macOS keyboard shortcuts

Q: What is the most useful macOS keyboard shortcut to learn first?

⌘Space for Spotlight and ⌘Tab for app switching, in that order. Between them they replace most trips to the Dock and the Applications folder, and they work in every app on every Mac with no setup. After those, ⌘⇧G in the Finder (Go to Folder) is the one power users reach for most.

101 shortcuts · UpdatedJuly 19, 2026

These are the default macOS keyboard shortcuts, taken from Apple's official Mac keyboard shortcuts page. They work system-wide rather than in one app, which makes them the highest-leverage set to learn first: Finder navigation, window and app switching, Spotlight and screenshots, plus the text-editing keys that work in almost every text field on the Mac.

101 shortcuts

The essentials12

Shortcut	Action
Command X	Cut the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard
Command C	Copy the selected item - works for files in the Finder too
Command V	Paste the Clipboard into the current document or app
Command Z	Undo the previous command
Command Shift Z	Redo, reversing the undo
Command A	Select all items
Command F	Find items in a document, or open a Find window
Command G	Find Again: jump to the next occurrence
Command Shift G	Find the previous occurrence
Command S	Save the current document
Command P	Open the print dialog
Command O	Open the selected item, or a dialog to choose a file

Windows, apps and switching12

Shortcut	Action
Command Tab	Switch to the next most recently used app
Command `	Switch between the windows of the app you're using
Command W	Close the front window
Command Option W	Close all windows of the app
Command M	Minimize the front window to the Dock
Command Option M	Minimize all windows of the front app
Command H	Hide the windows of the front app
Command Option H	View the front app but hide all other apps
Command Q	Quit the current app
Command Option Escape	Force quit an app
Command Control F	Use or stop using the app in full screen
Command ,	Open settings for the front app

Spotlight, Siri and the system16

Shortcut	Action
Command Space	Show or hide the Spotlight search field
Command Option Space	Start a Spotlight search from a Finder window
Command Control Space	Show the Character Viewer, for emoji and other symbols
Fn E	Show the Character Viewer
Fn C	Show or hide Control Center
Fn N	Show or hide Notification Center
Fn A	Show or hide the Dock
Fn D	Start or stop dictation
Fn Q	Create a Quick Note
Command Control Q	Lock your screen
Command Shift Q	Log out of your macOS user account
Command Shift 5	Take a screenshot or make a screen recording
Command Shift 3	Take a screenshot of the whole screen
Command Shift 4	Take a screenshot of a selected area
Control Up Arrow	Open Mission Control
Control Down Arrow	Show all windows of the front app

Finder: open and navigate18

Shortcut	Action
Command N	Open a new Finder window
Command Shift N	Create a new empty folder
Command Control N	Create a new folder containing the selected items
Command Shift G	Open a Go to Folder window
Command Shift H	Open the Home folder of the current user account
Command Shift D	Open the desktop folder
Command Shift O	Open the Documents folder
Command Option L	Open the Downloads folder
Command Shift U	Open the Utilities folder
Command Shift F	Open the Recents window
Command Shift I	Open iCloud Drive
Command Shift R	Open the AirDrop window
Command Shift C	Open the Computer window
Command Shift K	Open the Network window
Command [	Go to the previous folder
Command ]	Go to the next folder
Command Up Arrow	Open the folder that contains the current folder
Command Down Arrow	Open the selected item

Finder: files and folders13

Shortcut	Action
Command D	Duplicate the selected files
Command I	Show the Get Info window for a selected file
Command Delete	Move the selected item to the Trash
Command Shift Delete	Empty the Trash
Space	Use Quick Look to preview the selected item
Command Y	Use Quick Look to preview the selected files
Command E	Eject the selected disk or volume
Command Control A	Make an alias of the selected item
Command Option V	Move files in the Clipboard here, instead of copying
Command R	Show the original file for the selected alias
Command K	Open the Connect to Server window
Option Drag	Copy the dragged item
Command Option Drag	Make an alias of the dragged item

Finder: views and panes11

Shortcut	Action
Command 1	View the items in the Finder window as icons
Command 2	View the items as a list
Command 3	View the items in columns
Command 4	View the items in a gallery
Command J	Show View Options
Command Option S	Hide or show the Sidebar
Command Option P	Hide or show the path bar
Command /	Hide or show the status bar
Command Shift P	Show or hide the Preview pane
Command Option T	Show or hide the toolbar when a single tab is open
Command Option D	Show or hide the Dock

Text editing19

Shortcut	Action
Command B	Boldface the selected text, or turn boldfacing on or off
Command I	Italicize the selected text, or turn italics on or off
Command U	Underline the selected text, or turn underlining on or off
Command K	Add a web link
Command Left Arrow	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the line
Command Right Arrow	Move the insertion point to the end of the line
Command Up Arrow	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the document
Command Down Arrow	Move the insertion point to the end of the document
Option Left Arrow	Move to the beginning of the previous word
Option Right Arrow	Move to the end of the next word
Command Shift Left Arrow	Select the text to the beginning of the current line
Command Shift Right Arrow	Select the text to the end of the current line
Option Delete	Delete the word to the left of the insertion point
Fn Delete	Forward delete on keyboards without a Forward Delete key
Command Option C	Copy Style: copy the formatting of the selected item
Command Option Shift V	Paste and Match Style
Command Shift S	Show the Save As dialog, or duplicate the document
Command ;	Find misspelled words in the document
Command Shift ?	Open the Help menu

Curated from the official Apple Support: Mac keyboard shortcuts. Defaults only - shortcuts you've remapped will differ.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most useful macOS keyboard shortcut to learn first?

⌘Space for Spotlight and ⌘Tab for app switching, in that order. Between them they replace most trips to the Dock and the Applications folder, and they work in every app on every Mac with no setup. After those, ⌘⇧G in the Finder (Go to Folder) is the one power users reach for most.

Do these macOS shortcuts work in every app?

The system ones do - app switching, Spotlight, screenshots, Mission Control - because macOS handles them before the app ever sees the keypress. The Finder shortcuts only apply in the Finder, and the text-editing keys work in most standard text fields but can be overridden by apps that implement their own editor, which is why the same chord sometimes behaves differently in an IDE or a browser.

How do I change a macOS keyboard shortcut?

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts. The built-in categories let you rebind system commands directly, and App Shortcuts lets you add a shortcut for any menu item in any app by typing the menu title exactly. Note that a few shortcuts (like ⌘Q) are reserved and can't be reassigned there.