10 Figma Hotkeys That Save Up to an Hour a Day

Working in Figma can be significantly faster if you master hotkeys. Professional designers who use shortcuts save up to 40 minutes of work time every day. In a month, that adds up to 20 hours — almost three full workdays!

Let’s break down 10 indispensable combinations that will make your work maximally efficient.

1. Quick Actions — Ctrl + / (Cmd + /)

This is the command center of Figma, giving you access to any action in the program. Instead of searching for a function in the menu, just start typing the action name, and Figma will find it instantly.

Usage Examples:

• Type “Auto Layout” — instantly apply auto layout
• Type “Export” — quickly export an object
• Search for a plugin — launch it in seconds

Time Saved: 5-10 minutes a day searching for functions in menus

2. Smart Duplication — Ctrl + D (Cmd + D)

Forget about Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V! The combination Ctrl + D (Cmd + D on Mac) duplicates the selected object and remembers the distance you moved it. Pressing it again creates a copy at the same distance from the previous one.

How it works:

1. Select an object
2. Press Ctrl + D
3. Move the copy to the desired distance
4. Press Ctrl + D again — a new copy appears with the same interval

Application: creating card grids, repeating interface elements, lists.

Time Saved: 10-15 minutes a day when working with repeating elements

3. Create Auto Layout — Shift + A

Auto Layout is one of Figma’s most powerful tools for creating responsive interfaces. Instead of a long search in the menu, just select elements and press Shift + A.

Auto Layout Benefits:

• Elements align automatically
• Blocks adapt to changing content
• Easier to hand off layouts to developers

Bonus: Shift + Alt + A removes Auto Layout from the selected object.

Time Saved: 15-20 minutes a day on manual element alignment

4. Color Picker — I (or Ctrl + C)

The I key activates the eyedropper to pick a color from any object on the canvas. This is incredibly convenient for maintaining color consistency in your design.

How to use:

1. Select the object you want to apply color to
2. Press I
3. Click on the object with the desired color
4. The color is applied automatically

Alternative: Select the object with the desired color, press Ctrl + C, then select the target object and paste style.

Time Saved: 5-7 minutes a day searching for and applying colors

5. Show/Hide Grid — Shift + G

Grids are the foundation for creating neat, aligned interfaces. Quickly toggling grid visibility helps you evaluate the design with “fresh eyes” without auxiliary elements.

Grid Types in Figma:

• Grid — for icons and pixel-perfect interfaces
• Columns — the basis of web layouts
• Rows — vertical block control

The combination Shift + G shows/hides all layout grids simultaneously.

Time Saved: 3-5 minutes switching between view modes

6. Quick Shapes — R, O, L, Shift + L

Creating basic shapes with a single keystroke is a real time-saver:

• R — Rectangle
• O — Oval/Circle
• L — Line
• Shift + L — Arrow

Application: creating icons, dividers, pointers.

Time Saved: 5-8 minutes a day switching between tools

7. Lock and Hide Objects — Ctrl + Shift + L / Ctrl + Shift + H

When working with complex layouts, it’s important to protect background elements from accidental movement:

• Ctrl + Shift + L (Cmd + Shift + L) — locks/unlocks selected objects
• Ctrl + Shift + H (Cmd + Shift + H) — hides/shows selected elements

Application:

• Locking background images
• Hiding auxiliary elements during export
• Protecting approved blocks from changes

Time Saved: 10-12 minutes a day fixing accidental moves

8. Navigate Layers — Tab / Shift + Tab

Navigate between elements on the same hierarchy level without using the mouse:

• Tab — select next element
• Shift + Tab — select previous element

Bonus Combinations:

• Enter — select child elements (drill down)
• Shift + Enter or \ — select parent element (go up)

Application: quick navigation through components, editing nested elements.

Time Saved: 8-10 minutes a day on precise object selection

9. Deep Select — Ctrl + Click

When objects are layered, a normal click only selects the top element. Ctrl + Click (Cmd + Click on Mac) allows you to select the object under the cursor, even if it’s under other layers.

Extended function: Ctrl + Right Click opens a layer selection menu with all objects under the cursor.

Application: working with buttons inside frames, editing background elements, selecting icons in complex groups.

Time Saved: 7-10 minutes a day searching for the right layer in the layers panel

10. Create Component — Ctrl + Alt + K (Cmd + Option + K)

Turn an element into a reusable component with one press. Components are the foundation of design systems and consistent interfaces.

Related Shortcuts:

• Ctrl + Alt + O (Cmd + Option + O) — open component library
• Ctrl + Alt + B (Cmd + Option + B) — detach instance from master component

Application: creating buttons, cards, navigation elements that are used repeatedly.

Time Saved: 15-20 minutes a day creating and updating repeating elements

Bonus: Pro Combinations

• Ctrl + . (Cmd + .) — show/hide UI for presentation mode
• Shift + X — swap Fill and Stroke
• Ctrl + Alt + P (Cmd + Option + P) — run last used plugin
• Alt + 1 / Alt + 2 — show only layers / only components in layers panel
• Ctrl + Shift + O (Cmd + Shift + O) — toggle outline mode