7 Mac Shortcuts to Get Your Work Done Faster

Looking for a way to get your work done faster? Apple has created all the right solutions for you with their plethora of shortcuts available on their Mac products. By pressing certain key combinations, you can do things that you normally need to use the mouse for in far less time than it would take you to divert your fingers from the keyboard. Apple designs all of their products to be very user-friendly and more efficient, making keyboard shortcuts just one of the many ways to help you be more efficient at work. Here are our top 7 time-saving shortcuts all Mac users should know about.

Modifier Keys

First, in order to understand Mac shortcuts, you need to grasp the basics. All shortcuts start with a modifier key, which includes Command/Cmd, Shift, Option/Alt, Control/Ctrl, Caps Lock, and Fn. These keys can vary slightly in their keyboard placement, wording, and symbol based on the device, but their main function is consistent across all Apple products. They begin each shortcut and are followed by another key to activate each unique command. Once you learn where these 6 modifier keys are located, you’re halfway there to becoming a shortcut master.

Command + C

The command key is the most common modifier key and is used in this very useful shortcut for copying. Most Mac default settings do not enable a right-click to copy and paste, which can be frustrating to users who are used to a PC. This simple keyboard function is the easiest and fastest way to copy anything on your Mac.

Command + V

You would think that because copying involves the C key that the obvious way to paste would be to use command plus the P key. But that’s not the case. Apple wanted to make it even easier for users to copy and paste within nanoseconds of one another, so they made Command + V the paste function since the V key is conveniently located next to the C key. Once your fingers get used to this short distance, copying and pasting will become a thoughtless action.

Command-Shift-4

Holding these 3 keys simultaneously will take a screenshot for you. A little cursor will appear and you will be able to size the exact image you want to capture. This can be extremely helping when sending quick information to a person or taking a snippet of data to save for future reference. It is also a great tool for graphic design resizing or someone looking to capture only certain aspects of an image.

Command + Space

This shortcut is a real game changer! Whenever you're in a pinch looking for something, use this command to instantaneously bring up Spotlight, where you can search for anything. Just type in your search query and your Mac will help you find what you’re looking for.

Specialty Keys

Some Apple products and keyboards have their own specialty symbols and options for even greater ease of use. You’ll find most keyboards have brightness controls that looks like a sun and volume controls that look like a speaker or megaphone. These setting-related shortcuts make it so much easier to adjust your Mac preferences without having to go combing through your settings. There are also many other specialty keys, so we recommend taking a hard look at your keyboard and playing around with it to see exactly what is available to you.

Customized Keys

Not finding exactly the shortcut you need for a task you frequently perform on your Mac? Not a problem, you can just create your own! Simply go to the System Preferences section of the Apple Menu. Then, click on Keyboards, Shortcuts, and click the add button. If this is a shortcut you want to appear across all of the apps you are using, choose the All Applications setting. However, it is important to note that you can only create shortcuts for existing menu commands and not general purpose tasks, like creating a shortcut to open an app you frequently use. Also, if a shortcut for that key already exists in another app, you won’t be able to create a new one for it elsewhere.

Mac is one of the most user-friendly computer and laptop lines, and these shortcuts make using one even easier! Apple knows that their cult of users wants sleek designs, simple functions, and efficient capabilities. While they can be hard to adjust to at first, using the many shortcuts available on a Mac can save you lots of time and energy. In doing so, you’ll get your work done faster than ever and have time for more important things in your workday.