Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Mavericks Edition (2014)

C

Starts up from a CD or DVD

N

Starts up from a network server

R

Resets the laptop screen

⌘-R

Starts Recovery Mode

T

Puts the Mac into FireWire or Thunderbolt Target Disk mode

Option

Shows icons of all startup disks and partitions, so you can choose one for starting up

Shift-Option-⌘-Delete

Starts up from external drive (or CD)

Option-⌘-P-R

Zaps the parameter RAM (PRAM) (hold down until you hear the second chime)

⌘-V

Shows Unix console messages during startup, logout, and shutdown

⌘-S

Starts up in single-user (Unix command-line) mode

Mouse down

Ejects a stuck CD or DVD

6 and 4 keys

Starts up in 64-bit mode

Shift

Just after powering up: Turns off kernel extensions

Shift

Just after logging in: Prevents Finder windows and startup items from opening (they’ll return the next time you start up)

⌘-space

Highlights Spotlight box

Option-⌘-space

Opens Spotlight window

,

Expands or collapses a selected folder in list view

Option-

Expands a folder in a list view and all folders inside it

Option-

Collapses a folder and all folders inside it

⌘-

Opens parent folder

Shift-Option-⌘-

Selects the desktop

⌘- (or ⌘-O)

Opens the selected icon

Option-click the flippy triangle

Expands or collapses all folders within that window

Tab

Selects next icon alphabetically

Shift-Tab

Selects previous icon alphabetically

space bar

Opens Quick Look preview of highlighted icon(s)

space bar

During a spring-loaded folder drag, opens the disk or folder under the mouse immediately

Option-click Zoom button

Enlarges the window to full screen

Option-click Close button

Closes all Finder windows

Option-click Minimize button

Minimizes all windows (works in most apps)

⌘-drag an icon

Moves it into, or out of, the System folder (administrator password required)

Option

Changes Quick Look button to Slideshow button

⌘-drag

Rearranges or removes menulets or toolbar icons

⌘-click window title

Opens a pop-up menu showing the folder path

Option

Changes “About This Mac” to “System Information”

Shift-⌘-Q

Logs out

Shift-Option-⌘-Q

Logs out without confirmation box

Option

Eliminates the confirmation box from Empty Trash and Secure Empty Trash

Shift-⌘-Delete

Empties the Trash

Shift-⌘-Delete

Puts back a highlighted icon in the Trash

Shift-Option-⌘-Delete

Empties the Trash without confirmation box

Option-Empty Trash

Empties the Trash without confirmation box

⌘-comma

Opens Preferences

⌘-H

Hide this program

Shift-⌘-H

Hide other programs

⌘-N

New Finder window

⌘-T

New Finder tab

Shift-⌘-N

New folder

Option-⌘-N

New smart folder

⌘-O or ⌘-

Open

Control-⌘-O

Open in new window

Option-click File menu

Changes “Open With” to “Always Open With”

⌘-W

Close window

Option-⌘-W

Close All

⌘-I

Get Info

Option-⌘-I

Show Inspector

Control-⌘-I

Summary Info (of selected icons)

⌘-D

Duplicate

⌘-L

Make Alias

⌘-Y

Quick Look

Option-⌘-Y

Slideshow (of selected icons)

⌘-R

Show Original (of alias)

⌘-T

Add to Sidebar

Shift-⌘-T

Add to Favorites

⌘-Delete

Move to Trash

⌘-E

Eject

⌘-F

Find

Shift-⌘-F

Find by Name

⌘-Z

Undo

⌘-C, ⌘-X, ⌘-V

Copy, Cut, Paste

Shift-⌘-V

Move copied icons to this window

⌘-A

Select All

Option-⌘-A

Deselect All

⌘-1, -2, -3, -4

Icon, list, column, Cover Flow views

Control-⌘-1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6

Arrange by Name, Date Modified, Date Created, Size, Kind, Label

Option

Changes “Clean Up Selection” to “Clean Up”

Option

Changes “Arrange By” to “Sort By”

Shift-Option-T

Show/hide Tabs bar

Option-⌘-P

Show/hide Path bar

Option-⌘-T

Show/hide Toolbar

Option-⌘-S

Show/hide Sidebar

⌘-/

Show/hide Status bar

⌘-J

Show/hide View Options palette

Control-⌘-F

Full Screen mode

⌘-[, ⌘-]

Back, Forward

⌘-

Enclosing folder

Control-⌘-

Enclosing folder in new window

Option-⌘-T

Show/Hide Toolbar

Shift-⌘-F

All My Files window

Shift-⌘-O

Documents window

Shift-⌘-D

Desktop window

Option-⌘-L

Downloads window

Shift-⌘-H

Home window

Option

Makes Library command appear

Shift-⌘-C

Computer window

Shift-⌘-R

AirDrop window

Shift-⌘-K

Network window

Shift-⌘-A

Applications window

Shift-⌘-G

Go to Folder

⌘-K

Connect to Server

⌘-M

Minimize

Option-⌘-M

Minimize All

Option

Changes “Bring All to Front” to “Arrange in Front”

Shift-⌘-?

Opens help search box

Control-

Brings up dialog box for Shut Down, Sleep, or Restart

Option-⌘-

Sleep

Control-Option-⌘-

Shut Down

Control-⌘-

Restart

Option-click a Dock icon

Switches to new program and hides previous one

Option-⌘-D

Hides/shows the Dock

⌘-click a Dock or Stacks icon

Reveals its actual Finder icon

Option-⌘-click a Dock icon

Switches to this program and hides all others

Control-click a Dock icon

Opens a shortcut menu

Hold mouse down on Dock app icon

Triggers Exposé (shows all windows of that app in miniature)

⌘-drag an icon onto a Dock icon

Prevents Dock icons from moving, so you can drop your icon onto one of them

⌘-drag a Dock icon

Drags the actual item

Option-⌘-drag an icon onto the Dock

Forces a Dock program to open the icon you’re dropping on it

Option-click a Dock icon

Switches to new program and hides the previous one

Option-click in a window

Switches to new program and hides the previous one

⌘-H

Hide this program’s windows (works in most apps)

Option-⌘-H

Hide all other programs’ windows (most apps)

Control-,

Previous/next Spaces screen

F9

Exposé: Shrinks and tiles all windows in all programs

Shift-F9

Exposé: Shrinks and tiles all windows in slow motion

F10

Exposé: Shrinks and tiles all windows in frontmost program

F11

Exposé: Flings all windows in all programs to edges of screen, revealing desktop

F12

Dashboard widgets

⌘-Tab

Press and release: Switches back and forth between current and previous open program

⌘-Tab

Hold down ⌘: Displays floating icons of open programs. Press Tab repeatedly to cycle through them. (Add Shift to cycle backward through open programs on the Dock.)

⌘-~

Switches to next open window in this program. (Add Shift to cycle in the opposite direction.)

Option-⌘-Esc

Opens the Force Quit dialog box (to close a stuck program)

Shift-⌘-3

Captures the screen image as a PNG file on your desktop

Shift-⌘-4

Produces a crosshairs; drag to capture a selected portion of the screen as a PNG graphics file. (Press space to get the “camera” cursor that snips out just a menu, icon, or window.)

⌘-space

Switches keyboard layout (if more than one is installed). (If you use Spotlight, you must choose a different keystroke for this function.)

⌘-comma

Opens Preferences dialog box (any Apple program)

Esc

“Clicks” the Cancel button in a dialog box

Enter or Return

“Clicks” the OK button (or other blue, highlighted button) in a dialog box

Option-⌘-F

Moves the insertion point to the search box in most Apple programs

⌘-D, ⌘-R

“Clicks” the Don’t Save or Replace button

Two-finger click

Right-click

Two-finger drag up/down

Scroll up/down

Two-finger swipe left-/right

Move among open Web or document pages

Two-finger swipe from right edge

Open Notification Center

Two-finger pinch or spread

Zoom in or out of a picture, PDF, or Web page

Two-finger rotate

Rotate photo or PDF

Two-finger double-tap (not click)

“Smart zoom” into Safari or Preview page

Three-finger swipe up

Mission Control

Three-finger swipe down

Show all windows in this app (Exposé)

Three-finger swipe left/right

Previous/next Spaces screen or full-screen app

Three-finger drag

Move window

Three-finger tap (not click)

Look up this word in Dictionary

Four-finger pinch

Open Launchpad

Four-finger spread

Reveal desktop (Exposé)

One-finger double-tap (not click)

“Smart zoom” into Safari or Preview page

Two-finger double-tap (not click)

Mission Control

One-finger swipe left-/right

Move between open Web or document

Two-finger swipe left/right

Previous/next Spaces screen or full-screen app