Most Mac keyboard shortcut lists copy each other, and a few of the entries they repeat do nothing on a current Mac. The old version of this page had them too: an iPhone Mirroring key that actually makes a Quick Note, quarter-screen tiling keys Apple never shipped, and a Stage Manager hotkey that does not exist. This macOS keyboard shortcuts reference keeps only what Apple documents for the current release.
It covers system, screenshot, Finder, text, window tiling, Spotlight, Fn (Globe), Safari and Terminal shortcuts. Startup keys, a Windows-to-Mac table and the zsh keys that differ from Linux follow. We checked every shortcut against Apple’s support pages and menus for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe, and the list is current as of November 2026. The shell bindings come from zsh 5.9 and bash 5.3 on our lab VM, not from a Mac.
macOS Keyboard Shortcuts Quick Reference
These are the Mac keyboard shortcuts you’ll press every day. Each one is covered again in its own section below, next to the related keys and the cases where it behaves differently:
| Task | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Search apps, files and the web (Spotlight) | Cmd + Space |
| Switch between open apps | Cmd + Tab |
| Switch windows of the same app | Cmd + ` (backtick) |
| Close the window / quit the app | Cmd + W / Cmd + Q |
| Force quit a frozen app | Option + Cmd + Esc |
| Lock the screen | Control + Cmd + Q |
| Screenshot of the whole screen | Shift + Cmd + 3 |
| Screenshot of an area | Shift + Cmd + 4 |
| Screenshot and recording toolbar | Shift + Cmd + 5 |
| Copy, cut, paste | Cmd + C, Cmd + X, Cmd + V |
| Paste without the source formatting | Option + Shift + Cmd + V |
| Undo / redo | Cmd + Z / Shift + Cmd + Z |
| Tile the window left or right half | Fn + Control + Left / Right Arrow |
| Emoji and symbols | Fn + E or Control + Cmd + Space |
| Clipboard history (macOS 26 and later) | Cmd + Space, then Cmd + 4 |
| Right-click | Control + click |
Two rows in that table trip up people coming from Windows. Cmd, not Control, is the main modifier, so Windows’ Ctrl + C becomes Cmd + C. And right-click is Control + click when you don’t have a two-button mouse or a trackpad set up for secondary click.
Read the Modifier Key Symbols
macOS menus show shortcuts as symbols, not key names, so learning these eight is what lets you read a shortcut straight off any app’s menu bar. On a keyboard made for Windows, Alt works as Option and the Windows key works as Command:
| Symbol | Mac key | On a Windows keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘ | Command (Cmd) | Windows key |
| ⌥ | Option | Alt |
| ⌃ | Control | Ctrl |
| ⇧ | Shift | Shift |
| ⇪ | Caps Lock | Caps Lock |
| Fn / 🌐 | Fn or Globe | No equivalent |
| ⎋ | Esc | Esc |
| ⌫ | Delete (deletes to the left) | Backspace |
The Globe key is the Fn key on recent Apple keyboards, and Apple’s documentation writes it as Fn. That matters later, because a whole set of shortcuts (Dock, Control Center, Quick Note, window tiling) is built on it. Most third-party keyboards do not send a Mac Fn key at all. When Fn + Control + Left Arrow does nothing on a mechanical keyboard, the keyboard is the reason, not macOS.
Use the Everyday System Shortcuts
These work in every app because macOS handles them before the app sees the keys. Option is the modifier to watch: added to a shortcut, it usually widens what the shortcut acts on, from one window to all of them:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + Space | Open or close Spotlight |
| Cmd + Tab | Switch to the most recently used app |
| Cmd + ` (backtick) | Next window of the front app |
| Shift + Cmd + ` | Previous window of the front app |
| Cmd + W | Close the front window |
| Option + Cmd + W | Close all windows of the app |
| Cmd + Q | Quit the app |
| Cmd + M | Minimize the front window to the Dock |
| Option + Cmd + M | Minimize all windows of the app |
| Cmd + H | Hide the front app |
| Option + Cmd + H | Hide every other app |
| Option + Cmd + Esc | Force quit an app |
| Control + Cmd + F | Enter or leave full screen |
| Cmd + , (comma) | Open the app’s settings |
| Shift + Cmd + ? (question mark) | Open the Help menu and search every menu item |
| Control + Space | Switch input source (when you use more than one) |
Cmd + W and Cmd + Q are the pair to get right. On a Mac, closing the last window usually leaves the app running in the Dock, which is why people coming from Windows end up with a dozen idle apps. Use Cmd + Q when you mean it. Shift + Cmd + ? is the one most lists skip: it opens the Help search field, and typing any menu command name there shows where it lives and what its shortcut is. When you can’t remember a shortcut in an unfamiliar app, that’s faster than any cheat sheet.
Take Screenshots and Record the Screen
The Mac answer to Print Screen is Shift + Cmd + 3, and the snipping-tool equivalent is Shift + Cmd + 4. Both save a PNG to the desktop by default, and adding Control to either one copies the image to the clipboard instead of writing a file:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shift + Cmd + 3 | Capture the whole screen |
| Shift + Cmd + 4 | Capture a dragged area |
| Shift + Cmd + 4, then Space | Capture one window or menu |
| Option while clicking the window | Capture the window without its shadow |
| Space while dragging an area | Move the selection without resizing it |
| Esc | Cancel the capture |
| Shift + Cmd + 5 | Screenshot app: record video, timer, save location |
| Control + Shift + Cmd + 3 or 4 | Copy the capture to the clipboard |
Shift + Cmd + 5 opens the Screenshot app, which is also where screen recording lives (Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion). Its Options menu sets the save folder, a timer and whether the pointer shows. On supported Macs running macOS 26 or later, the same menu picks between SDR PNG and HDR HEIF captures, so check it if screenshots arrive as .heic files.
Shift + Cmd + 6 changed meaning in macOS 27. With Siri AI turned on, it asks Siri about a selected area of the screen, and Shift + Cmd + Space asks about the active window. Older lists that give Shift + Cmd + 6 to a Touch Bar screenshot predate that change.
Use the Fn (Globe) Key Shortcuts
Apple keeps adding shortcuts to the Fn key, and most of them open a system panel that otherwise needs the mouse. These need an Apple keyboard or a third-party one that sends a real Fn key:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fn + A | Show or hide the Dock |
| Fn + C | Show or hide Control Center |
| Fn + N | Show or hide Notification Center |
| Fn + Q | Create a Quick Note |
| Fn + D | Start or stop dictation |
| Fn + E | Open emoji and symbols |
| Fn + H | Show the desktop |
| Fn + Shift + A | Open Apps (Launchpad before macOS 26) |
| Fn + Fn | Open the Character Viewer |
| Fn + Up / Down Arrow | Page Up / Page Down |
| Fn + Left / Right Arrow | Home / End: top or bottom of the document |
| Fn + Delete | Forward delete (the character to the right) |
Fn + Q is a Quick Note, nothing else. The previous version of this page listed it as iPhone Mirroring, which Apple’s shortcut list does not support. Fn + Shift + A is the other one that moved: macOS 26 replaced Launchpad with the Apps view, and the same key now opens that. Fn + Fn opens the Character Viewer by default, while dictation sits on Fn + D, and you can move dictation to another key in Keyboard settings.
Navigate Finder from the Keyboard
Finder is where shortcuts save the most clicks, because every Go-menu location and every view mode has one. The table follows Apple’s current list, which corrects two rows older guides still carry: an alias is Control + Cmd + A, and Downloads is Option + Cmd + L:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + N | New Finder window |
| Cmd + T | New Finder tab |
| Shift + Cmd + N | New folder |
| Control + Cmd + N | New folder containing the selected items |
| Cmd + D | Duplicate the selection |
| Control + Cmd + A | Make an alias |
| Cmd + I | Get Info |
| Space or Cmd + Y | Quick Look preview |
| Return | Rename the selected item |
| Cmd + Delete | Move to Trash |
| Shift + Cmd + Delete | Empty Trash |
| Option + Cmd + V | Move copied files here (cut and paste) |
| Cmd + E | Eject the selected disk |
| Cmd + K | Connect to Server |
| Shift + Cmd + G | Go to Folder (type a path) |
| Shift + Cmd + H / D / O | Home / Desktop / Documents |
| Option + Cmd + L | Downloads |
| Shift + Cmd + A / U | Applications / Utilities |
| Shift + Cmd + F | Recents |
| Shift + Cmd + I | iCloud Drive |
| Shift + Cmd + R | AirDrop |
| Cmd + 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 | Icon, list, column, gallery view |
| Cmd + Up Arrow | Open the parent folder |
| Cmd + Down Arrow | Open the selected item |
| Cmd + [ / Cmd + ] | Back / forward |
| Option + Cmd + P | Show or hide the path bar |
| Option + Cmd + S | Show or hide the sidebar |
Option + Cmd + V answers the question every Windows switcher asks: how to cut and paste files. Copy them with Cmd + C, then press Option + Cmd + V in the destination folder and Finder moves them instead of copying. Cmd + X cuts text only, not files.
Modifier keys also change what a drag does. Dragging inside one disk moves the item, and dragging to another disk copies it, so the modifiers exist to reverse that:
- Option while dragging: copy instead of move
- Cmd while dragging to another disk: move instead of copy
- Option + Cmd while dragging: make an alias at the destination
- Option + click a list-view triangle: expand every subfolder
The pointer changes while you hold the modifier, so you can check what’s about to happen before you let go.
Edit Text in Any Mac App
Text shortcuts live in the system text engine, so they work in Mail, Notes, Safari text fields and most third-party editors. Cmd moves by line and document, Option moves by word, and adding Shift to any movement selects instead of moving:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + Left / Right Arrow | Start / end of the line |
| Cmd + Up / Down Arrow | Start / end of the document |
| Option + Left / Right Arrow | Previous / next word |
| Shift + any of the above | Select instead of moving |
| Option + Delete | Delete the word to the left |
| Fn + Delete or Control + D | Delete the character to the right |
| Control + A / Control + E | Start / end of the line or paragraph |
| Control + K | Cut to the end of the paragraph (app-only clipboard) |
| Control + Y | Paste what Control + K cut |
| Control + T | Swap the two characters around the cursor |
| Option + Shift + Cmd + V | Paste and Match Style |
| Cmd + K | Add a link |
| Cmd + B / I / U | Bold / italic / underline |
| Control + Cmd + D | Show the definition of the selected word |
| Cmd + ; (semicolon) | Jump to the next misspelled word |
The Control + A, E, K, Y and T keys are Emacs bindings, and they’re why a terminal user feels at home in any Mac text field. Control + K does not touch the main clipboard: what it cuts is only available to Control + Y in the same app, so your Cmd + C content survives. Paste and Match Style is Option + Shift + Cmd + V in Apple’s list. Some apps also map Shift + Cmd + V to a plain-text paste, but that is per app, so check the Edit menu before you rely on it.
Tile Windows with the Keyboard
macOS 15 Sequoia added native window tiling, so for halves you do not need Rectangle or Magnet any more. Every tiling shortcut is Fn + Control plus a key, and Shift arranges two windows at once:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fn + Control + Left / Right Arrow | Tile to the left / right half |
| Fn + Control + Up / Down Arrow | Tile to the top / bottom half |
| Fn + Control + F | Fill the desktop (not full screen) |
| Fn + Control + C | Center the window |
| Fn + Control + R | Return to the previous size |
| Fn + Control + Shift + Left Arrow | Front window left, next window right |
| Fn + Control + Shift + Up Arrow | Front window top, next window bottom |
| Fn + Control + Option + Shift + Left Arrow | Left half plus two right quarters |
Corners are the gap. Apple’s tiling table lists Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left and Bottom Right with no shortcut. The Fn + Control + U, I, J and K keys that circulate online (and appeared on this page before) do nothing. You can still reach a corner from Window, Move & Resize in the menu bar, or give it your own key with an App Shortcut. The custom shortcuts section below walks through that.
Fill and full screen are different things. Fn + Control + F grows the window to the desktop and keeps the menu bar and Dock, while Control + Cmd + F moves the app into its own full-screen Space. Most of the time you want Fill. Stage Manager has no default shortcut at all; turn it on or off from Control Center or in System Settings, Desktop & Dock.
Switch Spaces and Open Mission Control
Spaces are macOS virtual desktops, and three Control + arrow keys cover most of the movement between them:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Control + Up Arrow | Open Mission Control |
| Control + Down Arrow | Show all windows of the front app |
| Control + Left / Right Arrow | Move to the previous / next Space |
| Fn + H or Fn + F11 | Show the desktop |
Control + Down Arrow is the one to learn if you keep many windows of one app open, such as browser or Terminal windows, because it lays out only that app’s windows. The keys for Mission Control are listed in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Mission Control, where you can change any of them.
Search Faster with Spotlight Shortcuts
Spotlight picked up new shortcuts in macOS 26. On macOS 26 and later, Cmd + 1 to Cmd + 4 inside Spotlight narrow the results to apps, files, actions or your clipboard history:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + Space | Open or close Spotlight |
| Cmd + 1 | Search applications only |
| Cmd + 2 | Search files only |
| Cmd + 3 | Search actions only |
| Cmd + 4 | Search clipboard history |
| App name, then Tab | Search inside that app |
| / (slash) | Filter the search |
| Up Arrow | Go back through recent searches |
| Cmd (hold) | Show the path of the selected result |
| Cmd + R or Cmd + double-click | Show the result in its app or Finder |
| Space | Quick Look the selected result |
| Option + Cmd + Space | Open a Finder search window |
Cmd + 4 is the feature people used to install clipboard managers for. Cmd + 3 lists actions, and from there you can add quick keys, which are short typed abbreviations rather than key chords: Apple’s example is ft for Start FaceTime Call. On macOS 27 with Siri AI turned on, the same Cmd + Space field can also start a Siri conversation.
Control Safari Tabs and Pages
Safari’s shortcuts follow the same Cmd + letter pattern as every browser, and the tab keys are the ones worth committing to memory. This list comes from Apple’s Safari guide for macOS 27 and its Mac shortcuts list:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + T | New tab |
| Cmd + W | Close the tab |
| Shift + Cmd + T | Reopen the last closed tab |
| Cmd + L | Jump to the address field |
| Cmd + R | Reload the page |
| Control + Tab or Shift + Cmd + ] | Next tab |
| Control + Shift + Tab or Shift + Cmd + [ | Previous tab |
| Cmd + 1 to Cmd + 8 | Go to tab 1 to 8 |
| Cmd + 9 | Go to the last tab |
| Shift + Cmd + \ | Tab overview |
| Cmd + [ / Cmd + ] | Back / forward |
| Shift + Cmd + R | Open Reader |
| Shift + Cmd + D | Add the page to Reading List |
| Control + Cmd + 1 | Show or hide the Bookmarks sidebar |
| Shift + Cmd + H | Go to your homepage |
| Cmd + click a link | Open the link in a background tab |
| Option + click a link | Download the linked file |
Cmd + T, Cmd + W, Shift + Cmd + T and Cmd + L work the same way in Chrome on a Mac. Chrome opens its developer tools with Option + Cmd + I. Shift + Cmd + T in Safari reopens the last closed window too, when the last thing you closed was a window rather than a tab.
Drive Terminal and the zsh Prompt
Terminal shortcuts come from two places. Terminal.app handles the window keys (tabs, panes, scrollback, marks), and the shell handles line editing at the prompt. New Terminal windows open zsh by default. Its key map differs from bash, and that is where Linux habits break.
Terminal.app window shortcuts
These come from Apple’s Terminal guide. Marks are the underused feature: Terminal marks every command line you run, so Cmd + Up Arrow jumps back to the start of the previous command’s output instead of scrolling for it:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + T / Cmd + N | New tab / new window |
| Cmd + D | Split the window into two panes |
| Shift + Cmd + D | Close the split pane |
| Cmd + K | Clear the scrollback to the start |
| Cmd + L | Clear to the previous mark |
| Cmd + Up / Down Arrow | Jump to the previous / next mark |
| Cmd + . (period) | Same as Control + C |
| Option + click | Move the cursor to the clicked spot on the command line |
| Option + drag | Select a rectangular block |
| Shift + Cmd + double-click | Select a whole file path or URL |
| Option + Cmd + O | Toggle Use Option as Meta Key |
| Control + Shift + Cmd + ? | Open the man page for the selection |
Cmd + D in Terminal.app splits the current window. For independent panes you can detach and script, run tmux inside Terminal instead, and our tmux cheat sheet covers the keys for that.
zsh line-editing keys
At the prompt, zsh uses its built-in Emacs key map unless your EDITOR or VISUAL variable contains the string vi, which includes vim and nvim. In that case it starts in vi mode and this table does not apply. These are the default bindings we captured from zsh with no ~/.zshrc loaded:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Control + A / Control + E | Start / end of the line |
| Control + U | Delete the whole line (zsh) |
| Control + K | Delete to the end of the line |
| Control + W | Delete the word before the cursor |
| Control + Y | Paste the last deleted text |
| Control + R | Search history backwards |
| Control + L | Clear the screen |
| Control + T | Swap two characters |
| Control + _ | Undo the last edit |
| Control + D | Delete a character, list completions, or exit on an empty line |
| Esc then B / F | Back / forward one word |
| Esc then D | Delete the next word |
| Esc then . (period) | Insert the last argument of the previous command |
| Tab / Tab Tab | Complete / list completions |
The Esc rows work with Option instead of Esc once Option acts as Meta. In Terminal.app that’s Terminal, Settings, Profiles, Keyboard, Use Option as Meta key (or Option + Cmd + O to toggle it). In iTerm2, set the Left Option key to Esc+ under Profiles, Keys. Without that setting, Option + B types a symbol instead of moving back a word.
Fix Control + U and Control + X Control + E in zsh
Control + U is where bash users get burned on a Mac. In bash it erases from the cursor back to the start of the line and keeps what’s after the cursor; zsh binds it to kill-whole-line, so the entire command disappears. Apple’s own Terminal guide describes Control + U as Delete the line for the same reason. zsh also leaves Control + X Control + E unbound, which bash uses to open the current command in your editor. You can check both bindings in your own shell:
zsh -i -c "bindkey '^U'"
zsh -i -c "bindkey '^X^E'"On zsh with no ~/.zshrc, the first key deletes the whole line and the second does nothing:
"^U" kill-whole-line
"^X^E" undefined-keyRun the same lookup in bash to see the behaviour Linux users expect. macOS still ships bash 3.2 and our lab ran 5.3, but both bind these two keys the same way:
bash -i -c 'bind -q unix-line-discard'
bash -i -c 'bind -q edit-and-execute-command'Bash binds Control + U to unix-line-discard and Control + X Control + E to edit-and-execute-command. Side by side, the lab output looks like this:
If you want the bash behaviour in zsh, add four lines to your zsh startup file. Open it in an editor:
vim ~/.zshrcAppend these lines. bindkey -e forces the Emacs key map even when EDITOR is set to vim or nvim. The next line makes Control + U delete only to the left of the cursor, and the last two load zsh’s edit-command-line widget and bind it to Control + X Control + E:
bindkey -e
bindkey "^U" backward-kill-line
autoload -Uz edit-command-line && zle -N edit-command-line
bindkey "^X^E" edit-command-lineOpen a new Terminal tab so zsh reads the file, then run the same two lookups again:
zsh -i -c "bindkey '^U'"
zsh -i -c "bindkey '^X^E'"Both keys now point at the new widgets:
"^U" backward-kill-line
"^X^E" edit-command-lineControl + X Control + E opens the command in whatever $EDITOR names, so set that too if you don’t want vi. For more zsh polish, zsh syntax highlighting colours commands as you type. Our SSH commands cheat sheet covers the keys you’ll use once you’re connected to a server.
Lock, Sleep, Log Out and Shut Down
The power shortcuts depend on your keyboard. On any keyboard with Touch ID, a single press of the Touch ID key locks the screen. The Control + power combinations below are documented for built-in keyboards without Touch ID:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Control + Cmd + Q | Lock the screen |
| Shift + Cmd + Q | Log out (asks first) |
| Option + Shift + Cmd + Q | Log out immediately |
| Touch ID (press once) | Lock the screen, on Touch ID keyboards |
| Power button (press and hold) | Force the Mac off |
| Option + Cmd + power button | Sleep (no Touch ID) |
| Control + Shift + power button | Put the displays to sleep (no Touch ID) |
| Control + power button | Restart, sleep or shut down dialog (no Touch ID) |
| Control + Cmd + power button | Force restart without saving (no Touch ID) |
| Control + Option + Cmd + power button | Quit apps, then shut down (no Touch ID) |
Control + Option + Cmd + power button is not an instant power-off, whatever older lists say. It quits every app and asks you to save any open document with changes, Control + Cmd + power button is the one that skips the save prompt, so treat it as a last resort.
Control + Cmd + Q is the habit to build for walking away from a desk. On a Mac mini or Mac Studio we’d pair it with the Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (paid link) (USB-C, for Apple silicon Macs). Locking becomes one press, and you get the real Fn key that the tiling and Globe shortcuts need.
Use Mac Startup Key Combinations
Startup keys split by processor. macOS 27 runs only on Apple silicon, so on any Mac that can install it there’s one entry point: press and hold the power button until the startup options screen appears. From there you can pick a startup disk, start in safe mode or open macOS Recovery:
| Task (Apple silicon) | How |
|---|---|
| Startup options and Recovery | Hold the power button until Options appears |
| Safe mode | In startup options, select the disk, hold Shift, click Continue in Safe Mode |
| Apple Diagnostics | Hold the power button, release at Options, then hold Cmd + D |
Intel Macs, which top out at macOS 26 Tahoe, still use key combinations held right after pressing the power button. Hold all the keys together, and plug in a wired Apple keyboard if a wireless one is not recognised in time:
| Keys (Intel) | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + R | Start from built-in macOS Recovery |
| Option + Cmd + R | Start from macOS Recovery over the internet |
| Option | Startup Manager: choose a startup disk |
| Shift | Safe mode |
| D (or Option + D) | Apple Diagnostics (Option + D over the internet) |
| Option + Cmd + P + R | Reset NVRAM or PRAM |
| T | Target disk mode |
| Cmd + V | Verbose mode |
| Cmd + S | Single-user mode (disabled since macOS Mojave) |
Booting an installer from USB on an Intel Mac goes through Startup Manager with the Option key; our guide to creating a bootable USB on macOS covers making the drive. Apple silicon Macs have no NVRAM reset or single-user mode keys at all. Any guide telling you to hold Option + Cmd + P + R on an M-series Mac is written for hardware you don’t have.
Translate Windows Shortcuts to Mac
Most Windows shortcuts move to the Mac by swapping Ctrl for Cmd, and the rest map to a different key entirely. Apple’s own mapping puts Home and End on Cmd + arrow for the current line, and on Fn + arrow when you only want to scroll to the top or bottom:
| Windows | Mac |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + C / X / V / Z | Cmd + C / X / V / Z |
| Alt + Tab | Cmd + Tab |
| Alt + F4 | Cmd + Q (app) or Cmd + W (window) |
| Ctrl + Alt + Delete | Option + Cmd + Esc (Force Quit) |
| Windows key (Start search) | Cmd + Space |
| Windows + L | Control + Cmd + Q |
| Windows + D | Fn + H |
| Windows + V (clipboard history) | Cmd + Space, then Cmd + 4 |
| Windows + . (emoji) | Fn + E |
| Windows + Left / Right Arrow | Fn + Control + Left / Right Arrow |
| Print Screen | Shift + Cmd + 3 |
| Windows + Shift + S | Shift + Cmd + 4 or Shift + Cmd + 5 |
| Home / End (line) | Cmd + Left / Right Arrow |
| Ctrl + Home / Ctrl + End | Cmd + Up / Down Arrow |
| Home / End (scroll the page) | Fn + Left / Right Arrow |
| Page Up / Page Down | Fn + Up / Down Arrow |
| Delete (forward) | Fn + Delete |
| F2 (rename) | Return in Finder |
| Right-click | Control + click |
There is no direct Task Manager key: Force Quit (Option + Cmd + Esc) covers the frozen-app case, and for everything else open Activity Monitor from Spotlight. Ctrl still matters on a Mac, but mostly in the terminal and in the Emacs-style text keys above. For a Linux desktop alongside the Mac, our Ubuntu GNOME shortcuts cheat sheet lists the Super-key equivalents for the overview, tiling and workspaces. If you’re setting up a Mac as a development machine, our macOS Golden Gate for developers guide covers the rest of the first-day setup.
Drive the Mac Without a Mouse
These shortcuts move keyboard focus to parts of the screen a mouse normally reaches, and they double as accessibility controls. Some need switching on first in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, or under Accessibility:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Control + F2 | Focus the menu bar |
| Control + F3 | Focus the Dock |
| Control + F7 | Tab through all controls, not just text fields |
| Tab / Shift + Tab | Next / previous control |
| Option + Cmd + F5 | Accessibility Shortcuts panel |
| Cmd + F5 | Turn VoiceOver on or off |
| Option + Cmd + 8 | Zoom in or out (after enabling zoom keys) |
| Option + Cmd + Plus / Minus | Zoom in / out (after enabling zoom keys) |
| Control + Option + Cmd + 8 | Invert colours (after enabling it) |
On a laptop the F keys are media keys by default, so Control + F2 becomes Fn + Control + F2. Zoom’s keys only work once Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom is on in System Settings, Accessibility, Zoom, which is why Option + Cmd + 8 seems dead on a fresh Mac. On a Touch ID keyboard, holding Cmd and pressing Touch ID three times toggles VoiceOver, while three presses alone open the Accessibility Shortcuts panel.
Create Your Own Mac Keyboard Shortcuts
macOS lets you bind a key to any existing menu command, in one app or all of them. It cannot bind a key to something that is not a menu item, such as opening an app. Menu commands still cover more than you’d expect, including the window-tiling corners that have no default key:
- Open System Settings, Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Select App Shortcuts and click the + button.
- Pick an app in the Application menu, or All Applications.
- Type the menu command in Menu title exactly as it appears, using -> between nested menu levels and three periods for an ellipsis.
- Click in Keyboard shortcut, press the key combination, then click Done.
Apple’s own example of a nested title is File->Export as PDF…, so a tiling corner would follow the same pattern under the Window menu. A new shortcut that clashes with an existing one will not work. Keyboard Shortcuts marks a clash between its own entries with a warning icon, but a clash with the app’s own menu key is easy to miss, so check both when a custom key does nothing. Spotlight quick keys are the other route on macOS 26 and later: typed abbreviations that run an action from Cmd + Space, set up next to the action under Cmd + 3.
Mac Shortcuts That Don’t Exist (and What to Press Instead)
Every row below circulates on shortcut lists, several of them were on this page before this update, and none of them match Apple’s current documentation:
| What lists claim | What Apple documents |
|---|---|
| Fn + Q opens iPhone Mirroring | Fn + Q creates a Quick Note |
| Fn + Control + U / I / J / K tile to quarters | Corners have no default key; use Window, Move & Resize or an App Shortcut |
| Fn + Control + S toggles Stage Manager | No shortcut; use Control Center |
| Cmd + L makes an alias in Finder | Control + Cmd + A |
| Shift + Cmd + L opens Downloads | Option + Cmd + L |
| Shift + Volume changes volume in small steps | Option + Shift + Volume |
| Control + Option + Cmd + power shuts down with no prompt | It asks you to save open documents |
| Control + U erases to the start of the line | True in bash; zsh, the macOS default, erases the whole line |
The pattern behind most of these is a shortcut that worked in an older macOS, or in one app, being copied into a general list. When a key does nothing, Shift + Cmd + ? and a search for the menu command is still the fastest way to find what your Mac actually uses.
