25 Must-Know macOS Tips for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Mac Users

[danielagos]

Another tip for advanced users: Cmd + Shift + . toggles the visibility of hidden files.
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Quick Access to Function Key Settings - When pressing one of the function keys to activate Mission Control, Brightness, Media playback, and more, if you hold down Option when you press, you can access the corresponding Settings options inside System Preferences for those keys. Note: This doesn't work on Touch Bar Macs.

This is wrong: option-click does work in the Touch Bar with the buttons from the control strip (e.g. volume, brightness, etc.) to bring their respective pane in System Preferences.

 

[ghostface147]

Wish you could make custom hot corners. For example, I had the dashboard in previous versions of macOS and I'd hit a button and I had my calendar there for a quick view of the month. Now I have to open calendar and see the whole month. My custom hot corner would be to open calendar and see the month.

 

[iShater]

I am impressed that there are still shortcuts that are hidden.

Good list to remind us why we love OSX.

 

[Kuzbad]

One correction: For Cycle Between App Windows –

its not the ~(tilde) key it’s the `(grave) key. Tilde is with shift. Grave is without shift.

Cmd+` = Cycles forward through windows
Cmd+Shift+` = Cycles backwards through windows

Same for switching applications:

Cmd+Tab goes left-to-right through the list of programs
Cmd+Shift+Tab goes right-to-left

 

[shieldcy]

- If you go to dock and press command + 'any of the apps you have there', it will send you directly to 'Applications' folder where you can delete the app or do whatever you want.

- When you are at 'Applications' folder, you can select an app and drag it to the top bar of the finder window in order to use it as a shortcut

 

[Pokeymon]

A couple I find useful daily...
1. Control + scroll up or down on the mouse to magnify or reduce magnification of entire screen.
2. Control + Shift + Eject (on my i-Mac) or Control + Shift + Power button (on Mac laptop) to turn off screen (but leave the Mac running as it was before the command sequence). Hit any key or mouse button to re-energize the screen.

 

[justperry]

Cmd+Shift+. to show/hide invisible files in Finder.

I can't remember when I switched show invisible files to on, has been ages, found it too cumbersome to switch back to normal view, your tip is golden, so F... easy, thanks for sharing.

Oh hell yes, that one is new to me and solid gold

Think your post was a reply to the above tip, if so, I completely agree.

Macrumors

• Easier Link Copying - If you want to copy the current URL in Safari, press Command + L to highlight the URL bar and then press Command + C to copy. It's quicker than using a mouse.

Another one I didn't know about, great tip, thanks MR

 

[tominco]

Didn’t know you could activate picture in picture from the audio icon. Interesting...

PIP is interesting but what does it get me? Another window pops up, and the original window is still there. What am I missing?
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I'll throw a useful one out there Shift-Ctrl-"Eject Key" will turn the display off.

 

[ncollingridge]

One that I use A LOT is to drag anything (folder or file) from the Finder into an Open or Save dialog, at which the dialog instantly switches to that location. You can also do this with the document proxy (icon at the top of a document windows).

 

[Jupeman]

Activate Spotlight for Searching

Don't forget, Spotlight use Google for search outside of Mac ...!

Oof, can we change that to be something like Duck Duck Go, as we can on iPhone, Safari, etc..?

 

[MandiMac]

Fun fact: Apple Watch authentification does not work when you're using a standard account, always results in an error. It makes sense that an admin account + password is needed, but I can't even set that up and always have to enter the admin account + password manually. I use the standard account for security reasons. Is that for you as well?

 

[QuarterSwede]

Cmd+Shift+ Vol Up or Down either silences the audible aid or enables it if you have it muted.

 

[FightTheFuture]

Mac shortcuts are one of the many reasons I use a Mac over a PC. Even the location of the Command keys are more ergonomic than Ctrl.

If you become well adversed in these shortcuts, many of them translate to iPad/iPad Pro Smart Keyboard as well. Especially the Command + Tab and Command + H commands. Simple shortcuts like Command + L to enter text into the URL of Safari will change your game. I don’t miss my MacBook Air at all.

there are other audio drivers that DO allow simultaneous Mac sound recording. The one I use perfectly is part of the Boom app installation. Simply chose to use “Boom audio” under ‘Options’ in the video recording interface before recording.

I’ll check this out. I’ve been using the free (and defunct) SoundflowerBed by Rogue Amoeba to pull this off, but it’s quite flaky.

 

[siger10k]

I still haven't updated to Catalina on my 2017 Macbook Pro. Should I?

 

[QuarterSwede]

I still haven't updated to Catalina on my 2017 Macbook Pro. Should I?

Depends on how many apps you use that are 32-bit only and if you do any gaming on it. Most steam Mac games are not 64-bit and will not run on Catalina.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Command + K for inserting a link

 

[molillelund]

Ctrl+Shift+Eject to put your Mac's displays to sleep immediately, with no warnings or delay.
Opt+Cmd+Eject to instantly put your Mac to sleep.
Ctrl+eject to bring up the shutdown menu.
Ctrl+Opt+Cmd+Eject to shutdown the Mac with no warnings or delay.

To my knowledge there is no keyboard command to lock the screen, but you can set it to require a password to wake up from sleep (System Preferences > Security) and combine it with the instant-sleep shortcut to get the same effect.

 

[implementor]

I am a MacRumors newbie, but an expert in Mac overall.

 

[erushurerx]

One of my Daily used (and miss a lot on a PC) - All document/file handling programs normally have a icon centered top of the window when viewing or working, which you can right click for get the path or perhaps just open the Finder window for the files location or simply drag to a program like Mail to send a copy. If draged to Terminal you get the path in text if you want (maybe just write cd in front to get there).

Similarly...if one holds command whilst clicking on the icon (usually a folder) in the top center of a Finder window, the file tree will be revealed in icon style allowing the path to be traced. You can click on any of those revealed icons to navigate to them as well.

 

[mrgraff]

To my knowledge there is no keyboard command to lock the screen,

Ctrl+Command+Q
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Similarly...if one holds command whilst clicking on the icon (usually a folder) in the top center of a Finder window, the file tree will be revealed in icon style allowing the path to be traced. You can click on any of those revealed icons to navigate to them as well.

If you continue holding down Command the entire time, your new destination will be in a new tab.

 

[AJ3]

Oof, can we change that to be something like Duck Duck Go, as we can on iPhone, Safari, etc..?

Nope, isn't related to Safari search engine.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

PIP is interesting but what does it get me? Another window pops up, and the original window is still there. What am I missing

If you’re doing something else in a different window. For instance, using Illustrator full screen while watching an Illustrator tutorial picture-in-picture.

 

[anp27]

Wish you could make custom hot corners. For example, I had the dashboard in previous versions of macOS and I'd hit a button and I had my calendar there for a quick view of the month. Now I have to open calendar and see the whole month. My custom hot corner would be to open calendar and see the month.

A third party app like Better Touch Tool lets you do this.