21 - Shortcut Keys

December 9, 2025

Overview

In addition to providing menu access keys for menu commands, Capture provides shortcut keys for miscellaneous actions, such as scrolling across an editor's window. An example of an access key is ALT, E, T for the Cut command on the Edit menu. Shortcut keys include CTRL keys, Single letter keys (like P to place a part), and function keys (like F4 to repeat a command).

The description of each menu command includes keyboard, mouse, and other shortcuts.

Many shortcuts are available while you use another command. For example, you can use I and O to zoom in and out while you move and place objects.
You can run PSpice simulations from your Capture environment by pressing the F11 function key. Also, you can view the simulation results for the currently active profile by pressing the F12 function key.

You can select a product suite to open Capture without exiting the tool by choosing the File – Change Product menu command. If only start page is opened in the tool, press Alt, F, C, C, Enter for File - Change Product menu command, else press ALT, F, C when no window is opened in the tool. Also, you can select the Use as default check box to set the default product suite from which Capture should check out a license each time you start the tool.

All Capture windows

Key	Mouse click equivalent
ALT+F4	Exit
ALT, F, X	Exit
ALT, SPACEBAR, C	Exit
F1	Help

Text editor

Key	Mouse click equivalent
CTRL+F4	If you attach a VHDL file to a hierarchical block and descend the hierarchy, you will end up within the VHDL file. Use this shortcut to close the file and return to the top level of the schematic

Schematic page editor

Key	Mouse click equivalent
CTRL+A	Select All
CTRL+E	Edit properties
SHIFT+A	Ascend hierarchy
SHIFT+D	Descend hierarchy
B	Place bus
E	Place bus entry
F	Place power
G	Place ground
J	Place junction
N	Place net alias
P	Place part
T	Place text
W	Place wire
Y	Place polyline
X	Place No connect symbol
Z	Place Database Part
CTRL+SHIFT+A	Add part(s) to group
CTRL+SHIFT+R	Remove part(s) from group
CTRL+SHIFT+W	Select entire net
CTRL+I	Opens the Selection Filter dialog box where you can specify the objects that should be selected when the mouse pointer is dragged diagonally across the schematic page.
CTRL+SHIFT+Left Click	Lock component
CTRL+U	Ungroup objects
CTRL+G	Center the view on a specific location, grid references, or bookmark.
SHIFT+B	Create test bench
SHIFT+D	Compare an active test bench with the master design
CTRL+F4	Close Place Part dialog To use this shortcut, the Place Part dialog must be currently selected.
ALT+D	Reloads Library Parts in Place Part dialog To use this shortcut, the library must be selected in Place Part dialog.
SHIFT+I	Is the shortcut for the Edit Source Component option. Select the source component and use this shortcut to open the Independent Sources dialog box in the edit mode.
SHIFT+N	Is the shortcut for the Edit PSpice Component option. Select the modeling application PSpice component and then use this shortcut to open the PSpice Modeling Application in the edit mode.
F5	Redraw
B	Begin a wire, bus, or polyline (corresponding tool active)
C	Center the view at the pointer's current position
E	End a wire, bus, or polyline (corresponding tool active)

Select a component on the schematic page and press SHIFT+S to place components directly from your Capture schematic design to OrCAD X PCB Layout (new interface) or OrCAD X PCB Layout Expert (classic PCB editor)

Part editor

Key	Mouse click equivalent
CTRL+B	Previous part
CTRL+N	Next part

Property editor

Key	Mouse click equivalent
CTRL+B	Gives focus to the Filter by drop-down list
CTRL+D	Open the Display Properties dialog box to edit properties for a selected cell
CTRL+E	Edit properties
CTRL+F	Find a character or search string
CTRL+U	Open Propagation Delay dialog box
CTRL+L	Delete a property (cell value)
CTRL+N	Add a new column or row
CTRL+P	Apply changes
DELETE	Delete a character
CTRL+Z	Undo
CTRL+C	Copy
CTRL+V	Paste
CTRL+X	Cut
Page-Up/CTRL+<Up Arrow>	Go to the first cell in a column
Page-Down/CTRL+<Down Arrow>	Go to the last cell in a column
CTRL+<Left Arrow>	Go to the first cell in a row
CTRL+<Right Arrow>	Go to the last cell in a row
Esc	Undo edit in the selected cell
SHIFT+<Arrow key>	Select
CTRL+Home	Go to the beginning (top left corner) of the spreadsheet
CTRL+End	Go to the end (bottom right corner) of the spreadsheet
CTRL+F2	Select the contents of a cell
CTRL+F4	Close the spreadsheet
CTRL+F6	Switch to the other open windows (Works like CTRL+Tab)
CTRL+U	Opens the Propagation Delay dialog box or the Relative Propagation Delay dialog box depending on the property being edited in the Property Editor window. For example, if you select the grid corresponding to the Propagation Delay property and press CTRL+U, the Propagation Delay dialog box appears.

Schematic page and part editors

Key	Mouse click equivalent
CTRL+C	Copy
CTRL+F	Find
CTRL+G	Go to
CTRL+P	Print
CTRL+S	Save
CTRL+T	Cursor snap to grid (identical to the Preferences dialog box Grid display tab option).
CTRL+V	Paste
CTRL+X	Cut
CTRL+Y	Redo
CTRL+Z	Undo
F4	Repeat
DEL	Delete (Design and Edit menus)
DELETE	Delete (Design and Edit menus)
BACKSPACE	Delete (Design and Edit menus)
ENTER	Double-click
ESCAPE	Deselect all and switch to selection tool (arrow pointer)
SPACE	Click
UP ARROW	Move 1 grid up (grid on) or 0.1 grid up (grid off)
DOWN ARROW	Move 1 grid down (grid on) or 0.1 grid down (grid off)
LEFT ARROW	Move 1 grid left (grid on) or 0.1 grid left (grid off)
RIGHT ARROW	Move 1 grid right (grid on) or 0.1 grid right (grid off)
CTRL+UP ARROW	Snap pointer to the nearest grid and then move 5 grids up
CTRL+DOWN ARROW	Snap pointer to the nearest grid and then move 5 grids down
CTRL+LEFT ARROW	Snap pointer to the nearest grid and then move 5 grids left
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW	Snap pointer to nearest grid and then move 5 grids right
PAGE UP	Pan up
PAGE DOWN	Pan down
CTRL+PAGE UP	Pan left
CTRL+PAGE DOWN	Pan right
H	Mirror horizontally
I	Zoom in
O	Zoom out
R	Rotate
V	Mirror vertically
SHIFT+R	Place rectangle

Session log

Key	Mouse click equivalent
CTRL+DEL	Clear session log

When an error or warning message displays in the session log, you can find the help topic for that particular error or warning by putting your cursor in the line containing the error/warning and pressing the F1 key.

Text boxes

Key	Mouse click equivalent
BACKSPACE	Delete selected text
DEL	Delete selected text
DELETE	Delete selected text
CTRL+C	Copy selected text to Clipboard
CTRL+V	Paste Clipboard contents
CTRL+X	Cut selected text to Clipboard
CTRL+Z	Undo last edit
DOUBLE CLICK	Select word and any following space
SHIFT+CLICK	Extend selection from insertion point to cursor
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW	Jump right one word
CTRL+LEFT ARROW	Jump left one word
HOME	Jump to beginning of line
END	Jump to end of line
CTRL+HOME	Jump to beginning of text box
CTRL+END	Jump to end of the text box
SHIFT+HOME	Extend selection from insertion point to beginning of multiple-line text box
SHIFT+END	Extend selection from insertion point to end of multiple-line text box

Browse spreadsheet editor

Key	Mouse click equivalent
CTRL+C	Copy value from a cell in the Browse spreadsheet editor
CTRL+V	Paste Clipboard contents onto another cell in Browse spreadsheet editor
CTRL+INSERT	Copy value from a cell in the Browse spreadsheet editor and paste it onto a cell in Microsoft Excel worksheet
SHIFT+INSERT	Paste value copied from Microsoft Excel onto a cell in the Browse spreadsheet editor