You think you know everything about your Mac? Well, there’s always more to discover that can make you more productive.
In this article, I’ll show you some hidden Mac keyboard shortcuts that can save you hours every week. Let’s dive in!
If you're more of a visual learner, I recommend checking out my YouTube tutorial. It covers everything step-by-step:
Spotlight Search
Let’s start with Spotlight Search. To find anything on your Mac in seconds, press Command (⌘) + Space. Spotlight opens instantly-just type the name of any app to launch it, search for documents, look up definitions, or even do quick calculations. No more digging through folders.
Lock Your Mac
Need to step away? Lock your Mac immediately by pressing Control (⌃) + Command (⌘) + Q. This is much faster than clicking through menus and keeps your information secure when you leave your desk.
Switch Between Windows
If you’re multitasking within the same app, press Command (⌘) + ` (backtick) to cycle through all open windows of that app.
If this shortcut isn’t convenient for your keyboard layout, you can customize it in your system settings.
To switch between different apps, press Command (⌘) + Tab. Jumping between tasks has never been easier.
Emoji Picker
Love using emojis? Whenever you’re in a text field, press Command (⌘) + Control (⌃) + Space. The emoji picker pops up instantly-no more searching through menus.
Show Hidden Files in Finder
If you work with lots of files, here’s a game-changer: showing hidden files in Finder. Press Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + Period (.). All hidden files appear in your Finder window. Press the shortcut again to hide them. It’s quick, clean, and saves you from ever opening Terminal just to see system files.
Hide & Minimize Windows
To clear your screen quickly, press Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + H. This hides all windows except the one you’re using-perfect for focusing or cleaning up before a presentation.
To minimize just the current window, press Command (⌘) + M.
Want to minimize all windows of the current app? Use Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + M.
Screenshots and Screen Recordings
Taking screenshots is easy:
- Capture your entire screen: Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 3
- Capture a selected area: Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 4
- For more options, including screen recording: Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 5
This brings up a control panel where you can capture the whole screen, a window, a portion, or even record video-perfect for tutorials or documenting issues.
Text Navigation and Editing
If you work with a lot of text, these shortcuts will save you time:
- Move your cursor to the beginning or end of a line: Command (⌘) + Left Arrow (←) or Command (⌘) + Right Arrow (→)
- Add Shift (⇧) to select everything from your current position to the start or end of the line: Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + Left/Right Arrow
This makes editing much faster, especially when highlighting or deleting large sections without using your mouse.
Browser Tab Navigation
For browser tab navigation:
- Move to the next tab: Control (⌃) + Tab
- Move to the previous tab: Control (⌃) + Shift (⇧) + Tab
Works in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.
Shortcut Recap
Here’s a quick summary of all the shortcuts covered:
- ⌘ + Space - Spotlight Search
- ⌃⌘Q - Lock your screen
- ⌘ + ` - Switch between windows of the same app
- ⌘ + Tab - Switch between apps
- ⌃⌘Space - Emoji picker
- ⌘⇧. - Show/hide hidden files in Finder
- ⌘⌥H - Hide all windows except the current one
- ⌘M - Minimize the current window
- ⌘⌥M - Minimize all windows of the current app
- ⌘⇧3 - Screenshot entire screen
- ⌘⇧4 - Screenshot selected area
- ⌘⇧5 - Screenshot and screen recording options
- ⌘← / ⌘→ - Move cursor to start/end of line
- ⌘⇧← / ⌘⇧→ - Select to start/end of line
- ⌃Tab - Next browser tab
- ⌃⇧Tab - Previous browser tab
