30 keyboard shortcuts Mac users demand to know

This collection of keyboard shortcuts for macOS tin assist users get the most from their iMacs, MacBook Pro and MacBook laptops.

Apple, OS X, Mac, Macintosh, tips
Leif Johnson

I'm sure most Mac users know Command-C ways copy and Command-V ways paste, but there's a host of other useful shortcuts that make a Mac user's life much easier. I've assembled this short drove to illustrate this truth:

Esc

Never underestimate the ability of the Esc key to get you out of trouble. Say you're taking a screen shot and managed to select office of your screen for that shot, only to discover it'south the wrong part – tap Esc and yous won't need to worry about it. That's basically the principle of Esc. Use information technology to cancel a previous command. Another example: Web page won't load and is sucking up your system resource?

Tap Esc....

Command-West

Closes the active window yous are currently in. Use Selection-Command-W to close all currently active app windows.

Command-Y

A lot of people use QuickLook to preview items they're looking for. To use QuickLook, select an detail in Finder, press the Infinite bar and a preview will appear. There's also a keyboard shortcut — select an particular (you lot tin can even use the Up and Down arrows to navigate to it in Finder view) and then press Command-Y.

Command – Comma (,)

This is one of the to the lowest degree-known keyboard commands on a Mac, but it's super useful. It works like this: You are working in an app, and you want to open the awarding's Preferences. Yous can navigate to the Menu bar if you like and scroll through to admission the Preferences. Or y'all can simply printing Command-, (comma) to get to them in the fastest possible time.

Command-G

I'thousand sure yous utilize Command-F to find items, such as words in a document or on a webpage. Control-G is its bottom-known relative. Use it to navigate through each example of the item y'all desire to find. This means that if you use Command-F to find all the mentions of 'Command' on this page, then tap Command-G, you'll be able to navigate through each one. Oh, and you can also printing Shift-Command-Yard to motion back to the previous mention.

Command-Grand

Press this combination to minimize the front app window to Dock, or press Command-Pick-M to minimize all the windows belonging to the front app.

Control and Selection

If you can't see your desktop for all the open applications, just concur Command and Option down and click anywhere on your desktop. You may only want to get to all the open windows for a specific app, in which case concur down the same keys and click on whatsoever available window for that app.

Control-Shift-A

Select this combination when in Finder/Desktop view to get to your Applications folder, or supplant the A with U to open your Utilities folder in a new Finder window (or D for Desktop, H for Home or I to access iCloud Drive).

Control-Space

The combination that tin can change your life, Command-Space invokes Spotlight, just depress these keys and start typing your query. (I estimate yous know about Command-tab already?)

Command-L

The fastest manner to brand a search or navigate to a Website in Safari, Command-L instantly selects the address bar: start typing your query, and select the appropriate pick using the upward/downwards arrows on the keyboard.

Command-Tab

Open application switcher, keeping Command pressed, use Tab to navigate to the app you lot hope to apply.

Command-Option-D

Prove or hide the Dock from within most apps.

Fn-left arrow (or right arrow)

Jump directly to the top or bottom of a spider web page using the Function primal and the right (to the lesser of the folio) or left (to the top of the page) arrows on the keyboard. You tin achieve a similar effect using Command-Up or Command-Down. A third style is to use Control-Tab and Control-Shift-Tab.

Control-left/correct arrows

Hit Command and the left arrow to go back a folio in the browser window. Hit Command right to go frontwards over again.

Tab nav

Navigate between multiple tabs using the Command-Shift-] or Command-Shift-[ characters.

Command-Shift-\

The easiest mode to meet all your open tabs in i Safari window.

Option-Shift-Volume

Printing Choice-Shift and volume up/down to increase or decrease the volume on your Mac in modest increments. You can also use Pick-Shift to modify display brightness in small amounts. Read even more Option secrets here.

Fn twice

Press the function (fn) key twice to launch Dictation on your Mac, start speaking, and press fn once you've finished. Here are another ideas on controlling your Mac with your voice. NB: macOS Catalina at present offers the far more than powerful Voice Control, which lets you manage everything on your Mac using only your voice. Discover out more most this here.

Option-File

In Safari, pressing the Option key while selecting the File carte lets you access the 'Close Other Tabs' control. Try the other Safari menu items with Pick depressed to detect other commands you probably weren't enlightened of.

Choice-Brightness Up (or down)

Use this command to quickly launch Displays preferences. Or press Choice with the Mission Control or Volume (up/down) buttons to admission preferences for Mission Control and Sounds.

Command – Backtick `

This is one of the least well-known keyboard commands on a Mac, but information technology's super useful. Use this combination to movement between open windows in your currently active app. Information technology's then useful you'll wonder why y'all hadn't used it earlier.

Control - Command - Space

Want to insert emoji or other symbols into what you write? Apply Control-Command-Infinite to open up the Character Viewer where you tin select and apply such symbols.

Command-P

Do you open a certificate before printing it through the File menu? Do this instead: Select the document in Finder and press Command-P. The item will open up and the Print dialog will announced. You can also tap Command-P to impress the current item when in almost whatsoever app.

Option + Command + Esc

In the issue an application freezes or hangs you may want to try this: Tap Option-Control-Esc to Force Quit the rogue app. It's not always a magic bullet, just sometimes an application restart is all y'all need to get your system moving again.

Command + Control + Q

Walking away from your Mac? Tap this shortcut to immediately lock your machine.

Touch Bar tip No. 1

If y'all use a MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you tin printing Shift-Command-six to grab an image of what is on your Touch Bar. Desire to grab an image to place into the certificate yous're typing in? Just tap Control-Shift-Command-six and the picture show will be saved to your Clipboard for pasting it in.

Touch Bar tip No. 2

This MacBook Pro Touch Bar tip is peculiarly useful if you observe that you lot often  accidentally tap the Siri push button: Y'all can change where that button is located and so you're less probable to tap it by accident. Open Keyboard Preferences and choose Customize Control Strip. Expect at the Bear upon Bar, and you'll see the icons are slightly agitated. Movement your cursor to the bottom of your screen and keep moving (as if you're moving it off the screen); yous should run into one of the items in your Touch bar highlighted. Now move your cursor to highlight the Siri button and and so elevate and drop that button a space or two to the left.

(This is also an excellent way to become familiar with how y'all tin edit other items in your Touch Bar.)

Bear on Bar tip No. 3

Do you apply the function keys regularly in some apps? You can get to them, of course,  by pressing the 'fn' character. Only it's also possible to fix upwards the Touch Bar so information technology ever shows the function keys in those apps. To do this, open Keyboard Organization Preferences, select Part Keys, and tap +. You tin can then select the app(south). Don't worry if you want to use a regular Control Strip command when you're using one of the apps — simply press Fn to become back to that view.

Safari tips

There are lots of keyboard tips for the Safari browser:

  • Command + I: Open up new email message with content of a page.
  • Command + Shift + I: Open new e-mail message containing only the URL of a page.
  • Spacebar: To move your window down one screen.
  • Shift+Spacebar: To movement your window up one screen.
  • Command + Y: Open/shut the History window.

Command + Shift + T

This web browser tip can sometimes be a lifesaver. Command + Shift + T will open your final closed tab, which helps a lot if you are researching something and close a window without saving the URL.

You can likewise take a look at Apple's own extensive collection of keyboard shortcuts for more than great ideas.

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Jonny is a freelance writer who has been writing (mainly virtually Apple and engineering science) since 1999.

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