By: Katie Greppin
For those of you with Mac computers, there are a few shortcuts you can use on your computer to increase your efficiency. Shortcuts are a string of keys that you can press on your keyboard to make something happen. Instead of having to click through different menus on your computer, you can just click on a few keys and have the same outcome happen more efficiently.
Below in the table, is a list of some of the most useful ones. The keys in the order you should press them are on the left, and what they will do is on the right. The dash (-) separates the keys that you need to press. For example, the copying shortcut is Command-C. You would press the command key and then the c key. Additionally, many of these work for other computers by pressing the control key instead of the command key, and the alt key instead of the option key.
Useful Shortcuts
| Keys | Purpose |
| Command-C | Copy |
| Command-X | Cut |
| Command-V | Paste |
| Command-S | Save |
| Command-P | |
| Command-Z | Undo |
| Shift-Command-Z | Redo |
| Command-A | Select All |
| Command-B | Bold Text |
| Command-I | Italic Text |
| Command-U | Underline Text |
| Command-F | Find – to quickly find word in document |
| Command-N | New- document or tab |
| Command-T | Open New Tab |
| Control-Command-F | Make Full Screen |
| Shift-Command-N | New folder in finder |
| Command-Delete | Move to Trash |
| Option-Command-D | Show/ Hide Dock |
| Command-Shift-4 | Screenshot (selection) |
| Command-Shift-3 | Picture of entire screen |
| Option-Command-Power | Sleep |
| Control-Command-Esc | Force Quit |
| Option-press notification center icon (located at the top right of your commuter with the three bars) | Do Not Disturb |
The basic shortcuts like Command-C and Z are really helpful, but the longer shortcuts that are also very helpful can be much harder to remember and use. The longer the key sequences are for example, Command-Shift-4 (screenshot) and Option-Command-D (show/hide dock). These are not used as much as Command-C, so it is harder to remember them and therefore use them. I recommend keeping this list in some place accessible, so that way they can all be easily referenced when needed.
If you have a Mac computer and think these shortcuts would be helpful, I definitely recommend trying them. There is a full list on the Apple website, and google is also a helpful resource if there is a particular shortcut you are looking for. Hope this helps!
