Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac Productivity

The Mac shortcuts to learn first are Command + Space for Spotlight search, Command + Tab to switch apps, Command + Shift + 4 for a screenshot of part of the screen, and Control + Space to change the keyboard language. Once you know the four modifier keys (Command, Option, Control, Shift), you reach for the mouse far less.

Every trip to the mouse or trackpad takes a moment. A handful of keyboard shortcuts keeps your hands on the keys and makes everyday work faster.

The Four Modifier Keys on a Mac

Most shortcuts combine a letter with one or more of these keys:

• Command (⌘): The main shortcut key. It does what Ctrl does on Windows: Copy (⌘C), Paste (⌘V), Close window (⌘W).
• Option (⌥): Gives a command a second meaning, for example closing all windows of an app with ⌥⌘W, or moving the cursor one word at a time.
• Control (⌃): Used for right-click (⌃-click) and for switching the keyboard language.
• Shift (⇧): Makes capital letters and, with the arrow keys, selects text.

Switching Between Apps and Windows

1. Command + Tab: Switch between open apps. Hold Command and tap Tab to move through the list. While the list is open, press Q to quit the highlighted app.
2. Command + ` (the key above Tab): Switch between windows of the app you are in.
3. Command + H: Hide the current app. Click its Dock icon to bring it back.
4. Command + M: Minimize the current window into the Dock.

Faster Text Editing

Skip the mouse when you fix a word in a sentence:

• Option + Left or Right Arrow: Move the cursor one word at a time.
• Command + Left or Right Arrow: Jump to the start or end of the line.
• Option + Delete: Delete the previous whole word.
• Command + Delete: Delete everything from the cursor back to the start of the line.

Typing in Two Languages

If you write in more than one language, Control + Space switches the keyboard language. Sometimes you forget to switch and type ghbdtn instead of привет. macOS has no shortcut that fixes this for you.

More Shortcuts with Tegaro

The Tegaro Layout tool and the other Tegaro tools add shortcuts to the menu-bar icon:

• Layout fix (English and Russian): Corrects text you typed in the wrong keyboard language, so you do not have to delete and retype it.
• Clipboard (⌃⌥V): Opens your copy history. Press ⌘1 to ⌘9 to paste one of the items. Clipboard is off until you turn it on and needs Pro after the 14-day trial.
• Text from screen (⌃⌥T): Drag a box over text in a picture or video and it is copied, ready to paste.

Frequently Asked Questions