Essential macOS Keyboard Shortcuts

Mastering keyboard shortcuts can dramatically improve your productivity on macOS. This guide covers the most useful shortcuts for everyday use and development.

System Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`⌘ + Space`	Open Spotlight search
`⌘ + Tab`	Switch between applications
`⌘ + ⇧ + 3`	Capture entire screen
`⌘ + ⇧ + 4`	Capture selected portion of screen
`⌘ + ⇧ + 5`	Screenshot and recording options
`⌘ + ,`	Open preferences in most applications
`⌘ + Q`	Quit application
`⌘ + W`	Close window/tab
`⌘ + M`	Minimize window
`⌘ + H`	Hide application
`⌘ + ⌥ + H`	Hide other applications
`⌘ + ⌥ + Esc`	Force quit applications
`⌘ + ⇧ + Q`	Log out of macOS account
`⌘ + Control + Q`	Lock screen
`⌘ + ⌥ + D`	Show/hide Dock

Finder Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`⌘ + N`	New Finder window
`⌘ + ⇧ + N`	Create new folder
`⌘ + Delete`	Move to Trash
`⌘ + ⇧ + Delete`	Empty Trash
`⌘ + ⌥ + Delete`	Empty Trash without confirmation
`⌘ + I`	Show info
`⌘ + J`	Show view options
`⌘ + 1/2/3/4`	Switch between Icon, List, Column, and Gallery views
`⌘ + [`	Go back
`⌘ + ]`	Go forward
`⌘ + ⇧ + G`	Go to folder
`⌘ + ⇧ + H`	Go to Home folder
`⌘ + ⇧ + C`	Go to Computer folder
`⌘ + ⇧ + D`	Go to Desktop folder
`⌘ + ⇧ + A`	Go to Applications folder
`⌘ + F`	Search
`Space`	Quick Look selected item

Text Editing

Shortcut	Action
`⌘ + A`	Select all
`⌘ + C`	Copy
`⌘ + X`	Cut
`⌘ + V`	Paste
`⌘ + Z`	Undo
`⌘ + ⇧ + Z`	Redo
`⌘ + B`	Bold
`⌘ + I`	Italic
`⌘ + U`	Underline
`⌘ + F`	Find
`⌘ + G`	Find next occurrence
`⌘ + ⇧ + G`	Find previous occurrence
`⌘ + ⌥ + F`	Find and replace
`⌘ + Left/Right Arrow`	Move cursor to beginning/end of line
`⌘ + Up/Down Arrow`	Move cursor to beginning/end of document
`⌥ + Left/Right Arrow`	Move cursor by word
`⇧ + [Arrow Keys]`	Select text (combine with ⌘ or ⌥ for more control)

Browser Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`⌘ + T`	New tab
`⌘ + N`	New window
`⌘ + ⇧ + T`	Reopen closed tab
`⌘ + L`	Focus address bar
`⌘ + R`	Reload page
`⌘ + ⇧ + R`	Hard reload (bypass cache)
`⌘ + 1-9`	Switch to specific tab
`⌘ + [`	Go back
`⌘ + ]`	Go forward
`⌘ + ⌥ + I`	Open Developer Tools (Chrome/Firefox)
`⌘ + ⌥ + U`	View page source

Terminal Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Control + A`	Move to beginning of line
`Control + E`	Move to end of line
`Control + U`	Delete from cursor to beginning of line
`Control + K`	Delete from cursor to end of line
`Control + W`	Delete word before cursor
`Control + R`	Search command history
`Control + C`	Cancel current command
`Control + D`	Exit shell/session
`Control + Z`	Suspend process
`Control + L`	Clear screen
`Tab`	Auto-complete command or filename
`Up/Down Arrow`	Navigate command history

Window Management

Shortcut	Action
`⌘ + ⌥ + F`	Full screen (in many apps)
`Control + ⌘ + F`	Full screen (native macOS)
`⌘ + ~`	Switch between windows of the same application
`Control + Left/Right Arrow`	Move between Mission Control spaces
`Control + Up Arrow`	Mission Control
`Control + Down Arrow`	App Exposé
`F11`	Show desktop

Mission Control

Shortcut	Action
`Control + Up Arrow`	Show all windows (Mission Control)
`Control + Down Arrow`	Show application windows
`Control + Left/Right Arrow`	Switch between spaces
`⌘ + ⌥ + D`	Show/hide Dock
`F11` or `⌘ + F3`	Show desktop

Customizing Shortcuts

You can create custom shortcuts in:

System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts
Within individual applications under their preferences menu

Using Third-Party Tools

Consider these apps for enhanced keyboard control:

Rectangle - Window management shortcuts
Alfred - Spotlight alternative with workflows
BetterTouchTool - Create custom shortcuts and gestures
Karabiner-Elements - Remap keys and create complex modifications

Remember that mastering keyboard shortcuts is a gradual process. Start with a few that align with your most common tasks, then gradually expand your repertoire as they become second nature.

Homebrew System Preferences