macOS Keyboard Shortcuts Cheatsheet

High-frequency macOS system shortcuts organized by General, Finder, Screenshots, Window Management, System, and Text Editing. Quick reference for daily Mac usage.

Keyboard Shortcuts·54 commands·Last updated 2026-07-31

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#General9

Cmd+Space⧉

Open Spotlight search

Cmd+Tab⧉

Switch to next most recently used app

Cmd+Shift+Tab⧉

Cycle apps in reverse order

Cmd+Q⧉

Quit current app

Cmd+W⧉

Close current window or tab

Cmd+N⧉

New window in current app

Cmd+O⧉

Open file

Cmd+S⧉

Save

Cmd+P⧉

#Finder10

Cmd+N⧉

New Finder window

Cmd+Shift+N⧉

New folder

Cmd+Shift+D⧉

Go to Desktop

Cmd+Shift+O⧉

Go to Documents folder

Cmd+Shift+A⧉

Go to Applications folder

Cmd+Shift+G⧉

Go to folder by path

Cmd+Delete⧉

Move to Trash

Cmd+Shift+Delete⧉

Empty Trash

Space⧉

Quick Look selected file

Cmd+I⧉

Get file info

#Screenshots7

Cmd+Shift+3⧉

Screenshot full screen, save to Desktop

Cmd+Shift+4⧉

Screenshot selection, drag to choose area

Cmd+Shift+4+Space⧉

Screenshot specific window (press Space after)

Cmd+Shift+5⧉

Open screenshot toolbar (screenshot + recording)

Cmd+Shift+6⧉

Screenshot Touch Bar (Touch Bar models)

Ctrl+Cmd+Shift+3⧉

Full screen to clipboard (no file)

Ctrl+Cmd+Shift+4⧉

Selection to clipboard (no file)

#Window Management9

Cmd+M⧉

Minimize current window

Cmd+Option+M⧉

Minimize all windows of current app

Cmd+H⧉

Hide current app

Cmd+Option+H⧉

Hide all other apps

Cmd+W⧉

Close current window

Cmd+Option+W⧉

Close all windows of current app

F11⧉

Show Desktop

Mission Control (F3)⧉

Open Mission Control, view all windows

Cmd+F3⧉

Show Desktop (alternative to F11)

#System7

Cmd+Option+Esc⧉

Force Quit Apps dialog

Ctrl+Cmd+Q⧉

Lock screen immediately

Cmd+Shift+Q⧉

Log out current user

Ctrl+Cmd+Power⧉

Force restart (use with caution, may lose unsaved data)

Cmd+Option+Power⧉

Sleep

Cmd+Control+Space⧉

Open Emoji & Symbols viewer

Cmd+Comma(,)⧉

Open current app preferences

#Text Editing12

Cmd+C⧉

Copy

Cmd+X⧉

Cut

Cmd+V⧉

Paste

Cmd+Option+Shift+V⧉

Paste and match style

Cmd+Z⧉

Undo

Cmd+Shift+Z⧉

Redo

Cmd+A⧉

Select all

Cmd+F⧉

Find

Cmd+Left Arrow⧉

Go to beginning of line

Cmd+Right Arrow⧉

Go to end of line

Option+Left Arrow⧉

Go to previous word

Option+Right Arrow⧉

Go to next word

💡 Tips

Hold Ctrl while taking a screenshot to copy to clipboard instead of saving to Desktop, then paste with Cmd+V.
During Cmd+Shift+4 selection, hold Space to move the selection, hold Shift to lock horizontal or vertical.
After Cmd+Tab, keep holding Cmd and press Q to quit the app or H to hide it.
Holding Option in Finder changes some menu items (e.g. "Open" becomes "Always Open With").