Keyboard Shortcuts Worth Learning on Windows and Mac

Reaching for the mouse, finding a menu and clicking through options takes only a few seconds. Repeated dozens of times a day, those seconds add up. Keyboard shortcuts also reduce strain from constant mouse use and keep your focus on the work instead of the interface.

You do not need to learn hundreds. A core set covers most everyday tasks. On Windows, most shortcuts use the Ctrl key; on a Mac, the equivalent is usually the Command key.

The essentials everyone should know

These work in most applications on both systems. Use Ctrl on Windows and Command on Mac.

• Copy: Ctrl or Command and C.
• Cut: Ctrl or Command and X.
• Paste: Ctrl or Command and V.
• Undo: Ctrl or Command and Z.
• Redo: Ctrl and Y on Windows (or Ctrl, Shift and Z in many apps); Command, Shift and Z on Mac.
• Select all: Ctrl or Command and A.
• Save: Ctrl or Command and S.
• Find on the page or in a document: Ctrl or Command and F.
• Print: Ctrl or Command and P.

Paste without formatting is a quiet favorite. On Windows, Ctrl, Shift and V pastes plain text in many apps. On Mac, Option, Shift, Command and V pastes and matches the surrounding style in many apps.

Windows shortcuts worth knowing

• Switch between open apps: Alt and Tab.
• Show the desktop: Windows key and D.
• Lock your computer: Windows key and L. Make this a habit whenever you step away.
• Open File Explorer: Windows key and E.
• Take a screenshot of part of the screen: Windows key, Shift and S.
• Open clipboard history: Windows key and V, after turning on clipboard history in Settings.
• Snap a window to one side: Windows key and the left or right arrow.
• Open the emoji panel: Windows key and the period key.
• Open Task Manager: Ctrl, Shift and Esc.

Mac shortcuts worth knowing

• Switch between open apps: Command and Tab.
• Search your Mac and open apps quickly: Command and Space for Spotlight.
• Lock your screen: Control, Command and Q.
• Close the current window: Command and W.
• Quit the current app: Command and Q.
• Take a screenshot of the whole screen: Command, Shift and 3.
• Take a screenshot of a selected area: Command, Shift and 4.
• Open screenshot and recording options: Command, Shift and 5.
• Force quit an app that is not responding: Command, Option and Esc.
• Open emoji and symbols: Control, Command and Space.

Browser shortcuts

These work in most major browsers. Use Ctrl on Windows and Command on Mac.

• Open a new tab: Ctrl or Command and T.
• Close the current tab: Ctrl or Command and W.
• Reopen a tab you just closed: Ctrl or Command, Shift and T. This one rescues many accidents.
• Jump to the address bar: Ctrl or Command and L.
• Move to the next tab: Ctrl and Tab.
• Zoom in or out: Ctrl or Command with the plus or minus key, and Ctrl or Command and 0 to reset.
• Reload the page: Ctrl or Command and R.

Text editing shortcuts

• Move one word at a time: Ctrl and an arrow key on Windows; Option and an arrow key on Mac.
• Select text as you move: add Shift to any movement shortcut.
• Jump to the start or end of a line: Home or End on Windows; Command and the left or right arrow on Mac.
• Delete a whole word: Ctrl and Backspace on Windows; Option and Delete on Mac.

Spreadsheet shortcuts

If you spend time in spreadsheets, two habits pay off quickly. In most spreadsheet apps, Ctrl and an arrow key (Command and an arrow key on Mac) jump to the edge of your data, and adding Shift selects everything along the way. Tab moves to the next cell to the right, and Enter moves down.

Navigating without a mouse

The Tab key moves between links, buttons and form fields, and Shift and Tab moves backward. Many people rely on keyboard navigation entirely, which is why websites should work well with it. Our keyboard accessibility test shows how to check your own site.

How to actually learn them

1. Pick three shortcuts you would use today, such as reopening a closed tab, locking your screen and pasting without formatting.
2. Write them on a sticky note near your screen.
3. Use them deliberately for a week, even when reaching for the mouse feels faster.
4. Notice the shortcuts listed in menus. Most applications show them next to menu items, which is a built-in reminder.
5. Add three more the following week.

Small efficiencies like these are part of a calmer workday. For more ways to protect your time and attention, see our guides to taming notifications and time blocking with a digital calendar.