---
title: How to quickly change layer opacity in Sketch
teaser: 'You can use your keyboard to very quickly change the opacity of a layer in
  Sketch. Here are some handy tricks to make the most of the feature.

  '
tags: sketch,productivity,design
author: Luke Mitchell
published_on: 2020-02-20
---

![A sketch window, with rectangles of different opacities](https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/HDkZkOLVT2JdrosRrlPA_opacity.png)

You can use your keyboard to very quickly change the opacity of a layer in
Sketch. Using the number keys you can set the opacity to 10% increments, hide
something or set the opacity to anything between 1 and 99.

Try this: select a layer and using the keyboard type `1`, the layer now has a
10% opacity. The other number keys work as you would expect:

- 2 = 20%
- 3 = 30%
- 4 = 40%
- 5 = 50%

… and so on

However, tapping `0` will return the opacity back to 100%, you could also type
`100` for the same result, but this is faster.

_Holding_ `0` will reduce the opacity to 0%, which is handy for visually hiding
something, while still having it selectable in Sketch.

It doesn’t end there. You can be as granular as you like — providing you use
whole numbers — for example quickly typing `25`, will do exactly what you'd
imagine.

## What's next

If you're looking for more Sketch tips I recently posted about the hidden
ability in Sketch to make calculations without leaving the app:

[How to make quick calculations in Sketch](https://www.thoughtbot.com/blog/how-to-make-quick-calculations-in-sketch)