20 Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac Users

February 25th, 2013 by Jeff Leave a reply »

After our post last week covering 20 keyboard shortcuts for Windows users, we couldn’t leave our Mac fans out, so here you go! 20 keyboard shortcuts for our Mac friends as well!

Mastering the keyboard will not just boost your navigation speed, but it can also reduce wrist fatigue. If you have used a Windows PC all your life and you have finally decided to switch to a Mac, you’ll probably see yourself worrying about whether you can really use your new purchase. If you are in this situation, you may want to know a few Mac tips and tricks that will help you use it with ease. Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to make everything easier for you.

  1. Get Info – Whereas Cmd + l shows the Get Info window within Finder and displays things such as its location, size and name, adding the Option key reveals one Get Info window. It will automatically update when the user clicks on a different folder/file or chooses multiple folders/files.
  2. Hide/show the Dock – Press Cmd + Option + D and this shortcut will skillfully toggle between showing and hiding the Dock.
  3.  Close Window – Simply press Cmd + W to close a window.
  4. Get Screenshots – Capture the entire screen by pressing Cmd + Shift + 3. To get crosshairs, enter Cmd + Shift + 4.
  5. Application Switcher – Just press the Tab key until you arrive at the application you want to use.
  6. Hide Application – To hide the windows of all applications, enter Cmd + H.
  7. Zoom In/Out – Enter Cmd + Option + -/+ to zoom in/out of the screen.
  8. Dictionary – Press Cmd + Ctrl + D while suspending the cursor over the word you’re unsure of the meaning. This will reveal the dictionary definition of your chosen word. (Note that this is only for OS X 10.5).
  9. Force Quit – Simply enter Cmd + Option + Esc to show the Force Quit dialog. This will allow you to stop the application that has locked up.
  10. Forwards or Backwards – Press Shift + [ to go back to the previous page and Cmd + ] to go forward.
  11. Copy, Paste, Cut – Copying (C), pasting (V) and cutting (X) are easier to do if you will be able to master the keyboard keyboards for Mac. Always watch out for the Paste & Match Style. Enter Cmd + Option + Shift + V to avoid reformatting text just to match its destination.
  12. QuickView – Press the spacebar to show QuickView (if you are in an app and something is chosen, this shortcut will help you a lot).
  13. Select All – Press Cmd + A.
  14. Spotlight – Enter Cmd + spacebar.
  15. Jump Words – Hold down the Option key and press an arrow key to leap 1 word in that particular direction. Hold down Cmd to jump right to the end or start and hold down Shift to choose the range that was just leapt over.
  16. Cancel – Simply enter Cmd +.
  17. Undo – Just press Cmd + Z.
  18. Redo – Pressing Cmd + Y will redo the last action.
  19. Dashboard – To launch the Dashboard, simply enter F12.
  20. Going to a file path – Press the Tab key in order to auto-complete file names and folder.
As always, please feel free to share your tips with our readers as well!
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