Do macOS system shortcuts work the same on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?

Yes. The keyboard shortcuts for macOS 26 Tahoe are the same on M-series (Apple Silicon) and Intel hardware. The operating system and its shortcuts are consistent across hardware generations.

What is the difference between Cmd+H, Cmd+M, Cmd+W, and Cmd+Q?

Cmd+H hides the app (its windows disappear from view but it keeps running), Cmd+M minimizes the front window to the Dock while the app stays active, Cmd+W closes the front window while the app stays open, and Cmd+Q quits the app entirely.

Is there a shortcut to screenshot just one window on a Mac?

Yes. Press Cmd+Shift+4, then Space; the cursor becomes a camera icon, and clicking a window captures it with a shadow. Adding Control to the combination copies it to the clipboard instead of saving to the Desktop.

How do I switch between Spaces with the keyboard?

Control+Left and Control+Right move to the previous and next Space. Control plus a number jumps directly to a numbered Space once that option is enabled under System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Mission Control.

macOS 26 Tahoe Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac

Keyboard shortcuts for macOS 26 Tahoe on Mac. Covers app switching, window management, and core system actions on macOS.

Cut the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard: Cmd+X
Copy the selected item to the ClipboardThis also works for files in the Finder.: Cmd+C
Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the current document or appThis also works for files in the Finder.: Cmd+V
Undo the previous commandSome apps let you undo and redo multiple commands.: Cmd+Z
Redo, reversing the undo commandSome apps let you undo and redo multiple commands.: Cmd+Shift+Z
Select All items: Cmd+A
Find items in a document or open a Find window: Cmd+F
Find Again: Find the next occurrence of the item previously found: Cmd+G
Find the previous occurrence: Cmd+Shift+G
Hide the windows of the front app: Cmd+H
View the front app but hide all other apps: Cmd+Opt+H
Minimize the front window to the Dock: Cmd+M
Minimize all windows of the front app: Cmd+Opt+M
Open the selected item, or open a dialog to select a file to open: Cmd+O
Open a print dialog so that you can print the current document: Cmd+P
Quit the current app: Cmd+Q
Save the current document: Cmd+S

Open a new tab: Cmd+T
Close the front window: Cmd+W
Close all windows of the app: Cmd+Opt+W
Force quit an app: Cmd+Opt+Esc
Show or hide the Spotlight search fieldOn some macOS versions this switches input sources instead, if you type in several languages.: Cmd+Space
Perform a Spotlight search from a Finder windowOn some macOS versions this switches input sources instead, if you type in several languages.: Cmd+Opt+Space
Show the Character Viewer, from which you can choose emoji and other symbols: Cmd+Ctrl+Space
or
Fn+E
Use or stop using the app in full screen, if supported by the app: Cmd+Ctrl+F
Use Quick Look to preview the selected item: Space
Switch to the next most recently used app among your open apps: Cmd+Tab
Switch between the windows of the app you're usingThe second key varies by keyboard: it is usually the one above Tab and to the left of the 1 key.: Cmd+`
Take a screenshot or make a screen recording in macOS Mojave or later: Cmd+Shift+534
Create a new empty folder in the Finder: Cmd+Shift+N
Create a new folder that contains the currently selected items: Cmd+Ctrl+N
Open settings (preferences) for the front app: Cmd+,
Create a Quick Note: Fn+Q

Fill: Expand the active window to fill the desktop: Ctrl+Fn+F
Center: Center the active window on the desktop: Ctrl+Fn+C
Left: Move the active window to the left half of the desktop: Ctrl+Fn+Left
Right: Move the active window to the right half of the desktop: Ctrl+Fn+Right

Top: Move the active window to the top half of the desktop: Ctrl+Fn+Up
Bottom: Move the active window to the bottom half of the desktop: Ctrl+Fn+Down
Return to Previous Size: Make the active window the size it was before it was tiled: Ctrl+Fn+R

Turn on your Mac or wake it from sleep (Press): Power
Force your Mac to turn offPress and hold. For an unresponsive Mac, when Shut Down cannot be reached from the Apple menu.: Power
Lock your screen on keyboards with Touch ID (Press): Power
Put your Mac to sleep on built-in keyboards without Touch ID (Press and hold for 1.5 seconds): Power
or
Cmd+Opt+Power
Put your displays to sleep on built-in keyboards without Touch ID: Ctrl+Shift+Power
Show a dialog asking whether you want to restart, sleep, or shut down on built-in keyboards without Touch ID: Ctrl+Power

Force your Mac to restartAny unsaved documents are lost without a prompt.: Cmd+Ctrl+Power
on built-in keyboards without Touch ID
Quit all apps, then shut down your MacIf any open documents have unsaved changes, you are asked whether you want to save them.: Cmd+Ctrl+Opt+Power
on built-in keyboards without Touch ID
Lock your screen: Cmd+Ctrl+Q
Log out of your macOS user accountYou will be asked to confirm.: Cmd+Shift+Q
Log out immediately without confirming: Cmd+Opt+Shift+Q
Complete the action without a confirmation dialog: Opt
while choosing Log Out, Shut Down or Restart from the Apple menu

Left & Right: tile the active window left and the second window right: Ctrl+Shift+Fn+Left
Right & Left: tile the active window right and the second window left: Ctrl+Shift+Fn+Right
Top & Bottom: tile the active window top and the second window bottom: Ctrl+Shift+Fn+Up
Bottom & Top: tile the active window bottom and the second window top: Ctrl+Shift+Fn+Down

Left & Quarters: tile one window left, and two into the right-hand quarters: Ctrl+Opt+Shift+Fn+Left
Right & Quarters: tile one window right, and two into the left-hand quarters: Ctrl+Opt+Shift+Fn+Right
Top & Quarters: tile one window top, and two into the bottom quarters: Ctrl+Opt+Shift+Fn+Up
Bottom & Quarters: tile one window bottom, and two into the top quarters: Ctrl+Opt+Shift+Fn+Down

Duplicate the selected files: Cmd+D
Eject the selected disk or volume: Cmd+E
Start a Spotlight search in the Finder window: Cmd+F
Show the Get Info window for a selected file: Cmd+I
Show the original file for the selected aliasElsewhere it refreshes: Calendar and Safari reload the page, Software Update checks again.: Cmd+R
with an alias selected in the Finder
Open the Computer window: Cmd+Shift+C
Open the desktop folder: Cmd+Shift+D
Open the Recents window, showing all of the files you viewed or changed recently: Cmd+Shift+F
Open a Go to Folder window: Cmd+Shift+G
Open the Home folder of the current macOS user account: Cmd+Shift+H
Open iCloud Drive: Cmd+Shift+I
Open the Network window: Cmd+Shift+K
Open the Downloads folder: Cmd+Opt+L
Create a new folder: Cmd+Shift+N
Open the Documents folder: Cmd+Shift+O
Show or hide the Preview pane in Finder windows: Cmd+Shift+P
Open the AirDrop window: Cmd+Shift+R
Show or hide the tab bar in Finder windows: Cmd+Shift+T
Add selected Finder item to the Dock (OS X Mavericks or later): Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+T
Use or stop using Dock magnification (Press and hold while accessing the Dock): Ctrl+Shift
Open the Utilities folder: Cmd+Shift+U
Show or hide the Dock: Cmd+Opt+D
Add the selected item to the sidebar (OS X Mavericks or later): Cmd+Ctrl+T
Hide or show the path bar in Finder windows: Cmd+Opt+P
Hide or show the Sidebar in Finder windows: Cmd+Opt+S
Hide or show the status bar in Finder windows: Cmd+/
Show View Options: Cmd+J
Open the Connect to Server window: Cmd+K
Make an alias of the selected item: Cmd+Ctrl+A
Open a new Finder window: Cmd+N
Create a new Smart Folder: Cmd+Opt+N
Show or hide the tab bar when a single tab is open in the current Finder window: Cmd+T
Show or hide the toolbar when a single tab is open in the current Finder window: Cmd+Opt+T
Move the files in the Clipboard from their original location to the current location: Cmd+Opt+V
Use Quick Look to preview the selected files: Cmd+Y
View a Quick Look slideshow of the selected files: Cmd+Opt+Y
View the items in the Finder window as icons: Cmd+1
View the items in a Finder window as a list: Cmd+2
View the items in a Finder window in columns: Cmd+3

View the items in a Finder window in a gallery: Cmd+4
Go to the previous/next folder: Cmd+[]
Open the folder that contains the current folder: Cmd+Up
Open the folder that contains the current folder in a new window: Cmd+Ctrl+Up
Open the selected item: Cmd+Down
Close/open the selected folderThis works only when in list view.: LeftRight
Move the selected item to the Trash: Cmd+Del
Empty the Trash: Cmd+Shift+Del
Empty the Trash without confirmation dialog: Cmd+Opt+Shift+Del
Turn video mirroring on or off when your Mac is connected to more than one display: Cmd+Bright−
Open Displays settingsThis works with either Brightness key.: Opt+Bright+
Change the brightness of your external display, if supported by your display: Ctrl+Bright−Bright+
Adjust the display brightness in smaller stepsAdd the Control key to adjust an external display instead, where the display supports it.: Opt+Shift+Bright−Bright+
Open Mission Control settings: Opt+Mission Ctrl
Show the desktop: Cmd+Mission Ctrl
or
Fn+H
or
Fn+F11
Open Mission Control: Ctrl+Up
Show all windows of the front app: Ctrl+Down
Open Sound settingsThis works with any of the volume keys.: Opt+Vol+
Adjust the sound volume in smaller steps: Opt+Shift+Vol−Vol+
Open Keyboard settingsThis works with either Keyboard Brightness key.: Opt+Kbd Bright+
Adjust the keyboard brightness in smaller steps: Opt+Shift+Kbd Bright−Kbd Bright+
Open the item in a separate window, then close the original window: Opt+Double-click
Open a folder in a separate tab or window: Cmd+Double-click
Move the dragged item to the other volume, instead of copying it: Cmd+Drag
Copy the dragged itemThe pointer changes while you drag the item.: Opt+Drag
Make an alias of the dragged itemThe pointer changes while you drag the item.: Cmd+Opt+Drag
Open all folders within the selected folderThis works only when in list view (by clicking a disclosure triangle).: Opt+Click
See the folders that contain the current folder (by clicking a window title): Cmd+Click
Select multiple items in the Finder: Cmd+Click
or
Shift+Click
Show or hide the Dock: Fn+A
Show or hide Control Center: Fn+C
Start or stop dictationYou may be able to set a different dictation shortcut in Keyboard settings.: Fn+D
Show or hide Notification Center: Fn+N
Show or hide Apps (macOS Tahoe 26 or later) or Launchpad (earlier versions of macOS): Shift+Fn+A
Open the Character Viewer: Fn,Fn
Open or close Type to Siri: Cmd,Cmd
Select the previous or next input source, if you use multiple input sources to type in different languages: Ctrl+Space
or
Ctrl+Opt+Space
See the shortcuts for opening commonly used foldersClick the Go menu in the Finder menu bar: Applications, Documents, Downloads, Utilities, iCloud Drive.: Click

The behavior of these shortcuts may vary with the app you're using.

Boldface the selected text, or turn boldfacing on or off: Cmd+B
Italicize the selected text, or turn italics on or off: Cmd+I
Add a web link: Cmd+K
Underline the selected text, or turn underlining on or off: Cmd+U
Show or hide the Fonts window: Cmd+T
Select the Desktop folder from within an Open dialog or Save dialog: Cmd+D
Show or hide the definition of the selected word: Cmd+Ctrl+D
Show the Spelling and Grammar window: Cmd+Shift+;
Find misspelled words in the document: Cmd+;
Delete the word to the left of the insertion point: Opt+Del
Delete the character to the left of the insertion point: Ctrl+H
or
Del
Delete the character to the right of the insertion pointForward delete on keyboards that have no Forward Delete key.: Ctrl+D
or
Fn+Del
Cut text to a clipboard only this app can seeCuts the selection, or from the insertion point to the end of the paragraph. Control-Y pastes it back into the same app.: Ctrl+K
Page Up: Scroll up one page: Fn+Up
Page Down: Scroll down one page: Fn+Down
Home: Scroll to the beginning of a document: Fn+Left
End: Scroll to the end of a document: Fn+Right
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the document: Cmd+Up
Move the insertion point to the end of the document: Cmd+Down
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the current line: Cmd+Left
Move the insertion point to the end of the current line: Cmd+Right
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word: Opt+Left
Move the insertion point to the end of the next word: Opt+Right
Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the document: Cmd+Shift+Up
Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the document: Cmd+Shift+Down
Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the current line: Cmd+Shift+Left
Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the current line: Cmd+Shift+Right

Extend text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line above/below: Shift+UpDown
Extend text selection one character to the left/right: Shift+LeftRight
Extend the text selection to the start or end of the paragraphPress again to extend to the start or end of the following paragraph.: Opt+Shift+UpDown
Extend the text selection to the start or end of the wordPress again to extend to the start or end of the following word.: Opt+Shift+LeftRight
Move to the beginning of the line or paragraph: Ctrl+A
Move to the end of a line or paragraph: Ctrl+E
Move one character forward: Ctrl+F
Move one character backward: Ctrl+B
Center the cursor or selection in the visible area: Ctrl+L
Move up one line: Ctrl+P
Move down one line: Ctrl+N
Insert a new line after the insertion point: Ctrl+O
Swap the character behind the insertion point with the character in front of the insertion point: Ctrl+T
Left/right align: Cmd+Shift+[]
Center align: Cmd+Shift+\
Go to the search field: Cmd+Opt+F
Show or hide a toolbar in the app: Cmd+Opt+T
Copy Style: Copy the formatting settings of the selected item to the Clipboard: Cmd+Opt+C
Paste Style: Apply the copied style to the selected item: Cmd+Opt+V
Paste and Match Style: Apply the style of the surrounding content to the item pasted within that content: Cmd+Opt+Shift+V
Show or hide the inspector window: Cmd+Opt+I
Page setup: Show a window for selecting document settings: Cmd+Shift+P
Show the Save As dialog, or duplicate the current document: Cmd+Shift+S
Decrease the size of the selected item: Cmd+Shift+-
Increase the size of the selected itemCommand–Equal sign (=) performs the same function.: Cmd+Shift+=
Open the Help menu: Cmd+Shift+/

Invert colors: Cmd+Ctrl+Opt+8

Reduce contrast and increase contrast: Cmd+Ctrl+Opt+,.

Move focus to the menu barThen use the arrow keys to move, Return to open a menu or choose an item, or type an item's name to jump to it.: Ctrl+F2
or
Ctrl+Fn+F2
Move focus to the Dock: Ctrl+F3
or
Ctrl+Fn+F3
Move focus to the active window or next window: Ctrl+F4
or
Ctrl+Fn+F4
Move focus to the window toolbar: Ctrl+F5
or
Ctrl+Fn+F5
Move focus to the floating window: Ctrl+F6
or
Ctrl+Fn+F6
Move focus to the previous panel: Ctrl+Shift+F6
Change the way Tab moves focus—between navigation of all controls on the screen, or only text boxes and lists: Ctrl+F7
or
Ctrl+Fn+F7
Move focus to the status menu in the menu bar: Ctrl+F8
or
Ctrl+Fn+F8

Activate the next open window in the front app: Cmd+`
Activate the previous open window in the front app: Cmd+Shift+`
Move the focus to the window drawer: Cmd+Opt+`
Move to next control, move to previous control: Tab
or
Shift+Tab
Move to the next control when a text field is selected: Ctrl+Tab
Move to the previous grouping of controls: Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Move to the adjacent item in a list, tab group or menuAlso moves sliders and adjusters: Up increases the value, Down decreases it.: UpDownLeftRight
Move to a control adjacent to the text field: Ctrl+UpDownLeftRight

Show the Accessibility Shortcuts panelOn a Mac with Touch ID, press Touch ID three times: Cmd+Opt+F5
or
TouchID,TouchID,TouchID

Intro

The table above lists the system keyboard shortcuts for macOS 26 Tahoe: shortcuts that work regardless of which application is in focus. They belong to the operating system itself, covering app switching, window management, screenshots, Spotlight search, and system-wide text editing. These are the shortcuts worth learning early, because they improve every moment at the Mac rather than time in any one app. They work on all Mac hardware running Tahoe, whether Apple Silicon (M-series) or Intel.

App switching and window management

Switching apps. Cmd+Tab cycles through open applications in order of recent use; hold Cmd and tap Tab to move forward, and add Shift to move backward. Cmd+backtick cycles through the open windows of the current app.

Hide, minimize, quit. Cmd+H hides the current app (removing it from view without quitting), Cmd+M minimizes the front window to the Dock, Cmd+W closes the front window, and Cmd+Q quits the app entirely. Cmd+Option+Esc opens Force Quit for apps that stop responding.

Mission Control and Spaces. Control+Up (or F3) shows Mission Control with every open window, and Control+Down shows all windows of the current app. Control+Left and Control+Right move between Spaces, and Control plus a number jumps to a numbered Space once that option is enabled under System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Mission Control. Stage Manager, available in Tahoe, groups windows by app along the left edge; its toggle is in the table above.

Full screen. Cmd+Control+F toggles full-screen mode for the current window.

Screenshots

Cmd+Shift+3 captures the whole screen, and Cmd+Shift+4 captures a selected area you drag to define. After Cmd+Shift+4, press Space to capture a specific window by clicking it. Cmd+Shift+5 opens the capture toolbar for timed shots, screen recording, and destination options. Adding Control to any of these (for example Cmd+Control+Shift+3) copies the screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving a file to the Desktop.

Spotlight and search

Cmd+Space opens Spotlight, which searches apps, documents, contacts, and the web from a single field, and also runs calculations, performs unit conversions, and launches applications.

System-wide text editing

These shortcuts work in any text field across macOS: Option+Left or Right moves the cursor by word, Cmd+Left or Right moves to the start or end of the line, Cmd+Up or Down moves to the start or end of the document, Option+Delete deletes the previous word, and Cmd+Delete deletes to the start of the line.

System functions

Cmd+Control+Q locks the screen immediately. On supported keyboards, Cmd+Option+Power puts the Mac to sleep, and Cmd+Control+Eject (or Ctrl+Eject) opens the Restart, Sleep, and Shut Down dialog on Macs that have an eject key.

Customizing these shortcuts

Most system shortcuts can be changed under System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, where they are grouped by area such as Mission Control, Screenshots, and Spotlight. The App Shortcuts category also lets you assign a shortcut to any menu item in any app by typing the item's exact name. If a shortcut does not respond, the focused app has usually claimed the same combination, since app shortcuts take priority over system ones while that app is active.

Printable PDF

The macOS 26 Tahoe system shortcut list is available as a printable PDF. System shortcuts are the category most worth keeping as a single-page reference, since they apply across everything you do on the Mac.

FAQ

Need more than shortcuts?
Visit the Apple macOS 26 app page for an overview and helpful links.

Want to suggest a new app, report a bug, or get help? Email us at info@hkeys.app.

For anything else or just a quick hello, write to us at info@hkeys.app.

macOS 26 Tahoe Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac

Cut, copy, paste, and other common shortcuts

Window tiling: move and resize the active window

Sleep, log out, and shut down shortcuts

Window tiling: move and arrange multiple windows

Finder and system shortcuts

Text-editing shortcuts

Vision shortcuts

Keyboard focus shortcuts

Other accessibility shortcuts