Thanks to technological advancements and regular updates, Mac has made life easier for professionals and students. Furthermore, keyboard shortcuts available for almost all applications make it a breeze to work on a Mac. With these shortcuts, you can quickly perform tasks and complete your work faster.
Here’s what you must know about keyboard shortcuts on your Mac.
Creating Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
You can create custom keyboard shortcuts for your applications by going to the left side of the Preferences window and clicking App Shortcuts. Then, scroll to the bottom and click the plus sign to add a shortcut.
In the Application dropdown box, choose an option and type the name of the command in the Menu title. Finally, add the key combination in the Keyboard Shortcut.
Remember to use the keys you will remember easily for the custom shortcut, and then click Add. You will see a small window opening after the shortcut is created.
If you want to create more keyboard shortcuts, you must go through the same steps. The significant icons to be remembered include the Application, the Menu title, and the Keyboard Shortcut.
Editing Current Shortcuts
People use existing global shortcuts across the world, irrespective of the device they are using. You can edit these existing shortcuts to suit your specific needs.
For example, the steps are pretty straightforward if you wish to create a shortcut to show the Launchpad Utility. First, go to the Preferences window and choose Launchpad & Dock. Here, you will see a keyboard shortcut for Show Launchpad that is not in use. You can enable the shortcut by marking the checkbox and adding your desired key combination. For example, press the Command + Option + Space keys, and a yellow symbol will appear on the screen. This signifies there’s an issue with the combination.
The yellow symbol means another application already uses the key combination and will appear in the Spotlight section. When you click Spotlight, it will show you what the key combination does.
Therefore, through trial and error, you can edit keyboard shortcuts and create new ones. You must ensure not to use the keyboard shortcuts already in use, or you won’t be able to use them.
Shortcuts for Math Symbols
If you use your Mac for solving math problems, you would want to memorize the shortcuts for math symbols. These symbols are used for formulas and are quickly accessible on any standard keyboard.
These symbols include Shift + =, Shift + 5, =, etc. Beyond these, there are more combinations that you might not be aware of. If you want to know how to type math symbols, go to the System Preferences app > click the Keyboard menu > head to the Input Sources > search for the Show Input Menu in the menu bar > choose Show Keyboard Viewer from the menu bar. Then, an interactive keyboard is going to appear on your screen.
Finally, hold down the modifier keys like Fn + Control + Option + Command, and the character layout on the keyboard will change to reveal hidden math symbols.
Now, you can do all your math formulas and calculations without a glitch.
Shortcuts for Navigating Specific Apps
- Notes application – You can quickly pin a note to the top by going to the Notes app > clicking the menu title to Pin Note. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut combination of Shift + Command + P. You can lock a note by pressing Shift + Command + L and creating a password.
- The Numbers app – To see the sorting options, press Shift + Command + O. You don’t have to go to the menu title and click Show Sort Options.
- The Mail app – Open the Mail application, and then you can add a sender to the contact list by pressing Shift + Command + A. You can mark all the emails in your inbox as read by pressing Shift + Command + R. This will help you save a lot of time.
- The Pages app – To use keyboard shortcuts, you must open the Pages app. Then, press Shift + Command + I to insert an image in your document. You will save time by not going to the menu and choosing Insert-Image Gallery.
Similarly, various keyboard shortcuts are yet to be explored. You can search online by entering the name of the specific app.
Where to Find the List of Keyboard Shortcuts?
Before adding custom keyboard shortcuts or editing the existing ones, it is essential to see all the available shortcuts. From the menu bar, navigate to the System Preferences app and then click Keyboard. Here, you will get a list of all the keyboard shortcuts.
The Bottom Line
Knowing Mac keyboard shortcuts will make your life easier. You can use shortcuts to save significant time and energy throughout your workday. It will help you to get more done in less time. Therefore, start memorizing the given shortcuts and more.
