macOS keyboard shortcuts for Mac
Navigate your Mac, edit text, capture the screen and set up your own menu shortcuts.
Documentation reviewed 2026-11-03 · 11 task guides · Mac bindings and focus notes
What do you want to do?
Create a Mac shortcut for an existing menu command
Use System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → App Shortcuts to assign a combination to an existing menu command.
Steps, keys and context ↗Delete a word or forward character on Mac
Option-Delete removes text to the previous word boundary. Fn-Delete, or Control-D in supported text controls, deletes forward.
Steps, keys and context ↗Use document zoom or accessibility screen zoom on Mac
Document zoom changes an app’s content view; accessibility Zoom magnifies the display and must be enabled in macOS settings first.
Steps, keys and context ↗Edit text and recover an accidental change
Command-Z undoes the previous command in apps that support it. Shift-Command-Z redoes; Command-C copies a selection and Command-V pastes.
Steps, keys and context ↗Navigate Mac dialogs without guessing what Return will do
Use Tab and Shift-Tab to move focus where keyboard navigation is enabled, then inspect the focused control before activating it.
Steps, keys and context ↗Lock a Mac or log out: choose the right shortcut
Control-Command-Q locks the screen. Shift-Command-Q starts logging out of the user account and presents confirmation.
Steps, keys and context ↗Open, save and search a Mac document from the keyboard
Command-O opens a document, Command-S saves and Command-F searches the front document or window in apps supporting these standard commands.
Steps, keys and context ↗Capture a Mac window or selected area with the keyboard
Shift-Command-4 starts area selection; pressing Space during that mode switches to window capture. Shift-Command-5 opens Screenshot controls.
Steps, keys and context ↗Choose Spotlight or Finder search from the keyboard
Command-Space opens Spotlight; Option-Command-Space starts a Finder search. Choose the search surface before typing a query.
Steps, keys and context ↗Select Mac text by word or line boundary
Add Shift to Option-arrow or Command-arrow navigation to extend a text selection by words or line boundaries.
Steps, keys and context ↗Switch Mac apps without losing the window you need
Use Command-Tab to change apps and Command-` to cycle windows within an app. They solve different navigation problems.
Steps, keys and context ↗
Quick reference
Selected bindings from the linked task guides. Check the context before pressing a key: the focused control, app version and your custom settings can change what it does. This is a documentation reference, not an exhaustive live menu reading.
| Action | Keys | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Open an app’s settings where supported | Command-, | This standard command may help inspect the app’s own shortcut preferences. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Delete previous word | Option-Delete | Applies in text controls supporting the documented editing command. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Toggle accessibility Zoom | Option-Command-8 | Requires the keyboard Zoom option in macOS Accessibility settings. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Undo previous command | Command-Z | Availability and undo history depend on the app. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Move focus forward | Tab | Availability of non-text controls depends on keyboard navigation settings. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Lock the screen | Control-Command-Q | Leaves the account session available after unlocking. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Choose a document to open | Command-O | Opens the supported app’s file-selection flow. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Select an area | Shift-Command-4 | Drag the region you want after entering selection mode. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Open Spotlight | Command-Space | The configured Spotlight shortcut may be changed or claimed by another utility. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Extend left by a word | Option-Shift-Left Arrow | Uses the text editor’s word boundaries. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Change active app | Command-Tab | Moves through the application switcher, rather than the current app’s document windows. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Assign the new menu shortcut | Your chosen combination | There is no universal default for a command you are customising; enter your own keys in App Shortcuts. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Delete forward | Fn-Delete | Useful on keyboards without a dedicated Forward Delete key. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Increase screen magnification | Option-Command-Equal Sign | Uses system Zoom rather than a document’s scale control. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Redo an undone command | Shift-Command-Z | Reverses undo where supported. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Move focus backward | Shift-Tab | Reverses the focus cycle in a supported dialog. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Begin logging out | Shift-Command-Q | Save your work and read the confirmation before proceeding. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
| Save current document | Command-S | A new file may still require a name and destination. Source ↗Read the task guide → |
When a shortcut behaves differently
- Confirm you are using the Mac binding, and check whether the guide describes a desktop app or its web version.
- Put focus in the control named in the guide. Editing text, selecting an object and navigating a sidebar can use different keys.
- Look up the command in the app's menu or shortcut settings. Customized keys and non-US keyboard layouts can differ from documented defaults.
The cited documentation was checked for these guides; a documentation review is separate from testing your particular running app. How we verify and update guides →
Official sources
- Create keyboard shortcuts for apps — Apple Support — checked 2026-11-03
- Mac keyboard shortcuts — Apple Support — checked 2026-11-03
- Zoom in on your Mac screen — Apple Support — checked 2026-11-03
- Navigate your Mac using Full Keyboard Access — Apple Support — checked 2026-11-03
- Default action keyboard shortcut — Apple Developer Documentation — checked 2026-11-03
- Take a screenshot on Mac — Apple Support — checked 2026-11-03