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Can you confidently say that you know everything about Mac OS X? If your answer is YES, then you probably don’t need to read this article anymore. But if you have recently switched from Windows to Mac OS X, then these Mac shortcuts will help you a lot.
I used Mac OS X two years ago, and since then I keep discovering new useful shortcuts. Alongside copy and paste things, many other shortcuts can help you to do a lot of things faster, such as duplicate file instead of copying and then pasting, quickly bookmark a website, hide apps, quickly show the desktop and much more. Each shortcut will help you save your time and make your work quicker.
In this guide today, I would like to share some useful Mac shortcuts with you.
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How To Duplicate A File In Mac OS X
Do you want to make a copy of a particular file in the same folder, like copy it and then paste? If so, you can use Command + D instead of press Command + C and then Command + V. That’s a simpler way, right?
However, if you press Command + D outside Finder, it will work in different ways. For example, if you press Command + D in your Safari browser, it will bookmark the current website that you are viewing. Or if you press Command + D in the dialog box that’s asking you to save file or not, that means “Don’t Save” the file/changes.
How To Show Your Mac Desktop Quickly
In case you are opening too many apps and your desktop screen are hidden behind them, and you want to show your desktop immediately? Then just need to press Command + F3, and all of your opening Mac apps will be slid out of your Mac screen, disappear and reveal the desktop to you.
How about getting those apps back? Just press Command + F3 again and your apps will be back into their places.
That’s it!
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This combination of keys doesn’t work? It depends on the version of your Mac OS X and its configuration. The F3 key sometimes works as a standard function key, as defined in System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard. That’s the reason why it doesn’t work. You should try Command + fn + F3 instead of Command + F3.
Also, you can replace these keys with whatever you want, such as F11. To do so, navigate to System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> Mission Control. Then find “Show Desktop” item and replace the current shortcut with your choice.
How To Create A File Shortcut In Mac OS X
You know, it’s quite easy to create a file shortcut in Windows. But how to make a file shortcut on your Mac? It’s also simple like what we often do in Windows. All you need to do is to press and hold Command + Option keys while dragging and dropping a file. This process will create a shortcut of the file you selected.
[full-related slug1=”how-to-print-screen-mac-os-x” slug2=”how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-a-mac”]Want to create a new file shortcut on your desktop? Just select the file you want, press & hold Command + Option, and then drag and drop it to your Mac desktop. The file shortcut will be automatically created.
You can also right click on the file or application and then select “Make Alias” to create a file shortcut. Then just drag and drop this file shortcut to wherever you want, like Desktop.
To access the location of the original file, choose the file shortcut and then press Command + R. It will take you to the folder that contains the requested file.
How To Hide Active Apps In Mac OS X
You can press Command + H in any opening application window to temporarily hide it. This shortcut only hides it, not close or force it to quit.
To get the hidden app back, use Command + Tab or just click it from the Mac’s Dock.
Also, you can press Command + Option + H to hide all active application windows, except the one you are using. It will help you to make your screen more orderly, right?
How To Find The Location Of A File In Mac OS X
When you search for a file or an application in Spotlight, it will show you the requested file or app. You will not know where it’s stored. To find out, just press Command + Enter and it will show you the path.
If you are using the search of Finder instead Spotlight, just press Command + R to find the location of the requested file or app.
How To Hide The Mac Sidebar In Finder
Did you ever want to hide the left sidebar in the Finder to have more space? To doing so, press Command + Option + S and then the sidebar will be hidden. To get it back, press the same combination of keys again.
How To Access The /Applications/ Folder Quicker
How do you access the /Applications/ directory? Open the Finder and then select the /Applications/ folder? No, that’s not the quickest way.
To open /Applications/ folder faster, press and hold Command while clicking on any app in the Mac’s Dock. Then the /Applications/ directory will be opened.
How To Zoom In And Zoom Out In Mac OS X
If you don’t know it yet, then you can use Command + + and Command + - to zoom in and zoom out a document or a web page, respectively.
To get back to the normal size quicker (100%), just press Command + 0. Simple?
Note: The Command key works like the Ctrl key in most situations. For example, if you want to open a folder in Finder in a new window, just press & hold the Command key while clicking on that folder.
I hope these useful shortcuts will help you use your Mac more efficient. To view the full list of Mac shortcuts, visit here.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below.
