A keyboard shortcut or hotkey refers to a series of one or multiple keys that are used to immediately perform a preprogrammed action on a computer. According to The Tech Wire, there are multiple benefits of using keyboard shortcuts, such as enhanced productivity, seamless multitasking, etc.
Every operating system, including prominent ones like Windows and macOS features keyboard shortcuts natively as an accessibility feature. In this article, we will take a look at some of the most helpful Mac keyboard shortcuts. Let us get started:
- Power Off Mac Instantly
There are numerous instances when Mac users do not have enough time to manually power off their Apple computers. Thankfully, there is a useful keyboard trick using which users can instantly shut down their Mac whenever they are in a rush.
All they need to do is press the following keys together – “Control,” “Option,” “Command,” and “Power Button.” Once an individual is done reviewing and saving the files they were working on, they can use the dedicated keyboard shortcut to turn off their Mac within a few seconds.
- Navigate to the Screen’s Top or Bottom Quickly
Instead of using the mouse or trackpad of their Mac to scroll up or down to the bottom of a screen, macOS users can easily do the job using multiple keys. To do so, all they need to do is press the “Command” and “Up Arrow” or “Down Arrow” to instantly navigate to the screen’s top or bottom, respectively.
This efficient keyboard shortcut comes in handy when users are browsing through a lengthy web page or document and wish to directly read the content present at the beginning or end.
- Undo or Redo Changes
There are instances when users accidentally delete or type something that they did not intend to do. The generic way of rectifying the mistake is to manually delete the wrong text and replace it with the required words. However, there is a faster way to do so. For those wondering how do you undo on Mac, the answer is very simple – simply press the “Command” and “Z” keys together.
Similarly, there are times when users delete certain important words or portions of text accidentally. Thankfully, besides featuring a dedicated keyboard shortcut for undoing changes, macOS also features one for redoing changes. All they need to do is press the “Command,” “Shift,” and “Z” keys together. Both shortcuts benefit users, especially those who regularly work with documents.
- Add Special Characters
As their name suggests, special characters are used for denoting special things, such as quantities or qualitative aspects of certain things. For instance, if an individual wants to mention a body’s temperature, they need to use “℃.” Although macOS does not inherently feature Alt codes to include special characters, there are multiple ways to add special characters on Mac.
One of the best ways of doing so is by pressing the “Control,” “Command,” and “Space” keys together to bring up the menu featuring symbols and special characters and inserting the required one easily. Besides this, the powerful operating system also allows users to create custom keyboard shortcuts for inputting symbols and special characters.
- Close the Active Application
The generic way of closing an active application on Mac involves the user navigating to the window’s top and clicking the close button. Although the procedure does not consume much time, there are instances when users do not have even that much time to shut down an application. Hence, the best way to get the job done in such situations is to use the dedicated keyboard shortcut for closing the application.
To close the active application using the keyboard, all they need to do is press the “Command” and “Q” keys together. Most macOS users put this keyboard hack to use whenever they need to get out of sticky situations with ease.
- Compose an Email
The native Mail app of macOS is very popular among Mac owners thanks to its top-tier features and functionalities. Most people use the app to send, read, and manage emails on their Apple computers. However, what the majority of them do not know is that they can compose emails directly by pressing the “Command,” “Shift,” and “I” keys together.
Doing so directly opens the “Compose” window on the native Mail app, using which users can compose emails and send them directly to their preferred recipient. This simple keyboard hack significantly enhances the productivity of users who send and manage tons of emails daily.
Implementing the use of keyboard shortcuts in their daily workflow benefits users in numerous ways. For starters, it enhances their productivity and facilitates them to get more work done. Besides this, it also helps to have a refined macOS experience. Thus, macOS users should try the aforementioned keyboard shortcuts to work more smartly.
