Maybe you’re an avid Windows keyboard shortcut user who recently started working on a Mac.  Or perhaps you’re a long time Mac user who has rarely used keyboard shortcuts.  Regardless of your situation, these Mac keyboard shortcuts will save you lots of time and become second nature once you start using them.

Command + C: Copy the selection or text in Finder files to the Clipboard.

Command + V: Paste the copied content from the Clipboard to the current file or app.

Command + X: Cut the selected item or text and copy it to the clipboard.

Command + Z: Undo previous command.

Command + F: This shortcut allows you to find specific words or phrases in Finder, Word, web pages, and other programs.  Big time saver here!

Command + G: Find Again: Find the next occurrence of the item previously found. To find the previous occurrence, press Shift-Command-G.

Command + P: Print the current document.

Command + W: Close front active window.

Option + Command + W: Close all windows in the current active application like Finder.

Command + Q: When closing Mac programs, you can select the Menu icon in the app then select Quit. Alternatively, you can use this Mac keyboard shortcut to quit any currently active program.

Command + T: In Chrome, Safari or Finder, you can use this keyboard shortcut to open a new tab.

Command + Shift + T: This shortcut opens the most recently closed tab in Chrome.

Command + Tab: If you’ve opened several applications on your Mac computer, you can press the Command key and the Tab key at the same time to quickly switch apps from left to right.

Command + M: Minimize the front active window to the Dock.

Option + Command + M: Minimize all windows of the front active app.

Shift + Command + N: This Finder shortcut lets you create a new folder in Finder.

Command + Shift +3: This Mac keyboard shortcut will take a screenshot of your entire Mac screen.

Command + Shift +4: Use this shortcut to turn your mouse cursor to a set of crosshairs, then drag the mouse to take a screenshot of any part in the area on your Mac screen.

Command + Option + Esc: When an app is not responding, you can press this keyboard shortcut combination to force close the application.

Command + Shift + Option + Esc: Force quit the currently active app.

Command + H: This shortcut will hide the current active app.

Command + Option + H: Hide all running apps in the background, except the one you are working on.

Control + Command + Q: Lock your Mac screen.

Shift + Command + Q: Logout of your macOS user account.

Control + Command + Power: Force restart your Mac computer without popping up the windows that ask you to save open or unsaved documents.

Control + Option + Command + Power: This shortcut will close all apps, and shut down your Mac. It will pop up a window asking you if you want to save any unsaved changes or documents.

For more useful Mac keyboard shortcuts, visit: Mac keyboard shortcuts.