Main menu reference
The menu bar at the top of the IconVectors workspace provides access to all commands. This page is a reference of the available menus and their keyboard shortcuts.
Note
Commands ending with an ellipsis (
...) open a dialog box.Some commands are enabled only when an element (or multiple elements) is selected.
Toggle items (check marks) show or hide panels or options (for example the Preview panel).
File menu
The File menu contains document management commands (new/open/save), import commands, and export functions.
Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
|---|---|---|
File ‣ New… |
Ctrl+N |
Create a new blank icon document. From Explorer, remember the current folder as the initial save location. |
File ‣ Open… |
Ctrl+O |
Open an existing SVG document. |
File ‣ Open Folder… |
Ctrl+Shift+O |
Select a local folder and browse its direct SVG files progressively in a virtual thumbnail grid. See The Icon Explorer. |
File ‣ Refresh Folder |
(none) |
Rescan the active Explorer folder and reconcile added, changed, renamed, or removed direct SVG files. |
File ‣ Open in a New Window… |
Ctrl+Alt+O |
Open a document in a separate IconVectors window (useful when working with multiple icons). |
File ‣ Open Recent Files |
(none) |
Quickly reopen a recently used document. |
File ‣ Save |
Ctrl+S |
Save the current document. |
File ‣ Save As… |
Ctrl+Shift+S |
Save the current document under a new name or location. |
File ‣ Close |
Ctrl+W |
Close the current document, prompting for unsaved changes. An Explorer-opened or Explorer-created icon returns to Explorer. |
File ‣ Place Files… |
Ctrl+Shift+P |
Import one or more SVG files into the current document (each file is inserted as a group and auto-scaled to the document size). |
File ‣ Place & Trace Bitmap… |
(none) |
Import a bitmap image and automatically trace it into vector paths (best results with monochrome / high‑resolution images). |
File ‣ Show Source Code… |
F3 |
Show or hide the live Source Code viewer (same as View ‣ Source Code…). |
File ‣ Export Minified… |
Ctrl+Shift+M |
Export the icon as a minified SVG (optimized for smaller size). |
File ‣ Export to XAML… |
Ctrl+Shift+X |
Export the icon to XAML (useful for WPF / WinUI workflows). |
File ‣ Export to Bitmap… |
Ctrl+F3 |
Export the icon to a bitmap image file. |
File ‣ Export to Multiple Bitmaps… |
Ctrl+Shift+F3 |
Export multiple bitmap sizes/variants in one operation. |
File ‣ Exit |
Alt+F4 |
Quit IconVectors. |
Tip
The import commands (File ‣ Place Files… and File ‣ Place & Trace Bitmap…) can also be triggered by drag & drop from your file explorer into the editor window.
Edit menu
The Edit menu contains the standard editing operations as well as preferences.
Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Edit ‣ Undo |
Ctrl+Z |
Undo the last action. |
Edit ‣ Redo |
Ctrl+Shift+Z |
Redo the last undone action. |
Edit ‣ Cut |
Ctrl+X |
Cut the selection to the clipboard. |
Edit ‣ Copy |
Ctrl+C |
Copy the Editor selection, or selected SVG file paths while Explorer is active, to the clipboard. |
Edit ‣ Copy Minified |
Ctrl+Shift+C |
Copy a minified version of the SVG code to the clipboard (handy for code editors). |
Edit ‣ Paste |
Ctrl+V |
Paste content into the Editor document, selecting all newly pasted elements together, or paste eligible SVG files into the active Explorer folder. |
Edit ‣ Duplicate |
Ctrl+D |
Duplicate the current Editor selection, or selected SVG files while Explorer is active. |
Edit ‣ Select All |
Ctrl+A |
Select all elements in the current Editor document, or all currently visible SVG entries while Explorer is active. |
Edit ‣ Rename |
(none) |
Rename the selected element or layer in Editor. This filesystem command is omitted from Edit while Explorer is active. |
Edit ‣ Delete |
Del |
Delete the Editor selection. This filesystem command is omitted from Edit while Explorer is active. |
Edit ‣ Preferences… |
F2 |
Open the Preferences dialog to customize editor behavior and SVG output. |
Explorer menu
While Explorer is active, the Explorer menu replaces the Icon menu in the same fixed menu-bar position and hides the Element and Path menus. Returning to Editor restores Icon, Element, and Path in their original positions and with their original contents.
Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Explorer ‣ Open |
(none) |
Open the active folder in Explorer or the active SVG in the existing Editor. |
Explorer ‣ Open in a New Window |
(none) |
Open the selected direct-child folder in an independent IconVectors Explorer window. |
Explorer ‣ Open in Windows Explorer |
(none) |
Open the selected direct-child folder in Windows File Explorer without changing the active IconVectors folder. This command is available on Windows. |
Explorer ‣ Back |
(none) |
Open the previous accepted folder in the persistent Explorer navigation history without adding another visit. |
Explorer ‣ Forward |
(none) |
Open the next accepted folder in the persistent Explorer navigation history without adding another visit. |
Explorer ‣ Up |
(none) |
Open the current folder’s navigable parent. |
Explorer ‣ Refresh |
Ctrl+R |
Rescan the active folder using the existing guarded Refresh workflow. |
Explorer ‣ New Folder |
(none) |
Create a direct child while remaining in the active parent, then reveal the new folder. |
Explorer ‣ New Icon |
(none) |
Create an icon with Name focused and the current Explorer folder remembered as its initial save location. File > New and Ctrl+N use this context too. |
Explorer ‣ Auto Save Icons |
(none) |
Optionally save a modified Explorer-origin icon before opening another icon in the same window. Off by default; closing still prompts for unsaved changes. |
Explorer ‣ Rename |
Ctrl+Shift+R |
Rename one selected direct-child folder or SVG file, or open Batch Rename for two or more eligible visible SVG selections. |
Explorer ‣ Delete |
Delete |
Permanently delete eligible selected SVG files, or one confirmed empty direct-child folder, after confirmation. |
Explorer ‣ Group in Folder… |
(none) |
Copy selected SVG files into a new direct-child folder by default, or move them when explicitly requested. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Add Badge Overlays… |
(none) |
Create one SVG copy for every selected base icon and chosen overlay combination, with placement, size, optional badge cutout and reviewed destinations. Source icons remain unchanged. See Add badge overlays. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Adjust Icon Colors… |
(none) |
Apply one Brightness/Contrast, Hue/Saturation, Levels, Desaturate or Invert adjustment after reviewing changes. See Adjust colors across SVG icons. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Apply Auto Gradient… |
(none) |
Generate linear/radial gradients independently from each paint’s color. Preserve existing gradients/currentColor unless explicitly opted in; review originals or copies before writing. See Applying automatic gradients. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Apply Palette… |
(none) |
Plan and safely apply the current Editor palette semantics to selected SVG files. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Center and Fit… |
(none) |
Center supported artwork, or proportionally fit it inside equal SVG-unit margins, including strokes. Keep the canvas unchanged; modify originals or create copies after review. See Centering and fitting artwork. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Change Line Stroke… |
(none) |
Change width, cap, join and color of existing strokes, including inherited strokes. Choose a fixed color or Use currentColor; fill-only shapes remain unchanged. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Convert to currentColor… |
(none) |
Convert all supported solid colors or one detected RGB in fills/strokes to symbolic currentColor, preserving transparency and warning about fixed authored color. See Converting paints to currentColor. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Make Icon Versions… |
(none) |
Create separate Hot, Disabled and/or Dark Theme SVG versions, with output names and before/after previews. See Make Hot, Disabled and Dark Theme SVG versions. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Make PNG, ICO Bitmap Icons… |
(none) |
Export selected saved SVGs as transparent PNGs and/or multi-size 32-bit ICOs after reviewing sizes and destinations. See Batch export to PNG and ICO. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Optimize SVG Files… |
(none) |
Preview formatting, paint and path compaction with byte savings; optional path rounding can affect appearance. Write only smaller files. See Optimizing SVG files. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Outline Strokes… |
(none) |
Convert supported visible strokes into filled paths, retaining fills, authored stroke appearance and the canvas. Review unsupported geometry and choose originals or copies. See Outlining strokes. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Replace Colors… |
(none) |
Replace one detected RGB color or symbolic currentColor in fills, strokes, or both with solid RGB, preserving transparency. Review the plan before Process modifies the SVG files. See Replacing an exact color. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Resize Icons… |
(none) |
Plan and safely apply the current Editor resize semantics to selected SVG files. |
Explorer ‣ Batch Processing ‣ Rotate / Flip… |
(none) |
Rotate 90° left/right, 180°, or by a custom signed decimal angle; mirror horizontally/vertically about the existing canvas center. Review possible clipping and original/copy output. See Rotating and flipping artwork. |
Explorer ‣ Preview |
(none) |
Choose Light, Dark, Checkerboard, or Borderless tile backgrounds and 64, 96, 128, 192, or 256 logical-pixel preview sizes. |
The Batch Processing commands use the same alphabetical order by displayed label in the Explorer menu, grid context menu and toolbar menu.
All 14 commands, plus Batch Rename, save valid option edits immediately, including when cancelled. Newly opened dialogs read the latest settings from other instances; already open dialogs keep their current edits. Each existing batch preview offers Back immediately left of its execution button so you can adjust options and preview again. Batch Rename keeps its single dialog. See Remembering batch options and returning from preview for details.
F2 continues to open Preferences in both workspaces. The Explorer
navigation commands Back and Forward have no keyboard accelerators.
The grid context menu begins with a native bold Open Folder default for a folder or ..
target, or a native bold Open Icon default for an SVG target. Open Icon
opens only the canonically revalidated tile under the mouse, not every selected
SVG. Open Icon in a New Window… follows it and uses Shift+Enter;
Shift-double-click uses the same route. A separated current-folder group
contains New Folder…, which always creates in the active Explorer folder;
it is prominent when the menu opens over unused grid space. Back,
Forward, and Refresh remain the shared navigation group before normal
file operations. Existing Save and Close commands retain their
current-open-SVG enablement. Invoking the menu does not refresh the folder.
Copy, Paste, and Duplicate are not duplicated in the Explorer menu. Their canonical Edit commands, keyboard shortcuts, context-menu commands, and Control Bar tools operate on Explorer SVG files while Explorer is active, then return to their Editor meanings when Editor is active.
The segmented Control Bar Editor/Explorer switch is the first control at the far left and is followed immediately by a separator. It uses the same visual and interaction model as the Preview Pixel/Vector switch and the same workspace route as F4, F5, Ctrl+Tab, and the View menu. In Editor, Ctrl+R retains Recent Files and Ctrl+Shift+R retains Snap to Grid. Editor Copy, Paste, and Duplicate behavior is unchanged.
Icon menu
While Editor is active, the Icon menu contains commands that affect the whole document (canvas size, icon variants, color adjustments, etc.).
Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Icon ‣ Resize Icon… |
Ctrl+Y |
Resize the icon artwork (and/or document, depending on the dialog options). |
Icon ‣ Resize Canvas… |
Ctrl+Shift+Y |
Resize the icon canvas without necessarily scaling the artwork. |
Icon ‣ Fit Icon to Canvas… |
Alt+Ctrl+Y |
Scale the current icon to the available canvas while keeping proportions, centering the result, and preserving stroke widths. |
Icon ‣ Analyze/Clean Up Icon… |
Shift+Alt+A |
Analyze the current icon for common cleanup issues and offer focused fix actions from a modeless dialog. |
Icon ‣ Colors ‣ Brightness/Contrast… |
Ctrl+Shift+B |
Adjust brightness and contrast for the whole icon. |
Icon ‣ Colors ‣ Hue/Saturation… |
Ctrl+Shift+H |
Adjust hue and saturation for the whole icon. |
Icon ‣ Colors ‣ Levels… |
Ctrl+Shift+L |
Adjust levels (overall luminance distribution). |
Icon ‣ Colors ‣ Auto Gradient… |
(none) |
Open the Auto Gradient options dialog to create a same-tone fill or stroke gradient from the current flat color. |
Icon ‣ Colors ‣ Desaturate |
Ctrl+Shift+T |
Convert colors toward grayscale (desaturate). |
Icon ‣ Colors ‣ Invert |
Ctrl+Shift+V |
Invert the icon colors. |
Icon ‣ Add All Icon Colors to Palette |
(none) |
Collect all fill/stroke colors used in the icon, remove duplicates, sort by Hue, and add them to the selected palette. |
Icon ‣ Recolor with Palette |
(none) |
Replace each icon color with its nearest color from the currently selected palette (global palette-based recoloring). |
Icon ‣ Make Hot Version |
(none) |
Generate a Hot color variant of the icon. |
Icon ‣ Make Disabled Version |
(none) |
Generate a Disabled color variant of the icon. |
Icon ‣ Make Dark Theme Version |
(none) |
Generate a Dark theme color variant of the icon. |
Icon ‣ Place a Badge Overlay… |
Ctrl+F5 |
Insert an external icon as a badge overlay. |
Icon ‣ Make a Badge Overlay Cutout… |
Ctrl+F6 |
Create a cutout under the badge overlay to improve readability on complex backgrounds. The complete action is one Undo/Redo step. |
Icon ‣ Add a Badge Overlay Shadow… |
Ctrl+F7 |
Add a shadow under the badge overlay. The complete action is one Undo/Redo step. |
Icon ‣ Find Icons on SvgIcons.com… |
(none) |
Browse and open free icons from SvgIcons.com directly from IconVectors. |
Icon ‣ Buy Icons on Axialis.com… |
(none) |
Open Axialis.com to explore commercial icon packs and products. |
Element menu
The Element menu contains commands that apply to the current selection (transform, alignment, ordering, grouping).
Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Element ‣ Move… |
Ctrl+M |
Move the selected element(s) by entering precise values. |
Element ‣ Scale… |
Ctrl+E |
Scale the selection (percentage and/or absolute dimensions depending on the dialog). |
Element ‣ Rotate… |
Ctrl+T |
Rotate the selection. |
Element ‣ Reflect… |
Ctrl+F |
Reflect (mirror) the selection horizontally or vertically. |
Element ‣ Matrix… |
(none) |
Apply a transformation matrix to the selection (advanced). |
Element ‣ Center ‣ Center Horizontally |
Ctrl+Alt+X |
Center the selection horizontally in the icon canvas. |
Element ‣ Center ‣ Center Vertically |
Shift+Alt+X |
Center the selection vertically in the icon canvas. |
Element ‣ Center ‣ Center Both |
Alt+X |
Center the selection both horizontally and vertically. |
Element ‣ Center ‣ Center on Largest |
Ctrl+Alt+C |
With multiple elements selected, use the largest selected element as the reference and center the other selected elements on it. |
Element ‣ Align ‣ Horizontal Align Left |
(none) |
Align the selection to the left. |
Element ‣ Align ‣ Horizontal Align Center |
(none) |
Align the selection to the horizontal center. |
Element ‣ Align ‣ Horizontal Align Right |
(none) |
Align the selection to the right. |
Element ‣ Align ‣ Vertical Align Top |
(none) |
Align the selection to the top. |
Element ‣ Align ‣ Vertical Align Center |
(none) |
Align the selection to the vertical center. |
Element ‣ Align ‣ Vertical Align Bottom |
(none) |
Align the selection to the bottom. |
Element ‣ Distribute ‣ Distribute Horizontally |
(none) |
Distribute selected elements evenly with fixed spacing (horizontal). |
Element ‣ Distribute ‣ Distribute Vertically |
(none) |
Distribute selected elements evenly with fixed spacing (vertical). |
Element ‣ Bring to Top |
Ctrl+Home |
Bring the selection to the front (top of the layer order). |
Element ‣ Bring Up |
Ctrl+Page Up |
Move the selection one step up in the layer order. |
Element ‣ Send Down |
Ctrl+Page Down |
Move the selection one step down in the layer order. |
Element ‣ Send to Bottom |
Ctrl+End |
Send the selection to the back (bottom of the layer order). |
Element ‣ Group |
Ctrl+G |
Group selected elements into a single group. |
Element ‣ Ungroup |
Ctrl+Shift+G |
Ungroup the selected group. |
Path menu
The Path menu contains vector path conversion and editing commands, plus boolean operations.
Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Path ‣ Convert To Path |
Ctrl+B |
Convert the selected shape (rectangle, ellipse, etc.) to an editable path. |
Path ‣ Make Compound Path |
Ctrl+Q |
Create a compound path from the selected shapes/paths. |
Path ‣ Fill Rule ‣ Non-Zero |
Use the non-zero winding fill rule for the selected compound path. |
|
Path ‣ Fill Rule ‣ Even-Odd |
Use the even-odd fill rule for the selected compound path. |
|
Path ‣ Release Compound Path |
Ctrl+Shift+Q |
Break a compound path back into individual elements. |
Path ‣ Outline Stroke |
Ctrl+J |
Convert the stroke of a path into a filled outline path. |
Path ‣ Simplify Path… |
(none) |
Reduce the number of points in a path (useful after tracing or complex imports). |
Path ‣ Offset Path… |
Ctrl+K |
Create an offset version of a path (inward or outward). |
Path ‣ Round Corners… |
Ctrl+Alt+R |
Round selected corner anchor points by a specified pixel radius. |
Path ‣ Union Path |
Ctrl+U |
Combine selected paths into one (boolean union). |
Path ‣ Substract Path |
Ctrl+I |
Subtract one path from another (boolean difference). |
Path ‣ Intersect Path |
Ctrl+Shift+U |
Keep only the overlapping area of selected paths (boolean intersection). |
Path ‣ Exclude Path |
Ctrl+Shift+I |
Exclude overlapping areas (boolean exclusion / XOR). |
View menu
The View menu switches the central workspace and controls panels, zooming and editor overlays (grid, snap, etc.).
Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
|---|---|---|
View ‣ New Icon Editor Window |
Ctrl+Shift+N |
Open a new IconVectors instance through the existing new-window route. |
View ‣ New Explorer Window |
Shift+F5 |
Open an independent IconVectors instance directly in Explorer with no SVG Editor document open. |
View ‣ Icon Editor |
F4 |
Show the live SVG Editor workspace without resetting the Explorer. |
View ‣ Explorer |
F5 |
Show the live Explorer workspace without closing the current SVG document. Ctrl+Tab continues to toggle between both workspaces. |
View ‣ Preview Panel |
Ctrl+F8 |
Show or hide the Preview panel (live preview on light/dark backgrounds, pixel/vector modes). |
View ‣ Colors |
(none) |
Show or hide the shared Colors pane containing the PALETTES and COLORS pages. |
View ‣ Layers Panel |
F7 |
Show or hide the Layers panel. |
View ‣ Zoom |
Num / |
Enter temporary Zoom mode. Drag a rectangle on the canvas to fit that area in the window. |
View ‣ Zoom In |
Num + |
Increase the canvas zoom level. |
View ‣ Zoom Out |
Num - |
Decrease the canvas zoom level. |
View ‣ Set Zoom Level… |
Num * |
Open a dialog box to enter an exact zoom percentage. |
View ‣ Center Canvas |
Alt+C |
Center the visible canvas area in the window. |
View ‣ Auto-center Canvas |
Shift+Alt+C |
Toggle automatic canvas centering when the main window is resized or when Focus Mode is toggled. |
View ‣ Focus Mode |
Tab |
Toggle a distraction-free workspace by hiding/showing panels and toolbars. |
View ‣ Source Code… |
F3 |
Show or hide the live Source Code viewer (SVG, Minified SVG, SVG Symbol, XAML, WPF Geometry, VectorDrawable, SwiftUI, VueTS, ReactTS, C++). |
View ‣ Grid |
G |
Show or hide the grid overlay. |
View ‣ Snap to Grid |
Ctrl+Shift+R (Editor) |
Enable or disable snap‑to‑grid while drawing/moving elements. |
View ‣ Restore UI Default Positions |
(none) |
Reset panels to their default docking positions (useful if panels were undocked/moved). |
Help menu
The Help menu provides access to the documentation, update tools and product information.
Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Help ‣ Help |
F1 |
Open the help documentation. |
Help ‣ What’s New… |
(none) |
Display the list of recent changes and new features. |
Help ‣ Suggest Features, Report Bugs… |
(none) |
Open the feedback page to request features or report a problem. |
Help ‣ Check For Updates… |
(none) |
Manually check if a newer version is available. |
Help ‣ Open MCP Files Folder |
(none) |
Open the per-user MCP helper-files folder in the system file manager. |
Help ‣ Open Color Palettes Folder |
(none) |
Open the per-user Color Palettes storage folder in the system file manager. |
Help ‣ Open Library Element Folder |
(none) |
Open the Element Library folder in IconVectors’ built-in Explorer without closing the current icon. |
Help ‣ Sign In and Activate Axialis IconVectors… |
(none) |
Sign in with your Axialis account and activate the application. |
Help ‣ About Axialis IconVectors… |
(none) |
Display version and product information. |