Mac shortcut tips
and workflows.
Compare methods, fix problems and practise useful shortcuts.
Choose a topic below. Each article gives a direct answer, clear steps and links to the official documentation.
40 articles to explore
- product
Auto or manual: choose which app’s shortcuts to show
Use Auto to follow the app you are using. Choose an app manually when you want to keep its shortcuts visible while working elsewhere.
- workflow
Select text carefully before replacing it
Select the exact words you want to change, check the highlight, then type the replacement. Practise in disposable text before editing important writing.
- comparison
Command Palette or keyboard shortcut: which should you use?
Search the Command Palette when you know an action’s name. Learn its keyboard shortcut when you use that action often and understand what it does.
- workflow
Change an app shortcut and keep a way to undo it
Change one known menu shortcut at a time. Record its old binding, test the new one, and restore the old setting if the change causes a conflict.
- workflow
Review the shortcuts you needed today
At the end of a session, review the commands you had to look up. Keep useful references visible and remove highlights or notes that no longer help.
- comparison
Search the current file or the whole workspace
Use editor Find for text in the current file. Use workspace search to look across files, then check the paths and filters before replacing anything.
- troubleshooting
No shortcuts shown? Check permission and the active app
Check Accessibility permission, the selected app and its menus. An empty reference does not necessarily mean the application has no keyboard shortcuts.
- practice
Practise inspecting files in Finder
Create a temporary folder of harmless files. Use previews, views and file information to identify each file without moving or deleting it.
- troubleshooting
Why an F-key changes volume instead of running a shortcut
Your top-row key may be acting as a system control instead of a standard function key. Check Fn/Globe behavior and keyboard settings before changing the app’s shortcut.
- comparison
Hide, minimize or close a Mac window?
Hide an app to remove its windows from view. Minimize one window to put it aside. Close a document when you are finished with it.
- product
Click a shortcut to make it stand out
Click a row in KeyboardShortcuts.pro to add a coral highlight. Click again to remove it. Highlights stay with each app and never run the shortcut.
- workflow
Page Find and Web Inspector search are different tools
Use page Find to locate visible text. Use Web Inspector to investigate elements, resources or developer-tool panels. Check which surface has focus before typing.
- troubleshooting
Read Mac shortcut symbols on a PC keyboard
Match each Mac modifier symbol to the action your keyboard performs. Printed key labels, physical positions and macOS modifier settings may differ.
- practice
Practise reading Mac shortcut symbols
Choose a familiar menu command, read its modifier symbols and identify its final key. You can learn the notation without running an unfamiliar action.
- troubleshooting
Can’t find a shortcut? Check the app and action name
Confirm the selected app, then search using a word from the action’s current name. If it is still missing, check the app’s own command search or shortcut editor.
- troubleshooting
Why a cheat sheet’s shortcut differs from your app
Check the current app menu or shortcut editor before changing a binding. A cheat sheet may describe another version, platform, layout or custom keymap.
- product
One year or lifetime: compare Mac access options
KeyboardShortcuts.pro is US$9.99 for one year with manual renewal or US$29.99 for lifetime access. Sales remain closed until checkout and release requirements are complete.
- comparison
Search this webpage or search the web?
Use page Find to locate text on the current webpage. Use the browser’s address/search field to open a URL or search the wider web.
- comparison
Preview a file or open it in an editor?
Preview a file to identify it quickly. Open its application when you need editing tools or a more detailed inspection.
- comparison
Peek at a definition or open its source file?
Use Peek for a quick question about a symbol. Open the definition when you need to read or edit its implementation in detail.
- workflow
Check a file before you send it
Confirm which file you intend to send, inspect its contents, and review the actual delivery copy. A useful filename is not proof that the file is correct.
- workflow
Search configuration carefully before replacing values
Find the value, inspect the matching files, and decide which ones should change. Review the diff and run checks before treating a configuration edit as complete.
- workflow
Keep your place in a long PDF
Record a section heading and page indicator so you can return to the question you were reading. Use page navigation or scrolling as the document requires.
- comparison
Rename a code symbol or replace matching text?
Use Rename for a code identifier understood by the language tools. Use text replacement for literal wording. In either case, inspect the proposed changes before applying them.
- workflow
Research in tabs without losing your source
Start with one question and keep a useful source open. Give comparison tabs a purpose, then save the source URLs and the conclusion they support.
- workflow
Compare related files in two editor groups
Split the editor when you need to compare related files, such as code and its test. Check which group has focus before typing.
- practice
Practise following code from a call to its definition
Choose one symbol in a small sample project. Find its definition, answer one question, then return to the original call.
- practice
Make a clear screenshot with only the detail you need
Capture a harmless detail and describe it in one sentence. Open the saved image to check its framing and privacy before sharing it.
- practice
A simple seven-day shortcut practice plan
Practise one small, reversible task each day. Check its result and keep only the commands useful to your work. Skip or repeat days as needed.
- troubleshooting
Why a shortcut affects the wrong field
Check which field, editor or panel has focus before changing the binding. A shortcut can be correct but apply somewhere other than the document you are looking at.
- troubleshooting
Press a shortcut chord in sequence, not all at once
A chord can contain several key combinations pressed one after another. Check the editor’s notation so you know where one combination ends and the next begins.
- product
A shortcut reference does not change your shortcuts
KeyboardShortcuts.pro shows readable app-menu bindings. It does not remap them or run commands. Use the source app’s settings when you want to change a shortcut.
- comparison
Use Spotlight or switch to an open app?
Use the app switcher to return to an app you already know. Use a search launcher when you need to find or identify the app to open.
- workflow
Take a useful screenshot for a support request
Capture the smallest area that explains the problem. Review the saved image for private details, then include what you expected, what happened and how to reproduce it.
- practice
Teach one useful shortcut clearly
Choose a harmless action the learner needs. Explain its app and context, ask what result they expect, then let them try it if they want to.
- comparison
Use a terminal or a configured VS Code task?
Use the terminal for interactive shell work. Use a configured task for a named project operation—but inspect what it runs before starting it.
- practice
Practise moving and selecting text accurately
Use a short paragraph of invented text to practise cursor movement, selection and Undo. Check each result instead of trying to finish quickly.
- practice
Practise switching tabs and returning to your starting page
Open three harmless pages, give each one a purpose, and return to the first. Check the tab titles so you know which page you selected.
- troubleshooting
Find and fix a VS Code shortcut conflict
Identify the intended command, pressed keys and actual result. Inspect competing bindings and context in VS Code before changing one rule at a time.
- comparison
Zoom a webpage or magnify the whole Mac screen?
Use webpage zoom when page content is too small. Use macOS Zoom when you need broader screen magnification, including controls in other apps.