Keyboard shortcuts are one of the fastest ways to build Mac fluency. Once muscle memory takes over, you stop hunting menus and start thinking in keystrokes. I originally covered these across four separate posts back in 2012 — this is the consolidated, modernized version covering everything in one place.
Modifier Key Symbols
Before diving in, here is a quick reference for the symbols you will see in macOS menus:
| Symbol | Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘ | Command | The most-used modifier on a Mac |
| ⌃ | Control | Common in Terminal and apps |
| ⌥ | Option | Also labeled “Alt” on some keyboards |
| ⇧ | Shift | |
| ⇪ | Caps Lock | |
| fn | Function | Bottom-left corner of built-in keyboards |
Startup Shortcuts
Hold the key immediately after pressing the power button and release when the expected result appears — for example, hold Option until Startup Manager appears.
Apple Silicon note: On M-series Macs, hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears to choose a boot volume or enter recovery. Many of the shortcuts below apply only to Intel Macs or specific firmware contexts.
| Key(s) | What it does |
|---|---|
| Option (⌥) | Show Startup Manager — choose boot volume |
| Shift (⇧) | Safe Boot — starts in Safe Mode |
| C | Boot from external media (USB drive, DVD) |
| N | Boot from NetBoot server |
| X | Force macOS startup when non-macOS volumes are present |
| Command-V | Verbose Mode — shows the boot log |
| Command-S | Single User Mode (Intel Macs, older macOS) |
| T | Target Disk Mode via Thunderbolt or USB-C (Intel Macs) |
Finder Shortcuts
These shortcuts work in the Finder. A few older ones — like Cover Flow (replaced by Gallery view in Mojave) and iDisk (removed when MobileMe shut down) — have been updated to reflect current macOS.
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Command-A | Select all items |
| Option-Command-A | Deselect all |
| Shift-Command-A | Open Applications folder |
| Command-C | Copy selected item |
| Shift-Command-C | Open Computer window |
| Command-D | Duplicate selected item |
| Shift-Command-D | Open Desktop folder |
| Command-E | Eject |
| Command-F | Find — search any Spotlight attribute |
| Shift-Command-F | Find Spotlight file name matches |
| Option-Command-F | Navigate to search field in open Spotlight window |
| Shift-Command-G | Go to Folder |
| Shift-Command-H | Open Home folder |
| Command-I | Get Info |
| Option-Command-I | Show Inspector |
| Control-Command-I | Get Summary Info |
| Command-J | Show View Options |
| Command-K | Connect to Server |
| Shift-Command-K | Open Network window |
| Command-L | Make alias of selected item |
| Command-M | Minimize window |
| Option-Command-M | Minimize all windows |
| Command-N | New Finder window |
| Shift-Command-N | New folder |
| Option-Command-N | New Smart Folder |
| Command-O | Open selected item |
| Shift-Command-Q | Log Out |
| Option-Shift-Command-Q | Log Out immediately (no confirmation) |
| Command-R | Show original (of alias) |
| Command-T | Add to Sidebar |
| Option-Command-T | Hide or show Finder toolbar |
| Shift-Command-U | Open Utilities folder |
| Command-V | Paste |
| Command-W | Close window |
| Option-Command-W | Close all windows |
| Command-X | Cut |
| Option-Command-Y | Slideshow |
| Command-Z | Undo / Redo |
| Command-1 | Icon view |
| Command-2 | List view |
| Command-3 | Column view |
| Command-4 | Gallery view (was Cover Flow before Mojave) |
| Command-, | Finder preferences |
| Command-` | Cycle through open Finder windows |
| Command-Shift-? | Open Mac Help |
| Option-Shift-Command-Esc (hold 3s) | Force Quit front-most app |
| Command-[ | Back |
| Command-] | Forward |
| Command-Up Arrow | Open enclosing folder |
| Control-Command-Up Arrow | Open enclosing folder in a new window |
| Command-Down Arrow | Open highlighted item |
| Command-Tab | Switch app — cycle forward |
| Shift-Command-Tab | Switch app — cycle backward |
| Command-Delete | Move to Trash |
| Shift-Command-Delete | Empty Trash |
| Option-Shift-Command-Delete | Empty Trash without confirmation |
| Spacebar (or Command-Y) | Quick Look |
| Command key while dragging | Move item to another location |
| Option key while dragging | Copy item |
| Option-Command while dragging | Make alias of item |
Application and System Shortcuts
These work system-wide or in most applications. Behaviour can vary by app.
General
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Command-Space | Show or hide Spotlight |
| Option-Command-Space | Open Spotlight results window |
| Command-Tab | Switch to next most-recently used app |
| Shift-Command-Tab | Switch to previous app |
| Command-H | Hide current app windows |
| Option-Command-H | Hide all other app windows |
| Command-M | Minimize to Dock |
| Option-Command-M | Minimize all windows of current app |
| Command-N | New document |
| Command-O | Open |
| Command-P | |
| Command-Q | Quit |
| Command-S | Save |
| Shift-Command-S | Save As |
| Command-W | Close window |
| Shift-Command-W | Close file and its associated windows |
| Option-Command-W | Close all windows without quitting |
| Command-Z | Undo |
| Shift-Command-Z | Redo |
| Command-A | Select All |
| Command-C | Copy |
| Command-X | Cut |
| Command-V | Paste |
| Option-Command-V | Paste Style |
| Option-Shift-Command-V | Paste and Match Style |
| Control-Command-V | Paste Ruler (formatting settings) |
| Command-F | Find |
| Command-G | Find next occurrence |
| Shift-Command-G | Find previous occurrence |
| Command-E | Use selection for Find |
| Command-, | App preferences |
| Command-? | App help |
| Option-Command-Esc | Force Quit dialog |
| Control-Command-Q | Lock screen |
Text Formatting
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Command-B | Bold |
| Command-I | Italic |
| Command-U | Underline |
| Command-T | Fonts window |
| Shift-Command-C | Colors window |
| Option-Command-C | Copy style |
| Control-Command-C | Copy formatting settings |
| Command-: | Spelling window |
| Command-; | Find misspelled words |
| Command-{ | Left-align |
| Command-} | Right-align |
| Command-| | Center-align |
| Command– | Decrease size of selected item |
| Shift-Command-= | Increase size of selected item |
| Option-Command-/ | Toggle font smoothing |
Screenshots
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shift-Command-3 | Capture full screen to file |
| Shift-Control-Command-3 | Capture full screen to Clipboard |
| Shift-Command-4 | Capture selection to file |
| Shift-Control-Command-4 | Capture selection to Clipboard |
| Shift-Command-5 | Screenshot and screen recording toolbar (macOS Mojave and later) |
Text Navigation — Emacs-style Cursor Movement
These work in virtually every text field on macOS, including Terminal.
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Control-A | Move to beginning of line |
| Control-E | Move to end of line |
| Control-B | Move one character backward |
| Control-F | Move one character forward |
| Control-D | Delete character in front of cursor |
| Control-H | Delete character behind cursor |
| Control-K | Delete from cursor to end of line |
| Control-L | Center cursor in visible area |
| Control-N | Move down one line |
| Control-P | Move up one line |
| Control-O | Insert new line after cursor |
| Control-T | Transpose characters around cursor |
| Control-V | Move down one page |
| Option-Delete | Delete word to the left of cursor |
Arrow Key Navigation
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Command-Right Arrow | End of current line |
| Command-Left Arrow | Beginning of current line |
| Command-Up Arrow | Beginning of document |
| Command-Down Arrow | End of document |
| Option-Right Arrow | End of next word |
| Option-Left Arrow | Beginning of previous word |
| Shift-Command-Right Arrow | Select to end of line |
| Shift-Command-Left Arrow | Select to beginning of line |
| Shift-Command-Up Arrow | Select to beginning of document |
| Shift-Command-Down Arrow | Select to end of document |
| Shift-Option-Right Arrow | Extend selection to end of word |
| Shift-Option-Left Arrow | Extend selection to beginning of word |
| Shift-Option-Down Arrow | Extend selection to end of paragraph |
| Shift-Option-Up Arrow | Extend selection to beginning of paragraph |
| Shift-Right Arrow | Extend selection one character right |
| Shift-Left Arrow | Extend selection one character left |
| Shift-Up Arrow | Extend selection up one line |
| Shift-Down Arrow | Extend selection down one line |
Window and System Management
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Command-` | Next open window in frontmost app |
| Shift-Command-` | Previous open window in frontmost app |
| Option-Command-` | Move focus to window drawer |
| Control-F1 | Toggle full keyboard access on or off |
| Control-F2 | Focus menu bar |
| Control-F3 | Focus Dock |
| Control-F4 | Focus active window |
| Shift-Control-F4 | Focus previously active window |
| Control-F5 | Focus toolbar |
| Control-F6 | Focus first or next panel |
| Shift-Control-F6 | Focus previous panel |
| Control-F7 | Temporarily override keyboard access mode |
| Control-Space | Toggle between current and previous input sources |
| Option-Control-Space | Cycle through all enabled input sources |
| Control-Eject | Show shutdown dialog |
| Option-Command-Eject | Put the computer to sleep |
| Control-Command-Eject | Quit all apps, then restart |
| Control-Option-Command-Eject | Quit all apps, then shut down |
| fn-Delete | Forward Delete (on built-in keyboards) |
Accessibility Shortcuts
VoiceOver
Enable VoiceOver in System Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver, or use the shortcut below.
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Command-F5 (or fn-Command-F5) | Turn VoiceOver on or off |
| Control-Option-F8 (or fn-Control-Option-F8) | Open VoiceOver Utility (when VoiceOver is on) |
| Control-Option-F7 (or fn-Control-Option-F7) | Display VoiceOver menu (when VoiceOver is on) |
| Control-Option-; | Enable or disable VoiceOver Control Option lock |
You may need to enable Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys in Keyboard preferences for the VoiceOver shortcuts to work correctly.
Zoom
| Key combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Option-Command-8 | Toggle Zoom on or off |
| Option-Command-= | Zoom in |
| Option-Command– | Zoom out |
| Option-Control-Command-, | Decrease screen contrast |
| Option-Control-Command-. | Increase screen contrast |
Mouse Keys
When Mouse Keys is enabled in System Settings → Accessibility → Pointer Control, you can use the numeric keypad to move the pointer. On compact keyboards, use the fn key with the number keys.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| 8 | Move up |
| 2 | Move down |
| 4 | Move left |
| 6 | Move right |
| 1 | Move diagonally bottom-left |
| 3 | Move diagonally bottom-right |
| 7 | Move diagonally top-left |
| 9 | Move diagonally top-right |
| 5 | Click |
| 0 | Hold mouse button |
| . (period) | Release hold |
For the latest and most complete reference, see the Apple Support keyboard shortcuts article. This guide was last updated for macOS Sequoia.
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