Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

There are lots of keyboard shortcuts available to use on a Mac. Below I have picked out a few that I consider the most useful to begin with. For a longer list that is relevant to the specific application you’re in I recommend installing CheatSheet.

Text formatting

Bold, italic and underline

Keyboard Shortcut	What it does
Command-B	Bold the selected text
Command-I	IDisplay the selected text in Italics
Command-U	Underline the selected text

Text and file operations

Cut, copy and paste

Keyboard Shortcut	What it does
Command-X	Cut the selected text / item
Command-C	Copy the selected text / item
Command-V	Paste the selected text / item

Select all, undo, duplicate

Keyboard Shortcut	What it does
Command-A	Select all text / items
Command-Z	Undo
Command-D	Duplicates the selected text / item

Open a tab, hide or close a window

Keyboard Shortcut	What it does
Command-T	Open a new tab
Command-H	Hide a window
Command-W	Close a window

Operating system

Delete, Preview, Spotlight

Keyboard Shortcut	What it does
Command-Backspace	Delete the selected item
Spacebar	Preview the selected item
Command-Spacebar	Lauch Spotlight to search your Mac, the Internet or perform calculations

Cycle through and quit and force quit

Keyboard Shortcut	What it does
Command-Tab	Displays open apps, tap tab repeatedly to cycle through
Command-Q	Quit the active app
Command-Alt-Esc	Presents the Force Quit menu