Apple's list of Mac keyboard shortcuts isn't split by macOS version, so neither is this page, except where a row says otherwise: the tiling keys need macOS 15 or later. Fn is the Globe key on some keyboards, and the ` key is generally the one above Tab. New to the symbols? ⌘ is Command, ⌥ Option, ⇧ Shift and ⌃ Control: Mac keyboard symbols covers the rest.
Switch apps and windows
⌘Tab moves between apps, and ⌘` moves between the windows of the app in front. Neither shows every window of every app at once; Mission Control, further down, comes closest. Every way to switch, mouse and trackpad included, is in how to switch between windows on a Mac.
| Keys | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘Tab | Switches to the app you used last. Keep ⌘ held and press Tab again, or use ← and →, to reach another app, then let go of ⌘. Esc or Period cancels. | Windows guide |
| ⌘` | Switches between the windows of the app you're using. | Shortcuts list |
| ⇧⌘` | Activates the previous open window in the front app. | Shortcuts list |
| ⌃↓ | Shows all open windows of the front app (App Exposé). Click one to bring it forward. | Mission Control guide |
| ⌃F4 | Moves keyboard focus to the active window, or to the next one. On keyboards where F4 does something else, add Fn. If it does nothing, turn it on in Keyboard settings: click Keyboard Shortcuts, then Keyboard. | Shortcuts list |
Tabs inside a window, such as Safari's or Finder's, have keys of their own: see the shortcuts to switch tabs.
Close, quit, hide and minimize
Closing a window leaves its app running; quitting ends the app. Minimizing sends one window to the Dock, while hiding puts away every window of an app until you switch back to it.
| Keys | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘W | Closes the front window. | Shortcuts list |
| ⌥⌘W | Closes all of the app's windows. The app stays open. | Windows guide |
| ⌘M | Minimizes the front window to the Dock. | Shortcuts list |
| ⌥⌘M | Minimizes all windows of the front app. | Shortcuts list |
| ⌘H | Hides the windows of the front app. | Shortcuts list |
| ⌥⌘H | Keeps the front app in view and hides all the others. | Shortcuts list |
| ⌘Q | Quits the app. A normal quit lets it finish up first, such as asking you to save. | Force quit guide |
| ⌥⌘Esc | Opens the Force Quit window: select an app that isn't responding, then click Force Quit. Try ⌘Q first. | Force quit guide |
Full screen and tiling
Full screen gives a window a space of its own. Tiling, new in macOS 15 Sequoia, arranges windows in halves and quarters on your desktop instead, with the menu bar and Dock still in place. Apple's tiling guide is published for macOS 15, 26 and 27 only, so the Fn-⌃ keys don't exist on macOS 14.
| Keys | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ⌃⌘F | Puts the app in full screen, or takes it out, if the app supports it. | Shortcuts list |
| Fn⌃F | macOS 15 and later. Fill: the active window fills the desktop. | Tiling guide |
| Fn⌃C | macOS 15 and later. Center: centers the active window on the desktop. | Tiling guide |
| Fn⌃← Fn⌃→ | macOS 15 and later. Moves the active window to the left or right half of the desktop. | Tiling guide |
| Fn⌃↑ Fn⌃↓ | macOS 15 and later. Moves the active window to the top or bottom half. | Tiling guide |
| Fn⌃R | macOS 15 and later. Return to Previous Size: the window goes back to the size it had before it was tiled. | Tiling guide |
| Fn⌃⇧← | macOS 15 and later. The active window takes the left half and a second window the right. ⇧ with the other arrows makes the matching pairs. | Tiling guide |
Add ⌥ as well, Fn-⌃⌥⇧ with an arrow, and the active window takes that half while two more windows fill the quarters on the other side. Apple lists no keys for the four corners or for Split View. The whole set, and what to use on macOS 14, is in how to tile windows on a Mac.
Spaces and Mission Control
Mission Control lays out every open window on the current desktop, with your desktops (spaces) and full-screen apps along the top. The Mission Control key is in the top row of many Apple keyboards.
| Keys | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ⌃↑ | Opens Mission Control. The Mission Control key does the same. Press again to leave. | Mission Control guide |
| ⌃← ⌃→ | Moves one space to the left or right, full-screen apps included. | Spaces guide |
| ⌥Mission Control | Opens the Mission Control settings. | Shortcuts list |
⌃↓ for the front app's windows is in the first table. To jump straight to a desktop by number, or to add and reorder desktops, see how to switch desktops on a Mac.
Show the desktop
Show Desktop moves every window aside without closing, minimizing or hiding anything. Press the same keys again to bring the windows back.
| Keys | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘Mission Control | Shows the desktop. | Mission Control guide |
| FnH | Shows the desktop. | Shortcuts list |
| FnF11 | Shows the desktop. | Shortcuts list |
The trackpad gesture, hot corners and the click-the-wallpaper setting are in how to show the desktop on a Mac.
Change a shortcut
The Mission Control, Spotlight and other system shortcuts live in Keyboard settings, and you can give them new keys or turn them off.
-
Open Keyboard Shortcuts
Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Keyboard in the sidebar, then click Keyboard Shortcuts.
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Pick a category
Select one on the left, such as Mission Control. On macOS 14, the categories are in a list on the left of the window rather than a sidebar.
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Press the new keys
Select the checkbox next to the shortcut, double-click its current keys, then press the ones you want. Each type of key can appear only once in a combination. To turn a shortcut off instead, clear its checkbox.
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Reopen your apps
Quit and reopen the apps you're using so they pick up the change.
If you choose keys another command or app already uses, Apple says the new shortcut won't work, and Keyboard Shortcuts shows a warning icon next to shortcuts that conflict. Restore Defaults, at the bottom left, puts every shortcut back.
Menu commands such as Minimize or Close Window can get new keys too: in the same window, choose App Shortcuts, click +, choose All Applications, and type the menu command exactly as it appears in the menu. Apple's macOS 14 guide also points to Desktop & Dock settings for the Mission Control key, where later guides point to Keyboard settings.
New on macOS 27Apple's shortcuts list gives ⇧⌘Space to Siri on macOS 27 and later, when Siri AI (Beta) is turned on: it asks Siri about the active window. If another app also uses ⇧⌘Space, give one of them different keys.
With Flick
None of the keys above shows every window of every app in one list you can type into. Flick, the window switcher we make, adds that: hold ⌥ and tap Tab, and each open window has its own row, on every Space and display, minimized and full-screen ones included. Tap to the one you want, or type part of its name, and let go.
| Keys | What it does in Flick |
|---|---|
| ⌥Tab | Opens the list with your previous window selected. Let go straight away and Flick switches to it without showing the list. |
| ⌥⇧Tab | Opens the list with the last window selected. |
| ⇧⌘Space | Opens Flick straight into search, from anywhere. You can change these keys. |
| ⌥⇧W | While you hold ⌥: closes the selected window. ⌥⇧M minimizes it, ⌥⇧H hides its app and ⌥⇧Q quits the app. |
With the ⌥Tab trigger, macOS keeps ⌘Tab, ⇧⌘Tab and ⌘` as they are. If you switch Flick to ⌘Tab, it replaces those three while it runs and gives them back when it quits. On macOS 27 with Siri AI (Beta) on, ⇧⌘Space is also Siri's: record a different search shortcut in Flick's Settings › Shortcuts if that's a problem for you. Flick doesn't tile, move or resize windows, so the Fn-⌃ keys stay macOS's job. The free version switches between your 5 most recent windows; a license unlocks every window.
Sources
Checked on , against Apple's guides for macOS 14, 15, 26 and 27 where Apple publishes one per version.
- Mac keyboard shortcuts, Apple Support
- How to force an app to quit on Mac, Apple Support
- Move and arrange app windows on Mac, Mac User Guide, Apple
- Move and arrange app windows on Mac (macOS Sonoma 14), Mac User Guide, Apple
- View open windows and spaces in Mission Control on Mac, Mac User Guide, Apple
- See open windows and spaces in Mission Control on Mac (macOS Sonoma 14), Mac User Guide, Apple
- Work in multiple spaces on Mac, Mac User Guide, Apple
- Mac window tiling icons & keyboard shortcuts (published for macOS 15, 26 and 27), Mac User Guide, Apple
- Use macOS keyboard shortcuts, Mac User Guide, Apple
- Use macOS keyboard shortcuts (macOS Sonoma 14), Mac User Guide, Apple
- Change a conflicting keyboard shortcut on Mac, Mac User Guide, Apple
- Create keyboard shortcuts for apps on Mac, Mac User Guide, Apple
