Essential Mac Keyboard Shortcuts
A handful of shortcuts saves you hundreds of trips to the menu bar every day. Learn the ones Mac users rely on most, then drill them in the trainer at the end.
Meet the modifier keys
A shortcut means holding one or more modifier keys, then tapping a letter or another key. Menus and Apple's guides show modifiers as symbols, so it helps to know them.
The main shortcut key. Next to the space bar.
Usually adds a twist: Undo becomes Redo.
Also labeled Alt. Works on whole words and hidden extras.
Used less. Control-click is the same as a right-click.
Bottom-left on newer keyboards. Opens emoji, dictation and more.
Coming from Windows? Most shortcuts are the same letters, just with ⌘ Command instead of Ctrl. Ctrl+C on a PC is ⌘+C on a Mac.
How to press one: hold the modifier down, tap the letter, then let go of both. For ⇧⌘Z, hold Shift and Command together, tap Z.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘ C | Copy |
| ⌘ X | Cut (copy, then remove) |
| ⌘ V | Paste |
| ⌘ Z | Undo |
| ⇧ ⌘ Z | Redo (undo the undo) |
| ⌘ A | Select all |
| ⌘ F | Find on the page or in the document |
| ⌘ S / ⌘ P | Save / Print |
These copy-and-paste shortcuts work on files in Finder too: ⌘ C a file, open another folder, ⌘ V.
Move and edit text faster
These work in almost every app that has a text box: Mail, Notes, Pages, Word, browsers.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘ ← / ⌘ → | Jump to the start / end of the line |
| ⌘ ↑ / ⌘ ↓ | Jump to the start / end of the document |
| ⌥ ← / ⌥ → | Jump one word left / right |
| ⌥ Delete | Delete the whole word to the left |
| Fn Delete | Forward delete (deletes to the right) |
| ⌘ B / I / U | Bold / italic / underline |
| ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ V | Paste and Match Style (pastes without the original fonts and colors) |
Instead of reaching for the mouse: press ⌥ ← three times to hop back three words, fix the typo, then ⌘ → to jump straight back to the end of the line.
Add Shift to select. Any of the movement shortcuts selects text if you also hold ⇧. ⇧ ⌘ → selects from the cursor to the end of the line.
Switch apps and manage windows
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘ Tab | Switch apps. Keep holding ⌘ and tap Tab to move along the row; let go to switch. |
| ⌘ ` | Switch between windows of the same app (the key above Tab) |
| ⌘ T / ⌘ N | New tab / new window |
| ⌘ W | Close the front window or tab (the app stays open) |
| ⌘ Q | Quit the app completely |
| ⌘ M | Minimize the window to the Dock |
| ⌘ H | Hide the app's windows |
| ⌘ , | Open the app's settings |
| ⌥ ⌘ Esc | Force Quit an app that's frozen |
| ⌃ ⌘ Q | Lock your screen right away |
W closes, Q quits. W and Q sit right next to each other. ⌘ Q closes every window of the app at once, so slow down near that corner of the keyboard.
Stepping away from your desk? ⌃ ⌘ Q locks the Mac so nobody can read your screen. You'll need your password or Touch ID to get back in.
Take screenshots
| Shortcut | What it captures |
|---|---|
| ⇧ ⌘ 3 | The whole screen |
| ⇧ ⌘ 4 | An area you drag to select (Esc cancels) |
| ⇧ ⌘ 4 then Space | One window or menu: the pointer becomes a camera, click the window |
| ⇧ ⌘ 5 | The Screenshot toolbar: screen recording, a timer, and where to save |
Screenshots save to your Desktop unless you change it in the ⇧ ⌘ 5 Options menu.
Paste it instead of saving it. Add ⌃ Control to any screenshot shortcut, like ⌃ ⇧ ⌘ 4, to copy the picture to the clipboard. Then ⌘ V it into an email or message.
More on screenshots, including Windows and phones, in how to take a screenshot.
Finder and Spotlight
Spotlight is the fastest way to open anything. Press ⌘ Space, type the first few letters of an app, file or setting, and press Return. It can do quick math and conversions too: try typing 250*1.08.
| In Finder | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Quick Look: preview the selected file without opening it |
| ⌘ Delete | Move the selected file to the Trash |
| ⇧ ⌘ N | New folder |
| ⌘ D | Duplicate the selected file |
| ⌘ I | Get Info: size, date, where it lives |
| ⇧ ⌘ D | Open the Desktop folder |
| ⌘ ↑ | Go up to the folder that contains this one |
Handy Fn (🌐) shortcuts: Fn E opens emoji and symbols, Fn N opens Notification Center, and Fn C opens Control Center. On macOS Tahoe 26 or later, Fn ⇧ A shows all your Apps.
Find any shortcut yourself. Open a menu in the menu bar: the shortcut is printed on the right of each item. And in any app, ⇧ ⌘ ? opens the Help menu search, so you can type a command's name.
Practice: the shortcut trainer
On a Mac, click the trainer and press the real shortcut. On a phone, tablet or Windows PC, tap the right answer instead. (On Windows, Ctrl counts as ⌘ and Alt as ⌥.) Shortcuts that would really quit your browser or lock your screen are tap-only.
FAQCommon questions
Where is the Command key?
On both sides of the space bar, marked ⌘ and “command.” On some older keyboards it also shows an Apple logo.
How do I right-click on a Mac?
Hold ⌃ Control and click. On a trackpad you can also click with two fingers.
Can I use a Windows keyboard with a Mac?
Yes. The Windows key acts as ⌘ Command and Alt acts as ⌥ Option. You can swap them in System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts › Modifier Keys.
My app is frozen. What do I press?
⌥ ⌘ Esc opens Force Quit. Pick the app and click Force Quit. Anything unsaved in that app will be lost.
Can I make my own shortcuts?
Yes. In System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts › App Shortcuts, click +, choose an app, type the exact menu command name, and press the keys you want.