Before you get started, you should try and locate the following keys on your keyboard, you will be using them (a lot).

Basic Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Move from text-box to text-box in webpages

⇥

As teachers, we fill in Web forms all of the time, may it be for electronic grade books, electronic attendance, electronic marking, etc. Using the mouse to go from input box to input box is a lot more time consuming than using your keyboard. With this simple trick, you’ll be able to fill out all of your Web forms using only the keyboard.

Extra tip: Use the Shift key (⇧) to move back to the previous input boxes.

2. Copy

⌘ C

Sure you could click on ‘Edit > Copy’, or right-click and then click ‘Copy’, but that means you have to take your hands off the keyboard. If there is one shortcut you must remember, it’s this one. It doesn’t just work for text, it also works for files, pictures, you name it!

3. Paste

⌘ V

This one works in tandem with shortcut number 2. Using those two shortcuts for copy & paste will save you a bunch of time. Don’t believe me? Give it a try, and compare with the method that you were using before.

4. Select all

⌘ A

Ever wanted to change the font in a Word document you typed? While it’s easy to select text using the mouse if the document is short, it becomes a bit of a pain if you need to select text in a large document. ⌘ A comes to the rescue. This simple shortcut select all text in a document, all files in a folder, etc.

5. Undo

⌘ Z

Say you have deleted a file by mistake, pressing ⌘ Z will ‘un-delete’ the file. Same goes for any action you have made on your computer (e.g. typing a word, formatting a paragraph, etc.). This shortcut is really nice to have in your bag of tricks.

6. Open Spotlight (e.g. start an app quickly)

⌘ Space bar

Spotlight is great to look for files and to start applications quickly. Once the search box is open, start typing the application name, select it and hit ‘return’ and you’re good to go. This also works for files, emails, etc.

7. Take a picture of part of the screen

⌘ ⇧ 4

Pressing this combination of keys will change your mouse cursor into a cross with numbers around it. Use your mouse to click, hold and drag over the part of the screen you wish to take a picture of. As soon as you release your mouse, a picture file of the selected area is created and saved on your desktop, with a name conveniently timestamped.

Extra tip: Holding ‘Ctrl’ places the screenshot in the clipboard (and does not save to the desktop), allowing you to paste it in a worksheet, email, etc.

8. Take a picture of a specific window

⌘ ⇧ 4 Space bar

Pressing this combination of keys will change your mouse cursor into a camera (make sure you press ‘Space bar’ last). Move the camera over windows and it will turn the selected window blue. Click on the window you wish to take a picture of. A picture file of the selected window is created and saved on your desktop, with a name conveniently timestamped.

Extra tip: Holding ‘Ctrl’ places the screenshot in the clipboard (and does not save to the desktop), allowing you to paste it in a worksheet, email, etc.

9. Redo last action

⌘ ⇧ Z

Remember how you learnt about ⌘ Z earlier on? This does the exact opposite. It sort of cancels your undo.

10. Find

⌘ F

Ever wanted to find a specific word in a document you created? Or maybe a keyword on a Webpage? It can take a while to scroll down the page to find what you want. Using this shortcut will open up a search box. Type your search terms, and you’re good to go. This shortcut works pretty much everywhere on your Mac.

Classroom specific shortcuts

11. Extend or mirror desktop to projector

⌘ f1

If your Mac laptop (or iMac, etc.) is hooked to a projector, or an external monitor, you have the ability to either mirror your main screen, or extend it. Extending your monitor can be really useful if you want to show something different on the projector than on your own screen. For example, you could have task instructions on the projector, while you have your behaviour management software open on your own screen.

12. Quickly cycle between opened apps

⌘ ⇥

This Mac keyboard shortcut will open an app selection box, and if you hold the Shift key, it will cycle the other way.

13. Quickly move between windows of the same app

⌘ `

This Mac keyboard shortcut allows you to cycle through opened windows of a single app. For example, if you are writing multiple emails using the Mail app, using this keyboard shortcut will allow you to move from email to email very quickly.

14. Adjust volume without the ‘beep’ sound

Note: This is no longer needed if you use OS X 10.10 Yosemite

⇧ 🔈 or 🔊

Adjusting the volume on your Mac can be a really annoying, and noisy experience. With this shortcut, you can adjust the volume without the annoying ‘beep’ sound.

 15. Adjust brightness in smaller increments

⌥ ⇧ 🔅 or 🔆

You may adjust the brightness of your screen in smaller increments by using the shortcut shown above. Replace the ‘brightness’ keys with the ‘volume’ keys and you’ll get the same effect! This can be very handy if your battery is running out.

16. Quit an application that has crashed

⌘ ⌥ esc

Ever experienced the spinning beach ball? This shortcut will open up a ‘Force Quit Applications’ dialog box, which will allow you to kill applications that have crashed.

17. Quickly hide something

⌘ H

Ever read an email that was meant for your eyes only, to realise a few seconds later that it is being displayed on the projector? Using the shortcut shown above will allow you to hide any window instantly.

18. Quickly show desktop

fn f11

This shortcut will show your desktop. This is great when you have so many windows open you have lost track.

Shortcuts to deal with text

19. Delete characters to the right of your cursor

fn ←

When I got my first MacBook Pro I felt cheated. I’d spent a ton of cash and didn’t even get a ‘Delete’ key! Using this shortcut allows you to delete characters on the right of your cursor, which is the same behaviour as the ‘Delete’ key on full size keyboards.

20. Delete whole words to the left of your cursor

⌥ ←

Using this shortcut will prevent you from having to press on the ‘Backspace’ key furiously to delete entire words. Using the ‘Alt’ key on the right hand side of your keyboard will allow you to perform this action one-handed. A real time saver.

21. Delete whole words to the right of your cursor

⌘ ⇧ ←

This shortcut performs the same action as the one above, but for words to the right of your cursor.

22. Go to the end of a line

⌘ ►

This shortcut will place your cursor at the end of a line. Using it with the ‘Shift’ key will also select the text from your cursor’s location, to the end of the line. This is particularly useful if you need to delete a large part of a sentence.

23. Go to the beginning of a line

⌘ ◀

This shortcut performs the same action as the one above, allowing you to deal with the beginning of a line instead.

24. Go to the end of a paragraph

⌘ ▼

This shortcut performs the same action as shortcut number 21, but to the end of a paragraph.

Application specific shortcuts

25. Send a file to the trash

⌘ ←

Application: Finder

This shortcut will allow you to quickly place a file into the trash. This shortcut also works on folders and multiple file selection.

26. Open a new tab in a Web browser

⌘ T

Application: Any Web browser

This shortcut will quickly open a new tab in any Web browser.

27. Quickly write a new email

⌘ N

Application: Mail

This shortcut will create a new email in a jiffy. It actually also works in other programs, opening new windows, or creating new documents.

28. Quickly reply to an email

⌘ R

Application: Mail

With an email opened, use this shortcut to quickly reply to email. Hold the ‘Shift’ key at the same time to ‘Reply-all’.

29. Send the email you are writing

⌘ ⇧ D

Application: Mail

With an email opened, use this shortcut to quickly send it. I discovered this one somewhat by accident…

30. Switch between tabs in your Web browser

ctrl ⇥

Application: Any Web browser

As it says in the title. Some of us enjoy having many tabs open at once.

31. Redo or repeat an action

⌘ Y

Application: Any Microsoft Office application

I love this one. I’ll let you try it.

Bonus: you can download this to use as a presentation, or to help with your learning (download file below)

Download (PDF, 263KB)