Step 1: Enter node editing

Select a path, then press E or click the Edit tool in the left toolbar. Anchor nodes appear on the path; Bezier control handles extend from curved nodes as tangent lines you can drag.

Step 2: Move and reshape

Drag any node to move it - multiple selected nodes move together. Drag a Bezier handle to bend the adjacent curve segment. Click a node to select it, Shift-click to add more to the selection, and hold Shift while dragging a segment to snap the drag to 45-degree increments.

Step 3: Insert and delete nodes

Double-click an empty stretch of a segment to insert a node there. Select a node and press Delete to remove it - the path closes the gap by reconnecting the neighbors. Shape > Complexify Path (Ctrl+Shift+}) adds evenly distributed nodes when you need more control points to work with.

Step 4: Edit the path data directly

Open the Path Editor panel while in Edit mode: it shows the raw d attribute in a live text editor plus a structured table of every command. Change a command type (say, a straight L into a cubic C), edit parameters numerically, or insert and delete commands per row - clicking a row highlights its node on canvas. While drawing with the Path tool (B), Alt+click an anchor to toggle it between corner and smooth behavior.

Step 5: Simplify and reverse

Shape > Simplify Path (Ctrl+Shift+{) reduces anchor count without changing the shape - useful after vectorization, with an adjustable tolerance in the edit toolbar's Simplify Options. Shape > Reverse Path Direction flips the start and end points; this matters for marker placement, text on a path, and some animation calculations.

Step 6: Join, split, and cut

Select two open endpoints and use Shape > Join Nodes (Ctrl+J) to weld them into one - joining a path's own two endpoints closes it. Split Nodes (Ctrl+Shift+N) breaks a node into two coincident endpoints, and Break at Nodes (Ctrl+Shift+B) starts new subpaths at the selected nodes. The Scissors tool (Shift+K) cuts a path at any clicked point on its outline.