MacBook Keyboard Shortcuts: A lot of Mac owners will agree that keyboard shortcuts help simplify their lives. However, learning all the available keyboard shortcuts can be a real challenge if you’re new to a Mac. Besides MacBook, many of these shortcuts will now work in iPadOS, too, thanks to the Magic Keyboard available to iPad Pro users.
Mac keyboard shortcuts permit us to do things on our computer that would typically require us to use a mouse, trackpad, or another device with a combination of the keys on your keyboard.
Some keyboard shortcuts may require more than just one or two keys. In this article, we have put together a list of the essential shortcuts you should know.
Wondering How to explore & learn Shortcut Keys for various Operating Systems, Computer Software Programs, Social media applications Keyboards? Here is the one-stop destination for all Keyboard Shortcuts, just take a look & memorize regularly for better performance in competitive exams & real-time situations.
MacBook Keyboard Shortcuts
- Basic Important Keyboard Shortcuts
- Keyboard Shortcuts for Cut, Copy, Paste, and Few Other Commands
- Keyboard Shortcuts for Finder and System
- Keyboard Shortcuts for Startup Keyboard Shortcuts for Other Applications on MacBook
- Mac Function Keys
- Conclusion
Basic Important Keyboard Shortcuts
MAC launchpad keyboard shortcut: Some of the most common and basic shortcuts that are very much helpful if you are a MacBook user are listed below:
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function |
| Command + Space | Open Spotlight |
| Command + Shift + 4 | Capture custom screenshot |
| Command + Control + D | Define highlighted word |
| Command + Control + Power | Restart your Mac (without confirmation dialog box) |
| Command + Shift + Delete | Empty Trash (opens confirmation dialog box) |
| Command + Comma | Open Preferences for the current app |
| Option + Shift + F11/F12 | Change volume in smaller increments |
| Option + Shift + F1/F2 | Change brightness in smaller increments |
Keyboard Shortcuts for Cut, Copy, Paste, and Few Other Commands
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function |
| Command + A | Select all |
| Command + C | Copy |
| Command + V | Paste |
| Command + X | Cut |
| Command + S | Save |
| Command + Q | Quit |
| Command + N | New |
| Command + Z or Command + Shift + Z | Undo/Redo |
| Command + M | Minimize window |
| Command + W | Close window |
| Command + P | |
| Command + B | Bold |
| Command + I | Italicize |
| Command + U | Underline |
Keyboard Shortcuts for Finder and System
Launchpad keyboard shortcut: The macOS X Lion Finder helps you to access and organize most of the essential macOS X functions while you are working. You can use the Finder keyboard shortcuts to display windows, copy and move files, or launch applications. The keyboard shortcuts for the finder and system are listed below:
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function |
| Command + A | To select all items in the front Finder window |
| Command + Option + A | Deselect all items |
| Command + Shift + A | Open Applications folder |
| Command + C | Copy selected item/text to the Clipboard |
| Command + Shift + C | Open the Computer window in Finder |
| Command + D | Duplicate selected item |
| Command + Shift + D | Open desktop folder |
| Command + E | Eject |
| Command + F | Find any matching Spotlight attribute |
| Command + Shift + F | Find Spotlight file name matches |
| Command + Shift + G | Go to Folder |
| Command + H | Hide the currently active window |
| Command + I | Get Info |
| Command + Option + I | Show Inspector |
| Command + Control + I | Get Summary Info |
| Command + Shift + I | Open iCloud Drive |
| Command + J | Show View Options |
| Command + K | Connect to Server |
| Command + Shift + K | Open Network window |
| Command + L | Make an alias of the selected element |
| Command + M | Minimize a window |
| Command + M + Option | Minimize all windows |
| Command + N | New Finder window |
| Command + N + Shift | New folder |
| Command + O | Open the selected element |
| Command + Q + Shift | Log out |
| Command + Q + Shift + Option | To log out instantly |
| Command + R | Show origin of alias |
| Command + T | To open the current location in a new tab |
| Command + Shift + T | Show the Tab Bar |
| Command + Option + T | Show or hide the Sidebar |
| Command + Shift + U | Open Utilities folder |
| Command + V | Paste |
| Command + W | Close window |
| Command + Option + W | Close all windows |
| Command + X | Cut |
| Command + Option + Y | Slideshow (For Mac OS X v10.5 or later) |
| Command + Z or Command + Shift+ Z | Undo / Redo |
| Command + 1 | To view as Icon |
| Command + 2 | To view as List |
| Command + 3 | To view as Columns |
| Command + 4 | View as Cover Flow (For Mac OS X v10.5 or later) |
| Command + Comma (,) | To open Finder preferences |
| Command + Accent (`) | Cycle through open Finder windows |
| Command + Shift + Question Mark (?) | Open the Help menu |
| Command + Left Bracket ([) | Go to the previous folder |
| Command + Right Bracket (]) | Go to the next folder |
| Command + Up Arrow | To open the folder that contains the current folder |
| Command + Down Arrow | Open highlighted element |
| Right Arrow (List view) | Open the selected folder |
| Left Arrow (List view) | Close the selected folder |
| Command + double-click | Open a folder in a separate tab |
| Command + Click window title | To see the folders that contain the current window |
| Command + Delete | To move to Trash |
| Command + Delete + Shift | Empty Trash |
| Command + Delete + Shift + Option | Empty Trash without confirmation dialog box |
| Space bar (or Command + Y) | Quick Loo |
| Command key + Drag | To move dragged item to another volume/location |
| Option key + Drag | Copy the dragged item (pointer icon changes while the key is held) |
| Command + Option key combination while dragging | Make an alias of the dragged item (pointer icon changes while the key is held) |
Keyboard Shortcuts for Startup
Open launchpad shortcut: Startup programs by Mac are apps and other processes that start running automatically when macOS starts. The keyboard shortcuts that are used to operate the Startup programs are listed below:
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function |
| C | Start from a bootable media (DVD, CD, USB thumb drive, and so on) |
| D | Use Apple Hardware Test |
| T | Start in FireWire target disk mode |
| N | Start from NetBoot server |
| X | Force MacOS Startup |
| Option | Display all bootable volumes (Startup Manager) |
| Shift | Perform a Safe Boot (Safe Mode Startup) |
| Left Shift | To prevent automatic login |
| Command + R | Use Recovery (OS X Lion or later) |
| Command + S | Start in Single User Mode |
| Command + V | Start in Verbose Mode |
| Command + Option + P + R | Reset NVRAM/PRAM |
| Hold down the F12 key or Media Eject (⏏) key, or the trackpad button, or mouse | Eject removable discs |
Keyboard Shortcuts for Other Applications on MacBook
Few more keyboard shortcuts that are used on different applications in a MacBook are listed below:
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function |
| Command + Space bar | Show or hide the Spotlight search |
| Control + A | Move to the beginning of line or paragraph |
| Control + B | Move a character backward |
| Control + D | Delete the character just in front of the cursor |
| Control + E | Move to end of line or paragraph |
| Control + F | Move a character forward |
| Control + H | Delete the character just behind the cursor |
| Control + K | Start deleting from the character in front of the cursor to the end of the line |
| Control + L | Centre the cursor/selection in the visible area |
| Control + N | Move down a line |
| Control + O | Insert a new line after the cursor |
| Control + P | Move up a line |
| Control + | Transpose the character behind the cursor with the character in front of the cursor |
| Control + V | Move down a page |
| Command + Tab | Move to the next most recently-used application in a list of open applications |
| Command + Esc | Open Front Row (if installed) |
| F3 | Open Mission Control |
| Command + F3 | Hide or show all open windows |
| Control + F3 | To show the open windows for the currently active app and the recently opened documents for that app |
| F4 | Show Launchpad |
| Command + Option + Accent (`) | Move focus to the window drawer |
| Command + Shift + | | Centre-align a selection |
| Command + Shift + [ | Left-align a selection |
| Command + Shift + ] | Right-align a selection |
| Command + Option + Control + Period (.) | Increase screen contrast |
| Command + Option + Control + Comma (,) | Decrease screen contrast |
| Command + Shift + Colon (:) | Display the Spelling window |
| Command + Semicolon (;) | Find misspelled words in the document |
| Command + Shift + = | Increase the size of the selected item |
| Command + Minus (-) | Decrease the size of the selected item |
| Command + Option + / | Turn font smoothing on or off |
| Command + C | Copy the selected data to the Clipboard |
| Command + Control + C | To copy the formatting settings of the selected item and store on the Clipboard |
| Command + Option + C | Copy the style of the selected text |
| Command + Shift + C | Display the Colours window |
| Command + Shift + 4 | Capture a selection to a file |
| Command + Shift + Control + 4 | Capture a selection to the Clipboard |
| Command + Control + D | To display the meaning of the word selected, in the Dictionary application |
| Command + Option + D | Show or hide the Dock |
| Command + Delete | To select “Don’t Save” in dialog box that has a Don’t Save option |
| Command + E | To copy the selection for use with the Find function – Command + F |
| Command + F | To open a Find window (Find Function) |
| Command + G | Find the next occurrence of the selection |
| Command + Shift + G | Find the previous occurrence of the selection |
| Command + J | Scroll to a selection |
| Command + N | To create a new document in the frontmost application |
| Command + O | Display a dialog box for choosing a document to open in the frontmost application |
| Command + P | Display the Print dialog box |
| Command + Shift + P | Display a dialog box for specifying printing parameters |
| Command + Q | To quit the frontmost application |
| Command + S | Save the current document |
| Command + T | Display the Fonts window |
| Command + Option + T | Show or hide a toolbar |
| Command + V | To paste the Clipboard contents at the insertion point |
| Command + Control + V | To apply formatting settings to the selected object |
| Command + Option + V | To apply the style of one object to the selected object |
| Command + Option + Shift + V | To apply the style of the surrounding text to the inserted object |
Mac Function Keys
The Mac function keys are placed at the top of the keyboard. The F1-F12 keys can be used both as standard function keys or as built-in Mac features. The look of the function keys may vary depending on what model of Mac you own, but each key shows a self-explanatory image that tells you what the built-in Mac feature is. To decode the icons and keys, we have listed the function keys with their functions for you.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function |
| F1 | Lower brightness |
| F2 | Increase brightness |
| F3 | Open Mission Control |
| F4 | Open Launchpad |
| F5 | Lower keyboard brightness |
| F6 | Increase keyboard brightness |
| F7 | Skip back (audio) |
| F8 | Pause/Play |
| F9 | Skip forward (audio) |
| F10 | Mute |
| F11 | Increase volume |
| F12 | Decrease volume |
As said earlier, you can use the F1-F12 keys on your Mac as standard function keys also. The function keys will work differently depending on the app you’re using and the keyboard shortcuts that you have set up. If you wish to use the function keys as standard function keys, hold down the Function (fn) key and press a function key.
Conclusion on MacBook Keyboard Shortcuts
Our keyboard can do a lot more than we may realize. As we memorize these Mac keyboard shortcuts, we will be able to navigate our computer even faster. These keyboard shortcuts are major timesavers, and once you start implementing them in your daily lives, you can work more efficiently. These shortcuts are also easy to learn and remember because most of the shortcuts use the first letter of the command.
We hope this article has benefited you and if you want to ace all of the macOS keyboard shortcuts, keep learning and memorizing all of the keyboard shortcuts that you find helpful.