Printable Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
74 macOS shortcuts on one page — system, Finder, text editing, screenshots, Mission Control and Spotlight. Hit Print or Download PDF; no signup. If you need the Windows keys beside the Mac ones, the two-platform keyboard shortcuts sheet covers both.
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Mac Keyboard Shortcuts
74 macOS shortcuts on one page
System & Apps
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Copy / paste / cut | Cmd+C / V / X |
| Undo / redo | Cmd+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z |
| Select everything | Cmd+A |
| Find in this window | Cmd+F |
| Save / Save As | Cmd+S / Cmd+Shift+S |
| Cmd+P | |
| New window / new tab | Cmd+N / Cmd+T |
| Switch apps | Cmd+Tab |
| Cycle windows of this app | Cmd+` |
| Close the window / tab | Cmd+W |
| Close all the app's windows | Cmd+Option+W |
| Quit the app | Cmd+Q |
| Minimize to the Dock | Cmd+M |
| Hide the app / hide others | Cmd+H / Cmd+Option+H |
| App settings | Cmd+, |
| Show or hide the Dock | Cmd+Option+D |
| Search this app's menus | Cmd+Shift+/ |
| Force Quit dialog | Cmd+Option+Esc |
| Lock the screen | Ctrl+Cmd+Q |
Finder
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| New Finder window | Cmd+N |
| New folder | Cmd+Shift+N |
| New folder from the selection | Ctrl+Cmd+N |
| Open the selected item | Cmd+O or Cmd+↓ |
| Rename | Return |
| Quick Look (preview) | Space |
| Get Info | Cmd+I |
| Duplicate | Cmd+D |
| Make an alias | Ctrl+Cmd+A |
| Move instead of copy* | Cmd+C, Cmd+Option+V |
| Move to Trash | Cmd+Delete |
| Empty the Trash | Cmd+Shift+Delete |
| Enclosing folder / back | Cmd+↑ / Cmd+[ |
| Go to Folder… | Cmd+Shift+G |
| Show hidden files | Cmd+Shift+. |
| Icon / list / column / gallery | Cmd+1 / 2 / 3 / 4 |
| Show the path bar | Cmd+Option+P |
| Show the sidebar | Cmd+Option+S |
| Desktop / Downloads folder | Cmd+Shift+D / Cmd+Option+L |
| Connect to Server | Cmd+K |
Text Editing
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move a word left / right | Option+← / → |
| Select the word left / right | Option+Shift+← / → |
| Start / end of the line | Cmd+← / → |
| Select to the line's start / end | Cmd+Shift+← / → |
| Top / bottom of the document | Cmd+↑ / ↓ |
| Delete the word behind the cursor | Option+Delete |
| Delete to the start of the line | Cmd+Delete |
| Forward delete | Fn+Delete |
| Bold / italic / underline | Cmd+B / I / U |
| Paste and match style | Cmd+Option+Shift+V |
| Look the word up in the dictionary | Ctrl+Cmd+D |
| Jump to the next misspelling | Cmd+; |
| Emoji & Symbols | Ctrl+Cmd+Space |
Screenshots
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Whole screen, saved to a file | Cmd+Shift+3 |
| Drag out an area | Cmd+Shift+4 |
| One window or menu | Cmd+Shift+4, then Space |
| Screenshot & recording toolbar | Cmd+Shift+5 |
| Copy it instead of saving a file | Add Ctrl |
| Stop a screen recording | Ctrl+Cmd+Esc |
| Touch Bar (MacBook Pro) | Cmd+Shift+6 |
Mission Control & Spaces
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Mission Control | Ctrl+↑ or F3 |
| Every window of this app | Ctrl+↓ |
| One space left / right | Ctrl+← / → |
| Jump to desktop 1, 2, 3…‡ | Ctrl+1 / 2 / 3 |
| Show the desktop | Fn+F11 |
| Full screen / leave full screen | Ctrl+Cmd+F |
| Tile the window left / right§ | Fn+Ctrl+← / → |
Spotlight & Launchers
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Open Spotlight | Cmd+Space |
| Search files in a Finder window | Cmd+Option+Space |
| Open the top hit | Return |
| Reveal the hit in Finder | Cmd+Return |
| See the highlighted hit's path | Hold Cmd |
| Do the maths or convert a unit | Type 12*8 or 30 C in F |
| Alfred or Raycast (default) | Option+Space |
| Alfred: run result 1–9 | Cmd+1 … 9 |
Cmd = Command, Option = Alt, Ctrl = Control, Delete = the Delete (backspace) key. * Copy the file first; Cmd+Option+V then moves it rather than leaving a copy. Adding Ctrl to a screenshot shortcut copies the image instead of saving a file. ‡ Turn numbered desktops on in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Mission Control. § Tiling needs macOS Sequoia or later. If a top-row key runs brightness or volume, hold Fn too. · printablepolly.com/mac-keyboard-shortcuts
The Shortcuts Worth Learning First
1. Cmd + Space, then type
Spotlight opens apps, finds files, does arithmetic and converts units without you touching the Dock — type 12*8 or 30 C in F and the answer is the first result. Return opens the top hit, Cmd + Return shows it in Finder, and holding Cmd displays the full path of whatever is highlighted, which settles the question of which of your four files called invoice.pdf this one is.
2. Cmd + Tab, Cmd + ` and Ctrl + ↓
These three are usually confused for one another. Cmd + Tab moves between apps; Cmd + ` cycles the windows inside the app you are already in; Ctrl + ↓ fans every window of that app out on screen so you can pick one by sight. Add Ctrl + ← and Ctrl + → for full screen spaces and you can drive a whole desktop without reaching for the trackpad.
3. Cmd + Shift + 4, and the Ctrl trick
Cmd + Shift + 4 drags out a screenshot; pressing Space next switches to window capture. The part most people never learn is that adding Ctrl to any screenshot shortcut sends the image straight to the clipboard instead of littering the desktop with PNGs — Ctrl + Cmd + Shift + 4, then Cmd + V into the message you were writing.
4. Option and Cmd inside text
Option moves by word, Cmd moves by line, and adding Shift to either turns the move into a selection — Option + Shift + → selects the next word, Cmd + Shift + ← selects back to the start of the line. Option + Delete then removes a whole word at a time. The same modifiers behave this way in almost every Mac app, including the spreadsheet ones on the Excel shortcuts sheet and the Google Sheets chart.
Printable PDF
The chart above is the whole thing — one US Letter page, black-and-white friendly. Print as many copies as you need for a class, a team or a computer lab. No signup, no watermark.
Mac keyboards and mice to go with the chart
As an Amazon Associate, Printable Polly earns from qualifying purchases. Prices are approximate and set by Amazon.
- Mechanical pick
Keychron K2 wireless mechanical keyboard
Ships with Mac keycaps and a Mac/Windows toggle, so Cmd and Option sit where this chart says they do instead of you translating from a Windows layout. The 75% board keeps the arrow keys and a function row — needed for Ctrl+← / → and Fn+F11 — and pairs to three devices over Bluetooth.
- Mouse pick
Logitech MX Master 3S
The thumb button and horizontal wheel can be mapped to Mission Control and space-switching in Logi Options+, which covers the left half of the chart without a keyboard. Quiet clicks, USB-C, and it tracks on glass — useful on a bare desk.
- Gesture pick
Apple Magic Trackpad
Mission Control, spaces and Launchpad were designed around trackpad gestures — a four-finger swipe up or sideways does what Ctrl+↑ and Ctrl+← do here. Worth it on a desktop Mac where you would otherwise lose the gestures a MacBook has built in.
More Printable Tech Cheat Sheets
FAQ
What is the Mac equivalent of Ctrl?
Command (Cmd) does the job Ctrl does on Windows: Cmd+C, Cmd+V, Cmd+Z, Cmd+S, Cmd+P. A Mac also has a separate Control key, and it is not interchangeable — Ctrl shows up in the system-level shortcuts instead, like Ctrl+↑ for Mission Control, Ctrl+Cmd+Q to lock the screen and Ctrl+Cmd+F for full screen. Option (Alt) is the third modifier and usually means "the same command, but more": Cmd+W closes a window, Cmd+Option+W closes all of them.
How do I take a screenshot on a Mac?
Cmd+Shift+3 saves the whole screen, Cmd+Shift+4 lets you drag out an area, and pressing Space after Cmd+Shift+4 turns the crosshair into a camera that grabs one window or menu cleanly, drop shadow and all. Add Ctrl to any of them — Ctrl+Cmd+Shift+4 — and the shot goes to the clipboard instead of the desktop. Cmd+Shift+5 opens the toolbar with the screen recorder, a timer and the setting that controls where the files land.
How do I switch between two windows of the same app?
Cmd+Tab moves between apps, not windows, which is why it skips the second Safari window you are looking for. Cmd+` (the backtick above Tab) cycles the windows inside the app you are already in. Ctrl+↓ is the third option: it fans out every window of the current app so you can pick one by eye, which is faster once there are more than three.
How do I delete a file when a Mac keyboard has no Delete key?
Cmd+Delete moves the selected file to the Trash — the Delete key on its own does nothing in Finder. Cmd+Shift+Delete empties the Trash. The same key is a forward delete when you hold Fn, which is what Fn+Delete does in a text field. On a full-size Apple keyboard with a number pad, the key marked ⌦ already forward-deletes.
Can I use Cmd+Space for Alfred or Raycast instead of Spotlight?
Yes, but macOS has to give the key up first. Both launchers install on Option+Space so they do not collide out of the box. To hand over Cmd+Space, open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Spotlight and untick "Show Spotlight search", then set Cmd+Space as the hotkey inside Alfred or Raycast. Alfred's clipboard history is a separate feature you turn on and give its own hotkey — it is off until you do.
Why do the F-keys change the volume instead of running shortcuts?
On a Mac the top row runs brightness, Mission Control and volume by default, and the F-key behind it needs Fn — that is why the chart lists Fn+F11 for showing the desktop. To flip it, turn on "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" in System Settings → Keyboard, after which the media controls are the ones that need Fn.
Is this Mac cheat sheet free to print?
Yes. Click Print or Download PDF and all 74 shortcuts come out on one US Letter page — no signup, no watermark, and no limit on copies for a class, an office or a computer lab.