This is the one I use the most, and it’s also great for sharing images or snippets of text on social media.
⌘+Shift+4: Screenshot a specific area of the screen with the help of a rectangular cropping tool. If you can see it on your Mac’s screen, it’ll show up in the screenshot. ⌘+Shift+3: Screenshot the entire visible window. There are actually several ways you can take a screenshot on a Mac. Take screenshots or record the screenĪs you can probably imagine, we use these shortcuts a lot here at Macworld.
#KEYBOARD SHORTCUT TO FORCE QUIT APP ON MAC MAC#
This command doesn’t just minimize the app (as sometimes happens when you hit the red “X” button at the top of any Mac app)-it completely shuts it down. ⌘+Q: Use this command to shut down any app immediately. It’s also a quick way to find and open apps you don’t keep on your dock.Ĭommand+spacebar: It’ll change the way you work.
#KEYBOARD SHORTCUT TO FORCE QUIT APP ON MAC FULL#
Spotlight will also search through things like iMessages, bookmarks, and the full text of files on your hard drive. Whenever you want to find a file on your Mac, just tap this shortcut and type the name of the file you’d like the find in the prompt that pops up. ⌘+Space bar: This is probably the most useful shortcut of all. If these shortcuts get you hooked, you can even make your own for everything from the system to specific apps by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts and then choosing one of the options on the left.
In the following examples, an example like “⌘+A” typically means you need to hold down the Command button and press A or press both at the same time. It works kind of like the Control key on a Windows PC, except it’s in a handier spot-typically on both sides of the space bar. That’s the Command key, and it’s the key to all the shortcuts listed here. I’ve tried to avoid (still useful) shortcuts with related Windows counterparts-such as ⌘+A to select all or ⌘+F open the Find prompt-and focus on shortcuts you may not be familiar with if you’re new to Mac.Īnd let’s talk about that “⌘” symbol. MacOS has many shortcuts, but I consider these the ones everyone should know. Thanks to Apple’s integration of hardware and software, you’ll rarely have to reach for your mouse or trackpad once you learn to speak the language of the keys. If you’re not using keyboard shortcuts on your Mac, you’re missing out on a big part of the reason why so many people love Apple’s desktop operating system.