03-Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

Common Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

Finder

Shortcut	Function	Notes
Command + ↑	Go to parent folder
Command + ↓	Enter current folder
Shift + Command + G	Go to folder by path	Includes hidden folders
Shift + Command + .	Show hidden files/folders	Press again to hide them
Command + K	Connect to server	Use this to connect to network neighbors

Editing & Deleting Text

Shortcut	Function	Notes
delete	Delete character before cursor	Equivalent to Backspace on Windows keyboards
fn + delete	Delete character after cursor
option + delete	Delete entire word before cursor	Works for English text
command + delete	Delete entire line before cursor	Recommended
command + delete	Delete selected file in Finder
shift + command + delete	Empty Trash

Cutting Files: First, select the file, then press Command+C to copy it; next, press Command+Option+V to cut the file.

Note: Command+X only cuts text, not files — don’t confuse them.

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15 Must-Know Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac Users

Space Key: Quick Preview

After selecting a file, press the space key to preview it without opening any application. Press space again to exit preview.

Supports previewing MP3, videos, PDFs, etc.

You can also select multiple images and press space to preview them simultaneously — very useful!

Renaming Files

Select a file or folder, then press Enter to rename it.

Command + I: View File Properties

• Select a file and press Command + I to view its properties.
• Select a folder and press Command + I to check its size. Recommended

Switch Input Method

Control + Space

Open Spotlight Search

Spotlight is a built-in system tool, but its search is limited. Most users prefer third-party tools like Alfred.

Editing Shortcuts

Cmd+C, Cmd+V, Cmd+X, Cmd+A, Cmd+Z.

Scrolling & Cursor Movement

• Control + ↑: Move cursor to start of document (scroll to top)
• Control + ↓: Move cursor to end of document (scroll to bottom)
• Control + ←: Move cursor to leftmost position of current line
• Control + →: Move cursor to rightmost position of current line

Command + Shift + Y: Save Text to Notes

Select content (e.g., text, links), then press Command + Shift + Y to save it directly to the built-in Notes app.

Great for temporarily saving content.

Application Shortcuts

• Command + Q: Quit application quickly
• Command + Tab: Switch between applications
• Command + H: Hide current application (a useful shortcut)
• Command + ,: Open current application’s Preferences

Window Management

• Command + N: Open a new window for current application
• Command + `: Switch between windows of the same application (very useful)

Note: Command + Tab switches between different apps, but Command + ` switches between different windows within the same app.

• Command + M: Minimize current window
• Command + W: Close current window

Browser Shortcuts

• Command + T: Open new tab in browser
• Command + W: Close current tab
• Command + R: Force refresh
• Command + L: Focus address bar (important)

Screenshot Shortcuts

• Command + Shift + 3: Take full-screen screenshot

Audio Shortcuts

Select text, then hold Control + Esc to have it read aloud. (Note: This may not work on Macs with Touch Bar.)

Dock Shortcuts

• Option + Command + D: Hide Dock

Force Quit

Force Quit shortcut is very important

• Option + Command + Esc: Open Force Quit window

Option Key Shortcuts

Highly recommended

• Option + Command + H: Hide all applications except the current one
• In text, hold Option while selecting with mouse to select blocks of text
• Option + Command + W: Close all windows of current application (very useful)
  For example, if you’ve opened many file details, use this to close them all at once.
• Option + Command + I: View combined properties of multiple selected files
• In Launchpad, hold Option to uninstall applications
• In Dock, right-click app icon while holding Option to force quit the app (important)
• In Safari, press Option + Command + Q to quit Safari. Next time you launch Safari, it will reopen the last session.

Recommended App: CheatSheet

After opening CheatSheet, hold the Command key to display all shortcuts for the current app. You can also save these shortcuts for later.

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Reference Links

• 《轻松玩Mac》Episode 6: 15 Must-Know Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac Users