# 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.

Category: Canvas
Web page: https://www.pactto.com/help/canvas-toolbar
All guides: https://www.pactto.com/help.md

## 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](https://www.pactto.com/help/present.md)).

### 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.

## Related guides

- [Select, move, resize, duplicate and delete items on the canvas](https://www.pactto.com/help/select-move-resize.md): Use the Select tool (V) to click an item, then drag it to move, drag its corners to resize, and use the right-click menu or shortcuts to copy, duplicate, group, lock, reorder or delete it.
- [Select several items at once](https://www.pactto.com/help/select-multiple-items.md): Drag a box over the canvas, Shift-click items, or Shift-click a range inside a board, then use the buttons that appear above the selection to convert, tidy, move, download or set status for all of them.
- [Draw freehand on the canvas](https://www.pactto.com/help/draw-on-canvas.md): Click Draw (P) in the toolbar, pick a color and pen thickness from the menu that opens, and draw on the canvas; press E for the eraser.
- [Add and format text on the canvas](https://www.pactto.com/help/add-text.md): Press T (or click Text), click on the canvas and type; select the text to change its font, size, alignment, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, bullet list or link from the bar above it.
- [Add, format and resize sticky notes](https://www.pactto.com/help/sticky-notes.md): Press N (or click Sticky note) to drop a yellow sticky note in the middle of your view, type right away, then select it to change its font, size and style or drag its corners to resize it.
- [Draw rectangles, circles, arrows and lines](https://www.pactto.com/help/shapes-and-arrows.md): Pick Rectangle (R), Circle (O), Arrow (A) or Line (L) and drag on the canvas; select an arrow or line to change its color, opacity and thickness, or a rectangle or circle to change its line thickness and the text inside it.
- [Point at things with the laser pointer](https://www.pactto.com/help/laser-pointer.md): Press Q (or click Laser) and drag on the canvas to leave a temporary trail that everyone sees and that fades after about a second, without adding anything to the canvas.
- [Zoom in, zoom out and move around the canvas](https://www.pactto.com/help/zoom-and-navigate.md): Use the Zoom - and Zoom + buttons, the zoom menu (click the percentage) or Shift + 1 to fit everything on screen, pan with the Pan tool (H), a trackpad or Space + drag, and use the minimap in the bottom-left corner to jump to any area.
- [Undo or redo a change on the canvas](https://www.pactto.com/help/undo-redo.md): Press Cmd/Ctrl + Z to undo your last change on the canvas and Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z to redo it.
- [Add images, videos, PDFs, and other content to a room](https://www.pactto.com/help/add-assets.md): Click Add asset in the toolbar (or press 1) to upload from your computer, Google Drive, or Adobe Frame.io; you can also drag files onto the canvas, paste them, paste links, or create a Pactto doc or a table.
- [Create a board and add items to it](https://www.pactto.com/help/boards.md): A board is a named container on the room canvas that groups items; draw one with the Board tool (B) or select items and choose Convert to Board, then drag or drop items into it.
- [Leave feedback with comments](https://www.pactto.com/help/comments.md): Click the Comment tool (or press K), then click an item or an empty spot on the canvas, type your feedback, and press Enter to post it.
- [Present in a room](https://www.pactto.com/help/present.md): Add your assets, put them in a board, select the board and click the play button (Enter presentation mode); turn on Spotlight so everyone in the room follows your slides.
- [Room roles and permissions (Owner, Can edit, Can review, Can view)](https://www.pactto.com/help/roles-and-permissions.md): Every room has one Owner and members with Can edit, Can review or Can view; the owner and editors change roles and remove people from the Share dialog.