Toolbar Editor Sketchup Full Review

Before you can build, you need to open the machine shop. In SketchUp Desktop:

Pro Tip: For the "full" experience, dock the Toolbar Editor dialog to the side of your screen. Do not close it until you are finished. This allows for rapid drag-and-drop iteration.

Once open, you will see the Toolbars List (left) and the Commands List (right). The magic happens in the Commands List, which contains every single action SketchUp can perform, hidden in tabs like File, Edit, View, Draw, Tools, and Extensions.

If you have ever found yourself scrolling endlessly through a cluttered screen, hunting for the "Scale" tool while surrounded by icons you never use, you have experienced the pain of a disorganized workspace. For professionals and hobbyists alike, time is the most valuable asset. Every second spent searching for a command is a second stolen from designing.

Enter the Toolbar Editor in SketchUp. While many users rely on default templates, unlocking the full potential of the Toolbar Editor is the secret handshake of power users. This article provides a deep dive into accessing, customizing, and mastering the Toolbar Editor to create a fluid, non-destructive workflow. toolbar editor sketchup full

Note: While this guide focuses on SketchUp Pro (2020–2024), the principles apply to most modern versions, including the web-based SketchUp Free and Shop, though desktop Pro offers the most extensive "full" customization.

Click the "New" button in the Toolbar Editor. Name it "Architect Lite" or "My Custom Suite." A floating, empty gray window will appear. This is your canvas.

Buy it if: You are a daily SketchUp user frustrated with cluttered screens, lost toolbars, or repetitive clicking. The ability to create one "master toolbar" with only the 40 tools you actually use is revolutionary.

Skip it if: You use SketchUp once a week for simple boxes, or if you are on a tiny laptop screen where you just use keyboard shortcuts exclusively. Before you can build, you need to open the machine shop

Final Score: 9/10

Toolbar Editor (Full) is not glamorous, but it is liberating. It turns SketchUp’s weakest UI feature into its strongest. For the first time in years, my toolbars feel like mine.

Pro Tip: Pair this with a 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse. You’ll feel like a CAD deity.

A single, massive toolbar with 50 icons is not "full"—it is messy. The "full" editor allows for modal toolbars. Pro Tip: For the "full" experience, dock the

Workflow: Use the Toolbar Editor to assign keyboard shortcuts to toggle these toolbars on/off.

SketchUp does not natively do this with keystrokes, but you can use the "Context Menus" tab in the Toolbar Editor to create right-click radial menus that shift depending on what tool you have selected.

Right-click the custom toolbar and select "Lock Toolbar Position." This prevents you from accidentally dragging the "Move" tool off the edge of the screen during a frantic modeling session.

There is often confusion between "Toolbar Editor full" and "SketchUp Full." The term "Full" is sometimes misused to describe SketchUp Pro (the paid, desktop version) vs. SketchUp Free (web) vs. SketchUp Make (legacy).

Verdict: To get the "Full" toolbar editor experience, you need SketchUp Pro.

The default SketchUp toolbar shows icons only. However, when you build a massive custom toolbar, remembering 50+ icons is hard.