The best keyboard shortcuts for Mac

The keyboard shortcuts for Mac or Windows, are designed to increase productivity of users by allowing us to perform functions without releasing the keyboard and thus avoid distracting our attention. Keyboard shortcuts are especially important for repetitive tasks.

While cross-platform browsers and applications share keyboard shortcuts (replacing the Windows key with Command), macOS has its own set of keyboard shortcuts with which we can manage the system at the stroke of keys.

Restart, shut down, or suspend your Mac

Control + Command ⌘ + Media Eject button: The Mac will restart.
Control + Option + Command ⌘ + media eject button: The equipment will turn off.
Option + Command ⌘ + media eject button: The Mac will go to sleep.

Keyboard shortcuts for working with documents

Cmd ⌘ + X: Cut the selected item to the clipboard.
Cmd ⌘ + C: Copy the selected item to the Clipboard.
Cmd ⌘ + V: Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the document.
Command ⌘ + A: Select all text.
Command ⌘ + F: Find items in the document.
Cmd ⌘ + P: Print the current document.
Option + left or right arrow: Moves the cursor word by word.
Option+ up or down arrow: Moves the cursor to the beginning or end of the paragraph.
Command ⌘ + left or right arrow: Moves the cursor to the beginning or end of a line.
Command ⌘ + up or down arrow: The cursor will be located at the beginning or end of the document.
fn + Delete: Delete letter by letter to the right of the cursor
Delete +Option: Deletes the entire word to the left of the cursor
Delete + fn + Option: Deletes the entire word to the right of the cursor
Delete + Command ⌘: Deletes the line of text behind the cursor.

Basic macOS Shortcuts

Command ⌘ + A: Select all items.
Command ⌘ + F: Find items in a document or open a search window.
Cmd ⌘ + G: Find Again: Finds the next occurrence of the previously found item.
Cmd ⌘ + H: Hide the front application windows. Command ⌘ + M: Minimize the front window to the Dock.
Command ⌘ + O: Open the selected item, or open a dialog to select a file to open.
Cmd ⌘ + P: Print the current document.
Cmd ⌘ + Q: Close the foreground application or window.
Command ⌘ + S: Save the current document.
Command ⌘ + Z: Undoes the previous Command ⌘.
Enter: Edit the name of a file.
Space bar: Opens a preview of the file.
Command ⌘ + Spacebar: Open Spotlight to search for files and/or applications on your computer.

macOS shortcuts for taking screenshots

Shift + Command ⌘ + 3: Takes a screenshot of the entire screen
Shift + Command ⌘ + 4: Allows us to select the part of the screen that we want to capture
Shift + Command ⌘-5: Allows us to record the screen on video

macOS shortcuts to manage applications and windows

Ctrl + Command ⌘ + F: Use the app in full screen, if the app allows it.
Option + Command ⌘ + Esc: Force close one or all applications.
Option + Command ⌘ + M: Minimize all front application windows.

macOS Shortcuts for Finder

Shift + Command ⌘ + C: Open the Computer window
Shift + Command ⌘ + D: Open the Desktop folder
Shift + Command ⌘+F: Open the window of recently created or edited files.
Shift + Command ⌘+I: Open iCloud Drive.
Shift + Command ⌘+L: Open the Downloads folder.
Shift + Command ⌘+N: Create a new folder.
Shift + Command ⌘+O: Open the documents folder.
Shift + Command ⌘+P: Hide or show the preview pane.
Shift + Command ⌘+R: Open the AirDrop window
Shift + Command ⌘ + Delete: Empty the trash.
Cmd ⌘ + X: Cut the selected item to the clipboard.
Cmd ⌘ + C: Copy the selected item to the Clipboard.
Cmd ⌘ + V: Paste file from clipboard.
Cmd ⌘+ D: Create a copy of the selected file.
Cmd ⌘+ E: Eject the selected volume or drive.
Cmd ⌘+ F: Start the search in Spotlight.
Cmd ⌘+ J: Show Finder display options.
Cmd ⌘+ N: Open a new Finder window.
Cmd ⌘ + R: Displays the original file of the selected alias.
Cmd ⌘+ 3: Show Finder window items in columns.
Cmd ⌘+ 4: Show Finder window items in a preview gallery.
Command ⌘+ down arrow: Open selected items.
Command ⌘ + Control + up arrow: Open the folder in a new window.
Command ⌘+ Delete: Send the file to the trash.
Option + Shift + Command ⌘ + Delete: Empty the trash without asking for confirmation.
Option + Volume up/down/mute: Show sound preferences.

macOS Shortcuts for Safari

Command ⌘ + N: Open a new window
Command ⌘ + Shift + N: Open a new window in incognito mode
Cmd ⌘ + T: Open a new tab and switch to it
Command ⌘ + Shift + T: Reopen previously closed tabs in the order they were closed
Control + Shift + Tab: Go to the previous open tab
Command ⌘ + 1 to Command ⌘ + 9: Go to a specific tab
Cmd ⌘ + 9: Move to the rightmost tab
Cmd ⌘ + W: Close the current tab
Command ⌘ + Shift + W: Close the current window
Command ⌘ + M: Minimize the current window
Command ⌘ + Shift + B: Show or hide the favorites bar
Command ⌘ + Option + B: Open the favorites manager
Command ⌘ + Y: Open history page
Command ⌘ + Option + L: Open the download page in a new tab
Cmd ⌘ + F: Open the search bar to search the current page
Command ⌘ + Shift + G: Go to the previous match of the search in the search bar
Command ⌘ + Option + I: Open developer tools
Cmd ⌘ + P: Open the options to print the current page
Cmd ⌘ + S: Open the options to save the current page
Command ⌘ + Control + F: Activate full screen mode
Command ⌘ + Shift + /: Show all active tabs in grid view with thumbnail size
Command ⌘ and +: Enlarge browser view.
Command ⌘ and – Reduce browser view.
Cmd ⌘ + 0: Reset the page zoom level
Command ⌘ + Click a link: Open a link in a new background tab

How to find out the keyboard shortcuts of an application

If you want to know what the keyboard shortcuts are for a specific application, you don't have to go through the menus writing them down on a piece of paper. The solution is to use the free Cheat Sheet application.

This application, which we can download through this link, invites us to press the key for more than a second Command ⌘ to display in a window all the keyboard shortcuts of the application that is open in the foreground.

If we want to print that list, we can click on the gear wheel located in the lower right corner of the application and select print.

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