What are the most useful Mac keyboard shortcuts?

Command-C, Command-V and Command-Z to copy, paste and undo. Command-Tab to switch apps, Command-Space for Spotlight, Command-W to close a window, Command-Q to quit an app, and Shift-Command-4 to screenshot part of the screen.

Which key is Command on a Mac?

The key marked ⌘, either side of the space bar. Option (⌥) is next to it, and Control (⌃) is at the far left of the bottom row.

How do I force quit an app on a Mac?

Press Option-Command-Esc, choose the app, and click Force Quit.

Can I make my own keyboard shortcuts on a Mac?

Yes. For a menu command, open System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > App Shortcuts, click Add, and type the menu command exactly as it appears. For text you type often, a text expander like TypeFire turns a short abbreviation into the whole text in any app.

What does the Fn or globe key do on a Mac?

On recent Macs it opens system features: Fn-E for emoji, Fn-D for dictation, Fn-N for Notification Center, Fn-C for Control Center, Fn-A for the Dock and Fn-Q for a Quick Note.

Back to Blog

Mac Keyboard Shortcuts: The 50 Worth Learning, by Task (2026)

Name: TypeFire
Author: TypeFire

October 27, 2026by TypeFire

mac keyboard shortcutskeyboard shortcuts macmac shortcutsmacbook shortcutsmac hot keys

The Mac keyboard shortcuts worth learning, sorted by what you're doing rather than by key. Every shortcut here is from Apple's own list, checked October 27, 2026.

Apple's full list runs to nearly two hundred shortcuts. Nobody needs two hundred. You need the ten you'll press fifty times a day, then a handful for whatever you do most: files, writing, screenshots. That's how this page is organized.

A Mac keyboard cheat card with the Command, Option, Control and Shift keys and the everyday shortcuts grouped by task — Four modifier keys, and the handful of shortcuts that cover most of a day.

The keys

Key	Symbol	Where
Command	⌘	Either side of the space bar
Option	⌥	Next to Command
Control	⌃	Bottom row, far left
Shift	⇧	Above Control
Fn, or the globe	🌐	Bottom left corner

The ten everyone should know

Shortcut	What it does
Command-C, Command-V	Copy, then paste
Command-X	Cut
Command-Z	Undo (Shift-Command-Z to redo)
Command-A	Select all
Command-F	Find
Command-Tab	Switch to the app you used last
Command-Space	Spotlight
Command-W	Close the window
Command-Q	Quit the app
Option-Command-Esc	Force quit an app that's stuck

Windows and apps

Shortcut	What it does
Command-` (the key above Tab)	Switch between windows of the same app
Command-H	Hide the app in front
Option-Command-H	Hide every other app
Command-M	Minimize the window
Command-T	New tab
Command-N	New window or document
Command-,	Open the app's settings
Control-Command-F	Full screen, in apps that support it
Control-Up Arrow	Mission Control
Control-Down Arrow	Every window of the app in front

Finder

Shortcut	What it does
Space	Quick Look the selected file
Shift-Command-G	Go to Folder (type a path)
Command-Delete	Move to Trash
Command-D	Duplicate
Command-I	Get Info
Shift-Command-N	New folder
Command-Up Arrow	Up to the enclosing folder
Option-Command-L	Open Downloads

The full set, with views, the sidebar and moving files, is in Finder shortcuts.

Text

Shortcut	What it does
Option-Left or Right Arrow	Jump a word
Command-Left or Right Arrow	Jump to the start or end of the line
Command-Up or Down Arrow	Jump to the start or end of the document
Add Shift to any of those	Select as you jump
Option-Delete	Delete the word to the left
Option-Shift-Command-V	Paste without the original formatting
Command-K	Add a link

There's much more in text editing shortcuts, including the Control-key moves that work in almost every text field.

Screenshots

Shortcut	What it does
Shift-Command-3	The whole screen
Shift-Command-4	Drag to capture part of the screen
Shift-Command-4, then Space	Click a window to capture it
Shift-Command-5	The Screenshot app, with screen recording
Add Control	Copy it to the clipboard instead of saving

All the options, including the timer and where files go, are in Mac screenshot shortcuts.

Lock, sleep and log out

Shortcut	What it does
Control-Command-Q	Lock the screen
Shift-Command-Q	Log out
Option-Shift-Command-Q	Log out without the confirmation

The Fn (globe) key

Shortcut	What it does
Fn-E	Emoji and symbols
Fn-D	Start or stop dictation
Fn-N	Notification Center
Fn-C	Control Center
Fn-A	Show or hide the Dock
Fn-Q	A Quick Note
Fn-H	Show the desktop

Make your own shortcuts

For a menu command. If an app has a menu item you use all the time and no shortcut for it, give it one. Open System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts, choose App Shortcuts, click Add, pick the app, type the menu command exactly as it appears, and press the keys you want.

For text you type again and again. A shortcut can't type your email address, a support reply or a code block. A text expander can. In TypeFire you type a short abbreviation, say ;addr, and it becomes the whole text, in every app on your Mac. macOS has a basic version built in, Text Replacements, and TypeFire is the free upgrade when you outgrow it. It imports your existing Text Replacements in one step.

For your clipboard. Command-V pastes the last thing you copied, and only that. A clipboard manager keeps everything you copy, searchable, so the thing you copied an hour ago is a few keystrokes away.

Mac Keyboard Shortcuts: The 50 Worth Learning, by Task (2026)