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Adobe XD Essential Cheatsheet

Master Adobe XD with this quick reference covering core tools, keyboard shortcuts, and prototyping essentials. Speed up your workflow and design like a pro.

Getting Started & Basic Tools

Tool Panel Shortcuts

V

Select Tool
(Selection & Transformation)

A

Direct Select Tool
(Select points on a path or within groups)

R

Rectangle Tool

E

Ellipse Tool

L

Line Tool

P

Pen Tool

T

Text Tool

Z

Zoom Tool
(Space to Pan)

Selection & Transformation

`Cmd + C` / `Ctrl + C`

Copy

`Cmd + V` / `Ctrl + V`

Paste

`Cmd + D` / `Ctrl + D`

Duplicate

`Cmd + Shift + V` / `Ctrl + Shift + V`

Paste in Place

`Cmd + G` / `Ctrl + G`

Group Objects

`Cmd + Shift + G` / `Ctrl + Shift + G`

Ungroup Objects

`Shift + Drag`

Maintain Aspect Ratio / Constrain Movement

`Option + Drag` / `Alt + Drag`

Duplicate Object while Dragging

`Cmd + [` / `Ctrl + [`

Send Backward

`Cmd + ]` / `Ctrl + ]`

Bring Forward

Creating & Editing Shapes

Click and drag with Rectangle (R), Ellipse (E), or Line (L) tools to draw shapes.

Hold Shift while drawing to constrain proportions (perfect square/circle).

Hold Option / Alt while drawing from the center.

Use the Pen Tool (P) to create custom paths and shapes.

  • Click for sharp corners.
  • Click and drag for curved points.

Double-click a shape with the Select Tool (V) to enter edit mode (using the Direct Select Tool (A) automatically).

Use the corner radius handles to round corners. Hold Option / Alt while dragging a corner handle to adjust only that corner.

Combine shapes using Boolean operations (Add, Subtract, Intersect, Exclude Overlap) in the Properties Panel.

Right-click on a shape > “Convert to Path” to gain more control over anchor points with the Direct Select Tool.

Canvas & Artboard Navigation

`Cmd + 0` / `Ctrl + 0`

Zoom to fit All Artboards

`Cmd + 1` / `Ctrl + 1`

Zoom to 100% (Actual Size)

`Cmd + 2` / `Ctrl + 2`

Zoom to fit Selected Object/Artboard

`Cmd + +` / `Ctrl + +`

Zoom In

`Cmd + -` / `Ctrl + -`

Zoom Out

`Space` + Drag

Pan Canvas

`Shift` + Scroll

Scroll Horizontally

Objects, Text & Appearance

Object Manipulation & Alignment

`Cmd + L` / `Ctrl + L`

Lock Selected Objects

`Cmd + Shift + L` / `Ctrl + Shift + L`

Unlock All Objects

`Cmd + Shift + [` / `Ctrl + Shift + [`

Send to Back

`Cmd + Shift + ]` / `Ctrl + Shift + ]`

Bring to Front

`Shift + Click`

Add/Remove from Selection

`Cmd + A` / `Ctrl + A`

Select All

`Cmd + Option + A` / `Ctrl + Alt + A`

Select All on Artboard

Alignment Icons

Align selected objects to Top, Middle, Bottom, Left, Center, Right (in Properties Panel)

Distribution Icons

Distribute selected objects Horizontally or Vertically (in Properties Panel)

Text Editing Shortcuts

`Cmd + T` / `Ctrl + T`

Create Text Layer
(if Text Tool (T) is not active)

Double-click Text Layer

Enter Text Edit Mode

`Enter` (Numpad) / `Esc`

Exit Text Edit Mode

`Cmd + B` / `Ctrl + B`

Bold Text (if supported by font)

`Cmd + I` / `Ctrl + I`

Italicize Text (if supported by font)

`Cmd + U` / `Ctrl + U`

Underline Text

`Option + Left/Right Arrow` / `Alt + Left/Right Arrow`

Adjust Kerning (letter spacing)

`Option + Up/Down Arrow` / `Alt + Up/Down Arrow`

Adjust Leading (line spacing)

Appearance Panel & Fills/Borders

The Properties Panel on the right contains all appearance options for a selected object.

Toggle Fill, Border, Shadow, Background Blur on/off with checkboxes.

Click the Color Swatch to open the Color Picker. Use the Eyedropper tool (I) to sample colors from anywhere on the canvas.

Choose Solid Color, Linear Gradient, Radial Gradient, or Angular Gradient from the Fill dropdown.

Adjust Border Stroke properties: Size, Dashes, Gaps, Caps, Corners.

Shadows: Adjust X, Y offset, Blur, and Color. Use Shift while dragging the shadow handle on the object to constrain movement.

Background Blur: Applies a blur effect to content behind the selected object, useful for frosted glass effects.

Adjust Opacity using the slider or input field.

Color & Gradient Shortcuts

I

Eyedropper Tool
(Sample colors)

Click Color Swatch

Open Color Picker

`Shift + Click` Gradient Stop

Select multiple stops

`Cmd + Click` / `Ctrl + Click` Gradient Line

Add a new stop to the gradient

Drag color from Swatches

Apply color to an object or text

Drag gradient from Swatches

Apply gradient to an object

Right-click Color/Gradient in Swatches

Edit, Rename, Delete Swatch

Click '+' in Swatches

Add selected object’s Fill/Border color or gradient as a swatch

Prototyping & Components

Prototyping Basics

P

Switch to Prototype Tab

D

Switch to Design Tab

Click Object in Prototype Tab

Show interaction handles

Drag handle to Artboard

Create a basic Tap transition

`Cmd + Enter` / `Ctrl + Enter`

Preview Prototype

Click Home Icon on Artboard

Set as Home Artboard (start of flow)

Wire Mode

View all connections on canvas (toggle in Prototype tab toolbar)

Add multiple interactions

Select object, use ‘+’ button in Properties panel

Interaction Settings

Trigger: Event that starts the interaction (Tap, Drag, Keys & Gamepad, Time, Voice).

Action: What happens when the trigger occurs (Transition, Auto-Animate, Overlay, Scroll To, Playback, Speak, Previous Artboard, Go Home, Hyperlink).

Destination: Artboard to navigate to, or overlay artboard.

Transition: Controls the animation type (Dissolve, Slide, Push, Zoom, None).

Easing: Animation curve (Ease Out, Ease In, Ease In-Out, Snap, Bounce, Wind Up, Back). Affects how the animation speeds up or slows down.

Duration: Length of the animation in seconds.

Auto-Animate: Automatically animates changes in properties (position, size, color, rotation) between artboards for layers with the same name.

Overlay: Displays an artboard on top of the current one, useful for menus, modals, etc. Requires setting overlay position.

Scroll To: Scrolls to a specific element on a longer artboard. Useful for anchor links.

Components & States

Components are reusable elements. Changes to the Master Component update all Instances.

Right-click an object or group > “Make Component” (Cmd + K / Ctrl + K). The Master Component has a green diamond.

Instances have a green diamond outline. Instances can have property overrides (text, color, size, etc.) without detaching.

Right-click Instance > “Reset to Master Component” to remove overrides.

Right-click Instance > “Detach Component” to break the link to the Master.

States: Components can have multiple visual states (e.g., Default, Hover, Pressed, Active).

In the Properties panel, click ‘+’ under Component to add new states (New State, Hover State, Toggle State).

Edit properties (appearance, size, position) while in a specific state. These changes only affect that state.

Use states in Prototype mode: select an object within a component instance on an artboard, then set up an interaction (e.g., Tap) with Action: “Change State” and select the desired state.

Auto Animate Tips

Key to Auto-Animate: Layers must have the exact same name on both the start and end artboards.

Rename layers in the Layers panel (Cmd + Y / Ctrl + Y).

Copy layers between artboards to ensure names are preserved (Cmd+C, Cmd+Shift+V).

Auto-Animate works for changes in Position, Size, Rotation, Opacity, Color, Stroke, Corner Radius, and Boolean groups.

Change Action to “Auto-Animate” in the Prototype panel after dragging an interaction handle.

Experiment with different Easing options (like Snap, Bounce, Wind Up) for fun effects.

Use Auto-Animate to create micro-interactions, loading states, animated transitions, and more.

Objects that appear/disappear between artboards will fade in/out unless nested within a group that exists on both artboards.

Collaboration & Export

Sharing & Collaboration

`Cmd + Shift + E` / `Ctrl + Shift + E`

Share for Review (opens Share mode)

Share Button (Top Right)

Publish Prototype, Design Specs, Private Review

Invite to Edit

Collaborate on the same cloud document (requires Creative Cloud)

Commenting

View and add comments in the shared prototype link

Design Specs

Generate link for developers with measurements, assets, and code snippets (CSS, SASS, LESS).

Record Prototype

Record interaction flow as a video (Cmd + Enter / Ctrl + Enter in Preview, then click Record icon).

Offline Access

Cloud documents require internet to sync, but you can work offline and sync later.

Exporting Assets

`Cmd + E` / `Ctrl + E`

Export Selected

`Cmd + Option + E` / `Ctrl + Alt + E`

Export All Artboards

Mark for Export

Select object, click Export icon in Properties panel or right-click > Mark for Export

Batch Export

Use Cmd + E / Ctrl + E, select ‘All Assets’, choose formats and scales.

Formats

PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF

Export Settings

Choose sizes (@1x, @2x, @3x, or platform-specific iOS, Android, Web)

Vector Export (SVG)

Exports vector shapes as SVG. Ensure objects are paths or text, not bitmaps.

Background Transparency

Export as PNG for transparency. JPG does not support transparency.

Naming

Assets are named based on their layer names.

Plugins & Integrations

Plugins extend Adobe XD’s functionality (automation, content generation, third-party integrations).

Browse and install plugins from the Discover Plugins menu (Shift + Cmd + P / Shift + Ctrl + P).

Installed plugins appear in the Plugins panel (Shift + Cmd + P / Shift + Ctrl + P).

Popular integrations include Jira, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams (for sharing links).

Common plugin categories: Asset Management, Productivity, Development, Content Generation (e.g., Lorem Ipsum, Unsplash).

Manage installed plugins: Update or remove plugins via the Plugins panel menu.

Some plugins require external accounts or setup.

Check plugin documentation for specific usage instructions and shortcuts.