The Most Useful Mac Keyboard Shortcuts to Know

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If a Mac is your go-to device for working online, it’s a good idea to learn a few of its keyboard shortcuts for managing your desktop. To help you discover and memorize the most essential macOS shortcuts, we’ve compiled them into a cheat sheet below.

The cheat sheet contains key combinations for taking screenshots, managing boot modes and shutdown routines, and working with Finder. You’ll also find shortcuts for managing windows, force-quitting apps, emptying the Trash folder, and more.

FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac.

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac

Shortcut Action
Startup Shortcuts
D Boot to Apple Diagnostics
N Boot from a network server
T Boot in Target Disk Mode
Shift Boot in Safe Mode
Cmd + R Boot to macOS Recovery
Option + Cmd + R Boot to macOS Recovery over the internet
Cmd + S Boot in Single-User Mode
Cmd + V Boot in Verbose Mode
Option Boot to Startup Manager, to pick other startup disks if available
Cmd + Option + P + R Reset NVRAM or PRAM
F12 Eject removable media
Global Shortcuts
Shift + Cmd + 3 Take screenshot of entire screen
Shift + Cmd + 4 Take screenshot of selected area
Shift + Cmd + 4, then Space Take screenshot of selected window
Cmd + A Select all
Cmd + F Find
Cmd + H Hide current window
Option + Cmd + H Hide all other windows
Cmd + M Minimize current window
Option + Cmd + M Minimize all windows
Cmd + W Close current window
Option + Cmd + W Close all windows
Cmd + O Open
Cmd + P Print
Cmd + S Save
Cmd + C Copy
Cmd + V Paste (copy)
Option + Cmd + V Paste (cut) i.e. move copied item to current location
Shift + Option + Cmd + V Paste and match style
Cmd + Z Undo
Cmd + ? Help
Cmd + , (Comma) Open Preferences for current app
Cmd + Space Open Spotlight search
Cmd + Tab Switch to the next open app
Cmd + ~ (Tilde) Switch to the next window in the current app
Control + Cmd + Q Lock the screen
Shift + Cmd + Q Log out
Option + Shift + Cmd + Q Log out instantly
Cmd + Option + Esc Force quit
Cmd + Option + Eject Activate Sleep mode
Shift + Control + Eject Put display(s) to sleep
Cmd + Control + Eject Quit all apps and restart
Control + Eject Choose from Sleep, Restart, and Shutdown options
Finder Shortcuts
Enter Rename selected file or folder
Space Open preview of selected file
Option + Space Open preview of selected file in fullscreen mode
Shift + Cmd + G Go to folder…
Shift + Cmd + N Create new folder
Shift + Cmd + Delete Empty the Trash folder
Option + Shift + Cmd + Delete Empty the Trash folder immediately
Cmd + 1 Icon View
Cmd + 2 List View
Cmd + 3 Column View
Cmd + D Duplicate selected file or folder
Cmd + I Get info
Cmd + J View options
Cmd + N Open new Finder window
Cmd + T Open new Finder tab
Cmd + [ Back
Cmd + ] Forward
Cmd + Delete Move selected item(s) to Trash
Cmd + Up Move up one folder
Cmd + Down Move down one folder
Cmd + Option + I Show Attributes Inspector
Cmd + Control + N With files selected, create a new folder and immediately move selected files into that folder

More Ways to Boost Your macOS Workflow

We also have another cheat sheet specifically for Mac Finder shortcuts and how to smartly navigate Mac with Magic Mouse. If you use Microsoft Office, we’ve rounded up a ton of Microsoft Office for Mac shortcuts too. Looking for even more ways to be productive on your computer? Check out how to replicate Siri shortcuts on your Mac.

Read the full article: The Most Useful Mac Keyboard Shortcuts to Know

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