As a long time Mac user I have picked up on a fair amount of keyboard shortcuts for doing everyday things. These save me a ton of time, I don’t even need to think about them any more my fingers just do it.
Hopefully these help out any others looking to increase efficiency and cut back on time for things that are done repeatedly.
General
| Key Combination | Description |
|---|---|
| Command + Z | undo |
| Command + Shift + Z | redo |
| Command + C | copy |
| Command + X | cut |
| Command + V | paste |
| Command + A | select all |
| Option + Delete | delete from text cursor to beginning of word |
| Command + Delete | delete from text cursor to beginning of line |
| F3 | expose, show all windows |
| Command + F3 | show desktop |
| Command + Space | spotlight search |
| Command + Shift + ? | application menu search |
| Command + H | hide current application |
| Command + M | minimise current window |
| Command + Tab | switch applications |
| Command + ` (above tab) | switch windows in application |
| Command + N | new document |
| Command + W | close document |
| Command + Q | quit application |
| Command + S | save current document |
| Command + Shift + S | save current document as… |
| Command + P | print current document |
| Command + F | find word |
| Command + G | find next word |
| Command + , | application preferences |
| Command + Option + Esc | force quit |
| Control + [arrow key] | switch between spaces |
| Command + Shift + 3 | screenshot, saves to desktop |
| Command + Shift + 4 | drag screenshot, saves to desktop (push space for specific window) |
Finder
| Key Combination | Description |
|---|---|
| Command + Delete | move selected items to trash |
| Command + Shift + Delete | empty trash |
| Option | when dragging a file, switches from move mode to copy mode |
| Space | quicklook for selected item(s) |
| Command + [down arrow] | open selected items |
| Command + I | info for selected item(s) |
| Command + Option + I | grouped info for selected items |
| Command + Control + 1 | arrange items by name |
Code Editors
| Key Combination | Description |
|---|---|
| Command + ] | indent selected text one tab to the right |
| Command + [ | indent selected text one tab to the left |
Safari
| Key Combination | Description |
|---|---|
| Command + R | reload page |
| Command + D | bookmark page |
| Command + Shift + H | go to home page |
| Command + Option + U | view page source |
| Command + Option + I | open developer inspector |
| Command + Option + L | view downloads |
| Command + Option + A | view page activity |
| Command + '+' | zoom in page |
| Command + '-' | zoom out page |
| Command + [number] | go to bookmark at that position in your bookmarks bar (2 would mean the 2nd bookmark in your bar) |
Photoshop
| Key Combination | Description |
|---|---|
| Command + ] | scale brush up |
| Command + [ | scale brush down |
| X | switch primary and secondary colours |
| D | revert to default colours (black and white) |
| Command + Option + Shift + S | save for web and devices |
| Command + T | transform selection/layer |