Select, Zoom & Pan Tools
Artboard uses a single direct Select [s] tool to select objects, move, rotate, move path points, change shapes, and more. With the Select [s] tool, click or drag over object(s) to select.
Artboard offers flexible options to pan and zoom your drawing.
Choose Select Tool

To choose the Select [s] tool, do one of the following:
- Click on the Select tool in the Tools palette, or
- When another drawing tool is active, click the [s] keyboard shortcut, or
- When another tool is active, click the
ESC
key to end editing (as needed) and return to the Select tool.
Select Objects
Choose the Select [s] tool, then do one of the following:
- Click onto an object in the active drawing layer, or
- Drag a selection box around multiple objects in the active layer.
HINT: Hold the SHIFT
key or COMMAND
key and click to add or remove additional objects to the selection.
Move Objects

With the Select [s] tool, press onto an object and drag to move it.
- To contain the angle of movement while moving objects, hold
SHIFT
+COMMAND
keys while dragging.
HINT: To nudge objects, select the object(s) and use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move incrementally in any direction.
1. Zoom In

Artboard drawings open at 100% zoom. To change the zoom, do any one of the following:
- Click the magnifying glass Zoom In tool and press-and-drag onto your drawing over the area you want to enlarge, or
- To temporarily enable Zoom In while another drawing tool is active, hold the
Z
key while any other drawing tool is active, or - With the Zoom In tool, click once on the drawing canvas to enlarge the drawing a click at a time, or
- Use your trackpad pinch-to-zoom gesture to zoom the main view, or
- Use the trackpad two-finger double-tap gesture to ‘Zoom To Selection’ if there is a selection, or ‘Zoom To Fit Window’ if there isn’t, or
- Double-click the Pan tool to ‘Fit-to window’, or
- Double-click the Zoom In / Out tools to zoom to 100%, or
- Hold the
OPTION
key while using a scroll-wheel mouse to zoom in and out of your drawing at the current mouse position. (Choose ‘(app) > Preferences > Options’ and check ‘Invert scroll-wheel zoom direction’ as desired), - Use the
SHIFT
+COMMAND
++
keyboard shortcut. - Choose a zoom level from the ‘Zoom Scale’ drop-down button on the toolbar.
HINT: Shadows are automatically disabled at very high zoom levels (over 800%) for enhanced performance. This setting can be changed in ‘(app) > Preferences > Performance’ in the main menu.
2. Zoom Out
Do one of the following:
- Click the magnifying glass Zoom Out tool and click to reduce the zoom the drawing a click at a time, or
- To temporarily enable Zoom Out while another drawing tool is active, hold the
X
key while any other drawing tool is active, or - Use your trackpad pinch-outward gesture to zoom out the main view, or
- Double-click the Pan tool to ‘Fit-to window’, or
- Double-click the Zoom In / Out tools to zoom to 100%, or
- Hold the
OPTION
key while using a scroll-wheel mouse to zoom in and out of your drawing at the current mouse position. (Choose ‘(app) > Preferences… Options’ and check ‘Invert scroll-wheel zoom direction’ as desired), or - Use the
SHIFT
+COMMAND
+–
keyboard shortcut. - Choose a zoom level from the ‘Zoom Scale’ drop-down button on the toolbar.
Move / Pan Around Drawing
While zoomed in, do one of the following:
- Click the Pan [h] tool to press and drag the drawing into position, or
- Use the track pad or scroll mouse, or
- To temporarily enable quick-pan scrolling while another drawing tool is active, hold the
Spacebar
and drag to reposition your drawing canvas. Releasing theSpacebar
reverts automatically to the active tool.
Zoom to a Pre-Set Magnification

Do one of the following:
- Choose ‘View > Zoom To 100%’ from the main menu, or
- Click the View pop-up menu in the toolbar and choose a magnification level.
HINT: It’s often useful to “fit to window” so that you can see your entire drawing at once.
Zoom To the Currently Selected Object
Do one of the following:
- Choose ‘View > Zoom To Selection’ in the Main Menu, or
- Use the trackpad two-finger double-tap gesture to ‘Zoom To Selection’.