macOS cheatsheet

This cheatsheet provides quick access to common macOS keyboard shortcuts, commands, and tips.

Keyboard Shortcut Modifier Key Legend

• Cmd / ⌘: Command Key
• Option / ⌥: Option (Alt) Key
• Ctrl / ⌃: Control Key
• Shift / ⇧: Shift Key
• Caps Lock / ⇪: Caps Lock Key
• Fn: Function Key
• Esc: Escape Key

Basic System Operations

• Spotlight Search: Cmd + Space (Quickly find apps, files, do calculations, conversions, etc.)
• Force Quit Application: Cmd + Option + Esc (Choose an unresponsive app to force quit)
• Lock Screen: Ctrl + Cmd + Q (Requires password to unlock)
• Log Out User: Shift + Cmd + Q (Asks for confirmation)
• Log Out User Immediately: Option + Shift + Cmd + Q (No confirmation)
• Sleep: Option + Cmd + Power Button (or Media Eject key)
• Display Sleep: Ctrl + Shift + Power Button (or Media Eject key)
• Restart: Ctrl + Cmd + Power Button
• Shut Down: Ctrl + Option + Cmd + Power Button
• Show/Hide Dock: Option + Cmd + D
• Open System Settings/Preferences: Usually found in Apple Menu () -> System Settings... or System Preferences...

Application & Window Management

• Switch Applications: Cmd + Tab (Hold Cmd, tap Tab to cycle, ~ cycles backward)
• Close Active Window: Cmd + W
• Close All Windows of Active App: Option + Cmd + W
• Quit Active App: Cmd + Q
• Minimize Active Window: Cmd + M
• Minimize All Windows of Active App: Option + Cmd + M
• Hide Active App: Cmd + H
• Hide All Other Apps: Option + Cmd + H
• Enter Full Screen: Ctrl + Cmd + F (If app supports it)
• New Window (in most apps): Cmd + N
• New Tab (in supporting apps): Cmd + T
• Cycle Through App Windows: Cmd + ~ (Tilde key, usually above Tab)

Finder (File Management)

• New Finder Window: Cmd + N
• New Folder: Shift + Cmd + N
• Duplicate Selected Item(s): Cmd + D
• Get Info: Cmd + I
• Quick Look (Preview Item): Select item(s) + Space
• Open Selected Item(s): Cmd + O or Cmd + Down Arrow
• Go to Enclosing Folder: Cmd + Up Arrow
• Move to Trash: Select item(s) + Cmd + Delete
• Empty Trash: Shift + Cmd + Delete (Asks for confirmation)
• Empty Trash Immediately: Option + Shift + Cmd + Delete (No confirmation)
• Show/Hide Path Bar: Option + Cmd + P
• Show/Hide Status Bar: Cmd + /
• Show View Options: Cmd + J
• View as Icons: Cmd + 1
• View as List: Cmd + 2
• View as Columns: Cmd + 3
• View as Gallery: Cmd + 4
• Go to Folder: Shift + Cmd + G (Type a path like ~/Library/)
• Go to Desktop: Shift + Cmd + D
• Go to Applications: Shift + Cmd + A
• Go to Utilities: Shift + Cmd + U
• Go to iCloud Drive: Shift + Cmd + I
• Go to Home Folder: Shift + Cmd + H
• Go to AirDrop: Shift + Cmd + R
• Go to Network: Shift + Cmd + K
• Add Selected Item to Dock: Ctrl + Shift + Cmd + T
• Eject Disk/Volume: Select disk + Cmd + E

Screenshots

• Capture Entire Screen: Shift + Cmd + 3 (Saves to Desktop)
• Capture Selected Portion: Shift + Cmd + 4 (Drag crosshairs, saves to Desktop)
• Capture Specific Window: Shift + Cmd + 4, then Space, then click the window (Saves to Desktop)
• Screenshot Options (incl. recording): Shift + Cmd + 5 (Opens screenshot toolbar)
• Copy Screenshot to Clipboard: Add Ctrl to any of the above shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl + Shift + Cmd + 3)

Text Editing (Common Shortcuts)

• Cut: Cmd + X
• Copy: Cmd + C
• Paste: Cmd + V
• Paste and Match Style: Option + Shift + Cmd + V
• Undo: Cmd + Z
• Redo: Shift + Cmd + Z
• Select All: Cmd + A
• Find: Cmd + F
• Find Next: Cmd + G
• Find Previous: Shift + Cmd + G
• Save: Cmd + S
• Print: Cmd + P
• Bold: Cmd + B
• Italic: Cmd + I
• Underline: Cmd + U
• Move to Beginning of Line: Cmd + Left Arrow
• Move to End of Line: Cmd + Right Arrow
• Move to Beginning of Document: Cmd + Up Arrow
• Move to End of Document: Cmd + Down Arrow
• Move One Word Left: Option + Left Arrow
• Move One Word Right: Option + Right Arrow
• Select Text: Hold Shift while using movement keys
• Select to Beginning of Line: Shift + Cmd + Left Arrow
• Select to End of Line: Shift + Cmd + Right Arrow
• Select to Beginning of Document: Shift + Cmd + Up Arrow
• Select to End of Document: Shift + Cmd + Down Arrow
• Delete Previous Character: Delete
• Delete Next Character (Forward Delete): Fn + Delete (on compact keyboards) or dedicated Del key
• Delete Previous Word: Option + Delete
• Delete Next Word: Fn + Option + Delete
• Show Character Viewer (Emoji & Symbols): Ctrl + Cmd + Space

Mission Control & Spaces (Virtual Desktops)

• Show Mission Control: F3 key (or Ctrl + Up Arrow)
• Show All Windows of Current App: Ctrl + Down Arrow
• Move Left One Space: Ctrl + Left Arrow
• Move Right One Space: Ctrl + Right Arrow
• Move Window to Another Space: Drag window to edge of screen, or drag window onto Space thumbnail in Mission Control.

Trackpad Gestures (Common Defaults)

• Tap to Click: Single finger tap (if enabled in System Settings)
• Secondary Click (Right Click): Two finger tap (if enabled)
• Scroll: Two finger drag (up/down/left/right)
• Zoom In/Out: Pinch with two fingers
• Smart Zoom: Double-tap with two fingers
• Rotate: Rotate with two fingers
• Swipe Between Pages: Two finger swipe left/right (e.g., browser history)
• Swipe Between Full-Screen Apps/Spaces: Three or Four finger swipe left/right (configurable)
• Mission Control: Three or Four finger swipe up (configurable)
• App Exposé (Show App Windows): Three or Four finger swipe down (configurable)
• Launchpad: Pinch with thumb and three fingers
• Show Desktop: Spread thumb and three fingers

Basic Terminal Commands (Command Line)

• Open Terminal: Find in /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app or search via Spotlight.
• List Directory Contents: ls (ls -la for detailed view including hidden files)
• Change Directory: cd <directory_path> (e.g., cd Documents, cd .. to go up one level, cd ~ for home)
• Print Working Directory: pwd (Show current folder path)
• Create Directory: mkdir <directory_name>
• Remove File: rm <filename> (Use with caution!)
• Remove Directory (Empty): rmdir <directory_name>
• Remove Directory (Non-Empty, Recursive): rm -r <directory_name> (Use with extreme caution!)
• Copy File: cp <source_file> <destination_file_or_directory>
• Move/Rename File: mv <source> <destination>
• Show Manual Page for Command: man <command> (e.g., man ls, press q to quit)
• Clear Terminal Screen: clear or Cmd + K
• Execute as Super User (Admin): sudo <command> (Requires password)
• Open File/Folder/URL: open <item> (e.g., open . opens current folder in Finder, open report.pdf)