Windows vs. Mac: 70+ Common and Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts
Regardless of whether you use Windows or Mac, there are plenty of helpful shortcuts at your fingertips. These help you easily carry out repetitive tasks and navigate the operating system quickly—there’s no need to trawl through cumbersome menus.
If you’ve recently switched from Windows to Mac or vice versa, or you own a computer running each, you may get confused about what keys to press to carry out common shortcuts. That’s why we’ve put together this guide that lists helpful actions and their respective Windows and Mac shortcut.
These shortcuts are perfect for Windows 11 and macOS Monterey, though most will work on earlier versions too.
FREE DOWNLOAD:This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download theMac vs. Windows Shortcuts Cheat Sheet.
Essential Mac and Windows Shortcuts
Windows 11
macOS Monterey
Command + C
Command + X
Command + V
Command + Z
Command + F
Search and replace
Command + H
Select all
Command + A
Command + B
Command + I
Command + U
Superscript
Ctrl + Shift + =
Command + Control + +
Command + Control + –
Command + F2 and F
Command + F2 and E
Command + F2 and V
Command + P
Command Prompt/Terminal
Select current line
Triple-click the line
Move one line up/down
Ctrl + Up / Ctrl + Down
Option + Command + Page Up / Option + Command + Page Down
Ctrl + Win + T
Command + T
List files and folders
Full path of current folder/directory
Change folder/directory
cd
One directory up in directory tree
Move to root directory
Create new directory in current directory
mkdir newFolder
mkdir myFolder
Create new file
echo some-text > fileName(.txt)
cat > fileName(.txt)
Remove a directory
rmdir myFolder
Rename a directory
ren oldFolderName newFolderName
mv oldFolderName newFolderName
Copy a directory
robocopy myFolder
cp -r myFolder
Move a directory
move myFolder
mv myFolder
Remove a file
del myFile
Rename a file
ren oldFileName newFileName
Copy a file
copy myFile
cp myFile
Move a file
move myFile
mv myFile
Clear the screen
Concatenate and print a file
cat myFile
Count lines in a file
C:/../myFile PIPE** find "" /v /c
wc -l myFile
Close window
Type Exit then Enter
Shift + Command + W
Focus on browser address bar
Command + L
Go to browser home page
Alt + Home
Command + Home
Add .com to URL
Ctrl + Enter
Command + Return / Control + Return
Add to current page bookmark
Command + D
Close current window
Command + F11
System search
Windows, then type
Command + Space, then type
Show or hide desktop
Windows + D
Command + Mission Control
Peek desktop
Windows + ,
Command + F3
Resize or minimize app
Windows + Down arrow
Command + M
Minimize all apps
Windows + M
Command + Option + M
Switch between active windows
Command + Tab
Close active window
Command + W
Toggle full screen
Command + Control + F
Launch taskbar app with the position specified by the number
Windows + Number
Fn + Control + F3 then Left arrow and Return
Save screenshot of the screen
Windows + Print Screen
Command + Shift + 3
Copy screen screenshot to clipboard
Print Screen
Command + Control + Shift + 3
Copy active window screenshot
Alt + Print Screen
Narrator in Windows / VoiceOver in Mac
Windows + Ctrl + Enter
Command + Fn + F5
Start menu in Windows / Dock in Mac
Command + Option + D
File Explorer in Windows / Open Search in Finder
Windows + E
Command + Option + Space
Character Map
Windows + R, type charmap, then Enter
Command + Control + Space
Settings / Preferences
Windows + I
Command + ,
Lock desktop
Windows + L
Command + Control + Q
Ctrl + Alt + Del, click Sign out
Command + Option + Shift + Q
Sleep or standby
Windows + X then U then S
Command + Option + Eject
Windows + X then U then U
Command + Control + Option + Eject
Windows + X then U then R
Command + Control + Power
Force shutdown
Hold power button
Hold power button for longer than 1.5 seconds
Step Up Your Productivity With These Shortcuts
Now that you know the Windows and Mac shortcut equivalents, it’s time to put them into practice. Plus, it’ll be easier than ever to switch between these operating systems once you know the basics.
And who knows, it might encourage you to become a multi-operating system household. You can even achieve that on a single machine, thanks to virtualization.
Virtual machine software makes it easy to run Windows on your Mac, but it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. So, learn the pros and cons.
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