Mac Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts in easy steps (2015)
2
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts
In the days before the mouse, computer users relied entirely on keyboard commands. Today we tend to control our Macs using the mouse but you can speed up your workflow hugely if you use keystrokes for common actions.
This chapter lists most of the keystrokes you are ever likely to need. Spend time and learn some basic ones and you will stop relying on the mouse for common tasks.
Finder and other Shortcuts
Everyone should know a few shortcuts, even if it’s just the basic cut-and-paste shortcuts. They can speed up your workflow considerably, so try to memorize and use these basic shortcuts before moving on to the more advanced ones.
If you’re coming from a Windows environment you may be used to Control + C, Control + V etc. For any Windows shortcut, simply substitute Control for Command (⌘) on the Mac and the chances are the shortcut will work!
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The Basic Shortcuts |
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Copy (text, image, etc.) |
⌘ + C |
|
Paste |
⌘ + V |
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Cut (delete) |
⌘ + X |
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Undo last action |
⌘ + Z |
|
|
⌘ + P |
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Open doc, folder, etc. |
⌘ + O |
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Save |
⌘ + S |
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Save as |
Option + ⌘ + S |
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Repeat an action |
⌘ + Y |
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Select all |
⌘ + A |
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Finder Shortcuts |
|
|
Accessibility Options |
⌘ + Option + F5 |
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Add Selected Item to Sidebar |
⌘ + T |
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Close All Windows |
⌘ + Option + W |
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Close Window |
⌘ + W |
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Connect to server |
⌘ + K |
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Copy Item |
⌘ + C |
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Cut |
⌘ + X |
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Dashboard |
F12 (fn + F12 on laptops) |
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Dictation |
Tap Function key twice |
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Display the Restart/Sleep/Shut Down confirmation dialog box |
Control + Eject |
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Duplicate |
⌘ + D |
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Eject selected volume |
⌘ + E |
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Empty Trash |
⌘ + Shift + Delete |
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Find |
⌘ + F |
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Force Empty Trash |
⌘ + Shift + Option + Delete |
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Force Quit |
⌘ + Option + escape |
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Get Info |
⌘ + I |
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Go Back |
⌘ + [ |
|
Go Forward |
⌘ + ] |
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Go to All My Files |
⌘ + Shift + F |
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Go to Applications Folder |
⌘ + Shift + A |
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Go to Computer Folder |
⌘ + Shift + C |
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Go to Desktop |
⌘ + Shift + D |
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Go to Enclosing Folder |
⌘ + ↑ |
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Go to Folder |
⌘ + Shift + G |
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Go to Home Folder |
⌘ + Shift + H |
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Go to Network Folder |
⌘ + Shift + K |
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Go to Utilities Folder |
⌘ + Shift + U |
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Help |
⌘ + Shift + ? |
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Hide Current Application |
⌘ + H |
|
Hide Finder |
⌘ + H |
|
Hide Toolbar |
⌘ + Option + T |
|
Log Out (with confirmation) |
⌘ + Shift + Q |
|
Log Out (without confirmation) |
⌘ + Option + Shift + Q |
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Log Out Current User |
⌘ + Shift + Q |
|
Mac Help |
⌘ + ? |
|
Make Alias |
⌘ + L |
|
Minimize All |
⌘ + Option + M |
|
Minimize Window |
⌘ + M |
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Mission Control: All Windows |
Control + ⌘ (F3 on Apple keyboards) |
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Mission Control: Show Desktop |
F11 (fn + F11 on laptops) (→ + F3 on Apple keyboards) |
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Move to Trash |
⌘ + Delete |
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New Finder Window |
⌘ + N |
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New Folder |
⌘ + Shift + N |
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New Smart Folder |
⌘ + Option + N |
|
Next Window |
⌘ + ` |
|
Open |
⌘ + O |
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Open Applications folder |
⌘ + Shift + A |
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Open Computer folder |
⌘ + Shift + C |
|
Open enclosing folder |
⌘ + ↑ |
|
Open Inspector |
⌘ + Option + I |
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Paste |
⌘ + V |
|
Power options dialog |
Control + Eject |
|
Preferences |
⌘ + , |
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Quick Look |
⌘ + Y or spacebar or tap trackpad 3 times |
|
Restart |
⌘ + Control + Eject |
|
Restart (without confirmation, but you can save changes in open documents) |
⌘ + Control + Eject |
|
Save As |
Hold down Option in Find menu |
|
Select All |
⌘ + A |
|
Show Inspector |
⌘ + Option + I |
|
Show Original (of selected alias) |
⌘ + R |
|
Show View Options |
⌘ + J |
|
Show/Hide Dock |
⌘ + Option + D |
|
Show/Hide Sidebar |
⌘ + Option + S |
|
Show/Hide Status Bar |
⌘ + / |
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Shut Down (without confirmation, but you can save changes in open documents) |
⌘ + Control + Option + Eject |
|
Sleep |
⌘ + Option + Eject |
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Sleep (without confirmation) |
⌘ + Option + Eject |
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Sleep display |
Shift + Control + Eject |
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Spotlight menu |
⌘ + spacebar |
|
Spotlight window |
⌘ + Option + spacebar |
|
Turn VoiceOver On/Off |
⌘ + F5 (fn + F5 on laptops) |
|
Turn Zoom On/Off |
⌘ + Option + 8 |
|
Undo |
⌘ + Z |
|
View Window as Columns |
⌘ + 3 |
|
View Window as Cover Flow |
⌘ + 4 |
|
View Window as Icons |
⌘ + 1 |
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View Window as List |
⌘ + 2 |
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Text Editing |
|
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Go to the start/end of the line |
⌘ + ← / ⌘ + → |
|
Go to the start/end of the document |
⌘ + ↑ / ⌘↓ |
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Go to the previous/next word |
Option ← / Option → |
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Go to the previous/next paragraph |
Option ↑ / Option ↓ |
|
With selection: web search/sticky note |
⌘ + Shift + L / ⌘ + Shift + Y |
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Cut/Copy/Paste |
⌘ + X / ⌘ + C / ⌘ + V |
|
Select All |
⌘ + A |
|
Mission Control |
|
|
View Mission Control |
Control + ↑ |
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Show app’s windows |
Control + ↓ |
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Show Desktop |
F11 |
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Show Dashboard |
F12 |
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Move between Desktops |
Control + ← / Control + → |
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Show windows for next app after Control ↓ |
Tab |
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Enlarge window under cursor after Control ↑ |
Spacebar |
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Switching apps and windows |
|
|
Advance to next app |
⌘ + Tab |
|
Next window in current app |
⌘ + ` |
|
Hide/Show Dock |
⌘ + Option + D |
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Accessibility Controls |
|
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Toggle zoom feature (turn on to use zoom) |
⌘ + Option + 8 |
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Zoom in/out (also Control and mouse scroll) |
Option + ⌘ + =/Option + ⌘ + - |
|
Show Accessibility Controls |
⌘ + Option + F5 |
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Application Commands |
|
|
New window |
⌘ + N |
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App preferences |
⌘ + , |
|
Open file |
⌘ + O |
|
Hide app |
⌘ + H |
|
Close window |
⌘ + W |
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Hide others |
⌘ + Option + H |
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Save |
⌘ + S |
|
Save As |
⌘ + Shift + S |
|
Show fonts panel |
⌘ + T |
|
Show colors panel |
⌘ + Shift + C |
|
|
⌘ + P |
|
Quit |
⌘ + Q |
|
Full Screen Mode |
⌘ + Control + F |
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Help |
⌘ + Shift + / |
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Safari Shortcuts |
|
|
Preferences |
⌘ + , |
|
Block Pop-Up Windows |
⌘ + Shift + K |
|
Empty Cache |
⌘ + Option + E |
|
New Window |
⌘ + N |
|
New Tab |
⌘ + T |
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Open File |
⌘ + O |
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Open Location |
⌘ + L |
|
Close Window |
⌘ + W |
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Close All Windows |
⌘ + Option + W |
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Save As |
⌘ + S |
|
Mail Contents of This Page |
⌘ + I |
|
Mail Link to This Page |
⌘ + Shift + I |
|
AutoFill Form |
⌘ + Shift + A |
|
Show/Hide Bookmarks Bar |
⌘ + Shift + B |
|
Show/Hide Tab Bar |
⌘ + Shift + T |
|
Show/Hide Status Bar |
⌘ + / |
|
Show/Hide Reader |
Shift + Option + R |
|
Show/Hide Reading List |
Shift + Option + L |
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Stop |
⌘ + . |
|
Reload Page |
⌘ + R |
|
Make Text Normal Size |
⌘ + 0 |
|
Make Text Bigger |
⌘ + + |
|
Make Text Smaller |
⌘ + - |
|
View Source |
⌘ + Option + U |
|
Back |
⌘ + [ |
|
Forward |
⌘ + ] |
|
Home |
⌘ + Shift + H |
|
Search Results SnapBack |
⌘ + Option + S |
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Show All Bookmarks |
⌘ + Option + B |
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Add Bookmark |
⌘ + D |
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Add Bookmark Folder |
⌘ + Shift + N |
|
Add to Reading List |
⌘ + Shift + D |
|
Select Previous Item in Reading List |
⌘ + Option + Up arrow |
|
Select Next Item in Reading List |
⌘ + Option + Down arrow |
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Select Previous Tab |
⌘ + Shift + Tab |
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Select Next Tab |
⌘ + Tab |
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Downloads |
⌘ + Option + L |
|
Activity |
⌘ + Option + A |
|
Safari Help |
⌘ + ? |
|
Apple Mail Shortcuts |
|
|
Attach File |
⌘ + Shift + A |
|
New Message |
⌘ + N |
|
New Note |
⌘ + Control + N |
|
Open Message |
⌘ + O |
|
New Viewer Window |
⌘ + Option + N |
|
Save As |
⌘ + Shift + S |
|
Save |
⌘ + S |
|
Append Selected Messages |
⌘ + Option + I |
|
Find |
⌘ + F |
|
Find Next |
⌘ + G |
|
Find Previous |
⌘ + Shift + G |
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Paste as Quotation |
⌘ + Shift + V |
|
Paste and Match Style |
⌘ + Option + Shift + V |
|
Show Spelling and Grammar |
⌘ + : |
|
Check Spelling |
⌘ + ; |
|
Jump to Selection |
⌘ + J |
|
Use Selection for Find |
⌘ + E |
|
Mailbox Search |
⌘ + Option + F |
|
Reply/To Address Field |
⌘ + Option + R |
|
Bcc Address Field |
⌘ + Option + B |
|
Show/Hide Deleted Messages |
⌘ + L |
|
Hide/Show Mailbox List |
⌘ + Shift + M |
|
All Headers |
⌘ + Shift + H |
|
Raw Source |
⌘ + Option + U |
|
Plain Text Alternative |
⌘ + Option + P |
|
Select All Messages in This Conversation |
⌘ + Shift + K |
|
Erase Deleted Items |
⌘ + Shift + Delete |
|
Erase Junk Mail |
⌘ + Option + J |
|
Get All New Mail |
⌘ + Shift + N |
|
Go to Inbox |
⌘ + 1 |
|
Go to Outbox |
⌘ + 2 |
|
Go to Drafts |
⌘ + 3 |
|
Flag (red) |
⌘ + Shift + L |
|
Mark as Junk Mail |
⌘ + Shift + J |
|
Mark as Unread/Mark as Read |
⌘ + Shift + U |
|
Add Sender to Address Book |
⌘ + Shift + Y |
|
Apply Rules |
⌘ + Option + L |
|
Reply |
⌘ + R |
|
Reply All |
⌘ + Shift + R |
|
Forward |
⌘ + Shift + F |
|
Redirect |
⌘ + Shift + E |
|
Reply with iChat |
⌘ + Shift + I |
|
Send Again |
⌘ + Shift + D |
|
Bigger |
⌘ + + |
|
Smaller |
⌘ + - |
|
Copy Style |
⌘ + Option + C |
|
Show Colors |
⌘ + Shift + C |
|
Show Fonts |
⌘ + T |
|
Increase Quote Level |
⌘ + ’ |
|
Decrease Quote Level |
⌘ + Option + ’ |
|
Make Rich/Plain Text |
⌘ + Shift + T |
|
Address Panel |
⌘ + Option + A |
|
Startup Keys |
|
|
Choose boot volume |
Option |
|
Reset PRAM |
⌘ + Option + PR |
|
Single user mode boot |
⌘ + S |
|
Disk Utility and Internet recovery |
⌘ + R |
|
Go into Target disk mode |
T |
|
Dock Shortcuts |
|
|
Turn hiding off or on |
⌘ + Option + D |
|
Move to the next open application |
⌘ + Tab |
|
Move to the previous open application |
⌘ + Shift + Tab |
|
Minimize a window |
⌘ + M |
|
Highlight/unhighlight the Dock |
Control + F3 |
|
Move among Dock items when it is highlighted |
Left/right arrow keys |
|
Screenshots |
|
|
Take a screenshot of the screen, and save it as a file on the Desktop |
⌘ + Shift + 3 |
|
Take a screenshot of an area and save it as a file on the Desktop |
⌘ + Shift + 4, then select an area |
|
Take a screenshot of a window and save it as a file on the Desktop |
⌘ + Shift + 4, then space, then click a window |
|
Take a screenshot of the screen, and save it to the clipboard |
⌘ + Control + Shift + 3 |
|
Take a screenshot of an area and save it to the clipboard |
⌘ + Control + Shift + 4, then select an area |
|
Take a screenshot of a window and save it to the clipboard |
⌘ + Control + Shift + 4, then space, then click a window |
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Startup Key Combinations |
|
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Start up from a bootable CD, DVD, or USB thumb drive (such as OS X install media) |
Press C during startup |
|
Start up in Apple Hardware Test |
Press D during startup |
|
Reset NVRAM |
Press Option + ⌘ + P + R until you hear startup sound a second time |
|
Start up in Startup Manager, where you can select an OS X volume to start from. Note: Press N to make the first bootable Network volume appear as well |
Press Option during startup |
|
Ejects any removable media, such as an optical disc |
Press Eject, F12, or hold the mouse or trackpad button |
|
Attempt to start up from a compatible network server (NetBoot) |
Press N during startup |
|
Start up in Target Disk Mode |
Press T during startup |
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Start up in Safe Boot mode and temporarily disable login items |
Press Shift during startup |
|
Start up in Verbose mode |
Press ⌘ + V during startup |
|
Start up in Single-User mode |
Press ⌘ + S during startup |
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Start from a NetBoot server using the default boot image |
Press Option + N during startup |
|
Start from Recovery partition |
Press ⌘ + R during startup |