List of Pages keyboard shortcuts for Mac to quickly editing and processing word documents using ⌘, ⌥, ⇧ and ⌃ keys to save plenty of time. Shortcut in Mac: Bullet. Option + 8: Copyright © Option + g: Dagger † Option + t: Double dagger ‡ Shift + Option + 7: Ellipsis Option +; Em dash — Shift + option + – En dash – Option + – Paragraph mark ¶ Option + 7: Single curly left ‘ Option + Single curly right ' Shift + Option + Double curly left ' Option + Double curly right ' Shift + Option +. Probably this is the easiest documented shortcut key for a Mac. To enter special symbols, like those lamdas, tildas, and alfas, you need to press just one key. For instance, if you need to type a modified E, hold down the E key for one second and then choose among available variations that appear. Open a Word document and—on the Mac menu, not the menu within Word—select Tools Customize Keyboard. Then choose a category and a command. If a current shortcut exists, it will display in the Current Keys area. To delete it, just select it and click Remove.
The function keys on your Mac's keyboard are probably the least used of all. In fact, they're so underused that by default when you press a function key it doesn't act as a function key at all. Instead, it performs its other duty, whether that's media playback control, brightness adjustment, or invoking Launchpad or Mission Control. To use a function key as a function key, you must hold down the fn button at the bottom left of your keyboard.
Change the behavior of function keys on your Mac
Nevertheless, function keys can be very useful if you customize them to do what you want them to do. Here's how to create some of the best time-saving function key shortcuts for your Mac.
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Use function keys without pressing fn
First thing first, let's make function keys functional again:
- To reverse the default behavior of function keys, go to the Apple Menu and select System Preferences
- Click on the Keyboard pane
- Choose the Keyboard tab
- Check the box next to 'Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys'
Customize function key shortcuts with preset actions
The easiest shortcut you can make is re-assigning function keys themselves to more useful actions:
- In System Preferences, choose the Keyboard pane
- Click on the Shortcuts tab
- Choose one of the categories on the left-hand side
- Select a preset from the list
- If the preset already has a shortcut assigned, click on it and tap the function key you want to use
- If it doesn't have a shortcut assigned already, click Add Shortcut and tap the function key
If the function key you've chosen is already assigned to something else, you'll see a yellow warning triangle appear next to it and the original shortcut. You will have to alter one of them to proceed.
Create function key shortcuts with custom actions
Now, to actually create shortcut combinations, do the following:
- Launch the app for which you want to add a shortcut
- Go to the menu that hosts the command you want to create a shortcut for and make a note of the precise name of the command
- Go to the Keyboard pane in System Preferences
- Select the Shortcuts tab
- Choose App Shortcuts
- Click the plus button
- From the All Applications drop down menu, choose the app for which you want to add the shortcut
- In the Menu Title box, type the name of the command exactly as it appears in the application's menu
- Type the function key shortcut in the Keyboard Shortcut box
Now, whenever you're in that app and tap the assigned function key, it will perform the specified command. For example, if you set up a shortcut to save a document as a template in Pages and assign it to the F1 key, then when you're using Pages and press F1, the current document will be saved as a template.
If you want to go further than customizing function keys, there are several apps that can help you work faster and become even more productive.
Quick Tips: make your own shortcuts to work faster and more efficiently
Expand text with Rocket Typist
If you find yourself typing the same phrases over and over again in email messages or documents, Rocket Typist is your holy grail. It allows you to store organized snippets of text and recall them with custom abbreviations.
For example, instead of typing 'Hello, my name is John Appleseed, I am a developer interested in…' you could just type 'hmn' and Rocket Typist will fill out the rest. You could also find the pre-saved phrase in the app itself and paste it in that way. Minecraft sp mac free.
Rocket Typist shows how minimal but productive a text expansion app can be.
Rocket Typist supports macros for things like time and date so you can be sure the current time and date will be placed in your document. And you can share snippets using AirDrop or Mail.
Search intelligently with Lacona
Lacona is a bit like a keyboard version of Siri for those of us who don't like talking to our Mac. Press the keyboard shortcut to invoke its text input bar and type a command, such as 'search Amazon for bluetooth speakers' or 'schedule lunch with Carol at 1pm tomorrow,' or even 'play Born to Run.' As you type, Lacona will show a list of suggestions beneath the window, and you can use the arrow keys to navigate to and select the one you want.
Get a keyboard version of Siri
Automate your search on Mac with Lacona, an app that interprets what you're typing and does what you're asking for. Like Siri, only with text.
Lacona can also perform actions like copy, move, and rename on files in the Finder and activate system events like Empty Trash and Shutdown, it can create reminders and make calls, quit, activate and relaunch apps, and so much more, all by typing in its text bar. The app can even hook into third-party services, like IFTTT, so you can control those just by typing as well.
Create custom gestures with BetterTouchTool
Apple's built-in gestures for the Trackpad and Magic Mouse are great, as far as they go. With BetterTouchTool (BTT) though you can take them much much further. The app allows you to create completely custom gestures and assign them to actions, which can be either global or application specific.
In addition, BetterTouchTool allows you to create custom keyboard sequences to trigger actions, and has its own built-in clipboard manager and screenshot tool. So you could, for example, set up a gesture to take a screenshot and then edit it right in BetterTouchTool instead of saving it to the Desktop.
Save multiple text snippets with Paste
Paste is a clipboard manager that allows you to store multiple items for pasting later. It then categorizes each copied item and places it in its own section of the clipboard, which you can easily change. Moreover, Paste syncs your clipboard in iCloud, meaning you can access its pinboard on multiple devices.
To paste an item you've copied into a document, just use Paste's keyboard shortcut to view the pinboard, find the snippet of text, image, URL, or whatever else you've copied, copy it and then paste it into your file.
As you can see, your Mac's keyboard can be customized in different ways. By creating shortcuts for function keys as well as combinations of other keys, you can start working much more quickly and save time. And using the apps listed above, all of which are available to download for free on Setapp, you can take your productivity to another level altogether.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
Read onSign Up
Humanity should be grateful for the invention of Mac hotkeys. They probably saved us thousand years of time if put together. There is something addictive in using shortcuts - the quickness, the feeling of a keyboard, the geeky confidence in your fingers when you realize 'hurray it works!' Once you get hooked on shortcuts, you'll never go back to clicking again.
Basic Mac hotkeys combinations
1. Quit all apps
Sometimes an app that you thought you quit is still secretly running in the background. When your Mac lags and you need some fresh memory, you may choose to quit all apps. You probably heard of Force Quit (Cmd + Option + Esc), but it's a too long way to do it.
Quit many apps in a row: Cmd + Tab
Then, holding down Cmd press Q to cycle between apps you need to close.
2. Delete a file completely
Dragging files to the Trash? Wait, this is not the only option. Here's a shortcut to quickly delete unwanted files on a Mac, bypassing the Trash. Caution: there's no way back.
To completely delete a file: Option + Cmd + Delete
Did you know, the Command key ? symbol was borrowed from a road sign that is used across Scandinavia? Its original use is to denote tourist attractions. Early Mac models had Apple key instead of Command, but it later was changed as Steve Jobs feared that there would be too many 'apples' in the OS interface.
3. Copy and paste a screenshot directly
Cmd + Shift + 4 is an old classic way to make a screenshot on a Mac. But here comes the combination to take your screenshotting skills to the new level. Normally you would make a screenshot, pick it from your desktop, and only then paste it to the new location. It appears, all this time you could do it easier.
To copy-paste a screenshot: Shift + Control + Cmd + 4
4. Quickly switch to the desktop
Sometimes your screen is so obscured by windows it would take years to click through to the desktop. Thank goodness, there is a Mac keystroke combination designed for people like us: the folks who are drowning in an ocean of windows.
To remove window overload: Cmd + F3
5. Open Spotlight
Spotlight, your Mac's internal search engine, can make your life 1000% easier. It finds files faster than Finder and intuitively predicts what are you after. To open Spotlight right on the spot (sorry for the pun), use this magic combo.
To launch Spotlight search: Cmd + Space bar
Cool shortcut keys for Mac
1. Invert display colors
A truly psychedelic key combination. This shortcut inverts all the colors on your Mac's screen to their opposites. Try it, and your world will never be the same. On the flip side, you can find a few practical applications for this command, for example, to adjust your screen to different lighting.
To invert colors on screen: ?md + Option + F5
2. Restore a recently closed tab
This one can be a real savior if you accidentally closed an important tab in a browser, like that pancake recipe or payment confirmation. There's an easy Mac keyboard shortcut to restore it.
To restore a closed tab: Cmd + Shift + T
3. To shut down your Mac instantly
No, the following Mac shortcut is not about the force shutdown. It's used when you need to quickly close all dialog windows and shut down your Mac in a legit way. Learn this one, quickly finish your work and finally go outside.
To quickly shut down a Mac: Control + Option + Command + Eject
4. Mac hot keys to invoke Siri
Among all Mac keyboard commands, this is the easiest. Since Siri's arrival to macOS we got used to talk to Siri about weather and even ask her to play our favorite tracks on Mac. If you are using macOS Sierra or higher, you'll enjoy the ability to summon Siri using just one hand.
To launch Siri: Cmd + Space bar Whirl mac lipstick on dark skin.
A shortcut to free up space on your Mac
Well, not exactly a shortcut, but indeed the quickest way to get more storage on your Mac.
Download CleanMyMac + Install + Click Smart Scan
This combination of actions will free up dozens of gigabytes of space taken by garbage: unwanted files, system junk, app leftovers, etc. CleanMyMac removes about 54 GB of junk on an average Mac. Try and see how it cleans your Mac.
CleanMyMac is available for a free download here.
Finder shortcuts
Finder is quite a resource-demanding tool. When you open a new Finder window it usually takes some time. For quicker access to your main destinations like Applications or Desktop, you can use the following shortcut combinations.
To quickly access Finder folders:
Cmd + Shift + A (for Applications)
Cmd + Shift + U (for Utilities)
Cmd + Shift + D (for Desktop)
Use function keys without pressing fn
First thing first, let's make function keys functional again:
- To reverse the default behavior of function keys, go to the Apple Menu and select System Preferences
- Click on the Keyboard pane
- Choose the Keyboard tab
- Check the box next to 'Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys'
Customize function key shortcuts with preset actions
The easiest shortcut you can make is re-assigning function keys themselves to more useful actions:
- In System Preferences, choose the Keyboard pane
- Click on the Shortcuts tab
- Choose one of the categories on the left-hand side
- Select a preset from the list
- If the preset already has a shortcut assigned, click on it and tap the function key you want to use
- If it doesn't have a shortcut assigned already, click Add Shortcut and tap the function key
If the function key you've chosen is already assigned to something else, you'll see a yellow warning triangle appear next to it and the original shortcut. You will have to alter one of them to proceed.
Create function key shortcuts with custom actions
Now, to actually create shortcut combinations, do the following:
- Launch the app for which you want to add a shortcut
- Go to the menu that hosts the command you want to create a shortcut for and make a note of the precise name of the command
- Go to the Keyboard pane in System Preferences
- Select the Shortcuts tab
- Choose App Shortcuts
- Click the plus button
- From the All Applications drop down menu, choose the app for which you want to add the shortcut
- In the Menu Title box, type the name of the command exactly as it appears in the application's menu
- Type the function key shortcut in the Keyboard Shortcut box
Now, whenever you're in that app and tap the assigned function key, it will perform the specified command. For example, if you set up a shortcut to save a document as a template in Pages and assign it to the F1 key, then when you're using Pages and press F1, the current document will be saved as a template.
If you want to go further than customizing function keys, there are several apps that can help you work faster and become even more productive.
Quick Tips: make your own shortcuts to work faster and more efficiently
Expand text with Rocket Typist
If you find yourself typing the same phrases over and over again in email messages or documents, Rocket Typist is your holy grail. It allows you to store organized snippets of text and recall them with custom abbreviations.
For example, instead of typing 'Hello, my name is John Appleseed, I am a developer interested in…' you could just type 'hmn' and Rocket Typist will fill out the rest. You could also find the pre-saved phrase in the app itself and paste it in that way. Minecraft sp mac free.
Rocket Typist shows how minimal but productive a text expansion app can be.
Rocket Typist supports macros for things like time and date so you can be sure the current time and date will be placed in your document. And you can share snippets using AirDrop or Mail.
Search intelligently with Lacona
Lacona is a bit like a keyboard version of Siri for those of us who don't like talking to our Mac. Press the keyboard shortcut to invoke its text input bar and type a command, such as 'search Amazon for bluetooth speakers' or 'schedule lunch with Carol at 1pm tomorrow,' or even 'play Born to Run.' As you type, Lacona will show a list of suggestions beneath the window, and you can use the arrow keys to navigate to and select the one you want.
Get a keyboard version of Siri
Automate your search on Mac with Lacona, an app that interprets what you're typing and does what you're asking for. Like Siri, only with text.
Lacona can also perform actions like copy, move, and rename on files in the Finder and activate system events like Empty Trash and Shutdown, it can create reminders and make calls, quit, activate and relaunch apps, and so much more, all by typing in its text bar. The app can even hook into third-party services, like IFTTT, so you can control those just by typing as well.
Create custom gestures with BetterTouchTool
Apple's built-in gestures for the Trackpad and Magic Mouse are great, as far as they go. With BetterTouchTool (BTT) though you can take them much much further. The app allows you to create completely custom gestures and assign them to actions, which can be either global or application specific.
In addition, BetterTouchTool allows you to create custom keyboard sequences to trigger actions, and has its own built-in clipboard manager and screenshot tool. So you could, for example, set up a gesture to take a screenshot and then edit it right in BetterTouchTool instead of saving it to the Desktop.
Save multiple text snippets with Paste
Paste is a clipboard manager that allows you to store multiple items for pasting later. It then categorizes each copied item and places it in its own section of the clipboard, which you can easily change. Moreover, Paste syncs your clipboard in iCloud, meaning you can access its pinboard on multiple devices.
To paste an item you've copied into a document, just use Paste's keyboard shortcut to view the pinboard, find the snippet of text, image, URL, or whatever else you've copied, copy it and then paste it into your file.
As you can see, your Mac's keyboard can be customized in different ways. By creating shortcuts for function keys as well as combinations of other keys, you can start working much more quickly and save time. And using the apps listed above, all of which are available to download for free on Setapp, you can take your productivity to another level altogether.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
Read onSign Up
Humanity should be grateful for the invention of Mac hotkeys. They probably saved us thousand years of time if put together. There is something addictive in using shortcuts - the quickness, the feeling of a keyboard, the geeky confidence in your fingers when you realize 'hurray it works!' Once you get hooked on shortcuts, you'll never go back to clicking again.
Basic Mac hotkeys combinations
1. Quit all apps
Sometimes an app that you thought you quit is still secretly running in the background. When your Mac lags and you need some fresh memory, you may choose to quit all apps. You probably heard of Force Quit (Cmd + Option + Esc), but it's a too long way to do it.
Quit many apps in a row: Cmd + Tab
Then, holding down Cmd press Q to cycle between apps you need to close.
2. Delete a file completely
Dragging files to the Trash? Wait, this is not the only option. Here's a shortcut to quickly delete unwanted files on a Mac, bypassing the Trash. Caution: there's no way back.
To completely delete a file: Option + Cmd + Delete
Did you know, the Command key ? symbol was borrowed from a road sign that is used across Scandinavia? Its original use is to denote tourist attractions. Early Mac models had Apple key instead of Command, but it later was changed as Steve Jobs feared that there would be too many 'apples' in the OS interface.
3. Copy and paste a screenshot directly
Cmd + Shift + 4 is an old classic way to make a screenshot on a Mac. But here comes the combination to take your screenshotting skills to the new level. Normally you would make a screenshot, pick it from your desktop, and only then paste it to the new location. It appears, all this time you could do it easier.
To copy-paste a screenshot: Shift + Control + Cmd + 4
4. Quickly switch to the desktop
Sometimes your screen is so obscured by windows it would take years to click through to the desktop. Thank goodness, there is a Mac keystroke combination designed for people like us: the folks who are drowning in an ocean of windows.
To remove window overload: Cmd + F3
5. Open Spotlight
Spotlight, your Mac's internal search engine, can make your life 1000% easier. It finds files faster than Finder and intuitively predicts what are you after. To open Spotlight right on the spot (sorry for the pun), use this magic combo.
To launch Spotlight search: Cmd + Space bar
Cool shortcut keys for Mac
1. Invert display colors
A truly psychedelic key combination. This shortcut inverts all the colors on your Mac's screen to their opposites. Try it, and your world will never be the same. On the flip side, you can find a few practical applications for this command, for example, to adjust your screen to different lighting.
To invert colors on screen: ?md + Option + F5
2. Restore a recently closed tab
This one can be a real savior if you accidentally closed an important tab in a browser, like that pancake recipe or payment confirmation. There's an easy Mac keyboard shortcut to restore it.
To restore a closed tab: Cmd + Shift + T
3. To shut down your Mac instantly
No, the following Mac shortcut is not about the force shutdown. It's used when you need to quickly close all dialog windows and shut down your Mac in a legit way. Learn this one, quickly finish your work and finally go outside.
To quickly shut down a Mac: Control + Option + Command + Eject
4. Mac hot keys to invoke Siri
Among all Mac keyboard commands, this is the easiest. Since Siri's arrival to macOS we got used to talk to Siri about weather and even ask her to play our favorite tracks on Mac. If you are using macOS Sierra or higher, you'll enjoy the ability to summon Siri using just one hand.
To launch Siri: Cmd + Space bar Whirl mac lipstick on dark skin.
A shortcut to free up space on your Mac
Well, not exactly a shortcut, but indeed the quickest way to get more storage on your Mac.
Download CleanMyMac + Install + Click Smart Scan
This combination of actions will free up dozens of gigabytes of space taken by garbage: unwanted files, system junk, app leftovers, etc. CleanMyMac removes about 54 GB of junk on an average Mac. Try and see how it cleans your Mac.
CleanMyMac is available for a free download here.
Finder shortcuts
Finder is quite a resource-demanding tool. When you open a new Finder window it usually takes some time. For quicker access to your main destinations like Applications or Desktop, you can use the following shortcut combinations.
To quickly access Finder folders:
Cmd + Shift + A (for Applications)
Cmd + Shift + U (for Utilities)
Cmd + Shift + D (for Desktop)
Chrome shortcuts
Having hundreds of opened tabs in a browser has become a widespread syndrome nowadays. Closing tabs with a mouse is not only frustrating but also may freeze up your browser. Using a direct shortcut makes this job easy as a morning walk.
To close a current tab in Chrome: Cmd + W
To close a Chrome window: Cmd + Shift + W
To open a new Chrome tab: Cmd + T
Psychologists say you have to do something at least 3 times to put it in your long-term memory. Attach small sticky notes to the outlines of your Mac's screen with 3 or 4 shortcuts you really want to master. Then, leave it all to your fingers.
Mac shortcuts for documents
1. Copy text without formatting
You want to copy a piece of the text, but the old formatting drags along with it. Now you spend more time formatting rather than actually creating a text. To strip the text from old styling, use the following Mac hotkeys combination. A very good one to stretch your fingers.
To paste text without formatting:
Hold down Shift + Option + Command and hit V
2. Paste special symbols and emojis
Probably this is the easiest documented shortcut key for a Mac. To enter special symbols, like those lamdas, tildas, and alfas, you need to press just one key. For instance, if you need to type a modified E, hold down the E key for one second and then choose among available variations that appear.
To enter an alternate character: Hold down the character key
To paste emojis in the text: Press Control + Command + Space
3. Enter a strikethrough text on a Mac
You won't believe, but 8000 people are googling how to do a strikethrough text on a Mac everyday. Although some applications don't support it, this combination well works in TextEdit and Word. Now you can use it in every second line to add some roughness to your writing.
To apply strikethrough formatting: Cmd + Shift + X
4. Quickly print documents
The next combination works for most apps that allow printing. You don't need to figure out where the print dialogue is located in every case. Just memorize this quick combination and send your files to print from anywhere.
To invoke a print dialogue: Cmd + P
Mac Keyboard Symbols List
Mac shortcuts to delete many files at once
There comes a time when you need to do a spring cleaning on your Mac: sort out old garbage, move photos to an external drive, or clean up your old downloads. It is time-consuming and takes an immense willpower simply to start. But lucky you are: there are a few shortcuts to remove large heaps of files as quickly as if you had a machete.
To select folder contents: Cmd + A
To delete a group of files after selection: Cmd + Delete
To empty the Trash: Cmd + Shift + Delete
If you've got many files left after backing up, this will save you a good deal of time moving them to the Trash bin.
To save you from a headache, there are apps that will do the mundane deletion job in an instant. CleanMyMac is perhaps the most reliable one. It has a tool that specifically searches for Large & Old files on your drive for a quick cleanup. CleanMyMac is available for a free download. So, check it out.
Keyboard Shortcuts On Mac
This was our take on most useful keyboard shortcuts for Mac. Thanks for reading. Below you'll find a few more links about Mac and productivity.
Mac Shortcuts Cheat Sheet Pdf
These might also interest you:
