120+ Essential Mac Keyboard Shortcuts to Skyrocket Your Productivity

Welcome to the ultimate guide to mastering your Mac. At MakeUseOf, we believe in empowering our readers with the knowledge to transform their digital workflows, and few things boost efficiency as dramatically as a deep understanding of keyboard shortcuts. Forget the endless clicking and navigating through menus; with these indispensable macOS keyboard shortcuts, you’ll be able to perform tasks with lightning speed, making your Mac experience smoother, faster, and significantly more productive. This comprehensive cheat sheet is designed to help you outrank the competition and become a true Mac power user.

Unlock the Power of macOS: A Foundation in Keyboard Shortcuts

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, time is your most valuable asset. Every second saved navigating your operating system translates directly into increased productivity and a more enjoyable computing experience. macOS, with its intuitive design and powerful features, offers a rich ecosystem of keyboard shortcuts that, when mastered, can fundamentally change how you interact with your machine. We’ve meticulously curated and expanded upon existing lists to provide you with over 120 useful Mac keyboard shortcuts, categorized for easy learning and recall. Whether you’re a student, a creative professional, a developer, or simply someone who uses a Mac daily, these shortcuts are your gateway to becoming a true productivity master.

Navigating Your Mac with Unprecedented Speed

The core of efficient computing lies in seamless navigation. These shortcuts will allow you to move around your Mac’s interface, applications, and files with incredible speed and precision.

These are the foundational shortcuts that apply across almost all macOS applications, making them incredibly versatile.

The Power of the Command Key

The Command (⌘) key is the cornerstone of Mac keyboard shortcuts. It’s often used in conjunction with other keys to perform fundamental actions.

⌘ + Space: Spotlight Search: This is arguably one of the most powerful shortcuts on your Mac. Instantly launch a search bar that can find applications, files, emails, web results, and even perform calculations or conversions. Mastering Spotlight will save you countless hours of searching.
⌘ + Tab: Switch Between Applications: Quickly toggle between your open applications. Holding ⌘ and repeatedly pressing Tab cycles through them, while pressing ⌘ + Shift + Tab cycles backward. This is far more efficient than clicking on the Dock.
⌘ + Q: Quit an Application: Immediately close the active application. This is essential for tidying up your workspace and freeing up system resources.
⌘ + W: Close Current Window: Close the active window of the current application without quitting the application itself. This is perfect for managing multiple documents or browser tabs within a single program.
⌘ + H: Hide Current Application: Minimize all windows of the active application to the Dock. This is incredibly useful for clearing your screen to focus on a specific task or application without completely closing the hidden ones.
⌘ + M: Minimize Current Window: Minimize the active window to the Dock. This is a more targeted version of hiding, affecting only the current window.
⌘ + Option + H: Hide Other Applications: Hide all applications except the one you are currently using. This is a fantastic way to eliminate distractions and focus solely on your current task.
⌘ + Shift + H: Hide Other Applications (Alternative): Another way to hide all other applications.
⌘ + N: New Window: Open a new window in the currently active application (e.g., a new Finder window, a new browser window).
⌘ + T: New Tab: Open a new tab in applications that support tabbed browsing, such as Safari, Finder, and Terminal.
⌘ + , (Comma): Open Application Preferences: Access the preferences or settings for the currently active application. This is a universal shortcut for quick adjustments.
⌘ + O: Open File: When a file is selected in Finder or a Save/Open dialog, this opens the selected file.
⌘ + S: Save Current Document: Save the changes to your current document. A vital shortcut to prevent data loss.
⌘ + Shift + S: Save As: Save the current document with a new name or in a different location.
⌘ + P: Print Current Document: Open the print dialog for the current document or webpage.
⌘ + Z: Undo: Reverse the last action performed. Essential for correcting mistakes.
⌘ + Shift + Z: Redo: Reverse the last undo action. This allows you to step forward again after undoing.
⌘ + X: Cut: Cut the selected item. This removes the item from its current location and places it on the clipboard, ready to be pasted.
⌘ + C: Copy: Copy the selected item. This places a duplicate of the item on the clipboard without removing it from its original location.
⌘ + V: Paste: Paste the item from the clipboard into the current location.
⌘ + A: Select All: Select all items in the current document or window.
⌘ + Delete: Move to Trash: Move the selected item(s) to the Trash.

The Finder is your portal to your Mac’s file system. Mastering these shortcuts will make managing your files a breeze.

⌘ + E: Eject Disk: Eject the selected disk or volume. Safely remove external drives.
⌘ + F: Find: Open a Find window in Finder.
⌘ + I: Get Info: Display the Info window for the selected file or folder. This shows detailed properties like permissions, creation date, and file size.
⌘ + K: Connect to Server: Open the “Connect to Server” dialog. Useful for network access.
⌘ + R: Refresh Finder Window: Reload the contents of the current Finder window.
⌘ + Shift + C: Computer: Open a Finder window showing your computer.
⌘ + Shift + D: Desktop: Open a Finder window showing your Desktop.
⌘ + Shift + F: Recents: Open a Finder window showing your Recents folder.
⌘ + Shift + G: Go to Folder: Open a dialog box allowing you to quickly navigate to a specific folder by typing its path.
⌘ + Shift + H: Home Folder: Open a Finder window showing your Home folder.
⌘ + Shift + I: iCloud Drive: Open a Finder window showing your iCloud Drive.
⌘ + Shift + K: Network: Open a Finder window showing network locations.
⌘ + Shift + N: New Folder: Create a new folder in the current Finder window.
⌘ + Shift + P: Show View Options: Open the View Options panel for the current Finder window.
⌘ + Shift + R: AirDrop: Open the AirDrop window to share files wirelessly.
⌘ + Shift + T: New Tab (Finder): Open a new tab in the current Finder window.
⌘ + Shift + U: Utilities: Open a Finder window showing the Utilities folder.
⌘ + Shift + V: Paste Item: Paste the item from the clipboard as a new item.
⌘ + Shift + W: Close Window: Close the current Finder window.
⌘ + Option + N: New Smart Folder: Create a new Smart Folder.
⌘ + Delete: Move Selected to Trash: Move the selected item(s) to the Trash.
⌘ + Option + Delete: Empty Trash: Empty the Trash. You will be prompted for confirmation.
Spacebar (when a file is selected): Quick Look: Preview the selected file without opening it in its native application. This is incredibly efficient for image, document, and video previews.
⌘ + G: Find (in a window): Use this to jump to the search bar within an open Finder window.
⌘ + J: Sort By: Access sorting options for the items in the current Finder window.
⌘ + L: Make Alias: Create an alias (shortcut) for the selected file or folder.
⌘ + 1: Icon View: Change the Finder window view to Icons.
⌘ + 2: List View: Change the Finder window view to Lists.
⌘ + 3: Column View: Change the Finder window view to Columns.
⌘ + 4: Gallery View: Change the Finder window view to Gallery.
⌘ + /: Show Status Bar: Toggle the visibility of the status bar in Finder windows.
⌘ + Control + N: New Folder with Selection: Create a new folder containing the selected items.

System-Wide Shortcuts for Enhanced Control

These shortcuts offer control over your Mac’s system functions and enhance your overall user experience.

Control + ⌘ + Q: Lock Screen: Immediately lock your Mac’s screen, requiring your password to resume. This is crucial for security when stepping away from your computer.
Control + ⌘ + Power Button (or Touch ID): Restart: Restart your Mac.
Control + Option + ⌘ + Power Button (or Touch ID): Shut Down: Shut down your Mac.
Control + Power Button (or Touch ID): Show Shut Down Dialog: Display the dialog box to restart, shut down, or put your Mac to sleep.
Shift + ⌘ + G: Go to Folder: As mentioned earlier, this is a powerful tool for direct file system access.
Shift + ⌘ + O: Documents Folder: Open a Finder window showing your Documents folder.
Shift + ⌘ + H: Home Folder: Open a Finder window showing your Home folder.
Shift + ⌘ + D: Desktop Folder: Open a Finder window showing your Desktop folder.
Shift + ⌘ + T: New Tab: Open a new tab in compatible applications.
Shift + ⌘ + N: New Folder: Create a new folder in Finder.
Shift + ⌘ + R: AirDrop: Open the AirDrop window.
Shift + ⌘ + Delete: Move to Trash: Move selected items to the Trash.
Shift + ⌘ + Option + Delete: Empty Trash: Empty the Trash.

Screenshot and Screen Recording

Capturing your screen is vital for documentation, tutorials, and sharing.

Shift + ⌘ + 3: Capture Entire Screen: Take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it to your Desktop.
Shift + ⌘ + 4: Capture Selected Area: Drag a crosshair to select an area of the screen to capture. The screenshot is saved to your Desktop.
Shift + ⌘ + 4, then Spacebar, then click window: Capture Specific Window: Capture a specific window. The screenshot will include a shadow effect by default.
Shift + ⌘ + 5: Screenshot and Screen Recording Options: Opens a panel with options to capture the entire screen, a selected window, or a selected portion, as well as options for screen recording. This is the most versatile screenshot tool.
Control + Shift + ⌘ + 3: Copy Entire Screen to Clipboard: Take a screenshot of your entire screen and copy it to the clipboard. You can then paste it into an application.
Control + Shift + ⌘ + 4: Copy Selected Area to Clipboard: Take a screenshot of a selected area and copy it to the clipboard.

Mission Control and Spaces

Organize your windows and desktop for maximum focus.

F3 (or Control + Up Arrow): Show Mission Control: Displays all open windows from all applications, as well as the Desktop and any Spaces you have created.
Control + Left Arrow / Right Arrow: Switch Between Spaces: Navigate between your different desktop spaces (virtual desktops). This is a game-changer for multitasking.
F9 (or Control + Down Arrow): Show All Windows of Current Application: Displays all open windows for the currently active application, making it easy to switch between them.
F10 (or Control + Right Arrow): Show Application Windows: If you have multiple applications open, this will show the windows of the active application.
F11 (or Control + Down Arrow): Show Desktop: Hides all open windows and shows the desktop.

Text Editing and Input

Streamline your text-based tasks with these powerful shortcuts.

Option + Left/Right Arrow: Move Cursor Word by Word: Move the insertion point one word to the left or right.
Command + Left/Right Arrow: Move Cursor to Beginning/End of Line: Move the insertion point to the beginning or end of the current line.
Option + Up/Down Arrow: Move Cursor Paragraph by Paragraph: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous or next paragraph.
Command + Up/Down Arrow: Move Cursor to Beginning/End of Document: Move the insertion point to the beginning or end of the current document.
Shift + Option + Left/Right Arrow: Select Word by Word: Select text one word at a time.
Shift + Command + Left/Right Arrow: Select Line by Line: Select text from the insertion point to the beginning or end of the current line.
Shift + Option + Up/Down Arrow: Select Paragraph by Paragraph: Select text paragraph by paragraph.
Shift + Command + Up/Down Arrow: Select to Beginning/End of Document: Select text from the insertion point to the beginning or end of the document.
Command + Delete: Delete Word to the Left: Delete the word to the left of the insertion point.
Option + Delete: Delete Word to the Right: Delete the word to the right of the insertion point.
Command + B: Bold Text: Apply or remove bold formatting to selected text.
Command + I: Italicize Text: Apply or remove italic formatting to selected text.
Command + U: Underline Text: Apply or remove underline formatting to selected text.
Command + T: Show Fonts: Open the Fonts panel.
Command + Shift + P: Change Font Size: Open the Font Size panel.
Command + K: Add Link: Insert a hyperlink into selected text.
Command + ;: Check Spelling and Grammar: Open the spelling and grammar checker.
Command + :: Smart Quotes and Dashes: Toggle smart quotes and dashes.
Option + ` (Grave Accent): Switch Input Sources: Cycle through your installed input sources (keyboard layouts).

When you’re spending a lot of time online, these browser shortcuts are indispensable.

Command + T: New Tab: Open a new tab in your web browser.
Command + W: Close Tab: Close the current browser tab.
Command + Shift + T: Reopen Closed Tab: Reopen the last closed browser tab. This is a lifesaver!
Command + L: Focus on Address Bar: Highlight the URL in the address bar, ready for you to type a new address or search query.
Command + K: Focus on Search Bar: In some browsers, this will focus on the search bar.
Command + N: New Window: Open a new browser window.
Command + Shift + N: New Incognito/Private Window: Open a new private browsing window.
Command + +/-: Zoom In/Out: Increase or decrease the zoom level of the current page.
Command + 0: Reset Zoom: Reset the zoom level to 100%.
Spacebar: Scroll Down Page: Scroll down the current page by one screen.
Shift + Spacebar: Scroll Up Page: Scroll up the current page by one screen.
Command + R: Reload Page: Reload the current webpage.
Command + Shift + R: Hard Reload/Empty Cache and Reload: Reload the page, ignoring cached content.
Command + D: Bookmark Page: Add the current webpage to your bookmarks.
Command + Control + D: Add to Reading List: Add the current webpage to your Reading List.
Command + Left Arrow: Back: Go to the previous page in your browsing history.
Command + Right Arrow: Forward: Go to the next page in your browsing history.
Command + [: Back: Navigate back in your browsing history.
Command + ]: Forward: Navigate forward in your browsing history.
Command + Option + F: Find on Page: Open the find bar to search for text within the current webpage.
Command + G: Find Next: Find the next occurrence of the searched text.
Command + Shift + G: Find Previous: Find the previous occurrence of the searched text.

Advanced Shortcuts for Power Users

These shortcuts are for those who want to push their productivity even further and gain finer control over their Mac.

System Utilities and Diagnostics

Access and manage system functions with ease.

Command + Option + Esc: Force Quit Applications: Open the Force Quit Applications window. This is your go-to when an application becomes unresponsive.
Command + Option + Control + Power Button (or Touch ID): Force Restart: Force your Mac to restart. Use this with caution.
Command + Option + Volume Down + Power Button (or Touch ID): Disable Automatic Graphics Switching: Forces your Mac to use the high-performance graphics card. Useful for demanding tasks.
Command + S (during startup): Safe Mode: Start your Mac in Safe Mode, which performs basic checks and repairs.
Command + R (during startup): macOS Recovery: Boot into macOS Recovery for disk repair, reinstalling macOS, or restoring from a Time Machine backup.
Option (during startup): Startup Manager: Hold Option during startup to choose which startup disk to boot from.
Shift (during startup): Safe Boot: Hold Shift during startup to boot into Safe Mode.

Specific Application Shortcuts (Examples)

While the above cover general macOS, many applications have their own powerful shortcut sets. Here are a few examples for common applications.

Safari

Command + Right Arrow: Move to the end of the line.
Command + Left Arrow: Move to the beginning of the line.
Option + Left Arrow: Move the cursor one word to the left.
Option + Right Arrow: Move the cursor one word to the right.

Mail

Command + N: Compose a New Message.
Command + R: Reply to a Message.
Command + Shift + R: Reply All to a Message.
Command + F: Forward a Message.
Command + J: Go to Mailbox.
Command + Enter: Send Message.

TextEdit

Command + Shift + A: Toggle Appearance to Plain Text/Rich Text.
Command + Shift + D: Insert Date.
Command + Shift + T: Insert Time.

Customizing Your Keyboard Shortcuts

macOS allows you to customize many of these shortcuts, or even create entirely new ones, to perfectly match your workflow.

Creating Custom Shortcuts

Go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
Click on Keyboard.
Select Keyboard Shortcuts.
In the left sidebar, click on App Shortcuts.
Click the + button to add a new shortcut.
Choose the Application you want to create a shortcut for. You can choose “All Applications” for system-wide shortcuts.
Enter the Menu Title exactly as it appears in the application’s menu.
Assign your desired Keyboard Shortcut. Ensure it doesn’t conflict with existing system shortcuts.

By leveraging these 120+ essential Mac keyboard shortcuts, you will undoubtedly transform your daily computing experience. This comprehensive guide provides the tools to navigate, manage, and create with unparalleled efficiency. Start incorporating these shortcuts into your workflow today, and experience the power of a truly optimized Mac. Become a productivity master with MakeUseOf’s curated list, and outshine the ordinary.

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