Help / Canvas
What does each tool in the canvas toolbar do?
The toolbar in the top bar of the room holds the canvas tools (Pan, Select, Laser, Comment, Draw, Text, shapes, Sticky note, Doc, Table, Board and Add asset), and each one has a single-key shortcut.
The canvas toolbar and its shortcuts
The toolbar sits in the middle of the bar at the top of the room. Hover over any button to see its name and shortcut. Shortcuts are single keys with no modifier, and they do nothing while you are typing in a text field or editing text on the canvas.
Tools in the toolbar
| Button (tooltip) | Shortcut | What it does | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pan | H | Drag to move around the canvas without selecting anything. | Everyone, on computers only |
| Select | V | Click to select items, drag on empty canvas to select an area. | Everyone |
| Laser | Q | Point at things with a temporary trail that fades after about a second. | Everyone, on computers only |
| Comment | K | Place a comment on the canvas or on an asset. | Owner, Can edit, Can review |
| Draw | P | Freehand pen. Clicking it also opens a menu with colors and three pen thicknesses. | Owner, Can edit |
| Text | T | Click on the canvas to add text. | Owner, Can edit |
| Rectangle | R | Drag to draw a rectangle. | Owner, Can edit |
| Circle | O | Drag to draw a circle or ellipse. | Owner, Can edit |
| Arrow | A | Drag to draw an arrow. | Owner, Can edit |
| Line | L | Drag to draw a straight line. | Owner, Can edit |
| Sticky note | N | Adds a yellow sticky note in the middle of your view, ready to type. | Owner, Can edit |
| Doc | D | Adds a collaborative document to the canvas. | Owner, Can edit |
| Table | Y | Adds a table to the canvas. | Owner, Can edit |
| Board | B | Drag to draw a board that groups content. | Owner, Can edit |
| Add asset | 1 | Opens the dialog to add files and links. | Owner, Can edit |
Rectangle, Circle, Arrow and Line share one button. The button shows the last shape you used. Click the small arrow next to it (Shape tool options) to pick another shape.
Keyboard-only tool
- Eraser: press E, then click or drag over drawings to erase them. There is no toolbar button for it. Owner and Can edit only.
Editing shortcuts (Cmd on Mac, Ctrl on Windows)
| Shortcut | Action | Who can use it |
|---|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + Z | Undo | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + C | Copy the selection | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + X | Cut the selection | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + V | Paste | Owner, Can edit |
| Delete or Backspace | Delete the selection | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + A | Select everything on the canvas | Everyone |
| Cmd/Ctrl + D | Duplicate the selection to its right | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + G | Group the selection | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + G | Ungroup | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + L | Lock or unlock the selection | Owner, Can edit |
| ] | Bring to front | Owner, Can edit |
| [ | Send to back | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + ] | Bring forward one step | Owner, Can edit |
| Cmd/Ctrl + [ | Send backward one step | Owner, Can edit |
| Escape | With the Text tool active, go back to Select | Everyone |
Zoom shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + = (or +) | Zoom in |
| Cmd/Ctrl + - | Zoom out |
| Shift + 0 | Zoom to 1% |
| Shift + 1 | Zoom to fit all content |
| Shift + 2 | Zoom to selection |
| Shift + 3 | Zoom to 100% |
Room shortcuts that also work from the canvas
- S: share your screen.
- C: turn your camera on or off.
- M: mute or unmute your microphone.
- X: start or stop spotlighting yourself (see present).
What changes the toolbar
- Your role. Can view members see Pan, Select and Laser. Can review members also get Comment. Owners and Can edit members see every tool.
- Phones (screens under 640 pixels wide). The canvas is view-only and the toolbar shrinks to the Comment button. Pan and Laser are also hidden on phones and tablets.
- Focus mode. Only Select, Laser, Comment and the drawing tools (Draw, Text, shapes) stay in the toolbar.
Good to know:
- After you draw a rectangle, circle or line, or finish typing text, the toolbar switches back to Select on its own. Draw, Arrow, Laser and Pan stay active until you pick another tool.
- If a shortcut does not respond, click on an empty part of the canvas first so the keyboard focus is not in a text field.
For AI agents: a plain-text version of this guide.