Useful Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

Welcome to my office, today I’m going to teach some shortcuts on the keyboard that can give incredible control over your Mac.  Practicing and integrating these shortcuts can increase the speed in which you interact with your computer.  After mastering these shortcuts, you will find it's often faster than using your mouse!

Keyboard shortcuts

    Keyboard shortcuts will significantly increase the speed in which you can perform actions on your computer.  Here is a list of keyboard shortcuts that are useful for the average user.

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Cut, Copy, Paste.

The Ability to take text from one document and 'paste' it onto another document is one of the first commands I recommend learning and mastering. The difference between 'cut' and 'copy' is important when you are writing a document. 'Cut' removes the text to the clipboard, whereas 'copy' keeps the text and simultaneously copies it to the clipboard.

Copy:  "Command" + "C"

Cut:  "Command" + "X"

Paste: "Command" + "V"

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Text Manipulation

Manipulating text without using your mouse can be a very useful skill to have. These are just the basics, We'll get into more complex ways to highlight or manipulate your text in a later article.

Bold Text: "Command" + "B"

Italicize Text: "Command" + "I"

Underline Text: "Command" + "U"

Select all text: "Command" + "A"

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Window Manipulation

Knowing how to open new windows, or close windows without having to use your mouse can save boatloads of time. Again These are just some basics, there are many more ways to manipulate windows.

Open New Window: "Command" + "N"

Open New Tab: "Command" + "T"

Close Tab/Window: "Command" + "W"

Create New Folder (Finder): "Command" + "Shift" + "N"

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Application Manipulation

Applications can do some pretty cool things, but its always nice to know how to use them faster.

Open Preferences: "Command" + ","

Open Spotlight: "Command" + "Space"

Print: "Command" + "P"

Quit Application: "Command" + "Q"

Redo: "Command" + "Y"

Undo: "Command" + "Z"

Save: "Command" + "S"

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Screenshots

Whether you're having a problem with your computer and want to send a picture or just want to show someone a snippet of your screen, screenshots are a very useful ability to be aware of.

Whole Screenshot:  "Command" + "Shift" + "3"

Targeted Screenshot: "Command" + "Shift" + "4"