Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
• Adding Option to a shortcut often applies the command to a broader scope.
For example, in the Finder, Command-M is Minimize (to minimize an open
Finder window), while Command-Option-M is Minimize All (as in minimize
all Finder windows). In TextEdit, Command-W is Close (a document), while
Command-Option-W is Close All (open documents).
• Adding multiple modifiers to a shortcut often means “the same thing, but
with different options.” For example, Command-V is Paste, but in most apps,
Command-Option-Shift-V (or sometimes just Command-Shift-V) is Paste as
Plain Text. Similarly, Command-Shift-S is often Duplicate (that is, save the
entire document as a duplicate) whereas Command-Option-Shift-S is Save As
(that is, save the entire document with a different name).
Text Editing Shortcuts
Besides shortcuts for menu commands, OS X has many built-in shortcuts for working with
text. Here are a few you should know:
•
Arrow keys:
Move the insertion point in the direction of the arrow.
•
Option-Left Arrow or Option-Right Arrow:
Move the insertion point left
or right by a word.
•
Command-Left Arrow or Command-Right Arrow:
Move the insertion
point to the beginning or end of the current line.
•
Option-Up Arrow or Option-Down Arrow:
Move the insertion point to
the beginning or end of the current paragraph.
•
Command-Up Arrow or Command-Down Arrow:
Move the insertion
point to the top or bottom of the document.
•
Shift plus any of the above:
Select the text from here to the destination. For
example, Option-Shift-Right Arrow selects the next word; Command-Shift-Left
Arrow selects to the beginning of the line.
Spend an hour or so practicing these shortcuts and you'll be able to do much of your text
editing without reaching for a mouse or other pointing device.
Create Your Own OS X Keyboard Shortcuts
If a menu command in one of the apps you use doesn't already have a keyboard shortcut—or
if it does, but you want to change it to something different—follow these steps to create your
own:
