Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
A comprehensive, printable reference guide to the most essential Mac keyboard shortcuts. Boost your macOS productivity with system commands, text editing, window management, and special symbols. Print this page using Cmd+P for offline reference.
System Shortcuts
Essential System Commands
Cmd + Space — Open Spotlight Search
Cmd + Option + Esc — Force Quit Applications
Cmd + Tab — Switch between applications
Cmd + ` — Cycle through windows of current app
Cmd + Control + Power — Force restart Mac
Cmd + , — Open Preferences for active app
Screenshot Shortcuts
Cmd + Shift + 3 — Capture entire screen
Cmd + Shift + 4 — Capture selected area
Cmd + Shift + 5 — Open Screenshot toolbar
Cmd + Shift + 4 + Space — Capture window
Text Editing
Universal text editing shortcuts that work in most macOS applications:
Cmd + X — Cut selected text
Cmd + C — Copy selected text
Cmd + V — Paste from clipboard
Cmd + A — Select all text
Cmd + Z — Undo last action
Cmd + Shift + Z — Redo last action
Cmd + F — Find text in document
Cmd + G — Find next occurrence
Cursor Movement
Line Navigation
Cmd + Left — Move to beginning of line
Cmd + Right — Move to end of line
Cmd + Up — Move to beginning of document
Cmd + Down — Move to end of document
Word Navigation
Option + Left — Move left one word
Option + Right — Move right one word
Option + Delete — Delete previous word
Fn + Delete — Forward delete (Del key)
Common Symbol Shortcuts
Type special characters and symbols quickly using Option key combinations:
Option + G — Copyright symbol ©
Option + 2 — Trademark symbol ™
Option + R — Registered trademark ®
Option + Shift + 8 — Degree symbol °
Option + Shift + 2 — Euro symbol €
Option + Shift + - — Em dash —
Option + - — En dash –
Option + 8 — Bullet point •
Option + / — Division sign ÷
Option + Shift + = — Plus-minus ±
Window Management
Window Controls
Cmd + W — Close current window
Cmd + Q — Quit current application
Cmd + M — Minimize window to Dock
Cmd + H — Hide current application
Cmd + Option + H — Hide all other apps
Cmd + N — Open new window in current app
Mission Control & Spaces
Control + Up — Open Mission Control
Control + Down — Show application windows
Control + Left/Right — Switch between Spaces
F11 — Show Desktop (hide all windows)
Finder Shortcuts
Navigate files and folders efficiently in macOS Finder:
Cmd + N — New Finder window
Cmd + Shift + N — Create new folder
Cmd + Delete — Move to Trash
Cmd + Shift + Delete — Empty Trash
Cmd + D — Duplicate selected item
Cmd + I — Show Get Info window
Cmd + Shift + H — Go to Home folder
Cmd + Shift + D — Go to Desktop
Cmd + Shift + O — Go to Documents
Cmd + Up — Open parent folder
Space — Quick Look preview
Text Formatting
Formatting Shortcuts
These work in apps that support rich text formatting like Pages, Mail, and Notes:
Cmd + B — Bold selected text
Cmd + I — Italicize selected text
Cmd + U — Underline selected text
Cmd + K — Add hyperlink
Cmd + T — Show Fonts window
Document Actions
Cmd + S — Save document
Cmd + Shift + S — Save As (duplicate)
Cmd + P — Print document
Cmd + O — Open file dialog
Cmd + W — Close current tab/window
Printable Reference
This page is designed to be printer-friendly. Press Cmd + P to print or save as PDF for offline reference. Keep it at your desk for quick access to essential Mac keyboard shortcuts.
For more shortcuts specific to development tools, check out our Vim and IDE shortcuts guides.