You can use keystroke combinations, called keyboard shortcuts, to perform tasks more quickly on your Mac. Keyboard shortcuts include one or more modifier keys (such as Caps Lock or Control) and a final key, pressed at the same time. For example, instead of moving the pointer to the menu bar to choose File > New Window, you can press the Command and N keys.
You can change or disable keyboard shortcuts to make them easier to use.
Note: Keyboard shortcuts in apps may vary depending on the language and keyboard layout you’re using on your Mac. If the shortcuts below don’t work as you expect, look in the app menus in the menu bar to see the correct shortcuts. You can also use the Keyboard Viewer to see your current keyboard layout, known as an input source.
Explore macOS keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts appear next to menu items in macOS apps. Many keyboard shortcuts are standard across apps.
The user guides for many macOS apps include a list of the app’s most frequently used keyboard shortcuts. For example, see:
Tip: You can also find many keyboard shortcuts in the Apple Support article Mac keyboard shortcuts.
Perform tasks using keyboard shortcuts
Press and hold one or more modifier keys (such as Shift, Command or Control), then press the last key of the shortcut.
For example, to use the Command-V keyboard shortcut to paste copied text, press and hold the Command key at the same time as the V key, then release both keys.
Customise keyboard shortcuts
You can customise some keyboard shortcuts by changing the key combinations.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down), then click Keyboard Shortcuts.Select a category in the sidebar, such as Mission Control or Spotlight.
You can also customise keyboard shortcuts for specific apps by clicking the App Shortcuts category on the left. See Create keyboard shortcuts for apps.
Select the tickbox next to the shortcut you want to change.
Double-click the current key combination, then press the new key combination you want to use.
You can use each type of key (for example, a letter key or a function key) only once in a key combination.
Quit and reopen any apps you’re using for the new keyboard shortcut to take effect.
If you assign a keyboard shortcut that already exists for another command or app, your new shortcut won’t work. You need to change your new shortcut or the other shortcut. See Change a conflicting keyboard shortcut.
To return all the shortcuts to their original key combinations, go to Keyboard settings, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then click Restore Defaults in the bottom-left corner.
Disable a keyboard shortcut
Sometimes an app’s keyboard shortcut conflicts with a macOS keyboard shortcut. If this happens, you can disable the macOS keyboard shortcut.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
Select a category in the sidebar, such as Mission Control or Spotlight.
Deselect the tickbox next to the shortcut that you want to disable.
