50 common keyboard shortcuts all Mac users should know

Every Mac owner should peruse this list comprising 50 super useful keyboard shortcuts in macOS that let them do things faster, increasing productivity.

Keyboard shortcuts can help you perform common operations in macOS and apps much faster, without ever touching the trackpad or mouse, such as saving a document, quitting an app or bringing up Spotlight search.

macOS system keyboard shortcuts

Navigate macOS with the following keyboard shortcuts that let you put your Mac to sleep, shut it down, and force restart. Note: Shortcuts marked with an asterisk (*) don’t work on Mac keyboards equipped with a power button featuring an integrated Touch ID sensor.

*Put the Mac to sleep: Option + Command + Power button
*Put the display to sleep*: Control + Shift + Power button
*Force restart without saving open files*: Control + Command + Power button
*Show the restart, sleep, and shut down options*: Control + Power button
Log out of the current macOS user account: Shift + Command + Q
Save opens files, quit all apps and shut down: Control + Option + Command + Power button

Keyboard shortcuts for search, screenshots, and more

Open Spotlight Search, display apps in full screen, and take screenshots with these keyboard shortcuts:

Spotlight search: Command + Space bar
Show and hide the Dock: Option + Command + D
Show the Character Viewer to use emojis and more: Control + Command + Space bar
Toggle fullscreen mode: Control + Command + F
Screenshot the entire screen: Command + Shift + 3
Take a selection screenshot: Command + Shift + 4
Open Screen Utility: Command + Shift + 5

Finder keyboard shortcuts

Open files, view items, and create new folders with these Finder shortcuts:

Open the Computer window: Shift + Command + C
Open the Desktop folder: Shift + Command + D
Open the Recents folder: Shift + Command + F
Open the Downloads folder: Option + Command + L
Open the Documents folder: Shift + Command + O
Open the Utilities folder: Shift + Command + U
Open the AirDrop window: Shift + Command + R
Go to any folder: Shift + Command + G
Open your iCloud Drive: Shift + Command + I (uppercase i)
New Finder window: Command + N
View Finder items as icons: Command + 1
View Finder items as a list: Command + 2
View Finder items as columns: Command + 3
Create a new folder: Shift + Command + N
Show and hide the Finder sidebar: Option + Command + S
Show and hide the Finder path bar: Option + Command + P
Show and hide the Finder status bar: Command + / (slash)
Delete selected items: Command + Delete
Empty the trash: Shift + Command + Delete

Keyboard shortcuts for working with documents

The following keyboard shortcuts are handy for working with documents but they may vary depending on the app you’re using.

Bold: Command + B
Italics: Command + I (uppercase i)
Underline: Command + U
Page up: Fn + Up arrow
Page down: Fn + Down arrow
Document beginning: Fn + Left arrow
Document end: Fn + Right arrow
Save document: Command + S
Print document: Command + P
Undo: Command + Z
Redo: Shift + Command + Z

Miscellaneous keyboard shortcuts

You may also find these time-saving keyboard shortcuts very useful:

Cut text: Command + X (use these tips to cut other files)
Copy: Command + C
Paste: Command + V
Select all items: Command + A
Find items: Command + F
Minimize the front window: Command + M
Close the front window: Command + W
Force quit an app: Option + Command + Esc
Cycle through recent apps: Command + Tab
Hide the current app: Command + H
Hide all other apps: Option + Command + H
Open preferences in almost any app: Command + , (comma key)
Use Mission Control: Control + Up arrow key