macOS Keyboard Shortcuts Cheatsheet

One of the best things about macOS is the number of keyboard shortcuts it supports. Keyboard shortcuts are great because you can perform a function right from the keyboard, which will save you a lot of mouse clicks. For example, why should you have to go to the File menu and then search for the option you’re looking for, when you can just use a quick keyboard shortcut that will do the same thing? Even though there are times when you can simply use your mouse, because the option is right there, in most cases a keyboard shortcut will save you time and is more convenient.

To help you boost your productivity when using your Mac, we’re providing you with a cheat sheet featuring all of the top and most important keyboard shortcuts for macOS:

Modifier Key Symbols

Many keyboard shortcuts include at least one modifier key. It’s important to know what these symbols are because on application menus, which are great for finding out keyboard shortcuts on the fly, you’ll only see symbols and letters listed next to the menu options.

⌘	Command – Located on both sides of the spacebar.
^	Control – Located between the fn and option keys.
⌥	Option/Alt – Located next to the command keys (on both sides).
⇧	Shift – The first and last keys on the second row of keys from the bottom (above the row with spacebar, command, option, control, fn).
⇪	Cap Locks – Located above the shift key on the left side of the keyboard.
⌫	Delete – Located at the right end of the number keys row (last button).
Fn	Function – The first key on the bottom row, next to the control/alt key.
⏏	Media Eject – Located at the top right corner of the keyboard.

Startup

Press and hold the key or key combination during the startup process, until the expected function occurs.

Option	Display all bootable volumes; if you’re a Boot Camp user, you can also choose to boot in Windows from here (Startup Manager)
Shift	Perform a Safe Boot (start up in Safe Mode)
Left Shift	Prevent automatic login; if you have your Mac set to automatically login without prompting for a password, this will temporarily disable it.
C	Start from bootable media (DVD, CD, USB thumb drive, etc)
T	Start in FireWire target disk mode, which allows a Mac with a FireWire port to be used as an external hard disk connected to another computer.
N	Start from NetBoot server; if your Mac is capable, you can boot from a network rather than a hard disk.
X	Force macOS startup (if non-macOS startup volumes are present)
D	Use Apple Diagnostics, a suite of diagnostics that will test your hardware for issues.
Command-R	Use Recovery to repair your hard disk or reinstall macOS if needed, without the need for discs.
Command-V	Start in verbose mode to see what is happening during system startup (command line will be displayed), which is great for troubleshooting.
Command-S	Start in single-user mode, which is much like verbose mode, but keeps the command line showing instead of moving into the graphical interface.
Command-Option-P-R	Reset NVRAM / parameter RAM, which can help if you’re having issues with your volume, screen resolution, startup disk selection, or kernel panic.
Hold down the Media Eject key or F12 key	Eject removable discs from your DVD/CD ROM drive.

Sleep and Shut Down

Use these shortcuts to quickly shut down or put your Mac to sleep.

Power button	Turn off your Mac or put it to sleep
Hold down the Power button	Force your Mac to shut down
Command-Control-Power button	Force your Mac to restart
Control-Media Eject	Show the restart/sleep/shutdown dialog and you can choose the option that you like.
Command-Option-Media Eject	Put the Mac to sleep
Command-Control-Media Eject	Quit all applications (after giving you a chance to save changes to open documents), then restart the Mac.
Command-Option-Control-Media Eject	Quit all applications (after giving you a chance to save changes to open documents), then shut down the Mac.
Shift-Control-Media Eject	Put all displays to sleep

Finder

The Finder is one of the most powerful and beneficial applications on the Mac; these shortcuts will help you to use it to its full potential.

Command-A	Select all items in the front Finder window (or desktop if no window is open).
Command-Option-A	Deselect all items
Command-Shift-A	Open the Applications folder
Command-C	Copy selected item/text to the Clipboard.
Command-Shift-C	Open the Computer window
Command-D	Create a duplicate of the selected item.
Command-Shift-D	Open the Desktop folder
Command-E	Eject
Command-F	Find any matching Spotlight attribute.
Command-Shift-F	Open the Recents folder
Command-Option-F	Navigate to the search field in an already-open Spotlight window.
Command-Shift-G	Go to Folder; you will be able to specify the folder you want to go to.
Command-Shift-H	Open the Home folder of the currently logged-in user account.
Command-I	Get Info for a specific file or folder.
Command-J	Show View Options so that you can clean up or tweak your window.
Command-K	Connect to Servers; you can connect to both Mac and Windows servers for file sharing.
Command-Shift-K	Open Network window to connect to other computers on your local network.
Command-L	Make an alias of the selected item to make it easier to access an application, document or folder.
Command-M	Minimize window
Command-Option-M	Minimize all windows
Command-N	Create a new Finder window.
Command-Shift-N	Create a new folder.
Command-O	Open selected item.
Command-Shift-Q	Log Out
Command-Shift-Option-Q	Log Out immediately
Command-R	Show the original location (of an alias).
Command-Control-T	Add the current item to the Finder sidebar.
Command-Shift-T	Hide Toolbar / Show Toolbar in Finder windows.
Command-Option-T	Hide Sidebar / Show Sidebar in Finder windows.
Command-Shift-U	Open the Utilities folder.
Command-V	Paste
Command-W	Close window
Command-Option-W	Close all windows
Command-X	Cut
Command-Option-Y	Create a Slideshow (macOS v10.5 or later).
Command-Z	Undo / Redo
Command-1	View as Icon
Command-2	View as List
Command-3	View as Columns
Command-4	View as Cover Flow (macOS v10.5 or later).
Command-Comma (,)	Open Finder preferences.
Command-Accent (`)	Cycle through open Finder windows.
Command-Shift-Question Mark (?)	Open Mac Help
Command-Left Bracket ([)	Go to the previous folder.
Command-Right Bracket (])	Go to the next folder.
Command-Up Arrow	Open the folder that contains the current folder.
Command-Control-Up Arrow	Open the folder that contains the current folder in a new window.
Command-Down Arrow	Open highlighted item.
Command-Shift-Up Arrow	Make the Desktop active.
Right Arrow (in List view)	Open the selected folder.
Left Arrow (in List view)	Close the selected folder.
Option-click the disclosure triangle (in List view)	Open all folders within the selected folder.
Option-Double-click	Open a folder in a separate window, closing the current window.
Command-Double-click	Open a folder in a separate tab.
Command-click the window title	See the folders that contain the current window.
Command-Tab	Switch application cycle forward.
Command-Shift-Tab	Switch application cycle backward.
Command-Delete	Move to Trash
Command-Shift-Delete	Empty Trash
Command-Shift-Option-Delete	Empty Trash without confirmation dialog.
Space bar (or Command-Y)	Quick Look (macOS v10.5 or later) – lets you preview an item without opening it.
Command key while dragging	Move dragged item to other volume/location (pointer icon changes while key is held).
Option key while dragging	Copy dragged item (pointer icon changes while key is held).
Command-Option key combination while dragging	Make alias of dragged item (pointer icon changes while key is held).

Application and macOS

Note: Some applications may not support all of these shortcuts, and many applications have their own set of shortcuts.

Command-Space bar	Show or hide the Spotlight search field.
Control-A	Move to the beginning of a line/paragraph.
Control-B	Move one character backward.
Control-D	Delete the character in front of the cursor.
Control-E	Move to the end of a line/paragraph.
Control-F	Move one character forward.
Control-H	Delete the character behind the cursor.
Control-K	Delete from the character in front of the cursor to the end of the line/paragraph.
Control-L	Center the cursor/selection in the visible area.
Control-N	Move down one line.
Control-O	Insert a new line after the cursor.
Control-P	Move up one line.
Control-T	Transpose the character behind the cursor and the character in front of the cursor.
Control-V	Page Down – move down one page.
Option-Delete	Delete the word that is left of the cursor, as well as any spaces or punctuation after the word.
Command-Option-Space bar	Show the Spotlight search results window.
Command-Tab	Move forward to the next most recently used application in a list of open applications.
Command-Shift-Tab	Move backward through a list of open applications (sorted by recent use).
Shift-Tab	Navigate through controls in a reverse direction.
Control-Tab	Move focus to the next grouping of controls in a dialog or the next table (when Tab moves to the next cell).
Shift-Control-Tab	Move focus to the previous grouping of controls.
Control-F1	Toggle full keyboard access on or off.
Control-F2	Move focus to the menu bar.
Control-F3	Move focus to the Dock.
Control-F4	Move focus to the active (or next) window.
Shift-Control-F4	Move focus to the previously active window.
Control-F5	Move focus to the toolbar.
Control-F6	Move focus to the first (or next) panel.
Shift-Control-F6	Move focus to the previous panel.
Control-F7	Temporarily override the current keyboard access mode in windows and dialogs.
Control-F8	Move to the status menus in the menu bar.
F10	Tile or untile all open windows in the currently active application.
F11	Hide or show all open windows.
Command-Accent (`)	Activate the next open window in the frontmost application.
Command-Shift-Accent (`)	Activate the previous open window in the frontmost application.
Command-Minus (-)	Decrease the size of the selected item.
Command-{	Left-align a selection.
Command-}	Right-align a selection.
Command-|	Center-align a selection.
Command-Colon (:)	Display the Spelling window.
Command-Semicolon (;)	Find misspelled words in the document.
Command-Comma (,)	Open the front application’s preferences window (if it supports this keyboard shortcut).
Command-Option-Control-Comma (,)	Decrease screen contrast.
Command-Option-Control-Period (.)	Increase screen contrast.
Command-Question Mark (?)	Open the application’s help in Help Viewer.
Command-Option-/	Turn font smoothing on or off.
Command-Shift-=	Increase the size of the selected item.
Command-Shift-3	Capture the screen to a file.
Command-Shift-Control-3	Capture the screen to the Clipboard.
Command-Shift-4	Capture a selection to a file.
Command-Shift-Control-4	Capture a selection to the Clipboard.
Command-A	Highlight every item in a document or window, or all characters in a text field.
Command-B	Boldface the selected text or toggle boldfaced text on and off.
Command-C	Copy the selected data to the Clipboard.
Command-Shift-C	Display the Colors window.
Command-Option-C	Copy the style of the selected text.
Command-Control-C	Copy the formatting settings of the selected item and store on the Clipboard.
Command-Option-D	Show or hide the Dock.
Command-Control-D	Display the definition of the selected word in the Dictionary application.
Command-D	Selects the Desktop folder in Open and Save dialogs.
Command-Delete	Selects “Don’t Save” in dialogs that contain a Don’t Save button in macOS.
Command-E	Use the selection for a find.
Command-F	Open a Find window – useful for searching the current window or Web page (in all browsers).
Command-Option-F	Move to the search field control.
Command-G	Find the next occurrence of the selection.
Command-Shift-G	Find the previous occurrence of the selection.
Command-H	Hide the windows of the currently running application.
Command-Option-H	Hide the windows of all other running applications.
Command-I	Italicize the selected text or toggle italic text on or off.
Command-Option-I	Display an inspector window.
Command-J	Scroll to a selection.
Command-M	Minimize the active window to the Dock.
Command-Option-M	Minimize all windows of the active application to the Dock.
Command-N	Create a new document in the frontmost application.
Command-O	Display a dialog for choosing a document to open in the frontmost application.
Command-P	Display the Print dialog.
Command-Shift-P	Display a dialog for specifying printing parameters (Page Setup).
Command-Q	Quit the frontmost application.
Command-S	Save the active document.
Command-Shift-S	Display the Save As dialog.
Command-T	Display the Fonts window.
Command-Option-T	Show or hide a toolbar.
Command-U	Underline the selected text or turn underlining on or off.
Command-V	Paste the Clipboard contents at the insertion point.
Command-Option-V	Apply the style of one object to the selected object (Paste Style).
Command-Shift-Option-V	Apply the style of the surrounding text to the inserted object (Paste and Match Style).
Command-Control-V	Apply formatting settings to the selected object (Paste Ruler Command).
Command-W	Close the frontmost window.
Command-Shift-W	Close a file and its associated windows.
Command-Option-W	Close all windows in the application without quitting it.
Command-X	Remove the selection and store in the Clipboard.
Command-Z	Undo previous command (some applications allow for multiple Undos).
Command-Shift-Z	Redo previous command (some applications allow for multiple Redos).
Control-Right Arrow	Move focus to another value or cell within a view, such as a table.
Control-Left Arrow	Move focus to another value or cell within a view, such as a table.
Control-Down Arrow	Move focus to another value or cell within a view, such as a table.
Control-Up Arrow	Move focus to another value or cell within a view, such as a table.
Command-Right Arrow	Move the text insertion point to the end of the current line.
Command-Left Arrow	Move the text insertion point to the beginning of the current line.
Command-Down Arrow	Move the text insertion point to the end of the document.
Command-Up Arrow	Move the text insertion point to the beginning of the document.
Option-Right Arrow	Move the text insertion point to the end of the next word.
Option-Left Arrow	Move the text insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
Command-Shift-Right Arrow	Select text between the insertion point and the end of the current line.
Command-Shift-Left Arrow	Select text between the insertion point and the beginning of the current line.
Shift-Right Arrow	Extend text selection one character to the right.
Shift-Left Arrow	Extend text selection one character to the left.
Command-Shift-Up Arrow	Select text between the insertion point and the beginning of the document.
Command-Shift-Down Arrow	Select text between the insertion point and the end of the document.
Shift-Up Arrow	Extend text selection to the line above, to the nearest character boundary at the same horizontal location.
Shift-Down Arrow	Extend text selection to the line below, to the nearest character boundary at the same horizontal location.
Shift-Option-Right Arrow	Extend text selection to the end of the current word, then to the end of the following word if pressed again.
Shift-Option-Left Arrow	Extend text selection to the beginning of the current word, then to the beginning of the following word if pressed again.
Shift-Option-Down Arrow	Extend text selection to the end of the current paragraph, then to the end of the following paragraph if pressed again.
Shift-Option-Up Arrow	Extend text selection to the beginning of the current paragraph, then to the beginning of the following paragraph if pressed again.
Control-Space bar	Toggle between the current and previous input sources.
Option-Control-Space bar	Toggle through all enabled input sources.
Command-Option-esc	Force Quit – Great for applications that have become unresponsive and can not be shut down the traditional way.
Command-Shift-Option-Esc (hold for three seconds)	Force Quit the front-most application (macOS v10.5 or later).
Command-Left Bracket ([)	Go back to the previous browser Web page.
Command-Right Bracket (])	Move forward to the next browser Web page.