SolidWorks Keyboard Shortcuts

Q: Why does Z zoom out instead of in?

That is how the shipped map is defined: Z is Zoom Out and Shift + Z is Zoom In. It matches the convention of a lowercase key doing the “less” action, but it does catch out most people once.

Q: What is the difference between a Ctrl + B and a Ctrl + Q rebuild?

Ctrl + B rebuilds only features affected by your last change. Ctrl + Q forces a complete regeneration of every feature in the document, which is slower but resolves stale geometry that a normal rebuild leaves alone.

Q: How do I get to a part buried deep in an assembly?

Hover over what is in the way and press Tab to hide it; repeat until the target is exposed. Shift + Tab reveals a hidden component under the cursor and Ctrl + Shift + Tab restores everything at once.

File 6

Ctrl + N

New

Creates a new part, assembly, or drawing.

Ctrl + O

Open

Opens an existing document.

R

Browse Recent Documents

Opens the recent-files browser.

Ctrl + W

Closes the active document.

Ctrl + S

Save

Saves the active document.

Ctrl + P

Prints the active document.

Edit & Rebuild 13

Ctrl + Z

Undo

Undoes the last action.

Ctrl + Y

Redo

Redoes the last undone action.

Enter

Repeat Last Command

Runs the previous command again.

Ctrl + A

Select All

Selects everything in the active context.

Ctrl + X

Cut

Cuts the selection.

Ctrl + C

Copy

Copies the selection.

Ctrl + V

Paste

Pastes the clipboard contents.

Delete

Delete

Deletes the selection.

Ctrl + B

Rebuild

Rebuilds changed features only.

Ctrl + Q

Force Regen

Forces a full rebuild of every feature.

Ctrl + Shift + C

Copy Appearance

Copies appearance from the selection.

Ctrl + Shift + V

Paste Appearance

Applies the copied appearance.

Ctrl + F

Find/Replace

Opens find and replace.

View & Orientation 17

F

Zoom to Fit

Fits the model to the graphics area.

Z

Zoom Out

Zooms out one step.

Shift + Z

Zoom In

Zooms in one step.

Ctrl + Shift + Z

Previous View

Returns to the previous camera position.

G

Magnified Selection

Opens the magnifying glass for precise picking.

Spacebar

Orientation

Opens the view orientation dialog.

Ctrl + Spacebar

View Selector

Opens the 3D view selector cube.

Ctrl + R

Redraw

Redraws the graphics area.

Ctrl + 1

Front

Front view.

Ctrl + 2

Back

Back view.

Ctrl + 3

Left

Left view.

Ctrl + 4

Right

Right view.

Ctrl + 5

Top

Top view.

Ctrl + 6

Bottom

Bottom view.

Ctrl + 7

Isometric

Isometric view.

Ctrl + 8

Normal To

Looks straight at the selected face or plane.

F11

Full Screen

Toggles full-screen mode.

Selection & Filters 13

S

Shortcut Bar

Opens the context-sensitive shortcut bar at the cursor.

A

Command Option Toggle

Cycles options of the running command.

D

Move Controls to Pointer

Brings the confirmation corner and dimension palette to the cursor.

F5

Toggle Selection Filter Toolbar

Shows or hides the filter toolbar.

F6

Toggle Selection Filters

Turns the active filters on or off.

E

Filter Edges

Restricts picking to edges.

V

Filter Vertices

Restricts picking to vertices.

X

Filter Faces

Restricts picking to faces.

N

Next Edge

Steps to the next edge in a chain.

Y

Accept Edge

Accepts the highlighted edge.

Tab

Hide Hovered Component

Hides whatever the cursor is over.

Shift + Tab

Show Hovered Component

Shows a hidden component under the cursor.

Ctrl + Shift + Tab

Show All Hidden

Reveals every hidden component or body.

Tree & Interface 13

C

Expand/Collapse Tree

Toggles the FeatureManager tree.

Shift + C

Collapse All Items

Collapses every node in the tree.

Ctrl + T

Show Flat Tree View

Switches the tree to flat view.

Home

Scroll Tree to Top

Jumps to the top of the FeatureManager tree.

End

Scroll Tree to Bottom

Jumps to the bottom of the FeatureManager tree.

F3

Quick Snaps

Opens the quick snaps menu.

F7

Spell Checker

Runs the spell checker.

F8

Hide/Show Display Pane

Toggles the display pane in the tree.

F9

FeatureManager Tree Area

Collapses or restores the tree panel.

F10

Toolbars

Shows or hides toolbars.

Ctrl + F1

Task Pane

Toggles the task pane.

Ctrl + Page Down

Next CommandManager Tab

Moves to the next CommandManager tab.

Ctrl + Page Up

Previous CommandManager Tab

Moves to the previous CommandManager tab.

Sketch Tools 1

L

Line

Starts the Line tool.

Search 5

H

Search SOLIDWORKS Help

Searches the help system.

W

Search Commands

Searches commands by name.

I

Search Files and Models

Searches indexed files and models.

K

Search Knowledge Base

Searches the knowledge base.

O

Search Community Forum

Searches the community forum.

📜 Source: SOLIDWORKS Default Keyboard Shortcuts export. Every shortcut below comes from the default keyboard map SOLIDWORKS itself exports from Tools › Customize › Keyboard. Checked 2026-08-02.

📄 View Printable Cheat Sheet — Download as PDF or print

No shortcuts found

S is the shortcut that replaces the other shortcuts

If you learn one key in SOLIDWORKS, learn S. It opens the Shortcut Bar right at the cursor, and its contents change depending on whether you are in a part, an assembly, a drawing or a sketch. That context sensitivity is the point: instead of memorising a separate key for every feature, you get the relevant handful wherever your mouse already is. It also explains why SOLIDWORKS ships with fewer single-letter command keys than you might expect — the Shortcut Bar and mouse gestures absorb most of that job, and Dassault leaves the letters free for you to assign.

View keys, and the one that trips everyone up

The standard views are a clean numeric run: Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 7 give front, back, left, right, top, bottom and isometric, and Ctrl + 8 looks straight at whatever face or plane you have selected. F fits the model to the window. The trap is zoom: Z zooms out and Shift + Z zooms in, which is the reverse of what most people guess on the first try. Ctrl + Shift + Z returns to the previous view, and G opens the magnifying glass for picking a small edge in a dense assembly without changing the camera at all.

Selection filters and the Tab trick

Two groups of keys turn a crowded assembly into something workable. The filters — E for edges, V for vertices, X for faces, with F6 to switch them all off — stop you picking the wrong entity type when geometry overlaps. Then Tab hides whatever component the cursor is hovering over, Shift + Tab brings one back, and Ctrl + Shift + Tab restores everything. Hovering and tapping Tab repeatedly is the fastest way to dig down to a part buried inside three sub-assemblies. Rebuild has a pair too: Ctrl + B rebuilds what changed, Ctrl + Q forces every feature to rebuild, which is what you reach for when the model looks wrong but no error is reported.

Frequently asked questions

Why does `Z` zoom out instead of in?

That is how the shipped map is defined: Z is Zoom Out and Shift + Z is Zoom In. It matches the convention of a lowercase key doing the “less” action, but it does catch out most people once.

Are there default single-letter shortcuts for Extrude, Revolve or Smart Dimension?

No. SOLIDWORKS does not assign default keys to those commands. Cheat sheets that show Ctrl + E for Extrude or D for Smart Dimension are describing custom maps — in the shipped map D moves the on-screen controls to your pointer. Assign your own under Tools › Customize › Keyboard if you want them.

What does the `S` key show?

A floating, context-sensitive Shortcut Bar at the cursor. Its contents differ between part, assembly, drawing and sketch mode, and you can customise each of the four independently.

What is the difference between a `Ctrl + B` and a `Ctrl + Q` rebuild?

Ctrl + B rebuilds only features affected by your last change. Ctrl + Q forces a complete regeneration of every feature in the document, which is slower but resolves stale geometry that a normal rebuild leaves alone.

How do I get to a part buried deep in an assembly?

Hover over what is in the way and press Tab to hide it; repeat until the target is exposed. Shift + Tab reveals a hidden component under the cursor and Ctrl + Shift + Tab restores everything at once.

Does SOLIDWORKS have Mac shortcuts?

SOLIDWORKS runs on Windows only, so every key here is a Windows key. Under Parallels or Boot Camp a Mac keyboard maps Command to Ctrl, so Ctrl + S becomes Command + S and so on.

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