Apple macOS provides several keyboard shortcuts to enhance multitasking and window management. Here are some of the most useful ones:
Mission Control and Spaces
Mission Control is a key macOS feature for multitasking, allowing you to see all open windows, desktop spaces, and full-screen apps.
Open Mission Control: Press the Mission Control key (typically F3 on newer Mac keyboards) or use Control (⌃) + Up Arrow. This shows a bird's-eye view of all your open windows and desktops.
Show All Windows for an App: To view all open windows for the currently active app (a feature called App Exposé), press Control (⌃) + Down Arrow. This is especially useful if you have many windows open for one program.
Switching Desktops: To move between different desktop spaces, press Control (⌃) + Left Arrow or Control (⌃) + Right Arrow.
Application and Window Management
Switching Applications: Use Command (⌘) + Tab to cycle through your open applications. Continue holding Command and press Tab to move to the next app in the list.
Minimizing Windows: To minimize the active window to the Dock, use Command (⌘) + M. To minimize all windows of the current application, press Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + M.
Hiding Windows: To quickly hide the active application's windows, press Command (⌘) + H. If you want to hide all other windows except the one you're currently using, press Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + H.
Force Quit: If an application becomes unresponsive, you can force quit it by pressing Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + Esc to open the Force Quit Applications window.
Cycling Windows within an App: When you have multiple windows open for a single application, such as multiple Safari windows, you can switch between them by pressing Command (⌘) + ` (backtick).
Full Screen and Split View
Create Split View: While in full-screen mode, press the Mission Control key (F3 or Control + Up Arrow), then drag another window into the space with the full-screen app to create a Split View.
Toggle Full Screen: Use Control (⌃) + Command (⌘) + F to enter or exit full-screen mode for the active window.
Using these shortcuts can significantly streamline your workflow, allowing you to navigate between applications, windows, and desktops with ease.
