Mac Shortcuts

Command-X Cut: Remove the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard.
Command-C Copy the selected item to the Clipboard. This also works for files in the Finder.
Command-V Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the current document or app. This also works for files in the Finder.
Command-Z Undo the previous command. You can then press Command-Shift-Z to Redo, reversing the undo command. In some apps, you can undo and redo multiple commands.
Command-A Select All items.
Command-F Find: Open a Find window, or find items in a document.
Command-G Find Again: Find the next occurrence of the item previously found. To find the previous occurrence, press Command-Shift-G.
Command-H Hide the windows of the front app. To view the front app but hide all other apps, press Command-Option-H.
Command-M Minimize the front window to the Dock. To minimize all windows of the front app, press Command-Option-M.
Command-N New: Open an new document or window.
Command-O Open the selected item, or open a dialog to select a file to open.
Command-P Print the current document.
Command-S Save the current document.
Command-W Close the front window. To close all windows of the app, press Command-Option-W.
Command-Q Quit the app.
Command-Option-Esc Force Quit: Choose an app to force quit. Or press Command-Shift-Option-Esc and hold for 3 seconds to force just the front app to quit.
Command–Space bar Spotlight: Show or hide the Spotlight search field. To perform a Spotlight search from a Finder window, press Command–Option–Space bar. If you use multiple input sources to type in different languages, these shortcuts change input sources instead of showing Spotlight.
Space bar Quick Look: Use Quick Look to preview the selected item.
Command-Tab Switch apps: Switch to the next most recently used app among your open apps.
Command-Shift-Tilde (~) Switch windows: Switch to the next most recently used window of the front app.

 

Taking screenshots

Take a screenshot of your whole screen

  1. Press Command (⌘)-Shift-3.
  2. Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.

Take a screenshot of part of your screen

  1. Press Command-Shift-4. The pointer changes to a crosshair pointer.
  2. Move the crosshair pointer to where you want to start the screenshot.
  3. Drag to select an area. While dragging, you can hold the Shift key, Option key, or Space bar to change the way the selection moves.
  4. When you’ve selected the area you want, release your mouse or trackpad button. To cancel, press the Escape (esc) key before you release the button.
  5. Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.

Take a screenshot of a window

  1. Press Command-Shift-4. The pointer changes to a crosshair pointer.
  2. Press the Space bar. The pointer changes to a camera pointer.
  3. Move the camera pointer over a window to highlight it.
  4. Click your mouse or trackpad. To cancel, press the Escape (esc) key before you click.
  5. Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.

Learn more

  • Screenshots are saved as .png files on the desktop in Mac OS X v10.6 and later. They’re automatically named “Screen Shot date at time.png.”
  • To save your screenshot to the Clipboard instead of a file on your desktop, use Command-Shift-Control-4.
  • You can open screenshots with Preview or other image-editing apps.
  • Some apps, such as DVD Player, might not let you take screenshots of their windows.

Tips from Apple Support