SketchUp Keyboard Shortcuts
SketchUp was designed from the outset to be approachable for non-specialists, and its shortcuts reflect that goal directly — nearly every core tool is a single unmodified letter chosen to be at least loosely mnemonic (L for Line, P for Push/Pull, M for Move), a sharp contrast to denser professional CAD tools that lean on modifier-heavy chord combinations. The Push/Pull tool is SketchUp's signature feature, letting you extrude a flat 2D face into a 3D volume with a single drag, and its shortcut is one of the first things any new user is taught. Windows and Mac share nearly identical single-letter tool bindings since most of them aren't modifier-based to begin with, though a handful of view and selection shortcuts do differ by OS convention. This page suits hobbyists, woodworkers, and design professionals using SketchUp for quick, approachable 3D modeling rather than someone comparing it against dense professional CAD tools like AutoCAD or SolidWorks, since SketchUp's entire design philosophy trades some of that density for a shallower learning curve. Because so many of its shortcuts are single unmodified letters, they're worth learning in the specific order a typical modeling session actually uses them: draw a flat shape with Line or Rectangle, extrude it with Push/Pull, then refine with Move, Rotate, or Scale — that sequence mirrors how the tool was designed to be used rather than being an arbitrary list.
Drawing Tools
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line tool | L | L | Activates the Line tool for drawing straight edges point to point, the fundamental building block for constructing flat faces in SketchUp. |
| Rectangle tool | R | R | Activates the Rectangle tool for drawing a four-sided flat face in one drag, commonly the starting shape before extruding into a 3D volume. |
| Circle tool | C | C | Activates the Circle tool for drawing a circular face; typing a number immediately after clicking the center adjusts the number of segments used to approximate the circle. |
| Arc tool | A | A | Activates the 2-point Arc tool for drawing curved edges, commonly used for rounded corners or archways in architectural models. |
| Polygon tool | No default single letter — Draw menu | Same | Draws a regular multi-sided polygon face by specifying a center point, number of sides, and radius, useful for hexagonal or octagonal shapes that would otherwise take many individual line segments to construct manually. |
Modification Tools
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Push/Pull tool | P | P | SketchUp's signature tool — clicking and dragging a flat face extrudes or indents it into a 3D volume, the fastest way to turn a 2D outline into a solid shape without manual point-by-point extrusion. |
| Move tool | M | M | Activates the Move tool for repositioning selected geometry; holding Ctrl (Option on Mac) while moving instead creates a copy, leaving the original in place. |
| Rotate tool | Q | Q | Activates the Rotate tool, which requires clicking to set a rotation center point and axis before dragging to define the rotation angle, a two-step process distinct from simpler single-drag tools. |
| Scale tool | S | S | Activates the Scale tool, showing draggable grip points around the selection's bounding box for resizing uniformly or along a single axis. |
| Offset tool | F | F | Creates a parallel copy of a selected face's edges at a specified distance inward or outward, commonly used for creating a border, frame, or consistent wall thickness from an existing outline. |
View Navigation
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orbit tool | O | O | Activates the Orbit tool for rotating the 3D view around the model, though most users instead orbit directly with a middle-mouse-button drag without switching tools explicitly. |
| Zoom to fit entire model | Shift+Z | Shift+Z | Adjusts the camera so the entire model fits within the visible viewport, the fastest way to find a model you've zoomed or panned away from entirely. |
| Pan tool | H | H | Activates the Pan tool for dragging the view sideways without rotating; most users instead pan with a middle-mouse-button drag combined with Shift, achieving the same effect without switching tools. |
| Jump to a standard view (Top, Front, etc.) | Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+6 (varies by toolbar setup) | Same | Snaps the camera to one of SketchUp's standard orthographic viewing angles (Top, Front, Right, and so on), useful for precise alignment work or exporting a clean elevation view without manually orbiting to the exact correct angle. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Push/Pull sometimes create a new separate shape instead of extruding my existing face?
Push/Pull only extrudes cleanly when the face being dragged is a genuinely flat, bounded face recognized by SketchUp's geometry engine. If the face isn't properly closed (a tiny gap in the surrounding edges) or isn't actually planar, SketchUp may fail to extrude it as expected or behave unpredictably, which is one of the most common early frustrations for new users coming from other 3D tools.
What's the difference between the Move tool creating a copy versus actually moving geometry?
The Move tool relocates the original selected geometry by default. Holding Ctrl (Windows) or Option (Mac) while dragging with Move instead leaves the original in place and creates a duplicate at the new location — an easy way to quickly array or duplicate objects along a line without a separate copy-paste step.
Why do typed numbers after a shortcut sometimes change the tool's behavior?
Many SketchUp tools support the Value Control Box — after starting an action like drawing a line or circle, typing a number and pressing Enter overrides the freehand drag with a precise numeric value (exact length, exact radius, exact number of circle segments), a workflow unique to SketchUp's 'type as you go' approach to precision rather than requiring a separate numeric input dialog.
What's the practical use of the Offset tool beyond just drawing a smaller shape manually?
Offset guarantees a mathematically exact, uniform distance from the original outline at every point, including around curves and corners, which is extremely difficult to replicate manually by eye — this makes it the standard tool for tasks like turning a floor plan outline into a wall with consistent thickness, or adding a picture-frame-style border around an existing shape.
Why would I use the numbered standard-view shortcuts instead of just orbiting manually to a similar angle?
Manually orbiting to what looks like a top-down or front-facing view is never perfectly exact, which matters for tasks like producing a clean elevation drawing or checking true alignment between objects — the standard view shortcuts snap the camera to a mathematically precise orthographic angle instantly, guaranteeing the view is exactly square to the model rather than approximately close.
Is there a shortcut for orbiting the 3D view around the model's center in SketchUp?
Yes — the Orbit tool (O) lets you click and drag to rotate the camera around the current model, and pressing Shift while orbiting temporarily switches to panning instead, letting you reposition your view of a scene without needing to release the mouse button and switch tools manually.