Menu shortcuts

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To select menu options, you can press their respective shortcut keys. The following tables list the available menu shortcuts in Microsoft Expression Blend.

File menu

To do this action

Press

Create a new item (UserControl, Window, Page, Resource Dictionary in WPF, Scene in Microsoft Silverlight 1.0, UserControl in Silverlight 2)

CTRL+N

Create a new project

CTRL+SHIFT+N

Open a project or solution (not a site)

CTRL+SHIFT+O

Close the active document

CTRL+W

Close all open documents

CTRL+SHIFT+W

Close solution

CTRL+SHIFT+C

Save the active document

CTRL+S

Save all documents

CTRL+SHIFT+S

Save a copy of the solution or site

CTRL+SHIFT+P

Exit Expression Blend

CTRL+Q

Edit menu

To do this action

Press

Undo the last action

CTRL+Z

Redo the last action that was undone

CTRL+Y or CTRL+SHIFT+Z

Cut

CTRL+X

Copy

CTRL+C

Paste

CTRL+V

Delete

DELETE

Find text (XAML view or JavaScript editor only)

CTRL+F

Find the next occurrence of text (XAML view or JavaScript editor only)

F3

Find the next occurrence of text (XAML view or JavaScript editor only)

CTRL+H

Select all objects

CTRL+A

Select no objects

CTRL+SHIFT+A

View menu

To do this action

Press

Switch between Design, XAML, and Split view

F11

Zoom in on the artboard

CTRL+EQUAL SIGN

Zoom out on the artboard

CTRL+MINUS SIGN

Fit the selection to the screen size

CTRL+0

View the artboard at actual size

CTRL+1

Show or hide handles

F9

Show or hide object boundaries

CTRL+SHIFT+H

Object menu

To do this action

Press

Edit the text in a control

F2

Edit a control (WPF and Silverlight 2 only)

CTRL+E

Make the selected objects the same width

CTRL+SHIFT+1

Make the selected objects the same height

CTRL+SHIFT+2

Make the selected objects the same size

CTRL+SHIFT+9

Flip the selected object horizontally

CTRL+SHIFT+3

Flip the selected object vertically

CTRL+SHIFT+4

Autosize width

CTRL+SHIFT+5

Autosize height

CTRL+SHIFT+6

Group objects into a layout panel

CTRL+G

Ungroup objects

CTRL+SHIFT+G

Bring the selected object to the front

CTRL+SHIFT+]

Bring forward

CTRL+]

Send the selected object to the back

CTRL+SHIFT+[

Send backward

CTRL+[

Make a clipping path

CTRL+7

Release a clipping path

CTRL+SHIFT+7

Make a compound path

CTRL+8

Release a compound path

CTRL+SHIFT+8

Lock selection

CTRL+L

Unlock all objects

CTRL+SHIFT+L

Show selection

CTRL+T

Hide selection

CTRL+3

Project menu

To do this action

Press

Add an existing item to the project

CTRL+I

Add a reference to a DLL (WPF and Silverlight 2 only)

ALT+SHIFT+R

Build the solution (WPF and Silverlight 2 only)

CTRL+SHIFT+B

Test the project or site

F5

Tools menu

To do this action

Press

Make a user control from the selected objects (WPF and Silverlight 2 only)

F8

Window menu

To do this action

Press

Switch between Animation and Design workspace

F6

Show or hide Results panel

F12

Show or hide panels

F4 or TAB

Reset the active workspace layout

CTRL+SHIFT+R

Help menu

To do this action

Press

View the User Guide

F1

Miscellaneous

To do this action

Press

Constrain proportions of objects being drawn or transformed

Hold SHIFT

Nudge selected objects

arrow keys

Pan the workspace

Hold SPACEBAR

Show the Asset Library (from Toolbox)

CTRL+PERIOD

Switch between open documents

CTRL+TAB

Select multiple objects

Hold CTRL

Select multiple adjacent objects

Hold SHIFT

Zoom in and out on the artboard

CTRL+MOUSE WHEEL

Move the artboard left and right

SHIFT+MOUSE WHEEL

Move the artboard up and down

MOUSE WHEEL