Adobe is known for its software suite and web applications that let people create, view, and edit files of various formats. Adobe Acrobat is by far the most popular program. It’s how people view, create, manipulate, print, and manage Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
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PDF files are the best way to share documents securely and universally. However, using Adobe Acrobat can be a drag, especially when you try to click through various menu options to accomplish your desired goals. But, with this list of common keyboard shortcuts, you can navigate Adobe Acrobat, edit PDF files, and even use Acrobat’s built-in accessibility features.
| Windows/Linux | macOS | Function |
|---|---|---|
| General Navigation | ||
| Alt + F4 | Opens the Hamburger Menu (Windows only). | |
| Shift + F8 | Shift + F8 | Navigate the other controls in the top bar (Home, Tools, Document). |
| Right/Left Arrow | Right/Left Arrow | Navigate through the other controls in the top bar (Home, Tools, Document). |
| Enter | Return | Select a highlighted control in the top bar. |
| Ctrl + Tab | Control + Tab | Move to the next open document tab when multiple documents are open in the same window. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Control + Shift + Tab | Move to the previous open document tab when multiple documents are open in the same window. |
| Ctrl + F6 | Cmd + F6 | Move to the next open document window when the focus is on the document pane. |
| Ctrl + Shift + F6 | Cmd + Shift + F6 | Move to the previous open document window when the focus is on the document pane. |
| Ctrl + F4 | Cmd + F4 | Close the current document. |
| Tab | Tab | Move the focus to the next comment, link, or form field in the document pane. |
| Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab | Move the focus to the document pane’s previous comment, link, or form field. |
| F5 | F5 | Move the focus to the Document pane. |
| Spacebar | Spacebar | Activate the selected tool, item (such as a movie clip or bookmark), or command. |
| Esc | Esc | Return to the Hand tool or Select tool. |
| Ctrl + F | Cmd + F | Open “Find in Document” search. |
| F3 | Cmd + G | Move to the next search result and highlight it in the document. |
| Shift + F3 | Shift + Cmd + G | Move to the previous search result and highlight it in the document. |
| Navigating a PDF | ||
| Page Up or Shift + Enter | Page Up or Shift + Return | Move to the previous screen. |
| Page Down or Enter | Page Down or Return | Move to the next screen. |
| Home or Shift + Ctrl + Page Up | Home or Shift + Cmd + Up Arrow | Go to the first page. |
| End or Shift + Ctrl + Page Down | End or Shift + Cmd + Down Arrow | Go to the last page. |
| Left Arrow | Left Arrow | Move to the previous page. |
| Right Arrow | Right Arrow | Move to the next page. |
| Ctrl + F6 | Cmd + F6 | Go to the next open document. |
| Shift + Ctrl + F6 | Shift + Cmd + F6 | Go to next open document. |
| Up Arrow | Up Arrow | Scroll up. |
| Down Arrow | Down Arrow | Scroll down. |
| Ctrl + Equal (=) | Cmd + Equal (=) | Zoom in. |
| Ctrl + Hypen (-) | Cmd + Hypen (-) | Zoom out. |
| Selecting Tools | | |
| H | H | Enable Hand Tool. |
| Spacebar | Spacebar | Temporarily select the Hand Tool. |
| V | V | Enable Select Tool. |
| Z | Z | Enable the Marquee Zoom Tool. |
| Shift + Z | Shift + Z | Cycle through zoom tools (Marquee Zoom, Dynamic Zoom, Loupe). |
| R | R | Select Object tool. |
| A | A | Enter/Exit Forms editing. |
| C | C | Enable Crop Tool. |
| L | L | Enable Link Tool. |
| T | T | Open the Edit Document Text tool. |
| Shift + F | Shift + F | Cycle through tools in forms authoring mode (Text Field, Check Box, Radio Button, List Box, Dropdown Box, Button, Digital Signature, Barcode). |
| Shift + Ctrl + T | Shift + Cmd + T | Open Insert Blank Pages tool. |
| Ctrl + Shift + I | Cmd + Shift + I | Insert files. |
| Ctrl + Shift + D | Cmd + Shift + D | Delete pages. |
| Comments (Sticky Note Tool) | | |
| E | E | Use the currently selected highlighting tool. |
| K | K | Open Stamp tool. |
| U | U | Use currently selected highlighting tool. |
| Shift + U | | Cycle through all highlighting tools (Highlighter, Underline Text, Cross Out Text). |
| D | D | Use the current drawing markup tool. |
| Shift + D | | Cycle through drawing markup tools (Cloud, Arrow, Line, Rectangle, Oval, Polygon Line, Polygon, Pencil Tool, Eraser Tool). |
| Q | | Access Cloud tool. |
| X | X | Open the Text Box tool. |
| J | J | Use the currently selected Stamp or Attach tool. |
| Shift + J | Shift + J | Cycle through Stamp, Attach File, Record Audio Comment tools. |
| Tab | Tab | Move focus to the next comment or form field. |
| Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab | Move focus to the previous comment or form field. |
| Shift + K | Shift + K | Add a checkmark in the Comments List for the selected comment. |
| Enter | Return | Reply to the comment in the Comments List, that has the focus. |
| R | R | Reply to the comment in the Comments List that has the focus. |
| Esc | Esc | Close or exit pop-up (or text field in the Comments List) for comment that has the focus. |
| Accessibility | ||
| F2 | F2 | Edit Tag |
| Shift + Ctrl + 5 | Shift + Cmd + 5 | Change reading settings for the current document. |
| Ctrl + 4 | Cmnd + 4 | Reflow a tagged PDF, and return to unreflowed view. |
| Shift + Ctrl + Y | Shift + Cmd + Y | Activate and deactivate Read Out Loud. |
| Shift + Ctrl + V | Shift + Cmd + V | Read only the current page out loud. |
| Shift + Ctrl + B | Shift + Cmd + B | Read out loud from the current page to the end of the document. |
| Shift + Ctrl + C | Shift + Cmd + C | Pause reading out loud. |
| Shift + Ctrl + E | Shift + Cmd + E | Stop reading out loud. |
Image credit: Canva. Alterations made by Megan Glosson.
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