If you’re a Mac user, you know that it’s next to impossible to fit everything on your desktop. It seems that every shortcut you create or file you download ends up here, and within seconds, this once-neat arrangement turns into a cluttered mess of icons. But what if we told you there was a shortcut that could help you manage all of your apps and files more efficiently?
How to use shortcuts:
In Finder, hit Command + Shift + D. This shortcut triggers “Open Quickly,” a feature that helps you launch applications superfast. In the dialog box that appears, start typing the name of an app or file you want to open, and options will pop up as you type. Click on one of these options, and a Finder window will pop up showing the files or apps associated with those words.
You can also shortcut straight to your Applications folder by typing “Applications” in the Open Quickly dialog box. Similarly, if you want to shortcut directly to your Documents folder, just type “Documents.” And if you want to shortcut to a specific folder, like your Pictures folder, type “Pictures” in the Open Quickly dialog box.
Besides the Applications and Documents folders, there are shortcuts to other places on your Mac that you use often, like Downloads (type “Downloads”), Home (~/), Library (~/Library), Music (type “Music”), Pictures (type “Pictures”), Public (type “Public”) and others.
Additionally, you can shortcut to custom folders. If you often access documents in a folder labeled Taxes, shortcut to it by typing “Taxes” in the Open Quickly dialog box. This shortcut works great if you have your own shortcut folders for specific projects, clients or workflows.
You can also shortcut directly to your Applications folder by typing “Applications” in the Open Quickly dialog box. Similarly, if you want to shortcut directly to your Documents folder, just type “Documents.” And if you want to shortcut to a specific folder, like your Pictures folder, type “Pictures” in the Open Quickly dialog box.
Desktop Management:
In addition to apps and files, there are several other things that Finder allows us shortcut directly to: The Desktop, which we’re all familiar with. shortcut to your Home folder by typing “Home” in the Open Quickly dialog box, shortcut to any external drives that are connected to your Mac (type “External Drive Name”), shortcut to your iTunes Media folder by type “iTunes Media” and shortcut to other folders on your Mac by simply typing their name in the Open Quickly box.
If you want to shortcut directly open a new Finder window, shortcut Command + N. The nice thing about this shortcut is that it actually creates a brand-new Finder window instead of just opening one that has all of your files, which can really come in handy if you’re trying to find something specific—like taxes from last year—and have no idea where it’s at in your files.
If you shortcut Command + Option + Shift + N, this shortcut opens a new window in “All My Files” view, which shows all of the files on your Mac without any further help from you.
Finder is only one part of the desktop equation. If a shortcut to Desktop & Screen Saver under System Preferences by typing “Desktop,” shortcut to the Dock by typing the word “Dock” in Finder’s Open Quickly dialog box and shortcut to Mission Control via either Command + Space or shortcut to Spotlight Search with Command + Spacebar.
Don’t forget there are dozens if not hundreds of macOS shortcuts and tricks to streamline your workflows and make it easier to use your Mac, but many of these shortcuts are easily overlooked or forgotten.
Cycle between App Windows:
You can switch between open Safari windows by pressing Command + the Tilde (~) key to swap among them.
Video Screenshots:
You may use the same method to take a screen capture as you would with any other keyboard shortcut. The key combination for taking a screenshot is Shift + Command + 3, which takes a photo; Shift + Command + 4 enables you to pick an area of the screen to photograph, but pressing Shift + Command+ 5, which isn’t widely known, opens up an interface that allows you to record your desktop or part of your screen. If you want to take a screenshot for mac you can also use software like Cloudapp.
Swap Apps As you need
To traverse within the running applications, hit the Command + Tab keys together. Continue to press down the CMD key and hit Tab to swap between the running apps. Release the key about when you want to keep an app open.
