Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Actions for Simulink Modeling

Keyboard shortcuts and mouse actions can help you efficiently model systems in Simulink^®. To open this page from a model, press Shift+? or click the Keyboard Shortcuts button on the navigation bar.

Note

When you use these keyboard shortcuts on a Mac, press command (⌘) instead of Ctrl.

Use Context-Sensitive Hints Panels to Look Up Keyboard Shortcuts

When you are in any of these modes, you can view a hints panel that displays keyboard shortcuts specific to the active mode.

Mode	Definition	How to Enter Mode	How to View Hints Panel
Selection	Use the arrow keys to select a different block.	Select a block in your model. Press M to switch from movement mode (the default) to selection mode.	The panel appears when you enter selection mode.
Movement	Use the arrow keys to move the selected block.	When you open Simulink, you are in movement mode by default. To switch from selection mode to movement mode, press M.	The panel appears when you switch from selection mode to movement mode. To hide the panel, click the canvas.
Signal highlighting	Highlight signal lines between the selected block and the signal source or destination. Display port values.	Click a signal in your model. Pause on the ellipsis that appears. In the action menu that expands, click either Highlight Signal to Source or Highlight Signal to Destination .	The panel appears when you enter signal highlighting mode.
Pan and zoom	Pan to move the view over the model. Zoom to change how close the model appears.	When you open Simulink, you are in pan and zoom mode by default.	Press and hold the space bar until the hints panel expands. If the panel is minimized, press and hold the space bar until the ? button appears. To hide the panel, click the canvas.

The left image shows a model in keyboard selection mode with the hints panel expanded in the lower right corner of the model window. The ? button is in the lower right corner of the expanded hints panel. The right image shows the same model in the same mode with the panel minimized. Only the ? button is visible in the lower right corner.

To minimize the panel, press ? on your keyboard. When the panel is minimized, only the ? button is visible.

To restore the panel, press ? on your keyboard.

Note

The hints panel of each mode preserves its state, minimized or expanded, across MATLAB^® sessions.

Perform File and Clipboard Operations

Task	Shortcut
Open model	Ctrl+O
Create model	Ctrl+N
Print model	Ctrl+P
Save all modified models in current model hierarchy	Ctrl+S
Save current referenced model	Ctrl+Shift+S
Close model	Ctrl+W
Cut	Ctrl+X
Paste	Ctrl+V
Duplicate	Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V
Undo	Ctrl+Z
Redo	Ctrl+Y, Ctrl+Shift+Z ( Simulink Online™)
Find search string	Ctrl+F

Zoom and Pan

Task	Action
Fit diagram to window	Space bar
Fit selection to window	Space bar + F
Zoom in	Ctrl+Plus (+) or space bar + Plus (+)
Zoom out	Ctrl+Minus (-) or space bar + Minus (-)
Zoom to 100%	Ctrl+0, Alt+1, or space bar + 0
Zoom with scroll wheel	Scroll wheel Ctrl + scroll wheel when Scroll wheel controls zooming is cleared
Zoom in on block diagram element	Drag the Zoom button from the palette to the element.
View visible portion of block diagram relative to full block diagram with miniature map	Zoom or pan to part of the block diagram. Press and hold the space bar when only part of the block diagram is visible.
View different portion of block diagram	Click the destination in the miniature map.
Pan	Drag the highlighted area in the miniature map. Drag with middle button. Space bar + drag. Space bar + left, right, up, or down arrow
Pan vertically	Ctrl + scroll wheel
Pan horizontally	Shift + scroll wheel
Pan by page	Shift + space bar + left, right, up, or down arrow

Navigate Model

Task	Shortcut
Open model	Double-click. Enter
Change tabs	Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Go to parent of current subsystem, referenced model, or Stateflow^® state	Esc
Look under block mask	Ctrl+U
For linked blocks, go to library of parent block	Ctrl+L
Open the Model Explorer	Ctrl+H

Modify Block Diagram Contents

Task	Action
Insert block at current location with the quick insert menu	Double-click the Simulink Editor canvas and start typing the block name, then select the block from the menu. Ctrl+Period (.) twice and start typing the block name, then press the down arrow to select the block from the list and Enter to insert the block. On AZERTY keyboards, press Ctrl+Shift+Period (.) instead of Ctrl+Period (.).
Get prompted for suggested block based on context	Double-click the end of a line drawn from an existing block, then select a suggestion from the list or start typing to select one from the library.
Open the Library Browser	Ctrl+Shift+L
Insert annotation at current location with the quick insert menu	Double-click the Simulink Editor canvas and type the annotation content, then select the annotation option. Ctrl+Period (.) twice and type the annotation content, then press the down arrow to select the annotation option and Enter to insert the annotation. On AZERTY keyboards, press Ctrl+Shift+Period (.) instead of Ctrl+Period (.).
Copy selected block diagram elements	Drag elements with the right mouse button. Ctrl + drag.
Copy selected block diagram elements between Simulink Editor windows	Drag elements between windows.
Delete selected block diagram elements	Delete or Backspace

Select Block Diagram Elements

Selected elements have a solid blue outline. The most recently selected element has blue corner brackets in addition to the outline. To represent the cursor when you use the keyboard for selection, a blue box with dashed lines surrounds the element.

The Product block is selected, the Gain block was selected most recently, and the cursor is on the Sum block.

Task	Action
After clicking or moving elements, access keyboard shortcuts for selecting elements	M to toggle between modifying selection and moving selected elements.
Change selection to closest similar element in a direction	Left, right, up, or down arrow
Move cursor to closest element in a direction, regardless of similarity	Ctrl+Shift + left, right, up, or down arrow
Change selection to element at top-left of canvas	Ctrl+Home On a Mac, press home.
Change selection to element at bottom-right of canvas	Ctrl+End On a Mac, press end.
Change selection to leftmost element relative to cursor	Home On a Mac, press control+left.
Change selection to rightmost element relative to cursor	End On a Mac, press control+right.
Select additional adjacent elements	Drag from empty position. Shift + left, right, up, or down arrow
Select additional elements that are not adjacent	Shift + click. Ctrl + left, right, up, or down arrow to change the current element. Ctrl + space bar to add the current element to the selection. On a Mac, to add the current element to the selection, press command+shift + space bar or shift + space bar.
Select all blocks, lines, and annotations	Ctrl+A
Select ports	Point to the port region of a connected port to view and interact with the underlying port instead of the signal line.
Clear selection	Ctrl+Alt+A

Modify Block Diagram Elements

Task	Shortcut
Set main parameter for selected block	Alt+Enter
Open or hide the Property Inspector	Ctrl+Shift+I
Connect blocks	Click a port. Click the blue chevron symbol that appears near a compatible port you want to connect to. Select the first block, then Ctrl + click a second block. Drag from port to port. Click a port and hold Shift as you connect to the next port. Hold Shift to make multiple, consecutive connections.
Branch line	Click a port, move the cursor near the line you want to branch, and then click after you see the preview. Select a line, move the cursor toward the element you want to connect with, and then click the blue chevron symbol that appears near the port. Ctrl + drag line. Right mouse button + drag.
Add ports to blocks that take multiple inputs	Drag toward the port from a compatible block or signal line. Drag from the edge of the block that you want to add the port to. Click the edge of the port, and then drag. Click the edge of the port, move the cursor over the signal type — signal, bus, or connector — from the menu, and drag.
Comment through selected blocks	Ctrl+Shift+Y
Comment out or uncomment selected blocks	Ctrl+Shift+X
Disconnect selected blocks	Shift + drag block. After selecting blocks with the keyboard, press M then Shift + left, right, up, or down arrow.

Name Block Diagram Elements

Task	Action
Rename selected block diagram element	Click or double-click the label. Select the element and press F2. On a Mac, press command+return instead of F2.
Name signal line	Double-click the signal and type its name.
Display name on branch of a named signal line	Double-click the branch.
Name every branch of a signal	Right-click the signal, select Properties, and use the dialog box.
Delete signal label and name	Delete characters in the label, or delete the name in Signal Properties dialog box.
Delete signal label only	Right-click the label and select Delete Label.
Copy signal label	Ctrl + drag the signal label.
Edit port labels on subsystem blocks	Point to the port label and click the interactive cue (blue box surrounding the label). Select the port. Click the port label cue or press F2. To switch between block name and signal name when editing labels on signal ports, press Ctrl+1,2. To make successive port label edits on a subsystem block: Select a port on the block, edit the label and press Enter. This enables keyboard selection of ports. Use up or down arrow keys to select adjacent ports and press F2 for quick editing.

Modify Block Diagram Appearance

Task	Action
Move any block diagram element, including signal labels	Drag element.
Move selected elements	Drag one of the selected elements. Drag selection box. After selecting elements with the keyboard, press M then the left, right, up, or down arrow.
Automatically arrange block diagram	Ctrl+Shift+A
Resize block, maintaining ratio of width and height	Shift + drag handle
Resize block from the center	Ctrl + drag handle
Route lines around blocks	Shift + drag while drawing
Rotate blocks clockwise	Ctrl+R
Rotate blocks counterclockwise	Ctrl+Shift+R
Flip blocks	Ctrl+I
Create subsystem from selection	Ctrl+G
Create subsystem or area from empty selection	To create the highlighted option, which you can change by using the arrow keys or mouse: Click inside the selection box. Press Enter. Press the number key associated with an option.
Change signal label font	Select the signal line (not the label), then on the Format tab, click the Font Properties button arrow, then click Fonts for Model.
Mask block	Ctrl+M
Refresh Model blocks	Ctrl+K

Perform Actions

Task	Shortcut
Perform generic action with the quick action search menu	Double-click the Simulink Editor canvas, select the Actions tab, and start typing the action name or description, then select the action from the list. Ctrl+Period (.) and start typing the action name or description, then press the down arrow to select the action and Enter to perform it. On AZERTY keyboards, press Ctrl+Shift+Period (.) instead of Ctrl+Period (.).
Perform context-sensitive action	Before opening the quick action search menu, select a block diagram element.

Task

Shortcut

Perform generic action with the quick action search menu

Double-click the Simulink Editor canvas, select the Actions tab, and start typing the action name or description, then select the action from the list.

Ctrl+Period (.) and start typing the action name or description, then press the down arrow to select the action and Enter to perform it.

On AZERTY keyboards, press Ctrl+Shift+Period (.) instead of Ctrl+Period (.).

Perform context-sensitive action

Before opening the quick action search menu, select a block diagram element.

Update, Simulate, and Generate Code for Models

Task	Shortcut
Open Configuration Parameters dialog box	Ctrl+E
Update model	Ctrl+D
Start simulation	Ctrl+T
Stop simulation	Ctrl+Shift+T
Build model (for code generation)	Ctrl+B

Debug Models

Task	Shortcut
Step	F10
Step in	F11
Step out	Shift+F11
Run	F5
Set or clear breakpoint	F12