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Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (macOS)

A complete reference sheet of essential macOS keyboard shortcuts to speed up your daily desktop navigation and editing workflow.

Updated on November 7, 2026

Basic Editing Shortcuts

Cmd + C / Cmd + VCopy and paste selection. Trap: to move a file, press Cmd + Option + V after Cmd + C instead of standard paste.
Cmd + Z / Cmd + Shift + ZUndo or redo your last action. Beware, some web apps do not maintain a full undo history in form fields.
Cmd + ASelect all content in active window. Note: in Finder, this selects hidden files as well if they are currently visible.
Cmd + FOpen search bar in documents or web pages. In Finder, it defaults to searching your entire Mac system.
Cmd + Option + CCopy selected text formatting style. Use Cmd + Option + V to paste the style onto another text block.
Cmd + Shift + Option + VPaste text matching target document formatting. Perfect for copying web notes cleanly into your documents.

Cmd + TabSwitch between active applications. Note: switches apps, not individual windows of the same application.
Cmd + ~Switch between open windows of the current active app. Key location depends on your keyboard layout.
Cmd + SpaceOpen Spotlight search to find files or launch apps. Can conflict with input source switching if reconfigured.
Cmd + HHide all windows of current application immediately. Different from minimize (Cmd + M) which sends to Dock.
Cmd + W / Cmd + QCmd + W closes current window, Cmd + Q completely quits application. Watch out for unsaved changes.

SpacePreview selected file instantly with Quick Look. Great for checking images or documents without launching apps.
Cmd + DeleteMove selected file to Trash. The file remains recoverably stored until you manually empty the Trash.
Cmd + Shift + DeleteEmpty Trash permanently. Warning: this operation cannot be undone and permanently erases files.
Cmd + Shift + NCreate a new folder in active Finder directory. If no window is selected, folder appears on your Desktop.
Cmd + Shift + Dot (.)Toggle visibility of hidden files and dotfiles (e.g. .env) in Finder. Essential for software developers.

Cmd + Shift + 3Capture full screenshot of your screen. Saved automatically as a PNG image file directly on your Desktop.
Cmd + Shift + 4Select custom screen area to capture. Press Space while dragging to move area, or Option to resize selection.
Cmd + Shift + 4 then SpaceCapture exact single window with clean drop shadow. Perfect for software documentation and presentations.
Cmd + Shift + 5Launch options bar for screen recording and screenshots. Lets you select destination folder and timer options.

Option + Left / Right ArrowJump cursor word by word through text. Helps navigate code lines or article drafts much faster.
Cmd + Left / Right ArrowMove cursor instantly to beginning or end of current line. Saves time during long typing sessions.
Cmd + Up / Down ArrowJump cursor directly to top or very bottom of current document.
Option + DeleteDelete full word to the left of cursor. Saves tapping backspace multiple times for single words.
Control + Cmd + SpaceOpen Emoji & Symbols viewer popover. Quick way to insert unicode symbols, special characters, and emojis.

Cmd + T / Cmd + Shift + TCmd + T opens new browser tab. Cmd + Shift + T reopens most recently closed tab instantly.
Cmd + LFocus address bar immediately. Allows fast typing of URL or search query without moving mouse.
Cmd + Shift + RToggle Reader view in Safari on supported pages. Removes clutter for clean distraction-free reading.
Cmd + Option + IOpen Web Inspector dev tools in browser. Essential to debug DOM, CSS layout, or API network requests.

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