Common Modeling Shortcut Commands in SOLIDWORKS – Hawk Ridge Systems

Designing with SOLIDWORKS can sometimes be a long and tedious process. This is why it includes many keyboard shortcuts built into the default installation. These shortcuts range from toolbars to navigation and everything in between and can significantly improve your modeling efficiency. In this article, we’ve curated a list of some of the most beneficial shortcuts that we recommend implementing into your daily workflows.

This is not a complete list of all shortcuts available in SOLIDWORKS. In fact, the entire User Interface can be completely customized to fit your specific needs and preferences. However, this list is a great resource for anyone who is looking to improve their modeling efficiency right out of the box. Most of these can be customized in Tools> Customize.

Image of the customization menu

Display

Arrow Keys	Rotate the view
Alt+Arrow Keys	Rotate about normal to the screen
Shift+Arrow Keys	Rotate the view in 90deg increments
Ctrl+Arrow Keys	Move the View
Shift+Z	Zoom In
Z Key	Zoom Out
F Key	Zoom to Fit
G Key	Magnifying Glass
Ctrl+(1-8)	Each Number will rotate to a different view display. Example: "Ctrl+1" is for Front View
Space Bar	Bring up View Orientation Dialog

Interface

Ctrl+N	New File
Ctrl+O	Open File
Ctrl+W	Close File
Ctrl+S	Save File
Ctrl+B	Rebuild
Ctrl+Q	Complete Rebuild
Ctrl+Tab	Moves between open documents

Windows

Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo
Ctrl+A	Select All
Ctrl+X	Cut
Ctrl+C	Copy
Ctrl+V	Paste
Enter	Repeat Last Command

Selection Filter Toolbar

F5	This will bring up the selection filter toolbar
V Key	Filter Selection by Vertices
E Key	Filter Selection by Edges
X Key	Filter Selection by Faces
F6	Turn off all active filters

Gesture Wheel

Right-click Hold+ Move Mouse: This will select the option located in that direction.

Image showing mouse gesture wheels

This can be set up in the customize options so that when you are holding right-click on the mouse a menu will come up where you can move the mouse in the option you want. You can set the number of gestures to 2, 3, 4, 8, or 12.

Image showing the mouse gesture customization menu

Shortcut Bar

S Key: This will bring up the shortcut toolbar.

Image of the shortcut bar for Sketchs

This will bring up a shortcut toolbar near your mouse. This will vary by file type of Part, Assembly, Drawing, and Sketch. This can be customized as well.

Image showing the shortcut toobar customization menu