You can do everything in livediagram with the mouse, but a few keyboard shortcuts make working on the canvas much faster. This is the short list worth committing to memory. For the complete reference, see keyboard shortcuts.
Switching tools
The canvas tools each have a single-key shortcut, matching the conventions in tools like Figma and Excalidraw:
V: Select tool (click, shift-click, and marquee-select elements).H: Hand tool (drag empty canvas to pan around).P: Freehand (sketch a stroke, kept as drawn).F: Frame (draw a section backdrop that carries its contents).K: Laser pointer (a glowing trail your collaborators see during a presentation).E: Eraser (press, or hold and drag, to delete elements).Z: Zen mode, which hides all the toolbars and panels for distraction-free work. See Zen mode.
Moving the view
You will pan and zoom constantly, and you do not need to leave the Select tool to do it:
- Hold Space and drag to pan from any tool.
- Middle-click and drag to pan as well.
- Pinch on a trackpad or touch screen to zoom; the on-screen zoom buttons sit in the bottom-right of the canvas.
Everyday editing
A few shortcuts cover the actions you repeat most:
Cmd/Ctrl+Zundoes, andCmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z(orCtrl+Y) redoes. The same controls sit in the Tab Activity panel in the bottom-left corner.- Double-click a shape or arrow to edit its text label.
- Tab (with the canvas focused) selects the next element, Shift+Tab the previous, so you can walk a diagram without the mouse. Selection changes are announced to screen readers.
- Escape cancels an in-progress text edit or closes an open dialog.
- Enter commits text, or confirms a dialog.
The editor has a built-in shortcuts dialog: open it from the keyboard button at the bottom-right of the editor, beside Search, to see the full list any time without leaving your diagram. It is a desktop control, so it is not on the bar on a phone.
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