Are you a Mac user and are looking to make the most out of your Mac?
Well, if you really want to improve your productivity and efficiency then you need to know about the Mac keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet!
Macs allow you to perform functions much faster using keyboard shortcuts. This can help speed up the process of logging in, creating work, signing documents, and much more!
Here are the keyboard shortcuts all Mac users need to know about:
The Basics
Let’s start with the basic shortcuts that you’ve got to know. If you’re getting exhausted from typing, maybe you need to copy and paste more often.
You use ⌘ + C to copy and ⌘ + V to paste. You should also look here if your copy paste not working on Mac. This is a common issue and the tutorial will help you resolve it quickly.
Do you need to quickly search for a file, application, or data on your Mac? Press ⌘ + Space to open a Spotlight search bar.
⌘ + W is for closing any window within an application. You can use ⌘ + T to open a new tab in any web browser.
Within a web browser, you can use ⌘ + R to refresh your webpage. You can also use ⌘ + Q to quit any application.
Application Shortcuts
Now here are the basic keyboard shortcuts that work with most applications:
- Control + D: deletes text in front of your cursor
- Control + E: moves your cursor to the end of the line
- Control + N: moves your cursor down one line
- Control + P: moves your cursor up one line
- Control + V: navigates to the page below
- ⌘ + Tab: toggles between windows in an application
- Within the Finder, this lets you navigate between open applications
- ⌘ + Option + Control + ,: lowers your screen contrast
- ⌘ + Option + Control + .: increases your screen contrast
- ⌘ + B: this will make your text bold
- ⌘ + I: this will italicize your text
- ⌘ + S: saves your file
- In some applications, such as Preview, you’ll have to use ⌘ + Shift + S
- ⌘ + H: hides the windows of your current application
Make sure you familiarize yourself with these keyboard shortcuts to speed up your work within a given application.
Finder Shortcuts
These are the quick keyboard shortcuts you should know when working with the Finder:
- ⌘ + A: selects all files within a Finder window
- ⌘ + Option + A: deselects all selected files
- ⌘ + Shift + A: opens the Applications folder
- ⌘ + D: duplicates a selected file
- ⌘ + Shift + D: opens the Desktop folder within Finder
- ⌘ + E: ejects a mounted disk or CD/DVD
- ⌘ + Shift + F: opens the Recents folder within Finder
- ⌘ + I: looks up the information of a selected file or folder
- You can use this option if you need to rename a file/folder
- ⌘ + Shift + Q: logs you out of your Mac
These shortcuts are the most helpful when you’re organizing your Mac’s files, folders, and other data.
Booting Your Mac
Now let’s look at the keyboard shortcuts to use when your Mac is booting up:
- Holding Down Option: displays all bootable volumes
- Holding Down Shift: performs a safe boot
- Shift + Left Arrow: prevents an automatic login to your user account
- Holding Down C: lets you boot your Mac from a bootable external device
- ⌘ + R: opens the Recovery utility to repair your hard drive
- ⌘ + V: boots your Mac with “verbose mode.” This displays the command line as your Mac loads
It’s also important to note that you can hold down the Eject key upon booting your Mac to eject any CD or DVD that’s been stuck.
If you’ve had difficulty ejecting a disc, turn off your Mac first. After you boot it, pressing Eject should remove the disc without issue.
Give Your Mac a Rest
There are also keyboard shortcuts to help you turn off your Mac or put it to sleep:
- Hold Down Power: this will turn off your Mac. It’s great to use if you aren’t able to turn it off through the main menu
- Press Power Once: this puts your Mac to sleep. Press it again to awaken your Mac
- Ctrl + Eject: this opens a dialog box to give you the option to restart, shut down, or put your Mac to sleep
- ⌘ + Option + Eject: puts your Mac to sleep
- Shift + Control + Eject: puts your display to sleep
- ⌘ + Control + Eject: quits your applications and restarts your Mac. You’ll be prompted to save any open documents
- ⌘ + Option + Control + Eject: quits your applications and turns off your Mac. You’ll be prompted to save any open documents
If you have difficulty with Force Quit or restarting or turning off your Mac, you can depend on these shortcuts.
Make sure you give your Mac a rest so that it doesn’t overheat. You’ll also prolong your Mac’s lifespan if you let it rest often.
Creating Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
One of the best features of Macs is that you can create custom keyboard shortcuts.
You can create these as a general shortcut for your Mac or specify shortcuts for different applications.
Here’s how you create custom keyboard shortcuts:
- Open System Preferences -> Keyboard
- Click on the “Shortcuts” tab
- On the left-hand side, you can navigate among applications that allow keyboard shortcuts
- Then you can activate or deactivate keyboard shortcuts
Another great feature is to use keyboard shortcuts to expedite your typing. Imagine if you could write the previous sentence, simply by typing “ABC123.”
Here’s what you do:
- Open System Preferences -> Keyboard
- Click on the “Text” tab
- Within this tab, click on the “+” button to enter the text you wish
- On the left side, you’ll type an abbreviation
- On the right side, you’ll type the expanded text that should appear when the user types the abbreviation
Make sure you take advantage of these keyboard shortcuts to improve your productivity. Text keyboard shortcuts are especially crucial if you write or code often on your Mac.
Share the Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
Now that you’ve read the Mac keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet, please share it with other Mac geeks!
You can use these Mac keyboard shortcuts to work a lot faster within any Mac application. You’ll find that you’ll improve your productivity and efficiency with your work and projects.
Make sure you also create custom keyboard shortcuts for whatever purpose you need. You’ll be glad you chose to be a Mac user!
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