ctrl+[ moves up the workspace list and Ctrl+] moves down it.
- Windows only: Shift+H opens or closes Autodesk Assistant; Ctrl++ zooms in and Ctrl+- zooms out.
Selection#
The reference documents the selection mode keys (1 Window, 2 Freeform, 3 Paint). The Selection help adds that Selection Priority tools filter to bodies, faces, edges or components (only one active at a time; clicking the active tool again removes the filter), and that Select Through lets Window and Freeform selection pick hidden objects.
Note: not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation: the modifier-click behavior listed in earlier drafts (Ctrl+click add/remove, Shift+click ranges, left-to-right versus right-to-left window direction, Tab cycling, Alt-click selection stack). Try them in your build or check the Selection page of the Model help.
Form and Direct Mesh Editing environments#
Direct Mesh Editing contextual environment (same on both platforms): Expand to Face Group Alt+G; Expand to Connected Alt+C; Grow Selection Shift+Up; Shrink Selection Shift+Down; Invert Alt+N.
Form contextual environment:
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Box mode | Alt+1 | Control+1 |
| Toggle Control Frame mode | Alt+2 | Control+2 |
| Toggle Smooth mode | Alt+3 | Control+3 |
| Grow / Shrink selection | Shift+Up / Down | same |
| Loop selection | Double-click an edge, or select and press Alt+P | Control+P |
| Loop grow selection | Alt+O | Control+O |
| Ring selection / ring grow / ring shrink (edges) | Alt+L / K / J | Control+L / K / J |
| Previous U / Next U | Alt+Left / Right | Control+Command+Left / Right |
| Previous V / Next V | Alt+Down / Up | Control+Command+Down / Up |
| Range selection | Alt+M | Control+M |
| Invert selection | Alt+N | Control+N |
| Feature selection (faces) | Alt+H | Control+H |
| Extrude faces or boundary edges | Select, then Alt+drag | Option+drag |
| Extrude and keep creases | Alt+Ctrl+drag | Option+Command+drag |
The Box, Control Frame and Smooth toggles with more than one form body require you to select a body, face, edge or vertex first. Some loop and range selections also have double-click variants; see the reference for the exact gesture per geometry type.
Other workspaces#
| Workspace | Tool | Key (Windows / macOS) |
|---|---|---|
| Generative Design | New Generative Study | N |
| Study Settings | E | |
| Structural Constraints | C | |
| Structural Loads | L | |
| Render | Appearance | A |
| Animation | Transform Components | M |
| Auto Explode All Levels | U | |
| Manual Explode | E | |
| View | Ctrl+R / Command+R | |
| Publish Video | P | |
| Simulation | New Simulation Study | N |
| Settings | E | |
| Structural Constraint / Structural Loads | C / L | |
| Force | F | |
| Thermal Loads | H | |
| Ambient Temperature, Fan, Temperature Thresholds (e-cooling only) | A, F, T | |
| Model View / Groups View / DOF View / Results View | Ctrl+L / G / D / R (Command on macOS) | |
| Manufacture | Generate Toolpath | Ctrl+G / Command+G |
| Duplicate | Ctrl+D / Command+D | |
| Show Log | Ctrl+L / Command+L | |
| Scripts and Add-Ins | Shift+S | |
| Drawing | Projected View | P |
| Move | M | |
| Delete | Delete | |
| Center Mark | C | |
| Dimension | D | |
| Text | T | |
| Balloon | B |
There is no documented default for 3D Print or Additive commands, for Animation playback (Space was removed), or for Fit to sheet in Drawing.
Electronics workspace#
Shortcuts are the same on Windows and macOS unless noted. Several letters repeat because the meaning depends on the editor (schematic, board, library).
| Tool | Key | Tool | Key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activate command line | / | Net / Manual Route | R |
| Add Hole | H | Route Diff Pair | Ctrl+R |
| Add Text | T | Route Multi | Shift+R |
| Bus | B | Run Script | Alt+Shift+S |
| Change | C | Run ULP | Shift+U |
| Delete | Delete (Backspace on macOS) | Shortcut Dialog | S |
| Dimension | D | Pad / Pad Array | O / Shift+O |
| DRC / ERC | Ctrl+D / Ctrl+E | Pin / Pin Array | P / Shift+P |
| Errors | E | SMD / SMD Array | P / Shift+P |
| Flip Board | F | Place Component | A |
| Grid | G | Ripup / Ripup All Polygons | U / Alt+Shift+P |
| Label | Shift+L | Stop | Esc |
| Move | M | Value | V |
| Name | N | Via | Alt+V |
| New Symbol / Footprint / Device / Package 3D | Alt+Ctrl+1 / 2 / 3 / 4 | Zoom to Fit | F6 |
| PCB 3D View | Ctrl+3 | Switch Sch / PCB Doc | Ctrl+1 / Ctrl+2 |
| Next / Previous layer | Ctrl+Down / Up | Copy, Undo, Redo | as in the system table |
On macOS, substitute Command for Ctrl and Option for Alt. Mirror-while-placing and rotate-while-placing keys were removed from this page because the reference does not list them; M is Move and R is Manual Route there. F6 is documented only as Zoom to Fit in the Electronics list. Use the Shortcuts dialog to add your own.
Options reference#
| Option | What it does | Notes/default |
|---|---|---|
| Model Toolbox | Command search popup | S in Design; Shortcut Dialog in Electronics |
| Mouse setup (pan, zoom, orbit) | Chooses the navigation preset | Preferences > General; Fusion (default), Alias, Inventor, SolidWorks |
| Selection Priority / Select Through | Filter and see-through selection | See the Selection help in Model |
| Electronics Shortcuts dialog | New, Edit, Delete shortcuts in Electronics | Design tab, Shortcuts button |
| Platform modifier | Ctrl vs Command, Alt vs Option | Form uses Control on macOS |
Tips and pitfalls#
Warning: Autodesk states that keyboard shortcuts will not work while a text field is active. Click the canvas first.
Warning: Single-key shortcuts depend on workspace and context. E is Extrude in Design, Study Settings in Simulation and Generative Design, Manual Explode in Animation, and Errors in Electronics.
Tip (general guidance): On many laptops function keys such as F6 need Fn. Check your keyboard's function-key mode.
Practice exercise#
- Open a new design and press S to open the Model Toolbox. Search for "extrude".
- Create a sketch from the toolbar, then draw a rectangle (R), a circle (C) and dimension it (D).
- Finish the sketch from the toolbar, press E to extrude a profile, then Q to press-pull a face.
- Press V to toggle visibility of a selected body and Shift+N to display component colors.
- Open Preferences > General and try the Alias mouse setup, then return to Fusion.
Expected result: you can start the common commands from the keyboard and know which table to check for other workspaces.
Related#
- Marking menu and customization (this section)
- Commands index (this section)
- ViewCube and navigation (Getting Started)
- Preferences (Getting Started)
- Sketch basics (Sketching)