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M
oving your mouse around on your trackpad to do simple things like select, copy, and paste — which you frequently do while using your Mac — is time-consuming and, more than likely, injurious leading to or exacerbating carpal tunnel. Mac Keyboard Shortcuts can help with that. In addition, keyboard shortcuts for Mac make your life easier, cutting down on unnecessary work and needless scrolling. This list of 23 useful Mac Keyboard shortcuts will change how you use your Mac and unlock a newfound appreciation for your Apple Mac Laptop.
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15 Common Mac Keyboard Shortcuts to Start Using Today
Even if you’re not a Power Mac Desktop or Mac Laptop user, the 15 keyboard shortcuts below will make your life easier.
So, regardless of if you want to learn Mac keyboard shortcuts because you’re making the switch from Windows, want to use your keypad or mouse less, or want to leverage everything the MacOS has to offer, if you learn Mac keyboard shortcuts listed below, you’ll be that much closer to achieving your objective.
Helpful Copy and Paste Shortcuts on MacOS
Copying and pasting have always been more challenging than they need to be, well, that is, unless you know this classic trio of useful command (⌘) keyboard shortcuts.
To Select All: ⌘ + A
To prevent endless scrolling use command + A to highlight an entire field or text area.
To Copy: ⌘ + C
Copy whatever file, text, image, or item you’ve selected with the command + C Mac Laptop shortcut.
To Paste: ⌘ + V
Command + V is the keyboard shortcut you should use when you’re ready to paste.
Internet Browser Shortcuts To Boost Productivity
Master the art of efficient browsing on your Mac with these indispensable keyboard shortcuts. In this section, we’ll explore closing and reopening tabs, switching between them, creating new folders or tabs, and utilizing Quick Look for a streamlined workflow.
Close Tabs : ⌘ + W
This Mac keyboard shortcut enables you to close an active tab without needing to scroll; select “Command + W” in the tab you want to close. You can close all active tabs by selecting Option+Command+W.
Reopen Closed Tab: ⌘ + ⇧ + Tab
The command + shift + tab is a useful Mac keyboard shortcut because it often helps with restoring the tab you last closed. If you’ve closed a tab accidentally and, with it, lost the information it contains, you now have an easy command to improve your Safari browser experience.
Change Tab: ⌘ + Tab
Maneuver through your open tabs without touching your trackpad or mouse by selecting the Command key followed by the tab key. If you’re wondering where to find the tab key on a Mac, look above the caps lock key on the left side of the keyboard — it should be there.
New Tab or Folder: ⌘ + N
Command + N does different things depending on where you’re using it. For example, outside of an active browser, Command + N creates a new file, whereas when you’re in your browser using this Mac Keyboard shortcut, you’ll be opening a new tab.
Quick Look: ⌘ + Y
You need to use Quick Look alongside MacOS’s finder feature to increase your workflow’s productivity using Mac Keyboard Shortcuts. Quick Look (command + Y) enables you to preview and edit files quickly. However, if you’re in a browser, pressing Command + Y will open your browser’s history.
Popular MacOS Shortcuts To Boost Productivity
Master the art of efficient browsing on your Mac with these indispensable keyboard shortcuts. In this section, we’ll explore closing and reopening tabs, switching between them, creating new folders or tabs, and utilizing Quick Look for a streamlined workflow.
To Spotlight: ⌘ + Space Bar
Another vital element to increase your productivity with Mac Keyboard Shortcuts is to use the MacOS Spotlight search feature. To quickly preview items within Spotlight search (Quick Look), use the space bar when hovering over the item’s title.
Screenshot on Mac: ⌘ + Shift + 3/4
Once you’ve learned how to Screenshot on Mac, this Mac Keyboard shortcut will probably become your most commonly used three-key Shortcut.
Screenshot the entire screen: ⌘ + Shift + 3
You’ll take a screenshot of the entire screen using this keyboard shortcut.
Custom Screenshot: ⌘ + Shift + 4
To get a custom screenshot on Mac, you’ll need to select Command + shift + 4 and move your pointer to where you want the screenshot to start.
New File/Tab: ⌘ + N
Command + N does different things depending on where you’re using it. For example, outside of an active browser, Command + N creates a new file, whereas when you’re in your browser using this Mac Keyboard shortcut, you’ll be opening a new tab.
To Minimize Window: ⌘ + M
Pressing and holding the Shortcut keys Command + M, you can minimize the front window to the Dock; to minimize all windows use Option + Command + M.
Move To Trash: ⌘ + Delete
If you’re ready to purge an item from your Mac, select Command and Delete, and the item will be moved to the trash.
Open Last Closed Tab: ⌘ + Shift + T
As far as useful Mac keyboard shortcuts go, this trio can be considered the most useful because it often helps in a pinch, restoring the tab you last closed. If you’ve closed a tab accidentally and, with it, lost the information it contains, you know how integral having an easy command is to improve your Apple Mac.
To Show Drop-down Menu: ⌘ + Click (Right Click)
Select and hold the Command key as you click to mimic Window’s right-clicking on a Mac Laptop or Desktop. You can “command + click” an icon, toolbar, desktop, or window; each item will show a different drop-down menu.
8 Useful Mac Keyboard Shortcuts to Help Improve Your Documents
Use the following useful Mac keyboard shortcuts to boost your speed in creating an appealing and grammatically correct document.
Italicize: ⌘ + I
To italicize selected text, or to start or end italicizing text, select “Command + I.”
Boldface: ⌘ + B
To make the selected text bold or start writing in bold, press “Command + B.”
Underline: ⌘ + U
Emphasize a word by underlining it, using the “Command + U” shortcut on selected text.
Add Web Link: ⌘ + K
Add a web link to your text by selecting “Command + K” after highlighting your text.
To Get The Definition: Control + ⌘ + D
Quickly get the definition of a word in your document by using “Control + Command + D” over any selected text
To Spell Check: ⌘ + ;
When you’re ready to perform a spell check on your document, select “Command + Semicolon (;).
Em Dash Mac Keyboard shortcut: ⌘ + ⇧ + –
Although the Em Dash Mac Keyboard Shortcut is one of the most frequently needed document Shortcuts, it’s the one you’re least likely to know.Select “Option + Shift + Dash (-)” to insert an em dash into your document.
To Save: ⌘ + ⇧ + S
When it’s time to save as, or if you want to make a document duplicate, select “Command + Shift + S.”
Before reading this blog post, you likely hardly thought about the command key; after reading this, the Command key should become your favorite key on the MacOS Keyboard because it unlocks a world of Mac Keyboard Shortcuts that make your life easier.