Shortcuts
Every key the graph editor binds, which mode it works in, and the preferences that change how the canvas feels.
On this page
These keys work while the graph editor has keyboard focus. On macOS use Command where the table says Cmd/Ctrl, and on Windows or Linux use Control.
The problem
Section titled “The problem”A graph editor you drive with the mouse alone is slower than the script it replaced. Reordering a child, jumping to a node, stepping one tick: each of those is one key, and two of the keys the product advertises are not bound in this release. Both are named below, because finding that out by pressing them is worse.
Graph and document keys
Section titled “Graph and document keys”| Action | Key | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Focus node search | Cmd/Ctrl+P | Static and Live, from anywhere in the editor |
| Focus node search from the graph | Cmd/Ctrl+F | Static and Live, unless a text field or another popover owns the key |
| Focus the blackboard search | Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F | Static and Live, when no text field has focus |
| Open the selected member’s target type picker | Cmd/Ctrl+O | Static and Live |
| Undo | Cmd/Ctrl+Z | Static. This editor’s own history, separate from Unity’s object undo |
| Redo | Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z | Static |
| Save | Cmd/Ctrl+S | Static. Flushes pending work and runs the explicit import and bake |
| Delete the selection | Delete or Backspace | Static |
| Move one slot earlier | Cmd/Ctrl+Left | Static |
| Move one slot later | Cmd/Ctrl+Right | Static |
| Fit the graph to the view | F | Static and Live, when focus is outside text entry |
| Reset zoom to 100% | Cmd/Ctrl+0, including the keypad zero | Static and Live |
| Auto re-layout | Cmd/Ctrl+G | Static and Live |
| Clear the canvas selection | Escape | Static and Live, when no open control claimed it first |
| Pause or resume this follower | Space | Live |
| Step | . | Live, while paused |
Text fields keep normal text editing. Canvas keys stay out of the way while you type, except the keys a field uses to commit or cancel.
Two keys the product advertises and does not bind
Section titled “Two keys the product advertises and does not bind”- The empty-canvas hint and the add root behavior tooltip both name A. No handler maps it, so click the button.
- The Reload button’s tooltip names Cmd+R. No handler maps that either, so use the button.
Keys inside popovers
Section titled “Keys inside popovers”Popovers own their own keys while they are open.
- Insertion picker: Up and Down browse, Left and Right choose a Repeat policy, Enter inserts, Escape cancels. The footer shows those four hints.
- Node search results: Up and Down move, Enter selects and centers, Escape closes and keeps the query.
- Member and target pickers: Cmd/Ctrl+F focuses their search, arrows move, Enter picks, Escape closes.
- Parameter fields: Tab and Shift+Tab move through the form in order.
The identity name in the rail is editable text: commit by moving focus away, cancel with Escape.
Pointer moves worth knowing
Section titled “Pointer moves worth knowing”- Click a card or a decorator pill to select it.
- Drag a card to change layout, which never changes child order.
- Drag a card’s grip to move that branch under another card.
- Drag a decorator pill’s grip into a revealed stack gap.
- Click a hover handle to open the insertion picker.
- Right-click a Static card for identity, order, and delete commands; the menu shows each key hint beside its item.
- Right-click a Live card for Copy path and the breakpoint toggle.
- Click the zoom readout at the bottom left of the canvas for its slider and presets.
Preferences
Section titled “Preferences”Open Preferences > Behavior Trees and State Machines. These are per-user editor settings, shared by the behavior tree and state machine canvases, and they change nothing about a graph asset.
The panel controls whether the wheel pans or zooms, plus zoom direction and sensitivity, the canvas background, grid color and spacing, edge routing and style, idle and active edge color and width, and node density. Its preview shows the result before you go back to a graph.
Keep three layers apart. Authored layout is the position saved in the graph file and travels with the asset. Preferences are yours alone. Viewport state is the current pan and zoom, changed by Fit, the presets, and the pan and zoom lock.
When it goes wrong
| Symptom | Check | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A key does nothing. | Read whether the editor has focus and which mode you are in. | Click the canvas first. Space and the step key are Live only; undo, save, and delete are Static only. |
| Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F does nothing while you are typing. | That handler stands down for text entry. | Move focus out of the field, then press it. |
| Space pauses the wrong thing. | Read whether the document is a GameObject agent or an entity. | GameObject pauses that follower alone. Entity mirrors Unity global Play mode. |
| Undo went further than you wanted. | Confirm which history you used. | This editor owns graph undo. Unity object undo is a separate stack. |
| Two people see the same graph differently. | Compare Preferences first, then the layout saved in the file. | Colors and scrolling are personal; card positions are authored. |
- Canvas and palette: the gestures these keys accelerate.
- Pause, step, breakpoints: what Space and the step key do while attached.
- Canvas capture: the one toolbar command with no key.