macOS cheat sheet: How many Mac keyboard shortcuts do you know?

One thing that never ceases to amaze me about macOS is the amount you can do with just a few keyboard shortcuts. In fact, Apple seems to have coded so many functions into various combinations of key presses that it feels like I’m finding new ones every day. And whether you’re a newbie with a Neo or a veteran from the PowerBook days, there are always new ones to learn.

Here, we’ll show you all of the best macOS keyboard shortcuts that you need to know. Memorize a few of them and you’ll be well on your way to a faster, more convenient way to use your Mac. And if you ever forget one or want to discover a few new shortcuts, just come back here and check our extensive list. Keep in mind that some third-party apps override these combinations with ones of their own.

For even more keyboard tips see The Most Useful Mac Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know.

The key keys

Keyboard shortcuts involve combinations of modifier keys. Here, we will refer to these modifier keys using their abbreviations:

• Command: Cmd
• Control key: Ctrl
• Delete key: Del
• Function key: Fn
• Option key: Opt

Handling text

Action	Combination
Cut	Cmd-X
Copy	Cmd-C
Paste	Cmd-V
Undo	Cmd-Z
Redo	Shift-Cmd-Z
Bold	Cmd-B
Italic	Cmd-I
Underline	Cmd-U
Insert a web link	Cmd-K
Find text on screen	Cmd-F
Find next instance of text on screen	Cmd-G
Go back to previous instance of text on screen	Shift-Cmd-G
Open the Spelling and Grammar window	Shift-Cmd-;
Look for misspelled words	Cmd-;
Delete word left of insertion point	Opt-Del
Delete character left of insertion point	Del or Ctrl-H
Delete character right of insertion point	Fn-Del or Ctrl-D
Move insertion point to start of document	Cmd-Up arrow
Move insertion point to end of document	Cmd-Down arrow
Move insertion point to start of current line	Cmd-Left arrow
Move insertion point to end of current line	Cmd-Right arrow
Move insertion point to start of previous word or the end of next word	Opt-Left arrow or right arrow
Move insertion point to paragraph above or below	Opt-Up arrow or down arrow
Highlight all text from current insertion point to start of document	Shift-Cmd-Up arrow
Highlight all text from current insertion point to end of document	Shift-Cmd-Down arrow
Highlight all text from current insertion point to end of line	Shift-Cmd-Right arrow
Highlight all text from current insertion point to start of line	Shift-Cmd-Right arrow
Highlight all text from current insertion point to start of paragraph	Shift-Opt-Up arrow
Highlight all text from current insertion point to end of paragraph	Shift-Opt-Down arrow
Highlight all text from current insertion point to same location in line above	Shift-Up arrow
Highlight all text from current insertion point to same location in line below	Shift-Down arrow
Highlight one character, then select next character	Shift-Right arrow
Highlight one character, then select previous character	Shift-Left arrow
Move to start of line or paragraph	Ctrl-A
Move to end of line or paragraph	Ctrl-E
Move one character forward	Ctrl-F
Move one character backwards	Ctrl-B
Move one line up	Ctrl-P
Move one line down	Ctril-N
Go back to the insertion point location	Ctrl-L
Insert a new line after insertion point	Ctrl-O
Swap character to right of insertion point with one to the left	Ctrl-T

Manage apps and files

Action	Combination
Close active window	Cmd-W
Close all app windows, keep app running	Opt-Cmd-W
Save file	Cmd-S
Cycle through open apps	Cmd-Tab or Shift-Cmd-Tab
Hide all windows of the foremost app	Cmd-H
Hide all app windows except foremost app	Opt-Cmd-H
Enter or exit full screen for foremost app	Ctrl-Cmd-F
Minimize current window	Cmd-M
Minimize every window of frontmost app	Opt-Cmd-M
Open settings for frontmost app	Cmd-,
Open new tab	CMd-T
Quit app	Cmd-Q
Force quit unresponsive app	Opt-Cmd-Esc
Preview a file	Select file, then spacebar or Cmd-Y
Preview selected files as slideshow	Opt-Cmd-Y

Explore the Finder

Action	Combination
Duplicate selected items	Cmd-D
Eject the selected disk or volume	Cmd-E
Search within Finder	Cmd-F
Get Info for chosen file	Cmd-I
Show View Options	Cmd-J
Connect to Server window	Cmd-K
Open new Finder window	Cmd-N
Create a new tab in Finder	Cmd-T
Open selected item	Cmd-Down arrow
Go to previous folder	Cmd-[
Go to next folder	Cmd-]
Open folder containing the current folder	Cmd-Up arrow
Opens folder containing the current folder in a new window	Ctrl-Cmd-Up arrow
Change the Finder view, going through icons, a list, columns and a gallery	Cmd-1 through Cmd-4
Open Applications folder	Shift-Cmd-A
Open Desktop folder	Shift-Cmd-D
Open Computer window	Shift-Cmd-C
Open Recents window	Shift-Cmd-F
Open Go to Folder window	Shift-Cmd-G
Open the Home folder	Shift-Cmd-H
Open iCloud Drive	Shift-Cmd-I
Open Network window	Shift-Cmd-K
Open Downloads folder	Opt-Cmd-L
Create new folder	Shift-Cmd-N
Create a new Smart Folder	Opt-Cmd-N
Open Documents folder	Shift-Cmd-O
Make alias of currently selected item	Ctrl-Cmd-A
Show/hide Preview side pane in Finder	Shift-Cmd-P
Open AirDrop	Shift-Cmd-R
Open Shared folder	Shift-Cmd-S
Show/hide tab bar in Finder	Shift-Cmd-T
Open Utilities folder	Shift-Cmd-U
Add selected item to Finder sidebar	Ctrl-Cmd-T
Show/hide path bar in Finder	Opt-Cmd-P
Show/hide sidebar in Finder	Opt-Cmd-S
Show/hide status bar in Finder	Cmd-/
Hide top toolbar in Finder	Opt-Cmd-T
Move copied files to a new location.	Opt-Cmd-V
Open file/folder while closing original window	Hold Opt while double-clicking file/folder
Open folder in new tab/window	Hold Cmd while double-clicking folder
Copy item to new location instead of moving it	Drag file while holding Opt
Move item to new location instead of copying it	Drag file while holding Cmd
Make alias	Hold Opt-Cmd, then select item and drag the alias to its location
In Finder window, open all subfolders	In List view, hold Opt and click the triangle
In Finder window, see all the folders that contain the current one	Cmd-click Finder window title bar
In Finder window, select multiple files	Hold Cmd while clicking on the different files
In Finder window List view, select a consecutive selection of files	Hold Shift; click the first item, then click the last item

The Dock

Action	Combination
Add selected item to Dock	Ctrl-Shift-Cmd-T
Disable magnification if it is turned on	Hold Shift-Cmd
Hide or show Dock	Opt-Cmd-D
Select the left-most item in Dock	Fn-A
Move between icons	Fn-A, then left or right arrow

Screenshots

Action	Combination
Shoot entire screen (includes additional displays	Shift-Cmd-3
Select portion of screen to shoot	Shift-Cmd-4, then select the portion
Shoot specific window with drop shadow	Shift-Cmd-4, then press Spacebar; move Camera cursor to the window and click
Shoot specific window without drop shadow	Shift-Cmd-4, then press Spacebar; move Camera cursor to the window and hold Opt while clicking
Open Screenshot app	Shift-Cmd-5

Displays

Action	Combination
Raise/lower brightness in smaller increments	Opt-Shift-Brightness up or brightness down
Open Display System Settings	Opt-Brightness up or down
Change the brightness of an external display (if supported)	Ctrl-Brightness up or down
Turn video mirroring on/off	Cmd-Brightness down

Move and resize windows

Action	Combination
Expands window to fill Desktop	Fn-Ctrl-F
Moves window to center of screen	Fn-Ctrl-C
Moves and resizes window to fill left half of screen	Fn-Ctrl-Left arrow
Moves and resizes window to fill right half of screen	Fn-Ctrl-Right arrow
Moves and resizes window to fill top half of screen	Fn-Ctrl-Up arrow
Moves and resizes window to fill bottom half of screen	Fn-Ctrl-Down arrow
Restores the window to previous size	Fn-Ctrl-R
Moves and resizes active window to fill left half of display; window below fills right	Fn-Ctrl-Shift-Left arrow
Moves and resizes active window to fill right half of display; window below fills left	Fn-Ctrl-Shift-Right arrow
Moves and resizes active window to fill top half of display; window below fills bottom	Fn-Ctrl-Shift-Up arrow
Moves and resizes active window to fill bottom half of display; window below fills top	Fn-Ctrl-Shift-Down arrow
Moves and resizes active window to fill left half of your screen. Second and third windows fill the top-right and bottom-right portions of your display	Fn-Ctrl-Opt-Shift-Left arrow
Moves and resizes active window to fill right half of your screen. Second and third windows fill the top-left and bottom-right portions of your display	Fn-Ctrl-Opt-Shift-Right arrow
Moves and resizes active window to fill top half of your screen. Second and third windows fill the bottom-left and bottom-right portions of your display	Fn-Ctrl-Opt-Shift-Up arrow
Moves and resizes active window to fill bottom half of your screen. Second and third windows fill the top-left and top-right portions of your display	Fn-Ctrl-Opt-Shift-Down arrow

Other

Action	Combination
Opens Keyboard System Settings	Opt-Keyboard brightness up or down
Adjust keyboard brightness in smaller increments	Opt-Shift-Keyboard brightness up or down
Open Sounds Sytem Settings	Opt-Volume up or down
Adjust sound volume in smaller increments	Opt-Shift-Volume up or volume down