Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts
Startup | Finder Windows | Menu Commands | Universal Access | Mouse Keys | Screen Captures | Other
System Startup
Hold these keys immediately following the Macintosh startup chime until the screen appears.
| Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
| Hold X during startup |
Startup from Mac OS X (regardless of Startup Disk Preference) |
| Hold Option-Command-Shift-Delete during startup |
Bypass primary startup volume and seek a different startup volume (such as a CD or external disk) |
| Hold C during startup |
Start up from a CD that has a system folder |
| Hold N during startup |
Attempt to start up from a compatible network server (NetBoot) |
| Hold T during startup |
Start up in FireWire Target Disk mode |
| Hold Shift during startup |
Start up in Safe Boot mode to temporarily disable login items and non-essential kernel extensions |
| Hold Command-V during startup |
Start up in Verbose mode |
| Hold Command-S during startup |
Start up in Single-User mode |
Finder Windows
The following shortcuts can be used when a Finder window is active.
| Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
| Command-W |
Close window |
| Option-Command-W |
Close all windows |
| Command-Right Arrow |
Expand folder (only in list view) |
| Option-Command-Right Arrow |
Expand folder and nested subfolders (only in list view) |
| Command-Left Arrow |
Collapse Folder (only in list view) |
| Option-Command-Up Arrow |
Open parent folder and close current window |
| Command-1 |
View Menu -> View as Icons |
| Command-2 |
View Menu -> View as List |
| Command-3 |
View Menu -> View as Columns |
Menu Commands
These shortcuts can be used in place of selecting options from the Finder menu (as shown above).
| Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
| Shift-Command-Q |
Apple Menu -> Log out |
| Shift-Option-Command-Q |
Apple Menu -> Log out immediately |
| Shift-Command-Delete |
Finder Menu -> Empty Trash |
| Option-Shift-Command-Delete |
Finder Menu -> Empty Trash without dialog |
| Command-H |
Finder Menu -> Hide Finder |
| Option-Command-H |
Finder Menu -> Hide Others |
| Command-N |
File Menu -> New Finder window |
| Shift-Command-N |
File Menu -> New Folder |
| Command-O |
File Menu -> Open |
| Command-S |
File Menu -> Save |
| Shift-Command-S |
File Menu -> Save as |
| Command-P |
File Menu -> Print |
| Command-W |
File Menu -> Close Window |
| Option-Command-W |
File Menu -> Close all Windows |
| Command-I |
File Menu -> Get Info |
| Option-Command-I |
File Menu -> Show Attributes Inspector |
| Command-D |
File Menu -> Duplicate |
| Command-L |
File Menu -> Make Alias |
| Command-R |
File Menu -> Show original |
| Command-T |
File Menu -> Add to Sidebar |
| Command-Delete |
File Menu -> Move to Trash |
| Command-E |
File Menu -> Eject |
| Command-F |
File Menu -> Find |
| Command-Z |
Edit Menu -> Undo |
| Command-X |
Edit Menu -> Cut |
| Command-C |
Edit Menu -> Copy |
| Command-V |
Edit Menu -> Paste |
| Command-A |
Edit Menu -> Select All |
| Command-1 |
View Menu -> View as Icons |
| Command-2 |
View Menu -> View as List |
| Command-3 |
View Menu -> View as Columns |
| Command-B |
View Menu -> Hide Toolbar |
| Command-J |
View Menu -> Show View Options |
| Command - [ |
Go Menu -> Back |
| Command - ] |
Go Menu -> Forward |
| Shift-Command-C |
Go Menu -> Computer |
| Shift-Command-H |
Go Menu -> Home |
| Shift-Command-I |
Go Menu -> iDisk |
| Shift-Command-A |
Go Menu -> Applications |
| Shift-Command-F |
Go Menu -> Favorites |
| Shift-Command-G |
Go Menu -> Goto Folder |
| Command-K |
Go Menu -> Connect to Server |
| Command-M |
Window Menu -> Minimize Window |
| Option-Command-M |
Window Menu -> Minimize All Windows |
| Command-? |
Help Menu -> Open Mac Help |
| Command-Space |
Open Spotlight |
Universal Access
These settings can also be changed by opening the Universal Access System Preference.
| Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
| Option-Command-* (asterisk) |
Turn on Zoom |
| Option-Command-+ (plus) |
Zoom in |
| Option-Command-- (minus) |
Zoom out |
| Control-Option-Command-* (asterisk) |
Switch to White on Black |
| Control-F1 |
Turn on Full Keyboard Access (enables the following five commands) |
| Control-F2 |
Highlight Menu (when Full Keyboard Access is enabled) |
| Control-F3 |
Highlight Dock (when Full Keyboard Access is enabled) |
| Control-F4 |
Highlight Active Window or next window behind it (when Full Keyboard Access is enabled) |
| Control-F5 |
Highlight Toolbar (when Full Keyboard Access is enabled) |
| Control-F6 |
Highlight Utility window (when Full Keyboard Access is enabled) |
| Command-F5 or fn-Command-F5 |
Turn VoiceOver on or off |
| Control-Option-F8 or fn-Control-Option-F8 |
Open VoiceOver Utility |
| Control-Option-F7 or fn-Control-option-F7 |
Display VoiceOver menu |
| Control-Option-; (semicolon) |
Enable / Disable VoiceOver Control-Option lock |
Mouse Keys
Mouse keys allows you to move the mouse using the numeric keypad on the keyboard.
You can turn on Mouse Keys from within the Universal Access System Preference.
| Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
| 8 |
Move Up |
| 2 |
Move Down |
| 4 |
Move Left |
| 6 |
Move Right |
| 1, 3, 7, and 9 |
Move Diagonally |
| 5 |
Press Mouse Button |
| 0 |
Hold Mouse Button |
| . (period on keypad) |
Release Mouse Button (after pressing 0) |
Screen Captures
The following commands can be used to take screenshots within the Finder or any program.
Screenshots that are not copied to the clipboard are saved as a file on the Desktop.
| Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
| Command-Shift-3 |
Take a picture of the entire screen |
| Command-Shift-4 |
Take a picture of a selection (the cursor will turn into a crosshairs for selecting an area) |
| Command-Control-Shift-4 |
Take a picture of the screen and copy to the Clipboard |
| Command-Shift-4, then Spacebar |
Take a picture of the selected window |
Other Commands
| Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
| Option-Command-D |
Show/Hide Dock |
| Command-Tab |
Switch application |
| Tab |
Highlight next item |
| Command-Up Arrow |
Move up one directory |
| Command-Down Arrow |
Move down one directory |
| Page Up or Control-Up Arrow |
Move up one page |
| Page Down or Control-Down Arrow |
Move down one page |
| Option-Drag |
Copy to new location |
| Option-Command-Drag |
Make alias in new location |
| Command-Drag |
Move to new location without copying |
| Shift-Command-C |
Show Colors palette in application |
| Command-T |
Show Font palette in application |
| Option-Command-esc |
Force Quit |
| Control-Eject |
Restart, Sleep, Shutdown dialog box |
| Control-Command-Eject |
Quit all applications and restart |
| Command-click window toolbar button (upper right corner) |
Cycle through available views for the window's toolbar (dependent on the nature of the Finder or application window) |
| Command-` (above the tab key) |
Cycle through windows in application or Finder (if more than one window is open) |
| Function-Delete (laptops only) |
Forward Delete (deletes the character to the right of the cursor) |
Option-Command-Eject or
Option-Command-Power |
Put the computer in Sleep Mode |
All Keyboard Shortcuts
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