Press A (or Ctrl+B) for the Select tool.
| Gesture | Effect |
|---|---|
| Click | Select only that shape (the top-most one under the cursor). A grouped shape selects its whole group. |
| Shift+click | Add to the selection. Shift+click a selected shape to take it out again (a Shift+drag still moves the selection). |
| Ctrl+click | Add or remove that shape. |
| Drag on empty canvas | Box selection: shapes fully inside the box. |
| Double-click | Select the chain of connected shapes of the same line type on the same layer. Hold Alt to cross line types and layers. |
| Double-click a text | Edit its words in place. |
A press that moves before you let go is a drag, not a click, so a quick click straight after a drag is a single click. | Double-click a tracing image (where there's no shape) | Pick it and switch to the Tracing tool. | | Ctrl+A / Ctrl+D | Select all / deselect all. | | Esc | Cancel the current step. |
Selected shapes show small dots where they meet another shape end to end (blue) or cross one (red), so you can check how a piece is joined. The dots only show on the selection.
Selecting never creates an undo step. Locked shapes, hidden line types and shapes on hidden or locked layers can't be selected.
Tip: File ▸ Options… ▸ Add to the selection without holding Ctrl makes a plain click add to the selection.