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50 Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Worth Memorizing
Updated July 2026 · 7 min read
Not all shortcuts are equal — some you'll use fifty times a day, others once a year. This list is ordered by how much time they actually save, not alphabetically, so start at the top.
The ones you'll use constantly
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| ⌘C / ⌘V | Copy / Paste |
| ⌘Tab | Switch between open apps |
| ⌘Space | Spotlight search |
| ⌘W | Close current window/tab |
| ⌘Q | Quit the app entirely |
| ⌘Z / ⌘⇧Z | Undo / Redo |
| ⌘F | Find in page or document |
| ⌘⇧V | Clipboard history (with a manager like Vee) — see details |
Window & app management
| ⌘M | Minimize window |
| ⌘H | Hide current app |
| ⌥⌘H | Hide all other apps |
| ⌃← / → | Switch between full-screen Spaces |
| ⌃↑ | Mission Control (see all windows) |
| ⌘` | Cycle windows within the same app |
| ⌘⌥Esc | Force Quit dialog |
Finder & files
| ⌘⇧. | Show hidden files |
| ⌘⌫ | Move selected file to Trash |
| ⌘⇧⌫ | Empty Trash |
| ⌘N | New Finder window |
| ⌘⇧N | New folder |
| Space | Quick Look preview of a selected file |
| ⌘I | Get Info on a file |
| ⌘⇧G | Go to folder (type a path) |
Text editing
| ⌘A | Select all |
| ⌥← / → | Jump one word left/right |
| ⌘← / → | Jump to start/end of line |
| ⌘⌥⇧V | Paste and Match Style — see full guide |
| ⌃K | Cut from cursor to end of line |
| ⌃Y | Paste what ⌃K cut |
| ⌘B / I / U | Bold / Italic / Underline |
Screenshots
| ⌘⇧3 | Full-screen screenshot |
| ⌘⇧4 | Selected-area screenshot |
| ⌘⇧4, then Space | Screenshot a specific window |
| ⌘⇧5 | Screenshot & screen recording toolbar |
| Hold ⌃ while capturing | Copy to clipboard instead of saving a file |
Browser (Safari/Chrome)
| ⌘T | New tab |
| ⌘⇧T | Reopen last closed tab |
| ⌘L | Jump to address bar |
| ⌘1–9 | Jump to tab N |
| ⌘R | Reload page |
The gap Apple left: clipboard history
Notice ⌘⇧V only appears once above, tagged "with a manager" — that's because macOS has no native clipboard history to bind a shortcut to. Every shortcut in this list ships built into macOS; that one requires a small add-on. Vee fills exactly that gap: press ⌘⇧V and your full copy history opens right at the cursor. Read more in how clipboard history works on a Mac.
Related guides
Try Vee — your clipboard, one V away
Vee keeps everything you copy and opens your history right at the cursor. Press ⌘⇧V, pick, paste. Free for text history, no account required.
Download Vee for macOS