A keyboard shortcut is a way to invoke a function in OS X by pressing a combination of keys on your keyboard. Learn about common OS X keyboard shortcuts.
To use a keyboard shortcut you press a modifier key with a character key. For example, pressing the Command key (it has a 
symbol) and then the “c” key copies whatever is currently selected (text, graphics, and so forth) into the Clipboard. This is also known as the Command-C keyboard shortcut.
A modifier key is a part of many keyboard shortcuts. A modifier key alters the way other keystrokes or mouse/trackpad clicks are interpreted by OS X. Modifier keys include: Command, Shift, Option, Control, Caps Lock, and the Fn key. You may need to use the Fn key in some of the key combinations listed below. For example, if the keyboard shortcut is Control-F2, press Fn-Control-F2.
Here are the modifier key symbols you may see in OS X menus:
| ⌘ | Command key |
| ⌃ | Control key |
| ⌥ | Option key |
| ⇧ | Shift Key |
| ⇪ | Caps Lock |
| Fn | Function Key |
Startup shortcuts
Press the key or key combination until the expected function occurs/appears (for example, hold Option during startup until Startup Manager appears). Note: If a startup function doesn’t work and you use a third-party keyboard, try again with an Apple keyboard.
| Key or key combination | What it does |
| Option | Display all bootable volumes (Startup Manager) |
| Shift | Start up in Safe Mode |
| Left Shift | Prevent automatic login |
| C | Start from bootable media (DVD, CD, USB thumb drive, and so forth) |
| T | Start up in Target disk mode |
| N | Start from a NetBoot server |
| X | Force Mac OS X startup (if non-Mac OS X startup volumes are present) |
| D | Use Apple Hardware Test |
| Command-R | Use OS X Recovery (OS X Lion or later) |
| Command-V | Start up in Verbose Mode |
| Command-S | Start up in Single User Mode |
| Command-Option-P-R | Reset NVRAM / parameter RAM |
| Hold down the Media Eject (⏏) key or F12 key, or mouse or trackpad button | Eject removable discs |
Sleep and shut down shortcuts
| Key or key combination | What it does |
| Power button – OS X Mavericks | Tap to power on. Once powered on, tap to wake or sleep. |
| Hold down the power button for 1.5 seconds – OS X Mavericks | Show restart / sleep / shutdown dialog |
| Hold down the power button for 5 seconds | Force the Mac to power off |
| Command-Control-power button | Force the Mac to restart |
| Control-Media Eject (⏏) | Show restart / sleep / shutdown dialog |
| Command-Option-Media Eject (⏏) | Put the computer to sleep |
| Command-Control-Media Eject (⏏) | Quit all applications (after giving you a chance to save changes to open documents), then restart the computer |
| Command-Option-Control-Media Eject (⏏) | Quit all applications (after giving you a chance to save changes to open documents), then shut down the computer |
| Shift-Control-Media Eject (⏏) | Put all displays to sleep |
Finder keyboard shortcuts
| Key combination | What it does |
| Command-A | Select all items in the front Finder window (or desktop if no window is open) |
| Command-Option-A | Deselect all items |
| Command-Shift-A | Open the Applications folder |
| Command-C | Copy selected item/text to the Clipboard |
| Command-Shift-C | Open the Computer window |
| Command-D | Duplicate selected item |
| Command-Shift-D | Open desktop folder |
| Command-E | Eject |
| Command-F | Find any matching Spotlight attribute |
| Command-Shift-F | Find Spotlight file name matches |
| Command-Option-F | Navigate to the search field in an already-open Spotlight window |
| Command-Shift-G | Go to Folder |
| Command-Shift-H | Open the Home folder of the currently logged-in user account |
| Command-Shift-Control-T | Add to Dock |
| Command-I | Get Info |
| Command-Option-I | Show Inspector |
| Command-Control-I | Get Summary Info |
| Command-Shift-I | Open iDisk |
| Command-J | Show View Options |
| Command-K | Connect to Server |
| Command-Shift-K | Open Network window |
| Command-L | Make alias of the selected item |
| Command-M | Minimize window |
| Command-Option-M | Minimize all windows |
| Command-N | New Finder window |
| Command-Shift-N | New folder |
| Command-Option-N | New Smart Folder |
| Command-O | Open selected item |
| Command-Shift-Q | Log Out |
| Command-Shift-Option-Q | Log Out immediately |
| Command-R | Show original (of alias) |
| Command-T | Add to Sidebar |
| Command-Shift-T | Add to Favorites |
| Command-Option-T | Hide Toolbar / Show Toolbar in Finder windows |
| Command-Shift-U | Open Utilities folder |
| Command-V | Paste |
| Command-W | Close window |
| Command-Option-W | Close all windows |
| Command-X | Cut |
| Command-Option-Y | Slideshow (Mac OS X v10.5 or later) |
| Command-Z | Undo / Redo |
| Command-1 | View as Icon |
| Command-2 | View as List |
| Command-3 | View as Columns |
| Command-4 | View as Cover Flow (Mac OS X v10.5 or later) |
| Command-Comma (,) | Open Finder preferences |
| Command-Accent (`) (the Accent key above Tab key on a US English keyboard layout) | Cycle through open Finder windows |
| Command-Shift-Question Mark (?) | Open Mac Help |
| Command-Left Bracket ([) | Go to the previous folder |
| Command-Right Bracket (]) | Go to the next folder |
| Command-Up Arrow | Open the folder that contains the current folder |
| Command-Control-Up Arrow | Open the folder that contains the current folder in a new window |
| Command-Down Arrow | Open highlighted item |
| Command-Shift-Up Arrow | Make the desktop active |
| Right Arrow (in List view) | Open the selected folder |
| Left Arrow (in List view) | Close the selected folder |
| Option-click the disclosure triangle (in List view) | Open all folders within the selected folder |
| Option–double-click | Open a folder in a separate window, closing the current window |
| Command–double-click | Open a folder in a separate window |
| Command-click the window title | See the folders that contain the current window |
| Command-Tab | Switch application–cycle forward |
| Command-Shift-Tab | Switch application–cycle backward |
| Command-Delete | Move to Trash |
| Command-Shift-Delete | Empty Trash |
| Command-Shift-Option-Delete | Empty Trash without confirmation dialog |
| Space bar (or Command-Y) | Quick Look (Mac OS X v10.5 or later) |
| Command key while dragging | Move dragged item to other volume/location (pointer icon changes while key is held–see this article) |
| Option key while dragging | Copy dragged item (pointer icon changes while key is held–see this article) |
| Command-Option key combination while dragging | Make alias of dragged item (pointer icon changes while key is held–see this article) |
Application and other OS X shortcuts
Note: Some applications may not support all of the following application key combinations.
| Key combination | What it does |
| Command-Space bar | Show or hide the Spotlight search field (if multiple languages are installed, may rotate through enabled script systems) |
| Control-A | Move to beginning of line/paragraph |
| Control-B | Move one character backward |
| Control-D | Delete the character in front of the cursor |
| Control-E | Move to end of line/paragraph |
| Control-F | Move one character forward |
| Control-H | Delete the character behind the cursor |
| Control-K | Delete from the character in front of the cursor to the end of the line/paragraph |
| Control-L | Center the cursor/selection in the visible area |
| Control-N | Move down one line |
| Control-O | Insert a new line after the cursor |
| Control-P | Move up one line |
| Control-T | Transpose the character behind the cursor and the character in front of the cursor |
| Control-V | Move down one page |
| Option-Delete | Delete the word that is left of the cursor, as well as any spaces or punctuation after the word |
| Command-Option-Space bar | Show the Spotlight search results window (if multiple languages are installed, may rotate through keyboard layouts and input methods within a script) |
| Command-Tab | Move forward to the next most recently used application in a list of open applications |
| Command-Shift-Tab | Move backward through a list of open applications (sorted by recent use) |
| Shift-Tab | Navigate through controls in a reverse direction |
| Control-Tab | Move focus to the next grouping of controls in a dialog or the next table (when Tab moves to the next cell) |
| Shift-Control-Tab | Move focus to the previous grouping of controls |
| Command-esc | Open Front Row (if installed) |
| Option-Media Eject (⏏) | Eject from secondary optical media drive (if one is installed) |
| Fn-Delete | Forward Delete (on a portable Mac’s built-in keyboard) |
| Command-F1 | Toggles “Mirror Displays” for multi-monitor configurations |
| Command-F2 | Toggle Target Display Mode |
| Command-F3 | Show Desktop |
| Command-F5 | Toggle VoiceOver On / Off |
| Option-F1 or F2 | Opens “Displays” System Preference |
| Option-F3 or F4 | Opens “Mission Control” System Preference |
| Option-F10 or F11 or F12 | Opens “Sound” System Preference |
| Control-F3 | App Exposé |
| Shift-Control-F6 | Move focus to the previous panel |
| Control-F7 | Temporarily override the current keyboard access mode in windows and dialogs |
| Control-F8 | Move to the status menus in the menu bar |
| F9 | Tile or untile all open windows |
| F10 | Tile or untile all open windows in the currently active application |
| F11 | Hide or show all open windows |
| F12 | Hide or display Dashboard |
| Command-Accent (`) | Activate the next open window in the frontmost application |
| Command-Shift-Accent (`) | Activate the previous open window in the frontmost application |
| Command-Option-Accent (`) | Move focus to the window drawer |
| Command-Minus (–) | Decrease the size of the selected item |
| Command-{ | Left-align a selection |
| Command-} | Right-align a selection |
| Command-| | Center-align a selection |
| Command-Colon (:) | Display the Spelling window |
| Command-Semicolon (;) | Find misspelled words in the document |
| Command-Comma (,) | Open the front application’s preferences window (if it supports this keyboard shortcut) |
| Command-Option-Control-Comma (,) | Decrease screen contrast |
| Command-Option-Control-Period (.) | Increase screen contrast |
| Command-Question Mark (?) | Open the application’s help in Help Viewer |
| Command-Option-/ | Turn font smoothing on or off |
| Command-Shift-= | Increase the size of the selected item |
| Command-Shift-3 | Capture the screen to a file |
| Command-Shift-Control-3 | Capture the screen to the Clipboard |
| Command-Shift-4 | Capture a selection to a file |
| Command-Shift-Control-4 | Capture a selection to the Clipboard |
| Command-A | Highlight every item in a document or window, or all characters in a text field |
| Command-B | Boldface the selected text or toggle boldfaced text on and off |
| Command-C | Copy the selected data to the Clipboard |
| Command-Shift-C | Display the Colors window |
| Command-Option-C | Copy the style of the selected text |
| Command-Control-C | Copy the formatting settings of the selected item and store on the Clipboard |
| Command-Option-D | Show or hide the Dock |
| Command-Control-D | Display the definition of the selected word in the Dictionary application |
| Command-D | Selects the Desktop folder in Open and Save dialogs or Selects “Don’t Save” in dialogs that contain a Don’t Save button, in Mac OS X v10.6.8 and earlier |
| Command-Delete | Selects “Don’t Save” in dialogs that contain a Don’t Save button, in OS X Lion and Mountain Lion |
| Command-E | Use the selection for a find |
| Command-F | Open a Find window |
| Command-Option-F | Move to the search field control |
| Command-G | Find the next occurrence of the selection |
| Command-Shift-G | Find the previous occurrence of the selection |
| Command-H | Hide the windows of the currently running application |
| Command-Option-H | Hide the windows of all other running applications |
| Command-I | Italicize the selected text or toggle italic text on or off |
| Command-Option-I | Display an inspector window |
| Command-J | Scroll to a selection |
| Command-M | Minimize the active window to the Dock |
| Command-Option-M | Minimize all windows of the active application to the Dock |
| Command-N | Create a new document in the frontmost application |
| Command-O | Display a dialog for choosing a document to open in the frontmost application |
| Command-P | Display the Print dialog |
| Command-Shift-P | Display a dialog for specifying printing parameters (Page Setup) |
| Command-Q | Quit the frontmost application |
| Command-S | Save the active document |
| Command-Shift-S | Display the Save As dialog |
| Command-T | Display the Fonts window |
| Command-Option-T | Show or hide a toolbar |
| Command-U | Underline the selected text or turn underlining on or off |
| Command-V | Paste the Clipboard contents at the insertion point |
| Command-Option-V | Apply the style of one object to the selected object (Paste Style) |
| Command-Shift-Option-V | Apply the style of the surrounding text to the inserted object (Paste and Match Style) |
| Command-Control-V | Apply formatting settings to the selected object (Paste Ruler Command) |
| Command-W | Close the frontmost window |
| Command-Shift-W | Close a file and its associated windows |
| Command-Option-W | Close all windows in the application without quitting it |
| Command-X | Remove the selection and store in the Clipboard |
| Command-Z | Undo previous command (some applications allow for multiple Undos) |
| Command-Shift-Z | Redo previous command (some applications allow for multiple Redos) |
| Control-Right Arrow | Move focus to another value or cell within a view, such as a table |
| Control-Left Arrow | Move focus to another value or cell within a view, such as a table |
| Control-Down Arrow | Move focus to another value or cell within a view, such as a table |
| Control-Up Arrow | Move focus to another value or cell within a view, such as a table |
| Command-Right Arrow | Move the text insertion point to the end of the current line |
| Command-Left Arrow | Move the text insertion point to the beginning of the current line |
| Command-Down Arrow | Move the text insertion point to the end of the document |
| Command-Up Arrow | Move the text insertion point to the beginning of the document |
| Option-Right Arrow | Move the text insertion point to the end of the next word |
| Option-Left Arrow | Move the text insertion point to the beginning of the previous word |
| Command-Shift-Right Arrow | Select text between the insertion point and the end of the current line (*) |
| Command-Shift-Left Arrow | Select text between the insertion point and the beginning of the current line (*) |
| Shift-Right Arrow | Extend text selection one character to the right (*) |
| Shift-Left Arrow | Extend text selection one character to the left (*) |
| Command-Shift-Up Arrow | Select text between the insertion point and the beginning of the document (*) |
| Command-Shift-Down Arrow | Select text between the insertion point and the end of the document (*) |
| Shift-Up Arrow | Extend text selection to the line above, to the nearest character boundary at the same horizontal location (*) |
| Shift-Down Arrow | Extend text selection to the line below, to the nearest character boundary at the same horizontal location (*) |
| Shift-Option-Right Arrow | Extend text selection to the end of the current word, then to the end of the following word if pressed again (*) |
| Shift-Option-Left Arrow | Extend text selection to the beginning of the current word, then to the beginning of the following word if pressed again (*) |
| Shift-Option-Down Arrow | Extend text selection to the end of the current paragraph, then to the end of the following paragraph if pressed again (*) |
| Shift-Option-Up Arrow | Extend text selection to the beginning of the current paragraph, then to the beginning of the following paragraph if pressed again (*) |
| Control-Space bar | Toggle between the current and previous input sources |
| Option-Control-Space bar | Toggle through all enabled input sources |
| Command-Option-esc | Force Quit |
| Command-Shift-Option-Esc (hold for three seconds) | Force Quit the front-most application (Mac OS X v10.5 or later) |
| Command-Left Bracket ([) | Previous browser webpage |
| Command-Right Bracket (]) | Next browser webpage |
*Note: If no text is selected, the extension begins at the insertion point. If text is selected by dragging, then the extension begins at the selection boundary. Reversing the direction of the selection deselects the appropriate unit.
Universal Access – VoiceOver keyboard commands
For information about VoiceOver key combination differences in Mac OS X v10.6, see this article.
| Key combination | What it does |
| Command-F5 or Fn-Command-F5 | Turn VoiceOver on or off |
| Option-Control-F8 or Fn-Option-Control-F8 | Open VoiceOver Utility (if VoiceOver is on) |
| Option-Control-F7 or Fn-Option-Control-F7 | Display VoiceOver menu (if VoiceOver is on) |
| Option-Control-Semicolon (;) | Enable/disable VoiceOver Control Option-lock |
| Command-Option-8 | Turn Zoom on or off |
| Command-Option-Plus (+) | Zoom In |
| Command-Option-Minus (–) | Zoom Out |
| Command-Option-Control-8 | Invert/revert the screen colors (OS X Lion or earlier) |
| Command-Option-Control-Comma (,) | Reduce contrast (OS X Lion or earlier) |
| Command-Option-Control-Period (.) | Increase contrast (OS X Lion or earlier) |
Note: You may need to enable “Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard keys” in Keyboard preferences for the VoiceOver menu and utility to work.
Full keyboard access
Full keyboard access lets you use your keyboard to navigate and interact with items on the screen. Use these shortcuts to select and adjust controls such as text fields and sliders.
| Key combination | What it does |
| Tab | Move to the next control |
| Shift-Tab | Move to the previous control |
| Control-Tab | Move to the next control when a text field is selected |
| Arrow keys | Move to the adjacent item in a list, tab group, or menu or Move sliders and adjusters (vertical up and down arrows used to increase and decrease values) |
| Control-Arrow keys | Move to a control adjacent to the text field |
| Space bar | Select the highlighted menu item |
| Return or Enter | Click the default button or perform the default action |
| Esc | Click the Cancel button or Close a menu without choosing an item |
You can navigate the menus in the menu bar without using a mouse or trackpad. To put the focus in the menu bar, press Control-F2 (Fn-Control-F2 on portable keyboards). Then use the key combinations listed below.
| Key combination | What it does |
| Left Arrow and Right Arrow | Move from menu to menu |
| Return | Open a selected menu |
| Up Arrow and Down Arrow | Move to menu items in the selected menu |
| Type the menu item’s name | Jump to a menu item in the selected menu |
| Return | Select a menu item |
Universal Access – Mouse Keys
When Mouse Keys is turned on in Universal Access preferences, you can use the keyboard or numeric keypad keys to move the mouse pointer. If your computer doesn’t have a numeric keypad, use the Fn (function) key.
| Key combination | What it does |
| 8 | Move Up |
| 2 | Move Down |
| 4 | Move Left |
| 6 | Move Right |
| 1 | Move Diagonally Bottom Left |
| 3 | Move Diagonally Bottom Right |
| 7 | Move Diagonally Top Left |
| 9 | Move Diagonally Top Right |
| 5 | Press Mouse Button |
| 0 | Hold Mouse Button |
| . (Period on number pad) | Release Hold Mouse Button |
See also: Shortcuts for Mouse Keys.
Additional Information
Advanced: This article refers to the default modifier key assignments. Modifier key assignments can be changed in the Keyboard preferences pane of System Preferences. For example, you can change the Command key to act as an Option key, and vice-versa. You can also restore default modifier key settings.