Training
Faster in macOS
You already know Cmd+C and Cmd+V. But your Mac is full of clever features that save you time every day — from Spotlight to trackpad gestures and window management. A page full of tips.
The most important tip
Press Cmd + Space and just start typing: Spotlight finds apps, files and emails, does sums and converts currencies — without ever clicking through folders.
Starting & searching
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + Space | Spotlight: search and launch anything |
| Spacebar | Quick Look: preview a file without opening it |
| Cmd + comma (,) | Settings of the active program |
| Ctrl + Cmd + Q | Lock the screen (do this every time you step away!) |
| Cmd + Shift + 4 | Screenshot of a chosen area (Cmd + Shift + 3 = whole screen, + 5 = all options and screen recording) |
Window management & switching
| Shortcut / gesture | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cmd + Tab | Switch between programs |
| Cmd + ` (backtick) | Switch between windows of the same program |
| Swipe up with 3 fingers | Mission Control: overview of all windows and desktops |
| Swipe left/right with 3 fingers | Switch between virtual desktops (Spaces) |
| Hold down the green button | Snap a window left/right (Split View) or go full screen |
| Cmd + H / Cmd + M | Hide program / minimise window |
| Cmd + W / Cmd + Q | Close window / quit the program entirely — that's really different! |
Text and trackpad: the hidden accelerators
- Option + left/right arrow — jump per word through text; Cmd + arrow jumps to the start/end of the line
- Option + Backspace — delete a whole word in one go
- Cmd + Shift + V — paste without formatting (in most apps; in Word: Cmd + Option + Shift + V)
- Ctrl + scroll or pinch gesture — zoom in and out
- Tap with two fingers — right-click; click with Cmd — select multiple separate items
- Double-tap with two fingers on a word in Safari — smart zoom into a text column
- Enter on a selected file — rename it immediately
- Cmd + Z / Cmd + Shift + Z — undo / redo, also in Finder
Browser tricks (Safari, Chrome, Edge)
- Cmd + T new tab · Cmd + W close tab · Cmd + Shift + T reopen a closed tab
- Cmd + L — jump straight to the address bar
- Cmd + click a link — open it in a new tab
- Cmd + F — search on any page
Something to think about
Do you use your iPhone alongside your Mac? With Universal Clipboard you copy on one device and paste on the other — no setup required, as long as you're signed in with the same Apple ID on both.
Test yourself
Learn more
- Apple Support — full list of macOS shortcuts
- Working on Windows? See the Windows version
- Our getting started with your laptop training