macOS is a powerful and feature-rich operating system used by millions. But not all Mac users may be aware of the availability and usefulness of keyboard shortcuts that can help you make the most of the system.
So if you’re looking to get more out of your Mac, here’s a comprehensive list of Mac keyboard shortcuts. From accessibility options and desktop settings to finding things inside your computer, there’s plenty you can do. with these keyboard shortcuts. So take a look at the list and see how much you can do on your Mac without a mouse.
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Start Mac
Sometimes when you have to start your Mac, all you need to do is press the power button, wait for the Apple logo (and chime) to activate, and the operating system to load. But did you know that there are options to start your Mac in different modes?
For example, you can start your Mac at Safe Mode for debugging purposes, or you can start your Mac at target disk mode to load your operating system completely from another medium.
To start your Mac in these different modes, you have to press and hold another “combination of keys“almost immediately after pressing the power button. For example, to enter safe mode, after pressing the power button, press and hold the Shift key.
Here’s a list of other modes you can start your Mac with.
turn off mac
To call it a day on a MacBook, I would usually close the lid and then it would go into sleep mode; on an iMac, I would leave it until power saving mode kicks in.
However, there are more ways to shut down your Mac through certain keyboard shortcuts. You can take a look at these shortcuts as follows.
| Turn Mac on/Wake it from sleep. | Power button (press once). |
| Force Mac to shut down. | Power button (hold down 5 seconds). |
| Put Mac to sleep. | Domain + Option + Power button. |
| Put the screen to sleep. | Control + Change + Power button. |
| Select between reboot, sleep, or power off. | Control + Power button. |
| Force restart Mac. | Domain + Control + Power button. |
| Close all applications and then shut down Mac. | Domain + Control + Option + Power button. |
| Log out of the Mac user account and ask for confirmation. | Domain + Change + what |
| Log out of the Mac user account, without asking for confirmation. | Domain + Change + Option + what |
Accessibility
Mac has special “Accessibility Options” for people with special needs or disabilities. These features include enabling screen zoom, voiceover, inverting screen colors, and more. You can control, enable/disable, or enable/disable these features using keyboard shortcuts or an assistive device.
| Show accessibility options. | Domain + Options + F5 |
| Turn VoiceOver on or off. | Domain + F5 |
| Open the VoiceOver utility. | Control + Option + F8 |
| Turn Zoom on or off. | Domain + Option + 8 |
| Getting closer. | Domain + Option + + |
| Zoom out. | Domain + Option + – |
| Enable/Disable the Invert Colors setting. | Domain + Control + Option + 8 |
| Increase contrast. | Domain + Control + Option + , |
| Reduce contrast. | Domain + Control + Option + . |
Discoverer
Finder on the Mac is a kind of control panel from where you can access all your documents, applications and services. The versatility of the Finder makes it even more important to use keyboard shortcuts to perform certain actions, organize your files and folders, or access content quickly.
| Wear Quick look to preview the selected item. | space bar |
| Move items to the trash. | Domain + Delete |
| View items in Finder windows as icons. | Domain + 1 |
| View items in Finder windows as a list. | Domain + 2 |
| View items in Finder windows in columns. | Domain + 3 |
| View items in Finder windows with current flow. | Domain + 4 |
| Duplicate selected files. | Domain + D. |
| Eject disk or volume. | Domain + my |
| Search in the Finders window. | Domain + F |
| Displays the Get Info window for the selected file. | Domain + Yo |
| Open the computer window. | Change + Domain + C. |
| Open the desktop folder. | Change + Domain + D. |
| Open go to folder window. | Change + Domain + GRAM |
| Open the current macOS user’s home folder. | Change + Domain + h |
| Open iCloud Drive. | Change + Domain + Yo |
| Open the Network window. | Change + Domain + what |
| Open the Downloads folder. | Change + Domain + L |
| Create a new folder. | Change + Domain + north |
| Create a new smart folder. | Option + Domain + north |
| Open the Documents folder. | Change + Domain + EITHER |
| Show/hide preview pane in Finder windows. | Change + Domain + P |
| Open the AirDrop window. | Change + Domain + R. |
| Show/hide the tab bar in Finder windows. | Change + Domain + you |
| Open the Utilities folder. | Change + Domain + you |
| Shows/hides the path bar in Finder windows. | Option + Domain + P |
| Show/hide the sidebar in Findow windows. | Option + Domain + S |
| Show display options. | Domain + j |
| Open connect to server window. | Domain + what |
| Make an alias of the selected item. | Domain + L |
| Open a new Finder window. | Domain + north |
| Creates a new tab in current Finder windows. | Domain + you |
| Wear Quick look to preview the selected file. | Domain + AND |
| Wear Quick look in slideshow mode of the selected files. | Option + Domain + AND |
| Go to the previous folder. | Domain + [ |
| Go to next folder. | Command + ] |
| Closes the selected folder. (When in list view). | ← |
| Open the selected folder. (When in list view). | → |
| Go to the folder that contains the current folder. | Domain + ↑ |
| Go to the folder of the current selected folder. | Domain + ↓ |
| Open the item in a separate window and close the current window. | Option + Double click element. |
| Open the folder in a separate tab. | Domain + Double click element. |
| Move the dragged item instead of copying it. | Domain + drag item to another destination. |
| Copy the dragged item. | Option + drag item to another destination. |
| View folders that contain the current folder. | Domain + click on the title of the window. |
Desk
Mac offers a host of keyboard shortcuts to enhance your desktop experience. These are especially useful for those who use multiple desktops or have to access the appearance settings more frequently.
| Lower the brightness. | F1 |
| Increase shine. | F2 |
| empty trash can | Domain + Change + Delete |
| Empty trash with no confirmation dialog. | Option + Domain + Change + Delete |
| Shows all windows of the active application. | Control + ↓ |
| Show/hide the Dock. | Option + Domain + D. |
| Start/exit Mission Control. | Control + ↑ |
| Start/exit Mission Control. | F3 |
| Open Appearance Preferences. | Option + F3 |
| Show desktop. | control + F3 |
| Move to space left. | Control + ← |
| Move to space to the right. | Control + → |
| Switch to a specific desktop (#n). Example: To switch to desktop 3, use Control + 3. | Control +#. |
| View installed apps. | F4 |
the screenshot
Since the popularity of virtual work and learning spaces, there has been a heavy reliance on screenshots and screen recordings. Fortunately, macOS offers built-in screenshots and screenshot features.
Below is a list of keyboard shortcuts to use different features of the Mac screenshot feature.
| Screenshot the entire screen, save as image. | Domain + Change + 3 |
| Custom screenshot area, copies to clipboard. | Domain + Change + Control + 3 |
| Custom screenshot area, save as image. | Domain + Change + 4 |
| Custom screenshot area, copies to clipboard. | Domain + Change + Control + 4 |
| Screenshot an open window or application. | Domain + Change + 4press space bar |
| Launch and customize the screenshot options. | Domain + Change + 5 |
Stand out
Spotlight helps you find things on your Mac that you couldn’t find any other way, including apps, documents, music, and even email. Here’s a list of keyboard shortcuts that let you use Spotlight more productively.
| Start/close Spotlight. | Domain + space bar |
| Move to the next result. | ↓ |
| Move to the previous result. | ↑ |
| Move to the first result in the next category. | Domain + ↓ |
| Move to the first result in the previous category. | Domain + ↑ |
| Open selected result. | Get into |
| View the selected file in an application. | Domain + R. |
| Open a Finder window with the result selected. | Option + Domain + space bar |
