Tips & tricks

Raycast: a launcher that replaces half a dozen apps on the Mac

A faster Spotlight with clipboard history, window management, text snippets, and thousands of extensions. Free at its core.

Obsidian: the command palette controls everything from the keyboard

Ctrl+P

Ctrl+P finds every command — switching modes, inserting a template, exporting. No need to memorize shortcuts.

Obsidian: [[links]] weave your notes into a network

Double square brackets create a link to another note — and backlinks show you where it's referenced from.

Obsidian: the daily note as a safety net for your day

One place where you dump notes, ideas, and links all day long. Sort it out in the evening — or don't; search will still find it.

Set working hours for notifications in Slack

A notification schedule automatically quiets Slack outside working hours. It leaves you alone in the evening — and shows colleagues when you're reachable.

Slack search: from:, in:, before:

Operators narrow a search to a specific person, channel, and time period — instead of scrolling through history.

Formatting in Slack: code, quotes, lists

Backticks turn text into code, three of them make a code block. A readable message saves time on both ends.

Slack: Ctrl+K jumps to any channel or teammate

Ctrl+K

The quick switcher finds a channel, a message, or a person in a few keystrokes. Slack's single most important shortcut.

Switch keyboard languages instantly without touching the mouse

Ctrl+Space

Ctrl+Space switches between two keyboard layouts. A must for developers and anyone writing in more than one language.

Half- and quarter-screen window layouts

Newer macOS versions support window snapping — drag a window to the edge, or hold Option over the green button for instant layouts.

Control dialogs from the keyboard: Enter, Esc, and Space

Esc

Enter confirms the blue button, Esc means Cancel — and Space checks a box. Handle dialogs without ever touching the mouse.

Hide the Dock and reclaim a slice of your screen

Cmd+Option+D

Cmd+Option+D hides the Dock. On a laptop that gets you a noticeable strip of extra screen — the Dock slides out only when you want it.

Quick Finder jumps: Desktop, Applications, Downloads

Cmd+Option+L

Finder has shortcuts for the folders you use most — Cmd+Shift+D for Desktop, Cmd+Option+L for Downloads, and more.

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.

Hot corners: reveal the desktop or lock your screen with one flick

Assign actions to the corners of your screen — flicking into a corner shows the desktop, starts the screensaver, or locks the screen.

The Option key unlocks hidden options in menus

Option

Hold Option and click Wi-Fi, sound, or an app menu — expanded options appear that you'd otherwise never see.

Show hidden files with a single shortcut

Cmd+Shift+.

Cmd+Shift+period in Finder toggles hidden-file visibility. Handy for configs, backups, and cleaning up your drive.

“Cut and paste” files in Finder

Cmd+Option+V

The Mac has no Ctrl+X for files — instead, copy with Cmd+C and paste with Option: the file moves instead of copying.

Jump to any folder with Cmd+Shift+G

Cmd+Shift+G

You don't have to click through the folder structure. Cmd+Shift+G in Finder opens a field where you just type the path.

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.

A screenshot of exactly the part of the screen you want

Cmd+Shift+4

Cmd+Shift+4 turns your cursor into a crosshair. Select an area and the shot lands on the desktop — or straight in the clipboard.

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.