At the top of every window, below the menu bar, is the tool bar. The tool bar provides shortcuts for many common commands.

The tool bar has these sections:

- Library Control Icons to read a library (Section 3-9-2) and to save libraries (Section 3-9-3).
- Editing Modes Icons for selection (Section 2-1-1), panning (Section 4-4-2), zooming (Section 4-4-1), outline edit (Section 6-10-2), and measuring (Section 4-7-4).
- Arrow Distance Icons set arrow distance to full, half, and quarter movements (Section 2-4-1).
- Object or Area Icons switch between object selection and area definition (Section 2-1-3).
- Hard Select Icon to toggle the selection of hard-to-select objects (Section 2-1-5).
- Preferences Icon to show the preferences dialog (Section 6-3).
- Undo Icons to undo and redo (Section 6-7).
- Hierarchy Icons to go back and forward while traversing the hierarchy (Section 3-5).
- Expansion Icons to expand and unexpand cell instances (Section 3-4).