8 Useful OS X Keyboard Shortcuts.
Apple is the best choice for users who want to be more productive and efficient, and for good reason. After all, macOS has tons of keyboard shortcuts to make things easier. Combine these Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts with the rest of macOS’s productivity features, and soon you’ll be able to navigate your system faster than ever with your mouse.
However, there are so many shortcuts that it can be difficult to know which one is most effective. The following eight keyboard shortcuts are some of the most useful available to users and are a great place to start.
These keyboard shortcuts work with all keyboard layouts, but their intended effectiveness was designed for use with a QWERTY keyboard. Users of DVORAK and other styles may not find these shortcuts as useful, but you should keep them in mind anyway.
Spotlight Search (Command + Space)
When it comes to quickly finding a specific file (or even information on the Internet) all over your Mac, nothing beats Spotlight. It’s great even for quickly finding a definition.
You can invoke Spotlight manually by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner of the menu bar, but a faster option is to press Command first and then Spacebar. This will open Spotlight and allow you to start typing into the search bar right away.
Fast Save (Command + S)
Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of users like data loss. Everyone has heard horror stories of software crashes and the loss of entire projects, all due to the fact that someone forgot to save.
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Truth be told, there is no reason to forget to save whatever you are working on. Fast saving is such an easy task that you have to make it your second nature. Just press Command and S at the same time to save the file. The first time you use this shortcut on a new file, you will be prompted to name it, but each time after that, your file will be saved.
Force Quit (Command + Option + Esc)
Everyone knows that Command + Q is the fastest way to close an application, but sometimes applications freeze. When this happens, press Command, Option and Esc at the same time to force quit the program.
The difference between the two is that a regular Exit command allows the program to exit properly, while a Force Exit command essentially causes the program to crash and force it to close. Forced exit should only be used if the program does not exit normally.
Trash (Command + Delete)
If you need to quickly move a file to the trash, don’t click or drag. You select this file (or all the files you want) and press Command + Delete. The files will be instantly moved to the trash, but not immediately deleted.
In fact, files are stored in the trash for a long time and continue to take up space in your memory. After deleting an item, press Command + Shift + Delete on Mac OS X to empty the Trash and free up memory.
Toggle Windows (Command + Tab)
Even with macOS’s ability to position two windows side by side, there are still situations where you need to switch between windows. While touchpad swipe gestures can make this easier, Command + Tab allows you to instantly navigate between the last two windows.
Just press two keys at the same time to swap positions. If you need to navigate between other windows, press and hold Command and then Tab. You can navigate between any currently open applications without even touching the mouse.
Cut, Copy and Paste (Command + X or C, Command + V)
They are actually three keyboard shortcuts combined into one, but they are used together so often that it doesn’t really matter. You should never never select something and then copy it with the mouse. It wastes so much time that it can be better spent on other tasks.
Instead, select the text you want to copy and then press Command + C to place it on the clipboard. If you want to clear this text and move it to a different location, you can cut it using Command + X. To paste, all you have to do is place the cursor where you want it and press Command + V.
Let these few shortcuts become second nature to you and you will get the job done faster than ever before.
Select All (Command + A)
Sometimes you need to highlight everything that is currently on the screen. You may need to copy and paste a complete document into another, or you may be moving files within folders.
Whatever the reason, you don’t have to click and drag to select everything. Just press Command + A to select and select everything in the current space.
Undo (Command + Z)
It’s easy to make mistakes when working on a project, especially if you’re using some of these keyboard shortcuts and haven’t yet mastered them. If you make a mistake, don’t worry – just press Command + Z to undo your last action.
If you accidentally deleted something (for example, an entire document using the Select All shortcut), it will save you. You can reuse these Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts to undo your previous actions as far as the application allows.
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