Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

 Menu Symbols

Menu Symbol	Key on Keyboard
	Command/Apple Key (like Control on a PC) Also written as Cmd
	Option (like Alt on a PC)
	Shift
	Control (Control-click = Right-click)
	Tab
	Return
	Enter (on Number Pad)
	Eject
	Escape
	Page Up
	Page Down
	Home
	End
	Arrow Keys
	Delete Left (like Backspace on a PC)
	Delete Right (also called Forward Delete)

 Finder

Action	Keystroke
Open Sidebar item in a new Tab or Window (depending on Finder Preferences)	Cmd-Click
Switch Finder views (Icon, List, Column, Cover Flow)	Cmd-1, Cmd-2, Cmd-3, Cmd-4
In List view, expand a folder	Right Arrow
In List view, collapse a folder	Left Arrow
Rename the selected file/folder	Press Return (or Enter)
Go into selected folder or open the selected file	Cmd-Down Arrow
Go to parent folder	Cmd-Up Arrow
Go Back	Cmd-[  (that’s left bracket)
Go Forward	Cmd-]  (that’s right bracket)
Select the next icon in Icon and List views	Tab (Shift-Tab reverses direction)
Alternate columns in Column View	Tab (Shift-Tab reverses direction)
Resize one column to fit the longest file name	Double-Click column divider (or the resize widget at the bottom of the column divider, depending on your setup)
Resize all columns to fit their longest file names	Option Double-Click column divider (or the resize widget at the bottom of the column divider, depending on your setup)
Copy and Paste files	Cmd-C, then Cmd-V
Copy and Paste files Exactly (Keeps original ownership & permissions. Requires Admin username & password.)	Cmd-C, then Cmd-V
Cut and Paste files (Move files)	Cmd-C, then Cmd-Option–V
Move a file instead of copying (Copies to the destination and removes it from the original disk.)	Cmd-Drag file to disk
Move selected files to the Trash	Cmd-Delete
Empty the Trash (with warning)	Cmd-Shift-Delete
Empty the Trash (without warning)	Cmd-Opt-Shift-Delete
Cancel a drag-n-drop action while in the midst of dragging	Esc
Show Inspector (a single, live refreshing Info window)	Cmd-Opt-I
Undo the last action (such as rename file, copy file, etc.)	Cmd-Z
Hide/Show Sidebar (on the left)	Cmd-Opt-S
Hide/Show Toolbar (on the top) and the Sidebar	Cmd-Opt-T
Move or Remove item in toolbar (at the top of the window). Works in most programs.	Cmd-Drag
Open Quick Look (Previews most types of files without having to open them)	Spacebar (or Cmd-Y) or on a trackpad tap with 3 fingers.
Zoom In/Out in Quick Look (Images & PDFs)	Pinch on a trackpad or hold Opt while scrolling. For images, holding Opt zooms to 100%.
Find Files	Cmd-F

 App Switcher

Action	Keystroke
Quickly switch between 2 apps (like InDesign & Photoshop)	Press Cmd-Tab to switch to last used app. Press Cmd-Tab again to switch back. NOTE: Press keys quickly and do NOT hold.
Switch between apps	Press Cmd-Tab & continue holding Cmd. While holding Cmd, to choose which app you want to switch to you can: press Tab (several times if needed) to scroll right press tilde(~) or Shift-Tab to scroll left use the left/right arrow keys aim with the mouse use end/home key to go to first/last app
Quit an app in the app switcher	When in the app switcher you’re already holding Cmd, so hit Q to quit selected app.
Hide an app in the app switcher	In the app switcher you’re already holding Cmd, so hit H to hide selected app.
Cancel the app switcher	In the app switcher you're already holding Cmd, so hit Esc or period(.)

 Managing Windows & Dialogs

Action	Keystroke
Switch to next window	Cmd-tilde(~)
Switch to previous window	Cmd-Shift-tilde(~)
See where the File/Folder is located (a menu will pop-up displaying the folder hierarchy). Works in most programs, including the Finder.	Cmd-Click on name of the window (in the titlebar)
Move a window in the background without switching to it.	Cmd-Drag on the window’s titlebar
Choose “Don’t Save” in a Dialog	Cmd-D in some apps, but other apps use Cmd-Delete (Cmd-D will change the location to the Desktop)