15 Amazing Mac Keyboard Tricks You Don’t Know About

 

Are you looking for ways to get the most out of your Mac? If so, here are 15 amazing Mac keyboard tricks you may not know about. From quickly taking screenshots to finding words in a document, these tricks will make it easier and faster than ever to accomplish tasks on your Mac. Master these shortcuts and you’ll soon be navigating your Mac like a pro!

What are MacBook keyboard shortcuts?

MacBook keyboards come with a number of shortcuts that make it easier to complete common tasks. These shortcuts are typically combinations of two or three keys pressed simultaneously which can save time and energy, allowing users to achieve their goals faster. One of the most popular keyboard shortcuts is ‘command + C (⌘+C)’ which allows you to copy whatever text you have selected. ‘Command + V (⌘+V)’ will paste the copied text into a new location on the same page, for example if you want to move a sentence from one side of the page to the other.

Other useful Mac keyboard shortcuts include ‘command + X’ (⌘+X) which will cut any selected text and move it to somewhere else – just like copy and paste but leaving less behind, while other standard combinations such as ‘command + S​ ​’ allow you to quickly save your document without needing to go through multiple menus or pull down the mouse. Using these shortcuts not only saves time but makes carrying out certain tasks a lot more intuitive, cutting down on key strokes and clicks in the process.

1. Compose an Email

The (⌘ +⇧+I) shortcut is a great way to quickly compose and send an email, saving you time and effort. No longer will you have to waste valuable minutes or even seconds navigating your inbox in search of the compose new message button. Simply hit the shortcut and begin typing, making your life much easier when it comes to sending digital correspondence.

Additionally, (⌘ +⇧ + I) is also useful if you are operating in a time-sensitive situation. With one keystroke, you can access the compose page right away and get your message off quickly. Thanks to this convenience, this shortcut is great for busy professionals who find themselves needing to write emails on short notice or with limited resources. All in all, using (⌘ + ⇧ + I) for email composition can make things much simpler no matter what the occasion may be.

2. Define a Word

The ability to quickly look up the definition of a word is commonplace across all computing devices. For Mac OS X and iOS iDevices, this capability can be utilized with ease. Utilizing a simple keyboard shortcut, you can quickly get the meaning of any unknown or unfamiliar words right at your fingertips. All you have to do is highlight click (even without highlighting) any part of the word you would like to define, then press ⌘ + Control + D. This will automatically open up a window which displays the definition of that word along with contextual examples, synonyms and antonyms — all without having to launch a new browser tab or window.

Being able to quickly find the meaning of words eliminates some of the guesswork when reading or writing about particularly complex topics. It also helps to expand one’s vocabulary as often times knowing the definition creates an image which one can more easily remember; hence making it easier for people to understand what is being written about or suggests potential phrases for use in conversations and writing alike. This convenient method to quickly find meanings saves time and energy that may have been spent blindly looking them up on search engines or other dictionaries. The ⌘ + Control + D shortcut provides easy access.

3. Specify Your Screenshots

Making use of screenshots as a means to easily capture and save visual information is a critical tool for many Mac users. Fortunately, macOS makes it easy to take full screen shots with the (⌘+⇧+3) command. However, this may be too much if you are only looking to capture a certain part of your display. For these situations, there is the simple but effective (⌘+⇧+4) command.

Pressing this key combination will bring up a crosshair pointer. All you have to do is click, drag and highlight the section of your display that you wish to screenshot and let go. Overlaid icons will give you options on where this image should be saved or how it should be sent; once selected, the screenshot will be taken automatically without any further manipulation required from the user. With this handy tool in our arsenal, capturing important images or sections of information becomes much faster and easier than ever before!

4. Minimize All Screens

Minimizing all your windows can be a great way to regain some focus and get back on task while working. It helps clear the digital space of any distractions that are vying for our attention in these busy times.

The shortcut ⌘ + Option + M is an easy way to quickly minimize all the open screens on your device. This keyboard shortcut works across most Apple devices, including Macs, iPhones, iPads, and iPods. By pressing these 3 keys simultaneously, you will cut through the digital clutter in an instant. Minimizing all screens can be especially useful if you’re trying to manage multiple tasks at once or when you need to switch focus from one project to another. With this shortcut key combination, you can rebound quickly and jump into the next task with ease and confidence.

5. Cycle Open Applications

Cycle Open Applications is a great way to easily switch between open applications, without any additional effort. It allows you to cycle through them with the press of a few buttons, making multitasking and switching apps so much faster. With the (⌘ + ⇧+ Tab) option, you can quickly flip through windows that are stacked up on your desktop, no matter how many applications you have open. This feature is especially useful for those who have a lot of programs running at once.

The ease and speed of this process makes Cycle Open Applications a great tool for anyone who wants to be productive in their work. It also reduces confusion when navigating complicated windows or tasks such as coding or design projects. Having all your windows in one place, making it easy to access whatever application you need in that very moment will make working much more efficient and stress free. Allowing users mobility from program to program instantaneously can massively decrease wasted time on menial activities like checking back and forth across programs several times.

6. Quit a Safari Window

Quitting applications quickly is a great way to save time and keep your computer running smoothly. For those using Safari, the (⌘+ Q) shortcut allows you to quickly quit out of the application. If a user is using Safari and wants to close only the current window without exiting everything, there is an alternative option. This alternate solution is (⌘+W).

This shortcut allows users to quickly close the currently selected Safari window. And what’s more, closing a window cannot cause any of your data to be lost as it only closes the current view while leaving all other open browser windows intact and in their original state. It can be used both with single-window sessions or multiple-window scenarios, which makes it very convenient when needing multiple windows open at once for comparison purposes or data entry tasks that require several websites or pages for cross-referencing.

7. Peak At Your Desktop

Peak At Your Desktop is a handy shortcut to have when dealing with files or images on your desktop without having to close any of the applications you may have running. It’s as simple as pressing ⌘ + F3 and all other windows will be pushed up so that your desktop appears. This enables you to view items on your desktop, tidy up, delete files or drag images onto different programs with ease.

This shortcut allows quick access to the desktop which allows for efficient organization of computer documents and increase overall productivity. You can save time by quickly locating the file or image you need without having to shut down any active applications or creating a mess while looking through the clutter on your desktop. This application makes it easy to navigate between multiple open windows by minimizing them giving clear access to what’s underneath, even helping out those who struggle keeping their desktops organized as they won’t be tempted to procrastinate when looking for an important document.

8. Minuscule Volume Adjustments

Making precise volume adjustments can be difficult when using the buttons on your headphones or device speakers. If you’re trying to get to a particular volume level, often you’ll find yourself overshooting the level you desired. To make sure that the volume of the audio is exactly where you need it to be, you can use the (⌥ +⇧+ F11 or F12) shortcut.

This shortcut allows for an extremely minute increase or decrease in audio volume, depending on which command (F11 or F12) is used. This allows users to make extremely specific adjustments in any media player they’re utilizing, whether it’s a phone app, computer program, etc. With this precise adjustment capability, you no longer have to worry about undershooting or overshooting your ideal audio levels. The short will allow for specific customization of sound so that it fits just right and maintains user satisfaction at all times.

9. Delete Entire Words

The Option + Delete command is a great way to quickly delete words from your text. Without having to press and hold the delete button, you can clear out entire words with just one keystroke. This makes it much easier to erase typos and mistakes during typing as well as save time when editing large amounts of text.

This feature also allows you to delete multiple words at once if necessary, making it an incredibly useful tool for anyone typing or editing a document. No more needlessly pressing and holding the delete button when trying to move whole sections of text around; Option + Delete can do all that hard work for you in no time at all!

10. Go to top/bottom

Scrolling through documents, webpages, and other items is a common task most of us perform on a daily basis. There are multiple methods for scrolling. A popular way is to use the scroll bar, located on the left side of the screen, to quickly and easily navigate up or down, depending on your needs. Another popular method for scrolling is using a trackpad with either simple movements such as swiping down to go down further in the document or clicking and dragging it.

The most efficient way however, is to use keyboard shortcuts. When you press ⌘ + Up Arrow you will instantly be brought all the way back up to the very top of the page while pressing ⌘ + Down Arrow will bring you all the way back down to the bottom of it – saving you precious time with lightning speed navigation! This is extremely useful when dealing with large documents or websites filled with text and graphics that would normally take time to scroll through manually.

11. Minimization Slow-Mo

If you want to show off a neat trick to your friends and family, then minimizing a window in slow-mo is the perfect one. To do this, simply press Shift while clicking the minimize button on the window. This little action will significantly reduce the speed of your minimizing window and make it look like a movie effect.

This cool trick can be used for fun purposes, such as adding some flair to an otherwise mundane task or just making a boring presentation more enjoyable for everyone involved. As many people often multitask with multiple windows simultaneously, having the option of seeing them shrink in slow-motion can be quite amusing for others viewing it. It also provides an easy way to impress others without revealing any advanced skill or knowledge – anyone can do it!

12. Access Address Bar

Using the Access Address Bar shortcut is a great way to save time when it comes to searching for something on the internet. Instead of having to carefully navigate your trackpad or mouse cursor to the search bar and click, you can simply press ⌘ + Up Arrow + L. The shortcut will quickly bring up the address bar on whatever webpage you are currently viewing, allowing you to get right down to typing your web search bar or search engine term right away.

This can be especially helpful if you already know what website or page you want to visit next but don’t want to leave your current page. With this shortcut, all that is necessary is a few keystrokes instead of navigating and clicking around with your computer. This leaves less chances of accidentally opening an incorrect web page while also saving time by cutting out unnecessary steps. For those frequent web surfers who often need quick access to newly opened sites and pages, this simple shortcut can be quite handy in making navigation much easier.

13. Fast Shut Down

If you want to shut down your computer quickly and you’re in a rush, there is one command that can help you get it done fast. The command key is (⌃+⌥+ ⌘ + Eject). As this requires four buttons to be held down at once, it is very difficult and unlikely for it to be executed accidentally. Even if the command is done intentionally, time is of the essence since there will be a count down before the computer shuts off automatically. This gives you just enough time to save any windows or documents that may still need work, although there are not guarantees that everything will return as expected on the next startup. Therefore, every measure should be taken to ensure all files have been safely saved before executing this fast shutdown command.

14. Finder Shortcuts

Finder is a powerful tool that helps users manage their applications and documents on their Mac. With Finder you can save, delete and organize files, access applications, and perform other tasks faster than ever. However, navigating through the Finder app can be a bit of a hassle due to its cluttered interface. That’s why having quick shortcuts to access the Applications page (⌘ +⇧+A), Utilities folder (⌘+ ⇧+U), and Desktop folder (⌘+⇧+D) of Finder is so useful.

Each shortcut leads to an important part of the Mac experience where users can continue with finding and managing their applications and files in one convenient place. Therefore, it’s worth getting familiarizing yourself with these handy Finder shortcuts so that you can get ahead on your organization tasks quicker and more efficiently when you open up your Mac every day.

15. Inverted Colors

Inverted colors is a really useful tool for anyone who might have difficulty seeing certain colors on their screen. In the Accessibility section of Settings, there are options that allow users to invert their color settings with the simple gesture of pressing 9⌘+⌃+⌥+8). This is great for those who rely on seeing clear color contrasts to navigate their computers more easily and comfortably.

In addition to this accessibility feature, inverted colors can serve as a cool feature for any individual looking to change things up visually. Whether it be for aesthetic purposes or just if you’re feeling like experimenting with something new, inverted colors provide an easy way to get just that. It’s definitely worth trying out and see how it works for you – from here you can go ahead and tailor your experience further with other keyboard tricks available in Accessibility.