The first Apple keyboards had nothing even nearly resembling a shortcut key. Then, out of the mist in 1983, came the Apple 2e with two highly mysterious ‘Apple’ keys either side of the spacebar. This carried through into the first Macintosh in 1984, where in the menus lay a list of keyboard shortcuts with Apple symbols preceding the likes of C, X and V. But Steve Jobbs didn’t like the company’s logo being overused like that, and so, the command key was born and the rest is Apple shortcuts history!
Fast forward 40 years, and AI has made everyday tasks more efficient than we could have ever dreamed of. Yet for some reason, we still get excited over the cheap thrill of discovering a new keyboard shortcut! Well folks, today we’re bringing the cheap thrills to you. Take a deep breath and get ready for our quick guide to Apple Mac keyboard shortcuts – remember to bookmark for future reference.
Writing shortcuts
- Command-X: Cut the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard.
- Command-C: Copy the selected item to the Clipboard.
- Command-V: Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the current document or app.
- Command-B: Boldface the selected text, or turn boldfacing off.
- Command-I: Italicise the selected text, or turn italics off.
- Command-K: Add a web link.
- Control-Command-D: Show or hide the definition of the selected word.
- Option-Delete: Delete the word to the left of the insertion point.
- Shift-Command-Minus/-Plus: Decrease/increase the size of the selected item.
- Fn-Up/Down: Page Up/Page Down.
- Command-Left( { )/-Right Brace ( } ): Left/right align.
- Shift-Command-Vertical bar (|): Centre align.
Track pad hacks
- Slide two fingers up or down: Scroll.
- Click with two fingers: Right (secondary) click.
- Pinch with two fingers: Zoom in or out.
- Swipe left from the right edge with two fingers: Show Notification Centre.
- Slide three fingers up: Show Mission Control.
- Swipe three fingers left or right: Switch between open windows.
All rounders
- Command-F: Find items in a document or open a Find window.
- Control-Tab: Switch between browser tabs.
- Command-Tab: Switch to the next most recently used app among your open apps.
- Command-Z: Undo the previous command (Shift-Command-Z to redo).
Abort mission
- Option-Command-Power button/Media Eject: Put your Mac into sleep mode.
- Control–Power button/Media Eject: Show a dialogue asking whether you want to restart, sleep, or shut down.
- Control-Command-Power button/Media Eject: Force your Mac to restart.
- Control-Option-Command-Power button/Media Eject: Quit all apps, then shut down your Mac.
- Control-Command-Q: Lock your screen immediately.
- Option-Command-Esc: Force quit an app.
Get creative with DIY shortcuts
The fun with shortcuts doesn’t end there. You can also create your own by following this method…
- Open System Settings.
- Click Keyboard in the sidebar.
- Select Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Choose App Shortcuts from the left-hand menu.
- Click the + button to add a new shortcut.
- In the Application pop-up menu, select a specific app, or choose All Applications for a global shortcut.
- In the Menu Title field, type the command’s name exactly as it appears in the app’s menu, including punctuation and ellipses.
- In the Keyboard Shortcut field, press the desired new key combination.
- Click Done!
Ready to flex your new shortcut knowledge?
These shortcuts are designed to make the Apple user experience more seamless and intuitive. But when it comes to sourcing our clients the right tech stack without the high upfront cost, we never cut corners.
Want to find out how else we make Macs work for you? Get in touch today for a chat about your needs.