Here it is, by popular, frustrated demand: The master list of every secret (or not-so-secret) keystroke in Mac OS X Snow Leopard, including all the keys you can press during startup. Clip and post to your monitor (unless, of course, you got this book from the library).
Note
For the most part, the following list doesn’t include the keystrokes already listed in your menus, like ⌘-P for Print, ⌘-S for Save, and so on.
⌘-space | |
Option-⌘-space | Opens Spotlight window |
→, ← | |
Option-→ | |
Option-← | Collapses folder and all folders inside it |
⌘-↑ | Opens parent folder |
Shift-Option-⌘-↑ | Selects the Desktop |
⌘-↓ (or ⌘-O) | Opens the selected icon |
Option-click the flippy triangle | Expands or collapses all folders within that window |
Tab | Selects next icon alphabetically |
Shift-Tab | Selects previous icon alphabetically |
space bar | Opens Quick Look preview of highlighted icon(s) |
space bar | During a spring-loaded folder drag, opens the disk or folder under mouse immediately |
Option-click Zoom button | Enlarges the window to full screen |
Option-click Close button | Closes all Finder windows |
Option-click Minimize button | Minimizes all windows (works in most apps) |
⌘-drag an icon | Moves it into, or out of, the System folder (administrator password required) |
Option | Changes Quick Look button to Slideshow button |
⌘-drag | |
⌘-click window title |
Eliminates confirmation box from Empty Trash and Secure Empty Trash | |
Shift-⌘-Q | Logs out |
Shift-Option-⌘-Q | Logs out without confirmation box |
Shift-⌘-Delete | Empties the Trash |
Shift-⌘-Delete | Puts back a highlighted icon in the Trash |
Shift-Option-⌘-Delete | Empties the Trash without confirmation box |
Option-“Empty Trash” | Empties the Trash without confirmation box |
⌘-comma | Opens Preferences |
⌘-H | Hide this program |
Shift-⌘-H | Hide other programs |
⌘-N | New Finder window |
Shift-⌘-N | New folder |
Option-⌘-N | New smart folder |
⌘-O or ⌘-↓ | Open |
Control-⌘-O | Open in new window |
Option-click File menu | Changes “Open With” to “Always Open With” |
⌘-W | Close window |
Option-⌘-W | Close All |
⌘-I | Get Info |
Option-⌘-I | Show Inspector |
Control-⌘-I | Summary Info (of selected icons) |
⌘-D | Duplicate |
⌘-L | Make Alias |
⌘-Y | Quick Look |
Option-⌘-Y | |
⌘-R | Show Original (of alias) |
⌘-T | Add to Sidebar |
Shift-⌘-T | Add to Favorites |
⌘-Delete | Move to Trash |
⌘-E | Eject |
⌘-F | Find |
Shift-⌘-F | Find by Name |
⌘-1, -2, -3, -4 | |
Control-⌘-1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6 | Arrange by Name, Date Modified, Date Created, Size, Kind, Label |
Option | Changes “Clean Up Selection” to “Clean Up” |
Option | Changes “Keep Arranged By” to “Arrange By” |
Option-⌘-T | Show/Hide Toolbar |
⌘-J | Show/Hide View Options palette |
⌘-[, ⌘-] | Back, Forward |
⌘-↑ | Enclosing folder |
Control-⌘-↑ | Enclosing folder in new window |
Shift-⌘-C | Computer window |
Shift-⌘-H | Home window |
Shift-⌘-D | Desktop window |
Shift-⌘-K | Network window |
Shift-⌘-I | Open iDisk |
Shift-⌘-A | Applications window |
Shift-⌘-G | Go to Folder |
⌘-K | Connect to Server |
⌘-M | Minimize |
Option-⌘-M | Minimize All |
Option | Changes “Bring All to Front” to “Arrange in Front” |
Switches to new program and hides previous one | |
Option-click in a window | Switches to new program and hides previous one |
⌘-H | Hide this program’s windows (works in most apps) |
Option-⌘-H | Hide all other programs’ windows (most apps) |
F8 | Spaces: Enters “big picture” view of your virtual screens (if you’ve turned on Spaces) |
Shift-F8 | Spaces: Enters “big picture” view in slow motion |
Control-1, 2, 3, 4… | Jump to a specific Spaces screen |
Control-↑, ↓, ←, → | |
F9 | Exposé: Shrinks and tiles all windows in all programs |
Shift-F9 | Exposé: Shrinks and tiles all windows in slow motion |
F10 | Exposé: Shrinks and tiles all windows in frontmost program |
F11 | Exposé: Flings all windows in all programs to edges of screen, revealing desktop |
F12 | Dashboard widgets |
⌘-Tab | Press and release: Switches back and forth between current and previous open program |
⌘-Tab | Hold down ⌘: Displays floating icons of open programs. Press Tab repeatedly to cycle through them. (Add Shift to cycle backward through open programs on the Dock.) |
⌘-~ | Switches to next open window in this program. (Add Shift to cycle in the opposite direction.) |
Option-⌘-Esc | Opens the Force Quit dialog box (to close a stuck program) |
Shift-⌘-3 | Captures the screen image as a PDF file on your desktop |
Shift-⌘-4 | Produces a crosshairs; drag to capture a selected portion of the screen as a PDF graphics file. (Press space to get the “camera” cursor that snips out just a menu, icon, or window.) |
⌘-space | Switches keyboard layout (if more than one is installed). (If you use Spotlight, you must choose a different keystroke for this function.) |
⌘-comma | Opens Preferences dialog box (any Apple program) |
Esc | “Clicks” the Cancel button in a dialog box |
Enter or Return | “Clicks” the OK button (or other blue, highlighted button) in a dialog box |
Option-⌘-F | Moves insertion point to the Search box in most Apple programs |
⌘-D, ⌘-R |