macOS keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet
Apple · 63 shortcuts63 macOS shortcuts grouped by task. Click any row for the full answer page.
Essentials
| Action | Mac |
|---|---|
| Cut selected item | Cmd+X⌘X |
| Copy selected item | Cmd+C⌘C |
| Paste from clipboard | Cmd+V⌘V |
| Undo previous command | Cmd+Z⌘Z |
| Redo previous command | Shift+Cmd+Z⇧⌘Z |
| Select all items | Cmd+A⌘A |
| Find items in document | Cmd+F⌘F |
| Save current document | Cmd+S⌘S |
| Print current document | Cmd+P⌘P |
| Quit current app | Cmd+Q⌘Q |
| Close front window | Cmd+W⌘W |
| Open selected item | Cmd+O⌘O |
| Open new tab | Cmd+T⌘T |
| Show or hide Spotlight search | Cmd+Space⌘Space |
| Force quit an app | Cmd+Option+Esc⌘⌥Esc |
| Switch to next most recently used app | Cmd+Tab⌘⇥ |
| Switch between windows of current app | Cmd+`⌘` |
| Hide windows of the front app | Cmd+H⌘H |
| Hide all other apps | Option+Cmd+H⌥⌘H |
| Minimize front window to Dock | Cmd+M⌘M |
| Open preferences for front app | Cmd+,⌘, |
Screenshots
| Action | Mac |
|---|---|
| Open screenshot and screen recording tools | Shift+Cmd+5⇧⌘5 |
| Take a screenshot of entire screen | Shift+Cmd+3⇧⌘3 |
| Take a screenshot of selected area | Shift+Cmd+4⇧⌘4 |
Finder & files
| Action | Mac |
|---|---|
| Duplicate selected files | Cmd+D⌘D |
| Eject selected disk or volume | Cmd+E⌘E |
| Show Get Info window | Cmd+I⌘I |
| Open new Finder window | Cmd+N⌘N |
| Create new empty folder | Shift+Cmd+N⇧⌘N |
| Move selected item to Trash | Cmd+Delete⌘Delete |
| Empty the Trash | Shift+Cmd+Delete⇧⌘Delete |
| Open Home folder | Shift+Cmd+H⇧⌘H |
| Open Documents folder | Shift+Cmd+O⇧⌘O |
| Open Downloads folder | Option+Cmd+L⌥⌘L |
| Open AirDrop window | Shift+Cmd+R⇧⌘R |
| Open Computer window | Shift+Cmd+C⇧⌘C |
| Quick Look preview of selected item | SpaceSpace |
| View items as icons | Cmd+1⌘1 |
| View items as list | Cmd+2⌘2 |
| View items in columns | Cmd+3⌘3 |
| Go to previous folder | Cmd+[⌘[ |
| Go to next folder | Cmd+]⌘] |
System
| Action | Mac |
|---|---|
| Lock the screen | Ctrl+Cmd+Q⌃⌘Q |
| Log out of macOS account | Shift+Cmd+Q⇧⌘Q |
Windows & Spaces
| Action | Mac |
|---|---|
| Open Mission Control | Ctrl+Up⌃↑ |
| Show all windows of front app | Ctrl+Down⌃↓ |
| Show the desktop | Fn+F11FnF11 |
| Use or exit full screen | Ctrl+Cmd+F⌃⌘F |
Text editing
| Action | Mac |
|---|---|
| Move insertion point to document start | Cmd+Up⌘↑ |
| Move insertion point to document end | Cmd+Down⌘↓ |
| Move insertion point to line start | Cmd+Left⌘← |
| Move insertion point to line end | Cmd+Right⌘→ |
| Delete word to the left | Option+Delete⌥Delete |
| Boldface selected text | Cmd+B⌘B |
| Underline selected text | Cmd+U⌘U |
| Add a web link | Cmd+K⌘K |
| Show the Character Viewer | Ctrl+Cmd+Space⌃⌘Space |
Accessibility
| Action | Mac |
|---|---|
| Move focus to the menu bar | Ctrl+F2⌃F2 |
| Move focus to the Dock | Ctrl+F3⌃F3 |
| Move focus to active window | Ctrl+F4⌃F4 |
| Invert screen colors | Ctrl+Option+Cmd+8⌃⌥⌘8 |
| Increase display contrast | Ctrl+Option+Cmd+.⌃⌥⌘. |
| Show Accessibility Shortcuts panel | Option+Cmd+F5⌥⌘F5 |
More operating systems shortcuts
Ask your agent
Prompt
Make me a one-page macOS cheat sheet from the 63 shortcuts at https://keyflowhub.com/shortcuts/mac, ordered by what I'm most likely to use, and point out any that clash with my current keybindings.
Paste into Claude Code and it will do the rest.
Questions
Mac: Cmd + Z.
Mac: Shift + Cmd + Z.
Mac: Shift + Cmd + 5.
Mac: Cmd + S.
Mac: Cmd + F.
Sources: support.apple.com