If you want to work more productively on your Mac computer, use keyboard shortcuts to get to your goal faster. ntv.de presents around 40 short commands that are particularly helpful and practical.
If you visit Apple's Mac keyboard shortcuts support page, you'll be surprised at how many different combinations there are on macOS. There is an abbreviation for almost every step. Some are familiar to almost every Mac user, others perform functions you may never have heard of. It's impossible to remember all of the combinations, but it's worth memorizing some of them as they can make working on your Mac much easier and faster. Here are the favorites from ntv.de:
Standards
The combinations command + C and command + Vto copy an object to the clipboard and paste it elsewhere are the most common combinations. Are often used too command + Xto eliminate something and command + Zto undo a previous action.
To print a document you use command + P. To save it is the combo command + S with it command + shift key (big up arrow) +S, save it under a new name and/or location.
With command + O opens a selected object or a window where you can choose what to open. The combination command + A marks everything with command + I you get information about a marked file or folder. Open the info window with option + control + Iit stays open and displays information about any object you select.
Windows users in particular who switch to a Mac are wondering how to forward delete text, i.e. how to remove the letters that appear after the cursor. There is no Delete key; Apple users press it instead fn + backspace (the big arrow pointing to the left). Alternatively you can control + D to use. With command + backspace you put selected files directly in the trash.
Dealing with windows and programs
If you want to open a new window in a program (app), the combination helps command + N. If you want to minimize all open windows of a program into the dock, press command + option (old) + Mit should only be the front window, command + M. With command + W if you close the front window command + option + W all windows of a program.
If you have several programs open, press option + command + Hto show only the front-most app and hide all others. With control + tab (two opposite arrows one above the other) you have the option to quickly and easily switch between open programs. If an app no longer responds, you can option + command + Esc force their termination.
Search and find
You press at the same time command + spacebarthe Spotlight search opens with command + option + space bar starts you do a search in Finder. If you need to search for a word or other elements in a document, you use the abbreviation command + F. By repeating command + G If you press, you jump forward through the search results command + Shift + G it goes backwards.
With option + control + L you open the Downloads folder directly Shift + command + O the documents folder. Over Shift + command + F you can see which files you used most recently.
Screenshots
To open the hidden screenshot function on a Mac, use the combo command + Shift + 5. If you want to cut out a part of the screen rectangularly, you can choose command + Shift + 4. It's a real finger exercise if you want to specifically record a single window, because you have to do it at the same time command + Shift + 4 + Spacebar press.
Emojis
Emojis? But of course you can also use emojis on Macs! All you have to do is bring the character overview with you command + control + spacebar call. You then have the same selection as on the keyboard of a smartphone. You can either press fn + E. If the latest macOS Sonora is installed, you can also use this combination after a frequently used sentence like “thumbs up!” to use. You will then immediately see suitable symbol suggestions.
Sleep, lock, shutdown, restart
Once the work is done for now and you want to turn off the Mac, put it to sleep or restart it, this is the quickest way to do it control + on/off button. If you want it to go straight into sleep mode, press option + control + on/off switch.
If you're in a hurry but want to turn off the Mac properly, that's it control + option + command + on/off switch the best option. All programs will then be closed, but you will have the option to save files before progress is lost. If you take a break at work, you can take your Mac with you in a matter of seconds command + Q Lock it so that no curious colleague can snoop.
