Keyboard shortcuts on macOS can significantly increase your efficiency and speed up your workflow. The most important shortcuts are divided into general system commands, text editing, and application management.
macOS Modifier Keys
Unlike a standard PC keyboard, a Mac keyboard has a set of unique modifier keys with their own symbols. These keys are used in combination with other keys to perform specific actions.
Command (⌘): This is the most frequently used modifier key and is the Mac equivalent of the Ctrl key on a Windows PC for most common shortcuts. It is located on either side of the space bar.
Control (⌃): The Control key on a Mac is often used for context-sensitive commands and for navigating the system. It's not typically the primary key for common shortcuts like "copy" or "paste" (that's the Command key's job).
Option (⌥): Also known as the Alt key, the Option key is used for a variety of functions, including inserting special characters and providing alternative menu commands.
Fn (Function): This key is typically found on the bottom-left of the keyboard and is used to activate the special functions of the F-keys (F1-F12), such as brightness and volume control.
Shift (⇧): The Shift key, like on other keyboards, is used to capitalize letters and access alternative characters on keys. It's also used in many shortcuts.
Common and Useful Keyboard Shortcuts
Here are some of the most fundamental and widely used macOS shortcuts that work across most applications:
Command (⌘) + C: Copy the selected item.
Command (⌘) + X: Cut the selected item.
Command (⌘) + V: Paste the copied or cut item.
Command (⌘) + Z: Undo the previous action.
Shift (⇧) + Command (⌘) + Z: Redo the previously undone action.
Command (⌘) + A: Select all items in a document or window.
Command (⌘) + F: Open a search field to find text within a document or app.
Command (⌘) + Space bar: Show or hide the Spotlight search field, a powerful tool for finding apps, files, and information.
Command (⌘) + Tab: Switch to the next most recently used application.
Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + Esc: Force quit a frozen application.
Command (⌘) + Delete: Move the selected item to the Trash.
Shift (⇧) + Command (⌘) + Delete: Empty the Trash.
Command (⌘) + N: Create a new document or window.
Command (⌘) + O: Open the selected item.
Application and Window Management
Command (⌘) + W: Close the frontmost window.
Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + W: Close all windows of the current app.
Command (⌘) + H: Hide the windows of the front app.
Command (⌘) + Q: Quit the current application.
Command (⌘) + ` (backtick): Cycle through the windows of the currently active app.
Command (⌘) + M: Minimize the frontmost window to the Dock.
Screenshots
Shift (⇧) + Command (⌘) + 3: Take a screenshot of the entire screen. The image is saved to your desktop.
Shift (⇧) + Command (⌘) + 4: Take a screenshot of a selected area. Your cursor turns into a crosshair, which you can drag to select the area you want to capture.
Shift (⇧) + Command (⌘) + 5: Open the Screenshot utility, which provides options for taking screenshots and recording your screen.
