Mac Keyboard Shortcuts
The system-wide macOS shortcuts that work in almost every app — Spotlight, app switching, screenshots and the rescue combos worth memorising.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotlight search | ⌘Space | — | |
| Switch apps | ⌘Tab | Alt+Tab | |
| Switch windows of current app | ⌘` | — | |
| Screenshot selected area | ⇧⌘4 | Win+Shift+S | |
| Screenshot whole screen | ⇧⌘3 | PrtScn | |
| Screenshot & recording menu | ⇧⌘5 | Win+G | |
| Capture a specific window | ⇧⌘4 then Space | Alt+PrtScn | |
| Force Quit dialog | ⌥⌘Esc | Ctrl+Alt+Del | |
| Lock screen | ⌃⌘Q | Win+L | |
| Hide front app | ⌘H | — | |
| Hide all other apps | ⌥⌘H | — | |
| Minimize window | ⌘M | Win+Down | |
| Quit app | ⌘Q | Alt+F4 | |
| Close window / tab | ⌘W | Ctrl+W | |
| New window | ⌘N | Ctrl+N | |
| New tab | ⌘T | Ctrl+T | |
| Open | ⌘O | Ctrl+O | |
| Save | ⌘S | Ctrl+S | |
| ⌘P | Ctrl+P | ||
| Find | ⌘F | Ctrl+F | |
| Copy / paste / cut | ⌘C / ⌘V / ⌘X | Ctrl+C / V / X | |
| Paste and match style | ⌥⇧⌘V | Ctrl+Shift+V | |
| Undo / redo | ⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z | Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y | |
| Select all | ⌘A | Ctrl+A | |
| Emoji & symbols picker | ⌃⌘Space | Win+. | |
| Mission Control | ⌃↑ | Win+Tab | |
| Application windows (Expose) | ⌃↓ | — | |
| Move left/right a space | ⌃← / ⌃→ | Ctrl+Win+←/→ | |
| Show Desktop | F11 or fn+F11 | Win+D | |
| Open Spotlight Finder search window | ⌥⌘Space | — | |
| Preferences of front app | ⌘, | — | |
| Full screen toggle | ⌃⌘F | F11 | |
| Delete forward | fn+Delete | Delete | |
| Go to start / end of line | ⌘← / ⌘→ | Home / End | |
| Go to start / end of document | ⌘↑ / ⌘↓ | Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End | |
| Move by word | ⌥← / ⌥→ | Ctrl+←/→ | |
| Delete previous word | ⌥Delete | Ctrl+Backspace | |
| Open Finder → Applications | ⇧⌘A | — | |
| Open Finder → Utilities | ⇧⌘U | — | |
| Empty Trash | ⇧⌘Delete | — |
The three every Mac user needs
Spotlight (⌘Space) opens apps, does math and finds files faster than any Dock click. ⇧⌘4 turns the cursor into crosshairs to grab any region — press Space after it to snap a single window. ⌥⌘Esc is the rescue hatch when an app freezes, giving you the Force Quit list without a restart.
Screenshots go deeper than you think
After ⇧⌘4, hold Space to capture a whole window with its shadow, or hold Control while you release to copy straight to the clipboard instead of saving a file. ⇧⌘5 opens the full capture bar with screen-recording and timer options.
FAQ
What is the ⌘ symbol?
That's the Command key, the primary modifier on Mac keyboards (equivalent to Ctrl on Windows for most shortcuts). ⌥ is Option/Alt, ⌃ is Control, and ⇧ is Shift.
How do I take a screenshot on a Mac?
⇧⌘3 captures the whole screen; ⇧⌘4 lets you drag a selection; ⇧⌘5 opens a bar with recording and window options. Files land on the Desktop by default.
My app is frozen — what's the fastest fix?
Press ⌥⌘Esc to open Force Quit, select the unresponsive app and click Force Quit. This closes just that app without restarting the Mac.
What is the Mac equivalent of Ctrl+Alt+Delete?
Press ⌥⌘Esc (Option-Command-Escape) to open the Force Quit dialog, which lets you close a frozen app. For the lock screen use ⌃⌘Q.
How do I type the delete-forward key on a Mac without a full keyboard?
Press fn+Delete. The standalone Delete key on Mac deletes backwards; fn+Delete deletes the character ahead of the cursor like the PC Delete key.