Tips & tricks

Copy on your iPhone, paste on your Mac

Universal Clipboard works between Apple devices automatically — text, photos, and links travel over without emailing yourself.

Paste text without the formatting

Cmd+Option+Shift+V

Cmd+Option+Shift+V pastes text clean — no foreign fonts, colors, or sizes. Saves the look of every document.

Lock your Mac every time you step away

Ctrl+Cmd+Q

Ctrl+Cmd+Q locks the screen instantly. A two-second habit that protects your work and your data.

Sign PDFs in Preview — no printer or scanner needed

The Preview app can drop your signature straight into a PDF. Capture it once, then sign in two clicks from then on.

Multiple desktops: separate work from communication

Ctrl+→

Ctrl+arrows switch between virtual desktops. One for focused work, one for mail and chat — and distractions disappear from view.

Text replacement: type “addr” and the whole address pops out

macOS can replace short shortcuts with long text system-wide — in email, browser, and chat alike. Set it up once, works everywhere.

Dictation: you talk, your Mac types

Double-tapping the keyboard shortcut starts dictation wherever the cursor is blinking. It handles other languages surprisingly well.

Space bar: preview a file without opening an app

Space

Select a file in Finder and press Space. PDFs, photos, video, and spreadsheets appear instantly — no waiting for an app to launch.

Frozen app? Force quit without restarting

Cmd+Option+Esc

Cmd+Option+Esc is macOS's version of Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Quit a frozen app in three seconds.

Spotlight: launch apps without touching the mouse

Cmd+Space

Cmd+Space opens Spotlight — the fastest way to launch anything on a Mac. You can practically stop using the Dock.

Spotlight as a calculator and unit converter

Cmd+Space

No need to open a calculator or google an exchange rate. Spotlight calculates and converts currencies and units right in the search field.

Cmd+Tab: switch apps like a pro

Cmd+Tab

The app switcher can do more than it looks — quit apps, hide them, or switch between windows without ever letting go of the keys.