Every shortcut in DrawShot, grouped by the job you're trying to do.
The whole app is built around the keyboard. The toolbar is there so you don't have to remember these — but learn the ones for tools you use most, and your time-to-clipboard drops from ~10 seconds to ~4.
Capture
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘⇧2 |
Region capture (the default) |
⌘⇧5 |
Capture last region again, with the same dimensions |
Esc (during capture) |
Cancel — return cursor without taking a shot |
Why
⌘⇧2?⌘⇧3/⌘⇧4are the macOS native shortcuts. DrawShot defaults to⌘⇧2so your existing muscle memory keeps working. Remap in Preferences → Hotkeys if you'd rather DrawShot take over⌘⇧4.
Tools
All single-key, no modifier. Just press the letter on your keyboard while the canvas is focused.
| Key | Tool | What it does |
|---|---|---|
A |
Arrow | Drag to draw a directional arrow with arrowhead |
R |
Rectangle | Drag to draw a filled or outlined rectangle |
O |
Ellipse | Drag to draw a filled or outlined ellipse / circle |
H |
Highlighter | Drag to overlay a semi-transparent highlight |
L |
Line | Drag to draw a straight line, no arrowhead |
T |
Text | Click to drop a text caption |
B |
Blur | Drag to redact sensitive info (passwords, PII) |
S |
Step marker | Click to drop a numbered circle (auto-increments) |
P |
Pen (freehand) | Click + drag to draw freehand |
V |
Select | Switch back to the select / move tool |
Style
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
1 – 6 |
Switch active color (6-preset palette) |
[ / ] |
Decrease / increase stroke weight |
\ |
Toggle line style: solid → dashed → dotted |
Shift (held while drawing) |
Constrain — 45° angles for lines/arrows, square for rectangles, circle for ellipse |
Option (held while drawing) |
Draw from center outward instead of corner-to-corner |
Edit
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘Z |
Undo |
⌘⇧Z |
Redo |
⌘A |
Select all annotations |
⌘D |
Duplicate selected annotation |
Delete / Backspace |
Delete selected annotation |
Arrow keys |
Nudge selected by 1px |
Shift + arrow |
Nudge by 10px |
Save
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘C |
Copy annotated PNG to clipboard (no file written) |
⌘S |
Save to ~/Pictures/DrawShot/ AND copy to clipboard |
⌘⇧S |
Save As… — file dialog with custom filename + location |
⌘E |
Export — choose PNG / JPEG / WebP (Pro) |
The "save AND copies" behavior is intentional. The clipboard is the destination for 4 out of 5 captures in user testing — saving the file just for archive isn't worth the keystroke without the copy.
Toast stack
The toast stack is the row of small annotation cards at the bottom of your screen. They persist across app switches and survive a crash.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘⇧J |
Jump to most recent toast (open canvas) |
⌘⇧K |
Cycle through toasts |
Shift + click toast |
Re-open canvas without resetting unsaved edits |
⌘⇧⌫ |
Dismiss the focused toast (does not delete the file if saved) |
App / window
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘, |
Open Preferences |
⌘W |
Close annotation canvas (prompts if unsaved) |
⌘Q |
Quit DrawShot |
Esc (in canvas) |
Close canvas — discards unsaved annotations after a 1-sec confirm |
? (in canvas) |
Show this cheat sheet as a floating overlay |
Need a printable version?
The 1-page cheat sheet PDF is in pdfs/keyboard-shortcuts-cheat-sheet.md — render with pandoc, pin near your desk.
drawshot.dev · v1.0 · macOS 13+ · free