502 tips · new ones added continuously
Every tip is one concrete thing you will do better or faster. Filter by what you use and who you are — or just search.
An alternative to window-switching — the active window sits center stage, the rest lined up at the edge. Helps you keep one thing in focus.
Ctrl+Cmd+D
Tap a word with three fingers (or Ctrl+Cmd+D) and up pops a definition, translation, and Wikipedia entry — without leaving the text.
Esc
Enter confirms the blue button, Esc means Cancel — and Space checks a box. Handle dialogs without ever touching the mouse.
Don't email files between Apple devices. AirDrop is faster, doesn't compress anything, and has no size limits.
Save a search as a smart folder — say, “PDFs from the last week.” The contents keep themselves up to date by the rules you set.
Cmd+Shift+R
Reader view strips an article down to nothing but text and images. Read without blinking banners — with your own font size.
Preview handles arrows, boxes, text, and blurring sensitive info. For 90% of everyday edits, you don't need anything else.
Set up a Work mode that lets through only colleagues and family — synced to your iPhone and Apple Watch too.
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.
Universal Clipboard works between Apple devices automatically — text, photos, and links travel over without emailing yourself.
Cmd+Option+Shift+V
Cmd+Option+Shift+V pastes text clean — no foreign fonts, colors, or sizes. Saves the look of every document.
macOS can select text in a photo or screenshot just like regular text. Grab a phone number off a photo of a business card in two clicks.
Cmd+Option+L
Finder has shortcuts for the folders you use most — Cmd+Shift+D for Desktop, Cmd+Option+L for Downloads, and more.
Right-click in Finder → Import from iPhone → Scan Documents. The scan lands directly in the folder, perfectly cropped.
Ctrl+Cmd+Q
Ctrl+Cmd+Q locks the screen instantly. A two-second habit that protects your work and your data.
Hold down the green button on a window and pick a half of the screen. Perfect for writing with reference material alongside.
The Preview app can drop your signature straight into a PDF. Capture it once, then sign in two clicks from then on.
Ctrl+→
Ctrl+arrows switch between virtual desktops. One for focused work, one for mail and chat — and distractions disappear from view.
Assign actions to the corners of your screen — flicking into a corner shows the desktop, starts the screensaver, or locks the screen.
macOS can replace short shortcuts with long text system-wide — in email, browser, and chat alike. Set it up once, works everywhere.
Option
Hold Option and click Wi-Fi, sound, or an app menu — expanded options appear that you'd otherwise never see.
Select files, right-click, Rename — Finder can replace text, add sequence numbers, and format names with numbering.
Ctrl+Cmd+Space
The 🌐 (fn) key or Ctrl+Cmd+Space opens a panel of emoji and special characters — with built-in search.
Double-tapping the keyboard shortcut starts dictation wherever the cursor is blinking. It handles other languages surprisingly well.
Cmd+Shift+.
Cmd+Shift+period in Finder toggles hidden-file visibility. Handy for configs, backups, and cleaning up your drive.
Space
Select a file in Finder and press Space. PDFs, photos, video, and spreadsheets appear instantly — no waiting for an app to launch.
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.
Cmd+Option+Esc
Cmd+Option+Esc is macOS's version of Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Quit a frozen app in three seconds.
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.
Cmd+Space
Cmd+Space opens Spotlight — the fastest way to launch anything on a Mac. You can practically stop using the Dock.