Keyboard shortcuts on your Mac
Keyboard shortcuts let you trigger commands without moving your hands from the keyboard. Most shortcuts on Mac use the Command key (⌘), which sits next to the Space bar. When a few become muscle memory, you’ll find yourself reaching for the mouse much less.
Essential shortcuts The shortcuts you’ll use every day across every app. | Find more shortcuts Discover shortcuts for any app, right in its menus. |
Essential shortcuts
These shortcuts work in almost every app on your Mac. The Command key (⌘) is the key to the left or right of the Space bar.
Command-C Copy the selected text or item. | Command-V Paste what you copied. |
Command-X Cut the selected text or item. | Command-Z Undo the last action. Press Shift-Command-Z to redo. |
Command-A Select all text or items in the current window. | Command-S Save the current document. |
Command-W Close the current window or tab. | Command-Q Quit the current app. |
Command-Space bar Open Spotlight to search your Mac and the web. | Command-Tab Switch between open apps. Keep holding Command and press Tab to cycle through them. |
Shift-Command-3 Take a screenshot of the full screen. | Shift-Command-4 Take a screenshot of a selected area. |
Find more shortcuts
Every app on your Mac has its own shortcuts, and the quickest way to find them is right in the app’s menus. To see a shortcut for a menu item, open any menu — like File or Edit — and look to the right of each command. The symbols there show you the shortcut.
Tip: You can also create your own shortcuts for any menu item. Open System Settings, click Keyboard, then click Keyboard Shortcuts. Select App Shortcuts, click Add, and enter the menu item name and the shortcut you want to assign.
For a full reference, see the Apple Support article Mac keyboard shortcuts.
Want to learn more?
Take a screenshot Put your new shortcuts to use — capture your screen with Shift-Command-3. | Browse the web Use keyboard shortcuts in Safari to navigate faster. | Spotlight Use Command-Space bar to search for anything on your Mac. |
Or if you’re ready for something new, try using hot corners to quickly start actions when you move the pointer to a corner, or learn how to open items automatically when you log in on Mac.