10 Mac Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Be Using
These are some of my favorite keyboard shortcuts that you should use.
There are many keyboard shortcuts you should be using to save time, do tasks quicker, and make your life easier. In this article, I will cover the top 10 Mac keyboard shortcuts that you should be using. Some of these shortcuts will work on Windows & Linux as well. For example, replace the Command key with the Control key and Option key with the Alt key.
1.) Cut, Copy, and Paste (Command + X, Command + C, Command + V)
Cut, Copy, and Paste are probably the most used shortcuts on a keyboard. Let’s be honest, who really wants to use the slow way, (Right click, select Cut, Copy or Paste.) Cut: Command + X, Copy: Command + C, Paste: Command + V.
2.) Screenshot (Command + Shift + 3)
Many windows users are familiar with the print screen key to take screenshots. To take screenshots MacOS, press the Command, Shift and the 3 key to take a picture of your whole screen. If you want to screenshot only a section of the screen, press Command, Shift and the 4 key. Then, click and drag on the area you want to screenshot.
3.) Switch Applications (Command + Tab)
If you need to switch between apps fast, press Command and the Tab key to jump between your two most recently used applications. And if you want to move to an app thats open but thats not used recently, hold Command and click Tab to cycle through your open apps.
4.) Find (Command + F)
When you are in a long document and you need to locate a specific section, it can be difficult to find exactly the text you need. The shortcut Command + F will bring up a popup menu where you enter a phrase or keyword. It narrows the text down by highlighting all of the text that matches your keywords.
5.) Quit Windows (Command + Q)
If you need to quickly close a window without having to move your cursor up to the red X, press Command + Q. Be careful with this one because sometimes when I need to highlight all of the text on a page (Command + A), I occasionally accidentally click Command + Q (Close Windows).
6.) Print (Command + P)
When you need to print out a document or save as a PDF, press Command and the P key to bring up a pop-up window to configure your printing options.
7.) Spotlight Search (Command + Space)
Spotlight Search is one of the best features of MacOS. You can search for any file, application, and even some websites. To open Spotlight, press Command and the Space Bar.
8.) Save As (Command + S)
There is no feeling worse than losing work on a document or article because you forgot to save. Press the Command and the S key to bring up a pop-up window to configure the location you want to save your file. From then on, you can just press Command + S to quickly save.
9.) Volume By Small Increments (Option + Shift + Volume)
If you want to turn up/down the volume smaller than the default increments, hold Option + Shift, and use the volume keys (up/down) to adjust the volume in smaller increments.
10.) Emojis (Command + Control + Space)
Looking for emojis? You can find them when you press the Command, Control and the Space key. It brings up a pop-up menu so you can select emojis to insert into text.
Custom Shortcuts
MacOS has a huge variety of shortcuts, but can also create your own. Here’s how to do it:
- Press Option + F5 (Brings up System Preferences)
- Click “Shortcuts” on the tab at the top.
- Select “App Shortcuts”.
- Click the “+” sign under the box on the right.
- Enter the application you want the shortcut to be used for.
6. Enter the exact name of the menu command you want to add.
7. Select the Keyboard Shortcut box and enter a keystroke.
8. Click “Add”
9. Done! You have created a shortcut.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article, if you have any suggestions/ideas of how I can improve, please leave them in the response section down below!
