Computing with Bifocals - A (Near)-Complete List of Mac Keyboard Shortcutsby - April 22nd, 2005
Computing with Bifocals - A (Near)-Complete List of Mac Keyboard Shortcuts
Some people prefer to use a keyboard to execute commands rather than a mouse. Since I prefer a mouse I sometimes forget that many people would rather use their keyboards.
Recently, reader Andy King reminded me that I have been quite remiss in not updating information about keyboard commands that work with OS X. He is so right.
I don't even have a viable excuse so I won't offer one. I will, however, offer the following list of keyboard commands that work with OS X for the benefit of everyone who prefers this option when using their Macs.
I gleaned this list from a number of Internet sources, Mac OS X's built-in Help screens, my friends, and dumb luck -- not necessarily in that order.
The first table of information demonstrates the symbols (in a size larger than the head of a pin) that are frequently used to represent specific keys on the Mac keyboards.
Full Keyboard Access for Activating Access
If you set the following controls you can completely navigate menus, the dock, dialogue boxes, etc. using just the keyboard. To make this work you much set the F1 key (turn full keyboard access on or off by selecting Control + F1) first.
Using Control With The "F" Keys
| KEYBOARD SHORTCUT |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| MENU COMMANDS |
|
| Shift+Apple+Q |
Log out |
| Shift+Option Apple+Q |
Log out immediately |
| Shift+Apple+Delete |
Empty Trash |
| Apple+H |
Hide Active Application (Doesn't Work With Adobe Applications) |
| Option+Apple+H |
Hide All But The Active Application |
| Control+Eject |
Shut Down, Sleep, or Restart Options |
| Apple+Control+Eject |
Quit all applications and Restart |
| Apple+ . (period) |
Stop a process |
| Apple+ , (comma) |
Open Preferences for Active Application |
| Option+Apple+D |
Show/Hide Dock |
| Control+Up Arrow |
Move up one page |
| Control+Down Arrow |
Move down one page |
| Option+Apple+Esc |
Force Quit |
| FILE MANAGEMENT |
|
| Command+N |
New Finder window (or New Blank Page in Some Applications) |
| Shift+Apple+N |
New Folder (Must Be In Finder Window For It to Work) |
| Apple+O |
Open Another Existing Document |
| Apple+S |
Save |
| Shift+Apple+S |
Save as |
| Apple+P |
|
| Apple+W |
Close Window |
| Apple+Command+W |
Close all Windows |
| Apple+I |
Get Info |
| Option+Apple+I |
Show Attributes Inspector (Limited use – varies by application.) |
| Apple+D |
Duplicate |
| Apple+Q |
Close Application |
| Apple+L |
Make Alias |
| Apple+R |
Show Original |
| Apple+T |
Add to Favorites |
| Apple+Delete |
Move Highlighted Items to Trash |
| Apple+E |
Eject |
| Apple+F |
Find |
| EDITING |
|
| Apple+Z |
Undo |
| Apple+X |
Cut |
| Apple+C |
Copy |
| Apple+V |
Paste |
| Apple+A |
Select All |
| Apple+ { |
Align Left - Only Works in Some Applications |
| Apple+ } |
Align Right - Only Works in Some Applications |
| Apple+ | (pipe) |
Align Center - Only Works in Some Applications |
| Apple+ ; (semicolon) |
Check Spelling - Only Works in Some Applications |
| Shift+Apple+C |
Show Colors palette in application - Only Works in Some Applications |
| Apple+T |
Show Font palette in application - Only Works in Some Applications |
| VIEW MENU |
|
| Apple+1 |
View as Icons |
| Apple+2 |
View as List |
| Apple+3 |
View as Columns |
| Option+Apple+T |
Hide Toolbar |
| Apple+J |
Show View Options |
| MOVING AROUND |
|
| Apple+ [ |
Back - Must be in Finder Window |
| Apple+ ] |
Forward - Must be in Finder Window |
| Shift+Apple+A |
Applications - Must be in Finder Window |
| Shift+Apple+F |
Favorites - Must be in Finder Window |
| Shift+Apple+G |
Goto Folder - Must be in Finder Window |
| Apple+K |
Connect to Server - Must be in Finder Window |
| CONTROLLING WINDOWS |
|
| Apple+M |
Minimize Window |
| Option+Apple+M |
Minimize All Windows |
| GETTING HELP |
|
| Apple+ ? |
Open Mac Help |
UNIVERSAL ACCESS |
|
| Option+Apple+* (asterisk) |
Turn on Zoom |
| Option+Apple+ = (equal) |
Zoom in |
| Option+Apple+ - (minus) |
Zoom out |
| Control+Option+Apple+* (asterisk) |
Switch to White on Black |
| COMBINE KEYBOARD WITH MOUSE | |
| Option+Drag |
Copy to new location |
| Option+Apple+Drag |
Make alias in new location |
| Apple+Drag |
Move to new location without copying |
| SCREEN SHOTS will leave a .pdf file on desktop to convert to a graphic |
|
| Apple+Shift+3 |
Take a picture of the screen |
| Apple+Shift+4 |
Take a picture of the selection |
| Apple+Shift+4, then press Control while selecting |
Take a picture of the screen, place in clipboard |
| Apple+Shift+4, then Spacebar |
Take a picture of the selected window |
I do hope keyboard-only enthusiasts find this list to be useful and that mouse enthusiasts find a trick or two that will help you save time for frequently executed commands.