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Mac Keyboard Shortcuts — macOS Cheat Sheet
Mac keyboard shortcuts for Finder, Spotlight, Mission Control, screenshots, text editing, and everyday macOS navigation.
148 shortcuts across 11 categories
Mac keyboard shortcuts for Finder, Spotlight, Mission Control, screenshots, text editing, and everyday macOS navigation.
Editing
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | Cmd + X | Cut the selected item to the clipboard |
| Copy | Cmd + C | Copy the selected item to the clipboard |
| Paste | Cmd + V | Paste the clipboard contents at the cursor |
| Paste and Match Style | Cmd + Option + Shift + V | Paste and match the formatting of the surrounding text |
| Undo | Cmd + Z | Undo the last action |
| Redo | Cmd + Shift + Z | Redo the previously undone action |
| Select All | Cmd + A | Select all items or text in the current context |
| Delete (Backward) | Delete | Delete the character to the left of the cursor (Backspace) |
| Delete (Forward) | Fn + Delete | Delete the character to the right of the cursor |
| Delete Word Left | Option + Delete | Delete the word to the left of the cursor |
| Bold | Cmd + B | Toggle bold formatting on selected text |
| Italic | Cmd + I | Toggle italic formatting on selected text |
| Underline | Cmd + U | Toggle underline formatting on selected text |
File Management
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Save | Cmd + S | Save the current document |
| Save As | Cmd + Shift + S | Save the document with a new name or location |
| Open File | Cmd + O | Open an existing file |
| New File / Window | Cmd + N | Create a new file or open a new window |
| Close Window | Cmd + W | Close the current window |
| Close All Windows | Cmd + Option + W | Close all windows of the current app |
| Quit Application | Cmd + Q | Quit the active application |
| Force Quit | Cmd + Option + Esc | Open the Force Quit dialog to close unresponsive apps |
| Cmd + P | Print the current document or page | |
| Move to Trash | Cmd + Delete | Move the selected file or folder to the Trash |
| Empty Trash | Cmd + Shift + Delete | Empty the Trash (requires confirmation) |
| New Folder | Cmd + Shift + N | Create a new folder in Finder |
| Get Info | Cmd + I | Open the Get Info panel for the selected item |
| Duplicate | Cmd + D | Duplicate the selected item in Finder |
Navigation
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Spotlight Search | Cmd + Space | Open Spotlight to search your Mac, the web, and apps |
| Find in App | Cmd + F | Open the Find bar in the current app |
| Find Next | Cmd + G | Jump to the next search result |
| Find Previous | Cmd + Shift + G | Jump to the previous search result |
| Switch Apps | Cmd + Tab | Cycle through open applications |
| Switch Windows (same app) | Cmd + ` | Cycle through windows of the current application |
| Switch Tabs | Ctrl + Tab | Move to the next tab |
| Go Back | Cmd + [ | Navigate back in Finder or browser |
| Go Forward | Cmd + ] | Navigate forward in Finder or browser |
| Mission Control | Ctrl + Up | Show all open windows across all apps |
| App Expose | Ctrl + Down | Show all windows of the current app |
| Move to Next Space | Ctrl + Right | Switch to the next Space (virtual desktop) |
| Move to Previous Space | Ctrl + Left | Switch to the previous Space |
| Show Desktop | Fn + F11 | Move all windows aside to reveal the desktop |
System & Display
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot (Full Screen) | Cmd + Shift + 3 | Save a screenshot of the entire screen to the Desktop |
| Screenshot (Selection) | Cmd + Shift + 4 | Drag to select an area and save it as a screenshot |
| Screenshot (Window) | Cmd + Shift + 4 or Space | Click a window to capture and save it as a screenshot |
| Screenshot Tool | Cmd + Shift + 5 | Open the screenshot and screen recording toolbar |
| Screenshot to Clipboard | Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + 3 | Copy full-screen screenshot to clipboard instead of saving |
| Lock Screen | Ctrl + Cmd + Q | Lock your Mac and show the login screen immediately |
| Sleep Display | Ctrl + Shift + Power | Put the display to sleep without locking the session |
| Show Notification Center | Cmd + Option + Ctrl + Space | Show the Notification Center sidebar |
| Do Not Disturb | Option + Click (menu bar) | Option-click the Focus menu to toggle Do Not Disturb |
| Open Preferences | Cmd + , | Open the preferences/settings of the current app |
| Minimize Window | Cmd + M | Minimize the current window to the Dock |
| Hide App | Cmd + H | Hide all windows of the current application |
| Hide Others | Cmd + Option + H | Hide all other application windows |
| Zoom / Maximize | Ctrl + Cmd + F | Toggle full screen for the current window |
| Character Viewer | Ctrl + Cmd + Space | Open the Character Viewer to insert emoji and symbols |
Text Cursor & Selection
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Move Word Left | Option + Left | Move the cursor one word to the left |
| Move Word Right | Option + Right | Move the cursor one word to the right |
| Move to Line Start | Cmd + Left | Move the cursor to the beginning of the current line |
| Move to Line End | Cmd + Right | Move the cursor to the end of the current line |
| Move to Document Start | Cmd + Up | Move the cursor to the very beginning of the document |
| Move to Document End | Cmd + Down | Move the cursor to the very end of the document |
| Select Word Left | Option + Shift + Left | Extend selection one word to the left |
| Select Word Right | Option + Shift + Right | Extend selection one word to the right |
| Select to Line Start | Cmd + Shift + Left | Extend selection to the beginning of the line |
| Select to Line End | Cmd + Shift + Right | Extend selection to the end of the line |
| Select to Document Start | Cmd + Shift + Up | Extend selection to the top of the document |
| Select to Document End | Cmd + Shift + Down | Extend selection to the bottom of the document |
| Select Paragraph Up | Option + Shift + Up | Extend selection to the start of the paragraph |
| Select Paragraph Down | Option + Shift + Down | Extend selection to the end of the paragraph |
Finder
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open Selected Item | Cmd + O | Open the selected file or folder |
| Quick Look | Space | Preview a file without opening its app |
| Get Info | Cmd + I | Open the Info panel showing file details |
| Show Path Bar | Cmd + Option + P | Toggle the path bar at the bottom of Finder |
| Show/Hide Sidebar | Cmd + Option + S | Toggle the Finder sidebar |
| Show/Hide Toolbar | Cmd + Option + T | Toggle the Finder toolbar |
| Go to Home Folder | Cmd + Shift + H | Navigate to your Home folder |
| Go to Desktop | Cmd + Shift + D | Navigate to the Desktop folder |
| Go to Downloads | Cmd + Option + L | Navigate to the Downloads folder |
| Go to Applications | Cmd + Shift + A | Navigate to the Applications folder |
| Connect to Server | Cmd + K | Connect to a network server or file share |
| Eject | Cmd + E | Eject the selected disk or drive |
| Create Alias | Cmd + L | Create an alias (shortcut) of the selected item |
| Show Original | Cmd + R | Show the original file that an alias points to |
| Sort by Name | Ctrl + Option + 1 | Sort Finder window contents by name |
| Icon View | Cmd + 1 | Switch to Icon view in Finder |
| List View | Cmd + 2 | Switch to List view in Finder |
| Column View | Cmd + 3 | Switch to Column view in Finder |
| Gallery View | Cmd + 4 | Switch to Gallery view in Finder |
Terminal
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Terminal Tab | Cmd + T | Open a new tab in Terminal |
| New Terminal Window | Cmd + N | Open a new Terminal window |
| Close Tab | Cmd + W | Close the current Terminal tab |
| Clear Screen | Cmd + K | Clear the terminal display |
| Previous Command | Up | Recall the previous command from history |
| Search Command History | Ctrl + R | Interactively search through command history |
| Interrupt / Cancel | Ctrl + C | Stop the currently running command |
| End of File / Logout | Ctrl + D | Send EOF — exits a shell or closes the current tab |
| Autocomplete | Tab | Autocomplete commands, paths, and filenames |
| Move to Start of Line | Ctrl + A | Move cursor to the beginning of the command line |
| Move to End of Line | Ctrl + E | Move cursor to the end of the command line |
| Delete to Start of Line | Ctrl + U | Delete everything from cursor to the start of the line |
| Delete to End of Line | Ctrl + K | Delete everything from cursor to the end of the line |
| Delete Word Left | Ctrl + W | Delete the word to the left of the cursor |
| Split View | Cmd + D | Split the current window horizontally (in iTerm2) |
Accessibility
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle VoiceOver | Cmd + F5 | Turn VoiceOver screen reader on or off |
| VoiceOver Rotor | Ctrl + Option + U | Open the VoiceOver Rotor to navigate by headings, links, etc. |
| Zoom In | Option + Cmd + = | Zoom in on the screen (Full Screen Zoom must be enabled) |
| Zoom Out | Option + Cmd + - | Zoom out on the screen |
| Toggle Zoom | Option + Cmd + 8 | Toggle full-screen zoom on/off |
| Increase Contrast | Ctrl + Option + Cmd + . | Increase display contrast |
| Decrease Contrast | Ctrl + Option + Cmd + , | Decrease display contrast |
| Invert Colors | Ctrl + Option + Cmd + 8 | Toggle classic color inversion for the display |
| Toggle Slow Keys | Option (hold 5s) | Hold Option for 5 seconds to toggle Slow Keys |
| Dictation | Fn + Fn | Press Fn twice to start Dictation (speak to type) |
Browser Controls
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Tab | Cmd + T | Open a new tab in Safari or Chrome |
| Close Tab | Cmd + W | Close the current browser tab |
| Reopen Closed Tab | Cmd + Shift + T | Reopen the most recently closed tab |
| New Window | Cmd + N | Open a new browser window |
| New Private Window | Cmd + Shift + N | Open a new Private Browsing window (Safari) or Incognito window (Chrome) |
| Focus Address Bar | Cmd + L | Select the address bar to type a URL or search |
| Find on Page | Cmd + F | Open the in-page search bar |
| Go Back | Cmd + [ | Navigate to the previous page in history |
| Go Forward | Cmd + ] | Navigate to the next page in history |
| Reload Page | Cmd + R | Reload the current page |
| Hard Reload (bypass cache) | Cmd + Shift + R | Reload and bypass the browser cache |
| Bookmark This Page | Cmd + D | Add the current page to your bookmarks |
| Open Bookmarks (Safari) | Cmd + Option + B | Show the Bookmarks sidebar in Safari |
| Open History | Cmd + Y | View your full browsing history |
| Open Downloads (Safari) | Option + Cmd + L | Show the downloads list in Safari |
| Jump to Tab (1–8) | Cmd + 1-8 | Switch directly to the tab at that position |
| Jump to Last Tab | Cmd + 9 | Switch to the rightmost open tab |
| Zoom In | Cmd + + | Increase the page zoom level |
| Zoom Out | Cmd + - | Decrease the page zoom level |
| Reset Zoom | Cmd + 0 | Reset the page zoom to 100% |
| Developer Tools | Cmd + Option + I | Open browser Developer Tools / Web Inspector |
| Reader View (Safari) | Cmd + Shift + R | Toggle Safari Reader to view a distraction-free version of an article |
| Pin Tab (Safari) | Right-click tab + Pin Tab | Pin the current tab so it stays visible and loads automatically on launch |
Clipboard
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Copy | Cmd + C | Copy the selected text or item to the clipboard |
| Cut | Cmd + X | Cut the selected text or item to the clipboard |
| Paste | Cmd + V | Paste the most recent clipboard item at the cursor |
| Paste and Match Style | Cmd + Option + Shift + V | Paste without formatting, matching the surrounding text style |
| Show Clipboard (Finder) | Edit menu → Show Clipboard | View the current contents of the clipboard in a Finder window |
| Universal Clipboard (copy) | Cmd + C | With Handoff enabled: anything copied on your Mac is instantly available to paste on your nearby iPhone or iPad |
| Character Viewer (symbols) | Ctrl + Cmd + Space | Insert special characters, emoji, or symbols directly from the keyboard |
| Dictate to Clipboard | Fn + Fn | Press Fn twice to start Dictation — dictated text is entered and can then be cut/copied |
Printing
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cmd + P | Open the print dialog for the current document | |
| Print Preview | Cmd + P | macOS print dialog includes a built-in PDF preview button |
| Save as PDF | Cmd + P | In the print dialog, click the PDF dropdown and choose 'Save as PDF' |
macOS Tips & Tricks
- Spotlight is a Superpower: Cmd + Space opens Spotlight, which can search files, launch apps, do math calculations, convert units, look up dictionary definitions, and search the web — all without opening a browser.
- Spaces (Virtual Desktops): Open Mission Control (Ctrl + Up) and drag windows to the top to create new Spaces. Assign specific apps to specific Spaces in System Settings > Desktop & Dock so they always open there.
- Quick Look: Select a file in Finder and press Space to instantly preview it — images, PDFs, videos, documents — without opening the app. Add Option to open it full screen.
- Clipboard Manager: macOS does not have built-in clipboard history. Consider third-party tools like Maccy (free) or Paste for full clipboard history with search.
- Hot Corners: Go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Hot Corners to assign actions (Mission Control, sleep display, Lock Screen, Launchpad) to any corner of the screen.
- AirDrop Everything: Use AirDrop (Finder sidebar or Share sheet) to instantly transfer files, photos, links, and more between nearby Apple devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — no cables or accounts needed.
- Universal Clipboard: With Handoff enabled, copy something on your iPhone and paste it on your Mac (and vice versa) within a few seconds — the clipboard is shared across your Apple devices automatically.