Menu Bar¶

In the screenshot above, you can see the top-left corner of an Inkscape window. The red rectangle highlights the menu bar. There are 10 menus, which collectively provide the vast majority of the commands and options needed to use Inkscape.

Todo

Make sure to use the default version of Inkscape to make screenshots. When there are different icons related to different OS, show all 3 icons. Also make sure the same person makes the “circles and arrows” so that they look consistent throughout the manual.

Tip

Although the full list of keyboard shortcuts is found on the Inkscape website, most of the menu items also show the keyboard shortcut for that command. So if beginners start out with Inkscape by using menus, it is a convenient way to start learning the keyboard shortcuts. Notice the shortcuts in the Layer menu, in the image below.

Partial screenshot of an Inkscape window, with the Layer menu open — An example of an open menu. This shows the menu bar with the Layer menu open.¶

File Menu¶

The File menu contains commands for managing files, or documents. The list below shows how the commands are listed in the File menu, and gives a brief explanation for what each command does. To learn detailed information about the commands’ functionality, please follow the links.

Command or Option	What it Does
New Document	Opens a new default document
New from Template…	Opens the New from Template dialog
Open…	Opens the file manager
Open Recent	Reveals a dropdown menu showing recently opened files
Save	Saves the open file
Save As…	Opens the Save As dialog
Save a Copy…	Saves a copy of the document with a new name and/or location
Save Template…	Saves the document as a template
Revert	Returns the document to the point where the last save was made
Import…	Opens the Import dialog
Import Web Image…	Opens the Import Web Image dialog
Export…	Opens the Export dialog
Print…	Opens the Print dialog
Clean Up Document	Removes data from the file that is no longer needed
Document Resources	Opens the Document Resources dialog
Document Properties…	Opens the Document Properties dialog
Close	Closes the active tab
Quit	Closes all Inkscape windows

Edit Menu¶

Commands for editing a drawing are found in the Edit menu. They are listed below, with a brief description of what each of them does. Please follow the links to find detailed information about them.

Command or Option	What it Does
Undo	Reverts the last edit made on the canvas
Redo	Reinstates the change that was previously reverted
Undo History	Opens the Undo History dialog
Cut	Deletes the selection (after silently copying)
Copy	Copies the selection
Paste	Pastes the selection that was cut or copied
Paste…	Reveals a dropdown menu offering several paste options
Find/Replace…	Opens the Find/Replace dialog (guessed link location)
Duplicate	Duplicates the selection
Clone	Reveals a dropdown menu offering several options related to cloning
Make a Bitmap Copy	Places a PNG version of the selected object on the canvas (guessed manual/link location)
Delete	Deletes the selection
Select All	Selects everything from various areas of the canvas, depending on Preference choices
Select All in All Layers	Selects everything in all layers
Select Same	Reveals a dropdown menu offering several selection options
Invert Selection	Deselects the selection, and selects everything else
Deselect	Deselects the selection
Resize Page to Selection	Changes the page size to match the selection on the canvas
Create Guides Around the Current Page	Creates four guides, one on each page boundary
Lock All Guides	Locks all guides
Delete All Guides	Deletes all guides
XML Editor…	Opens the XML Editor
Preferences	Opens the Preferences dialog

Todo

Double-check Find/Replace, Make a Bitmap Copy, - I guessed where these link location will be in the manual. For Select All - fill in the correct Category under Preferences, after those categories have been created. Also delete my comments after those items are fixed.

View Menu¶

The View menu offers options for setting up the interface in whatever way the user would like. The list below shows how they appear in the menu, along with a brief description of each item.

Command or Option	What it Does
Zoom (I guessed where Zoom will be in the manual.)	Reveals a dropdown menu offering many different options for zooming the window
Orientation (I guessed where Orientation will appear in the manual.)	Reveals a dropdown menu offering several options for how the window is displayed
Display Mode	Reveals a dropdown menu offering five display modes to choose from
Split Mode (guessed about the manual location)	Reveals a dropdown menu offering three choices for splitting the canvas into two sections
Gray Scale	Enables or disables Gray Scale mode
Color Management	Enables or disables Color Management mode
Page Grid	Toggles the visibility of grids
Guides	Toggles the visibility of guides
Show/Hide (guessed manual location)	Reveals a dropdown menu where users can choose which parts of the interface they would like to show or hide
Show/Hide Dialogs (guessed manual location)	Toggles whether all dialogs will temporarily be shown or hidden
Command Palette	Displays the command palette
Swatches…	Opens the Swatches dialog
Messages… (not sure the manual location - not even a guess)	Opens the Messages dialog (for developers)
Previous Window (not sure the manual location - Interface > Canvas?)	Opens the previously opened window, if more than one window is open (does not apply to tabs)
Next Window (not sure the manual location - Interface > Canvas?)	Opens the next window, if more than one window is open (does not apply to tabs)
Icon Preview (not sure where this will be in the manual)	Opens the Icon Preview dialog
Duplicate Window (not sure where this will be in the manual)	Opens the same document in another window
Full Screen	Toggles Full Screen mode
Wide Screen (not sure where this will be in the manual)	Places the commands bar along the right side of the window

Todo

For all the items above where I wrote “I guessed….” or “not sure….”, we need to decide where these items will be covered in the manual, and correct the links, if I guessed wrong. Don’t forget to delete my comments, after the items are fixed.

Layer Menu¶

All the commands and options for manipulating layers can be found in the Layer menu. They are listed below, along with a brief description of what they do. For a more detailed explanation, please see the Object Manipulation section.

Command or Option	What it Does
Layers and Objects…	Opens the Layers and Objects dialog
Add Layer…	Adds a new layer
Rename Layer…	Opens the tiny Rename Layer dialog
Show/Hide Current Layer	Shows or hides the current layer
Lock/Unlock Current Layer	Locks or unlocks the current layer
Switch to Layer Above	Selects the layer above the current layer in the layer stack
Switch to Layer Below	Selects the layer below the current layer in the layer stack
Move Selection to Layer Above	Moves the selection to the layer above the current layer in the layer stack
Move Selection to Layer Below	Moves the selection to the layer below the current layer in the layer stack
Move Selection to Layer…	Opens the tiny Move to Layer dialog
Layer to Top	Moves the current layer to the top of the layer stack
Raise Layer	Raises the current layer by one level within the layer stack
Lower Layer	Lowers the current layer by one level within the layer stack
Layer to Bottom	Moves the current layer to the bottom of the layer stack
Duplicate Current Layer	Duplicates the current layer
Delete Current Layer	Deletes the current layer

Object Menu¶

The Object menu contains options and commands for manipulating objects. The list below shows how they are organized in the menu, along with a brief description of what each one does. These may be found in various sections of the manual, where there are more detailed explanations.

Command or Option	What it Does
Layers and Objects…	Opens the Layers and Objects dialog
Fill and Stroke…	Opens the Fill and Stroke dialog
Object Properties…	Opens the Object Properties dialog
Symbols…	Opens the Symbols dialog
Paint Servers…	Opens the Paint Servers dialog
Selectors and CSS…	Opens the Selectors and CSS dialog
Group	Combines selected objects into a group
Ungroup	Disbands the group into its originally selected objects
Pop Selected Objects Out of Group	Removes selected objects from a group without the need to ungroup
Clip	Reveals a dropdown menu offering clipping commands and options
Mask	Reveals a dropdown menu offering masking commands and options
Pattern	Reveals a dropdown menu offering pattern commands
Objects to Marker	Converts the selected object to a marker
Objects to Guides	Converts the selected object’s outlines to guides
Raise to Top	Moves the selected object to the top level of the z-order stack, within the layer
Raise	Moves the selected object up one level in the z-order stack
Lower	Moves the selected object down one level in the z-order stack
Lower to Bottom	Moves the selected object to the bottom level of the z-order stack, within the layer
Rotate 90° CW	Rotates the selected object 90° clockwise
Rotate 90° CCW	Rotates the selected object 90° counterclockwise
Flip Horizontal	Flips the selected object horizontally (side to side)
Flip Vertical	Flips the selected object vertically (top to bottom)
Unhide All	Unhides (reveals) all objects
Unlock All	Unlocks all objects
Transform…	Opens the Transform dialog
Align and Distribute…	Opens the Align and Distribute dialog

Path Menu¶

Commands for manipulating paths are found in the Path menu. They are listed below with a brief description of what they do. Detailed explanations for most of them can be found in the Node and Path Manipulation section.

Command or Option	What it Does
Object to Path	Converts selected objects to paths
Stroke to Path	Converts strokes to paths
Trace Bitmap…	Opens the Trace Bitmap dialog (not sure where it will be located in the manual)
Union	Path operation that unions or adds two or more paths together
Difference	Path operation that differences or subtracts one path from another
Intersection	Path operation the creates an intersection of two or more paths
Exclusion	Path operation that results in non-intersecting parts
Division	Path operation that divides the bottom path into two or more pieces
Cut Path	Path operation similar to Division except results are only paths, no fills
Combine	Combines two or more paths to create a compound path
Break Apart	Breaks a compound path apart into single paths
Split Path	Splits selected paths into non-overlapping sections
Fracture	Breaks two or more overlapping objects into all possible segments
Flatten	Flattens one or more overlapping objects into their visible parts
Inset	Inset the selected path by configurable steps
Outset	Outsets the selected path by configurable steps
Dynamic Offset	Offsets the selected path dynamically
Linked Offset	The dynamic offset is linked to its original path
Fill Between Paths	tbd
Simplify	Removes excessive nodes
Reverse	Reverses the path direction
Path Effects…	Opens the Live Path Effects dialog
Paste Path Effect	Pastes the copied path effect to another object
Remove Path Effect	Removes the path effect from a selected object

Todo

Fill Between Paths might be changed before 1.5 is released. Also find out where Trace Bitmap will be covered in the manual, then make the correct link. Delete comments after items are fixed.

Text Menu¶

The Text menu contains all the options and commands for creating and manipulating text. The list below shows how they appear in the Inkscape window, along with a brief description for each item. For a complete explanation, see the Text section of the manual.

Command or Option	What it Does
Text and Font…	Opens the Text and Font dialog
SVG Font Editor…	Opens the SVG Font Editor
Unicode Characters…	Opens the Unicode Characters dialog
Put on Path	Puts the selected text on the selected path
Remove from Path	Removes text from a path
Flow into Frame	Flows text inside a frame object
Set Subtraction Frames	Flows text around a frame object
Unflow	Removes text from the frame
Convert to Text	Converts flowed text to regular text
Remove Manual Kerns	Removes manual kerns from text
Text to Glyphs	Converts text to glyphs
Check Spelling…	Opens the Check Spelling dialog

Filters Menu¶

The Filters menu contains both the filters which were installed with Inkscape, and any filters which the user may have installed later. Those that are installed with Inkscape are listed below, along with 3 other commands related to filters. To learn how to install new filters, please see the Filters section.

Command or Option	What it Does
Filter Gallery…	Opens the Filter Gallery dialog
Filter Editor…	Opens the Filter Editor
Bevels	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Blurs	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Bumps	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Color	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Distort	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Fill and Transparency	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Image Effects	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Image Paint and Draw	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Materials	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Morphology	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Non-Realistic 3D Shaders	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Overlays	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Pixel Tools	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Protrusions	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Ridges	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Scatter	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Shadows and Glows	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Textures	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the filters in this category
Remove Filters	Removes filters from the selected object

Extensions Menu¶

The extensions which were installed with Inkscape, along with any extensions the user might have installed, are listed in the Extensions menu. Those which are installed with Inkscape are listed below. To learn how to install extensions, as well as how to use them, please see the manual section, Extensions.

Command or Option	What it Does
Previous Extension	Applies the extension used previously, to the currently selected object
Previous Extension Settings…	Applies the extension used previously, with new settings, to the currently selected object
Extension Gallery…	Opens the Extension Gallery dialog
Arrange	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Color	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Document	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Export	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Gcodetools	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Generate from Path	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Images	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
JessyInk	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Modify Path	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Raster	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Render	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Styles	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Text	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Typography	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Visualize Path	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Web	Reveals a dropdown menu of all the extensions in this category
Manage Extensions…	Opens the Manage Extensions dialog

Help Menu¶

The Help menu offers options to answer users’ specific Inkscape questions and to generally learn how to use Inkscape. Below are descriptions for each item.

Command or Option	What it Does
Inkscape Manual	Opens the Inkscape manual (Note - requires an internet connection)
Tutorials	Reveals a dropdown menu of the official tutorials (Note - requires an internet connection)
Learn More	Reveals a dropdown menu of additional support items
New in This Version	Opens a page on the Inkscape website, that explains new features in this version
Donate	Opens a page on the Inkscape website, that explains different ways to donate to the Inkscape project
About Inkscape	Opens a window that gives information about this version of Inkscape

UNFINISHED / IN PROGRESS