Working More Efficiently on Your Mac: Common Keyboard Shortcuts Explained

Working efficiently is something many people strive for, yet often people struggle to find these improvements. One area where gains can be made is the keyboard. Keyboard shortcuts are a powerful way to navigate more quickly, edit text and control system functions without constantly reaching for the mouse. In this blog, we walk through the most commonly used Apple keyboard shortcuts for macOS, so your user experience becomes even better.

Table of contents

• General keyboard shortcuts
• Power on/off & logging in/out
• Finder and System shortcuts
• Keyboard shortcuts for text processing
• Accessibility keyboard shortcuts
• Keyboard shortcuts in Safari
• Other important keyboard shortcuts

General keyboard shortcuts

Let’s start with the basics. The following shortcuts work in almost all apps and form the foundation of efficient Mac use.



These combinations are similar to those on other operating systems, but on a Mac the Command key plays a central role.

Power on/off & logging in/out

macOS also offers useful keyboard shortcuts for system actions, especially in combination with the Apple menu.



Good to know: some combinations differ by Mac model, especially since the introduction of Touch ID and Apple Silicon.

Finder and System shortcuts

For experienced Apple users, Finder needs little introduction. But for those who are less familiar with Apple’s system, Finder is the heart of macOS. With these keyboard shortcuts, you can navigate files and folders more quickly.



In addition, a few system-wide shortcuts are also very useful:

Keyboard shortcuts for text processing

Writing and editing text is a daily activity for many people. No matter how short or long the text is, a keyboard shortcut makes it much easier.



These shortcuts work in Pages, Word, Mail and many other word processors.

Accessibility keyboard shortcuts

Apple is known for its strong accessibility features, many of which can also be controlled via the keyboard.



For users with visual, motor or cognitive impairments, these shortcuts can significantly improve day-to-day use.

Keyboard shortcuts in Safari

You can save a lot of time in Safari as well by using the right keyboard shortcuts.

Other important keyboard shortcuts

Finally, several shortcuts that don’t fit into a single category but are frequently useful.



These are the kinds of shortcuts you learn once, and never want to be without again.