16 Mac keyboard shortcuts you need to know

Want to switch applications, empty the trash, search your hard drive, or put your Mac to sleep, all without touching your mouse? Read on for 16 keyboard shortcuts that’ll let you zip around your Mac like a pro.

1. COMMAND + TAB

Just like on a Windows PC, this keyboard command calls up a horizontal bar of icons representing all your running applications; hold the Command key and keep hitting Tab until the cursor lands on the app you want to use, then release.

2. SHIFT + COMMAND + N

Instantly creates a new folder on your Mac desktop, or in the active Finder window.

3. COMMAND + ARROW KEY (within a document)

Miss the “end” key on your old Windows PC? Tap Command + right-arrow to zip to the end of the current line.

You can also press Command + left-arrow to send the cursor to the beginning of a line, Command + up-arrow to go to the very beginning of a document, or Command + down-arrow to zoom to the very end.

4. COMMAND + SHIFT + ?

Opens the Mac “Help” form, either for the Mac OS X “Finder” or the active application; just start typing to search for help.

5. FN + DELETE

Here’s another shortcut for Windows aficionados. On a Mac, the “Delete” key behaves more like a backspace key, deleting the characters behind the cursor. But what if you want to delete characters in front of the cursor, as the “Delete” key does on many Windows keyboards? Fn + Delete is the answer.

6. SPACEBAR (or COMMAND + Y)

Activates the Mac’s powerful “Quick Look” feature for the selected document—anything from a PDF or Word file to an image or an MP3.

7. OPTION + COMMAND + Y

Select a group of files, then use this keyboard command to jump to Quick Look’s “slideshow” mode—perfect for launching an impromptu slideshow of, say, a batch of images on your desktop.

8. SHIFT + COMMAND + U

Takes you straight to your Mac’s Utilities folder, where you’ll find such tools as Disk Utility (good for managing, repairing, and erasing drives mounted on the desktop), Grab (for taking screenshots), and Keychain Access (which stores the usernames and passwords you’ve saved in Safari).

9. COMMAND + SPACE

Opens the Spotlight search form in the top-right corner of the screen; start typing, and your search results will appear within seconds.

10. OPTION + COMMAND + EJECT

Puts your Mac straight to sleep, no Apple menu needed.

11. OPTION + SHIFT + COMMAND + Q

Need to log out of your Mac in a hurry? Then here you go; just keep in mind that this keyboard combo will log you out immediately, without waiting for confirmation.

12. OPTION + COMMAND + D

Press this keyboard shortcut once to hide your Mac’s desktop dock, then press the keys again to make it reappear.

13. COMMAND + CONTROL + D

Displays a definition of the selected word. (Note: works best in Apple’s Safari web browser, less so in other applications.)

14. COMMAND + DELETE

Sends the selected file directly to the Mac’s trash can.

15. COMMAND + SHIFT + DELETE

Empties the trash once you click “OK” in the confirmation window. Want to dump the trash immediately, no confirmation needed? Then try Command + Shift + Option + Delete.

16. COMMAND + OPTION + PLUS (or MINUS)

Zooms in on (or out of) the entire Mac display.