Learning Mac shortcuts is an excellent way to improve the efficiency of your workflow.
Rather than provide a long list of every available macOS (formerly known as OSX) shortcut, I have picked out a useful selection that you can learn as a starting point. Try to practice with a couple of these every week and you’ll be working around your Mac like a pro in no time!
For further reading, I have written companion posts for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign.
General Tricks
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Show / Hide the Dock | Option + Command + D |
| Spotlight Search | Command + Spacebar |
| Show Desktop | Command + Mission Control |
Managing Windows
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Cycle through active applications | Command + Tab |
| Flip between windows in current application | Command + `/~ |
| Minimise window | Command + M |
| Hide all other applications | Command + Option + H |
| Close window | Command + W |
| Close all windows | Command + Option + W |
Finder
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Duplicate file | Command + D |
| Eject the selected disk | Command + E |
| Get Info | Command + I |
| Open the Computer window | Shift + Command + C |
| Open the Desktop folder | Shift + Command + D |
| Open the Home folder | Shift + Command + H |
| Open iCloud Drive | Shift + Command + I |
| Open the Downloads folder | Command + Option + L |
| Open the AirDrop window | Shift + Command + R |
| Hide / Show Sidebar | Command + Option + S |
| New Finder window | Command + N |
| Create new folder | Shift + Command + N |
| Open the current folder’s parent | Command + Up Arrow |
| Open the parent folder in a new window | Command + Control + Up Arrow |
| Open folder in a separate window | Command + Double click |
| Rename a file | Command + Return |
| Move to Trash | Command + Delete |
| Empty Trash | Shift + Command + Delete |
| Empty Trash without confirmation | Command + Option + Shift + Delete |
| Move item | Hold Command while dragging to a new location |
| Copy item | Hold Option while dragging to a new location |
Problem Solving
Press these when booting your Mac, immediately after pushing the power button
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Start in Safe Mode | Shift |
| Launch Startup Manager | Option |
| Launch Apple Diagnostics / Hardware Test | D |
| Reset NVRAM / PRAM | Command + Option + P + R |
| Eject removable media | F12 or mouse button |