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MAC KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Mac Central: Your Place for Good, Concise Mac Keystrokes, Tips&Tricks

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS MULTI-TOUCH GESTURES TIPS & TRICKS RECOMMENDED APPS

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Menu Symbols Finder App Switcher Windows & Dialogs

Dock Dashboard Text Screenshots

Spotlight Mission Control Shutdown, etc. Safari

Apple Mail Preview Miscellaneous Emacs

For years Ive collected these keystrokes. I hope they help you become the power user that lies within.
Ihave tested them on macOS Sierra, but most should work on older versions of Mac OS X (such as
ElCapitan, Yosemite, Mavericks).

Menu Symbols

Symbol Key on Keyboard

Command(or Cmd)
Like the Control key on Windows/PC. Formerly known as the Applekey.

Option(like Alt on Windows/PC)

Shift

Control(Control-click = Right-click)

Tab

Return

Enter (on Number Pad, or fn-Return on compact keyboards)

Symbol Key on Keyboard

Eject

Escape

Page Up(fn-Up Arrow on compact keyboards)

Page Down(fn-Down Arrow on compact keyboards)

Home(fn-Left Arrow on compact keyboards)

End(fn-Right Arrow on compact keyboards)

Arrow Keys

Delete Left(like Backspace on Windows/PC)

Delete Right(fn-Delete on compact keyboards. Also called Forward Delete)

Finder

Action Keystroke

Open Sidebar item in a new Tab or Window (depending Cmd-Click

on FinderPreferences)

Switch Finder views Cmd-1, Cmd-2, Cmd-3, Cmd-4

(Icon, List, Column, Cover Flow)

In List view, expand a folder Right Arrow

In List view, collapse a folder Left Arrow

Rename the selected le/folder Press Return (or Enter)

Go into selected folder or open the selected le Cmd-Down Arrow

Go to parent folder Cmd-Up Arrow

Action Keystroke

Go Back Cmd-[

Go Forward Cmd-]

Select the next icon in Icon and List views Tab (Shift-Tab reverses direction)

Alternate columns in Column View Tab (Shift-Tab reverses direction)

Resize one column to t the longest lename Double-Click column divider (or the resize widget at the
(ColumnView) bottom of the column divider, depending on your setup)

Resize all columns to t their longest lenames Option Double-Click column divider (or the resize widget at
(ColumnView) the bottom of the column divider, depending on your setup)

Copy and Paste les Cmd-C, then Cmd-V

Copy and Paste les Exactly (Keeps original ownership & Cmd-C, then Cmd-Option-Shift-V
permissions. Requires Admin username & password.)

Cut and Paste les (Move les) Cmd-C, then Cmd-OptionV

Copy a File's Pathname Cmd-OptC

Move a le instead of copying (Copies to the destination Cmd-Drag le to disk

and removes it from the original disk.)

Immediately Delete a File (does not put le in Trash) Cmd-OptDelete

Move selected les to the Trash (called the RecycleBin Cmd-Delete

inWindows)

Empty the Trash with warning (like emptying RecycleBin Cmd-Shift-Delete

in Windows)

Empty the Trash with no warning (like emptying Cmd-Opt-Shift-Delete

RecycleBin in Windows)

Cancel a drag-n-drop action while in the midst Esc

ofdragging

Show Inspector (a single, live refreshing Infowindow) Cmd-Opt-I

Undo the last action (such as rename le, copy le, etc.) Cmd-Z

Hide/Show Sidebar (on the left) Cmd-Opt-S

Hide/Show Toolbar (on the top) and the Sidebar Cmd-Opt-T

Move or Remove item in toolbar (at the top of the Cmd-Drag

window). Works in most programs.
Action Keystroke

Open Quick Look (Previews most types of les without Press the Spacebar (or Cmd-Y). On a trackpad can also tap
having to open them) with 3 ngers.

Zoom In/Out in Quick Look (Images & PDFs) Pinch on a trackpad or hold Opt while scrolling. For images,
hold Option to zoom to100%.

Find Files Cmd-F

App Switcher

Action Keystroke

Quickly switch between 2 apps Press Cmd-Tab to switch to last used app.
(likeSafari & Finder) Press Cmd-Tab again to switch back.

Switch between apps Press Cmd-Tab & continue holding Cmd. While holding Cmd, to choose which
app you want to switch to:
press Tab (multiple times as needed) to scroll right

press Tilde(~) or Shift-Tab to scroll left

press Left/Right Arrow keys

aim with the mouse

press End/Home key to go to rst/last app

Quit an app in the app switcher In the app switcher, youre already holding Cmd, so hit Q to quit selectedapp.

Hide an app in the app switcher In the app switcher, youre already holding Cmd, so hit H to hide selected app.

Cancel the app switcher In the app switcher, youre already holding Cmd, so hit Esc or period(.)

Managing Windows & Dialogs

Action Keystroke

Switch to next window Cmd-Tilde(~)

Switch to previous window Cmd-Shift-Tilde(~)

Action Keystroke

See where the File/Folder is located (amenu will pop-up Cmd-Click on name of the window (in the titlebar)
displaying the folder hierarchy). Works in most programs,
including theFinder.

Move a window in the background without switching to it. Cmd-Drag on the windows titlebar

Choose Dont Save in a Dialog Cmd-D in some apps, but other apps use Cmd-Delete
(Cmd-D will change the location to the Desktop)

Dock

Action Keystroke

Hide all other applications (except the one you're clicking on) Command-Option Click an Apps icon in Dock

Reveal a Dock items location in theFinder Command Click on the icon in theDock

Force a le to open in a speci c app While dragging the le onto an apps icon in the
Dock, holdCommand-Option

In an Apps Dock menu change the Quit to Force Quit (Click & hold Hold Option while in Dock menu
on an App in the Dock to show the menu)

Move Dock to left, bottom, right side of screen Hold Shift and drag Dock divider

Change the icon size of a stack (must be the grid view) Cmd-plus(+) or Cmd-minus()

Temporarily turn magni cation on/o Hold Control-Shift

Force the Dock to only resize to non-interpolated icon sizes Hold Option while dragging Dockseparator

Dashboard
Action Keystroke

Close a widget without having to open the widget dock Hold Option and hover over widget (close box will appear)

Reload/Refresh a widget Cmd-R

Working with Text Onlywork in some apps (Safari, Mail, TextEdit, etc.)

Action Keystroke

Go to end of line Cmd-right arrow

Go to beginning of line Cmd-left arrow

Go to end of all the text Cmd-down arrow

Go to beginning of all the text Cmd-up arrow

Go to end of current or next word Option-right arrow

Go to beginning of current or Option-left arrow

previous word

Add Shift to the above keystrokes to make a selection to that point.

On Laptops: Delete Text to the right Function(fn)-Delete

of the cursor (like the Del key on a
full keyboard)

Non-touching (Discontinuous) text Command-drag

selections

Select non-linear areas Option-drag

Delete entire word to the left Opt-Delete

Paste and Match Style (so it looks the CmdOpt-ShiftV

same as the text you are pasting
into)

Look up word in dictionary Mouse over a word and hit Cmd-Ctrl-D (Or on a trackpad use 3 ngers to tap on
a word)

Display Emoji pop-up Command-Control-Space will open the Special Character panel. On the left you
can select Emoji or other Symbols.
Action Keystroke

Display Special/Alternate Characters Hold any key. Example: Holding the A key will display etc. You can press
the corresponding number under the character you want to type to choose it
(or arrow over to it).

Auto completion word Start typing the word. Press OptionEsc (or F5) to open suggested word list

Switch to Outline Mode in TextEdit Press Option-Tab to convert the current line into a list item

Press Return to create another list item

Press Tab at the start of a blank list item to indent it, creating a sublist

Press Shift-Tab to remove a level ofindention

Press Return twice to decrease the indent, exiting the current sublist/list

Screenshots Saved to the Desktop as a PNG le.

Action Keystroke

Take picture of the entire screen Cmd-Shift-3

Take picture of a selected area Cmd-Shift-4 and Drag over an area. While dragging:
Hold Spacebar to move selected area.

Hold Shift to change size in one direction only (horizontal or vertical)

Hold Option for center-based resizing.

Take picture of a speci c window/object Cmd-Shift-4, then press Spacebar, then Click on the window/object.
TIP: Hold Option while you click to remove the drop shadow.

Hold Control with any of the above keystrokes to copy the screenshot to the clipboard instead of making a le.

Spotlight

Action Keystroke

Show Spotlight Search Cmd-Space

Open Spotlight Finder Search Cmd-Option-Space

Window
Action Keystroke

Launch Top Hit (in the Menu) Return

Reveal selected item in Finder In Spotlight Search: Press Cmd-Return

In Finder Window: Press Cmd-R

Skip to rst result in a category Cmd Up/Down Arrow

Look up the de nition of aword Type the word in Spotlights search eld and hit CmdL to look it up.

Do a web search Type something into Spotlight and hit CmdB to open it as a search in your
webbrowser.

Clear Spotlight Search Esc clears to do another search.

Esc a second time closes Spotlight.

Mission Control

Action Keystroke

Enter Mission Control Ctrl-Up Arrow

Move to a neighboring space or Ctrl-Left or Right Arrow

fullscreenapp

View Windows in the CurrentApp Ctrl-Down Arrow

Show Desktop F11 (may need to hold the fn buton on some keyboards)

Show Dashboard F12 (may need to hold the fn buton on some keyboards) or the dedicated
Dashboard key

Startup, Restart, Shutdown & Sleep

Action Keystroke

Eject CD on boot Hold Mouse button down immediately after powering on

Safe boot Hold Shift during startup

Start up in Recovery mode Hold Cmd-R during startup

Action Keystroke

Start up in Target Disk mode Hold T during startup

Startup from a CD, DVD Hold C during startup

Bypass primary startup volume and seek a Hold Cmd-Opt-Shift-Delete during startup
di erent startup volume (CD, etc.)

Choose Startup disk before booting Hold Option during startup

Start up in Verbose mode Hold Cmd-V during startup

Start up in Single-User mode (commandline) Hold Cmd-S during startup

Shutdown immediately (no con rmation) Hold Cmd-Opt-Ctrl and press the Eject key or Power button

Restart immediately (no con rmation) Cmd-Ctrl-Eject

Forced Restart (only do this when Cmd-Ctrl-Power button

absolutelyneeded)

Sleep immediately (no con rmation) Press the Power button (or hit Cmd-Opt-Eject)

Show Dialog with Restart, Sleep & Hold Ctrl and press the Eject key or Power button (or hold the Power
ShutdownOptions button for a few seconds and the dialog will appear)

Put display to sleep Hold Ctrl-Shift and press the Eject key or Power button

Safari

Action Keystroke

Highlight URL/Search Field (at top of window) CmdL

Switch to Next Tab Ctrl-Tab (or Cmd-Shift-Right Arrow)

Switch to Previous Tab Ctrl-Shift-Tab (or Cmd-Shift-Left Arrow)

Switch tabs: jump directly to the rst tab, second tab, etc. Cmd-1 through Cmd-9
(If you change the preference, this will go to one of the rst
9 bookmarks in the Bookmarks Bar.)

Move between found items Cmd-F, enter your search text and Press:
Return to Move Forward
Shift-Return to Move Backward
Action Keystroke

Cancel current Find Press Escape or Cmd-Period(.)

Scroll by one full screen Scroll Down: Spacebar or OptionDown Arrow

Scroll Up: ShiftSpacebar or Option-Up Arrow

Open Link in New Tab (in the background) CmdClick a link

Open Link in New Tab (in the foreground) CmdShiftClick a link

Open Link in New Window CmdOptShift Click a link

Add to Reading List ShiftClick a link

Apple Mail

Action Keystroke

Send Message CmdShiftD (remember as D =

Deliver)

Reply to Message CmdR or OptDouble Click Message

Reply All CmdShiftR

Go to Inbox Cmd1

Go to other mailboxes in your favorites bar Cmd2, 3, etc.

Prevent the next message from being automatically selected & marked OptDelete
asread

Search the current message CmdF

Search all messages CmdOptF

Compose a new email CmdN

Preview

Action Keystroke
Zoom In or Out Cmd-Plus(+) or Cmd-Minus(-)

Zoom to Actual Size Cmd-0

Zoom to Fit Cmd-9

Miscellaneous

Action Keystroke

Force Quit (displayed list of apps) Cmd-Opt-Esc

Scroll using a Trackpad (like a mouses scroll wheel) Slide 2 ngers on the trackpad

Right-click using a Trackpad (like on a 2button mouse) Place 2 ngers on the trackpad and Click

Adjust the font size in Messages app Cmd-Plus(+) or Cmd-Minus(-)

Quickly nd any menu item and launch it.

1. Press Cmd-Shift-/ (which is Cmd-? on the
keyboard)

2. In the Help menu Search that opens, start

typing a few letters of your desired menu
command.

3. Arrow key down to the item you want and

press Return to choose it.

If an app re-opens with the windows that were open when you Hold Shift while launching an app
last quit it, you can tell it not to re-open the windows.

Turn o noti cations (turn on Do Not Disturb) Option-click the Noti cation Center icon in menu bar
to toggle noti cations o /on

Change system volume in smaller increments Hold OptShift while changing volume

Change system volume with con rmation beeps Hold Shift while changing volume (prior to Yosemite
this would disable the beeps)

Turn display mirroring on/o (when connected to an CommandBrightness Down (F1)

additionaldisplay)

Completely smooth scrolling, onepixel at a time (does not work Hold Option while dragging scrollbar
in all apps)
Action Keystroke

Open Sound panel of System Preferences Press Option and a Sound key (Mute,VolumeUp
orDown)

Open Displays panel of System Preferences Press Option and a Brightnesskey

Customize the toolbar at the top of a window. Works in the Cmd drag icons to rearrange.
Finder, Apple Mail, Preview, etc. but not some apps, likeFirefox. Cmd drag icon o toolbar to remove.

Ctrl-click toolbar and choose Customize for more

options.

Move the Terminal cursor with themouse Optionclick where youd like thecursor

Change Terminal Directory to a speci c folder (cd into the folder) Cmd-Drag a folder onto the Terminal Window

Emacs Key Bindings Onlywork in some apps (Safari, Mail, TextEdit, etc.)

Action Keystroke Remember As

Go to start of line (move cursor to start of line) Ctrl-A A = Start of alphabet

Go to end of line (move cursor to end of line) Ctrl-E E = End

Go up one line Ctrl-P P = Previous

Go down one line Ctrl-N N = Next

Go back a character (move cursor left) Ctrl-B B = Back

Go forward a character (move cursor right) Ctrl-F F = Forward

Delete the character to the right of the cursor Ctrl-D D = Delete

Delete the character to the left of the cursor Ctrl-H

Delete the selection or to the end of the line (acts like cutting the text) Ctrl-K K = Kill

Yank back the killed text (acts like pasting) Ctrl-Y Y = Yank

Scroll down Ctrl-V

Center the current line in the window Ctrl-L

Insert line break after the cursor without moving thecursor Ctrl-O
Action Keystroke Remember As

Transpose letters (swaps letters on left and right ofcursor) Ctrl-T T = Transpose

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