The Command key on your Apple keyboard is undoubtedly the most essential. It allows you to copy and paste text, undo past instructions, and select all of your objects, among other things. Despite its reputation for common shortcuts, the Command key is far more significant and powerful than you would believe.
1. Go through all of your desktop’s open windows.
Command + Tab is the first keyboard shortcut and it allows you to fast move among all of the open application windows on your desktop. Holding down Command + Tab will bring up a window with all your open apps as long as the window is open on your desktop and not minimized in your dock. Hold Command while tapping the Tap key to cycle between the apps, then release when the app you want to bring to the front is highlighted.
2. Hide the currently active window on your desktop.
Instead of using the yellow minus button in the upper left corner to minimize your window, use the Command + H shortcut to fast hide any active window on your desktop. The hide keyboard shortcut, unlike minimizing, conceals the window from both your desktop and dock without actually shutting it. Simply click the app icon on your dock or anywhere else to reopen the window. Option + Command + H may be used to hide all program windows except the one in front of you.
3. Use Spotlight to search your computer for files and apps.
One of the most powerful features of the Mac is Spotlight search. Bring up the search box and put in anything you’re looking for: text messages, emails, documents, programs, notes, music, settings, movies, places, and more. You may use the magnifying glass in the menu bar to bring up Spotlight search, but you can also use the following keyboard shortcut: Using the Command + Space bar.
4. In your web browser, highlight the URL to immediately share it.
When sharing a site URL, you usually double-click in the search box and copy the relevant text to your clipboard. There is, however, a quicker way to do this: Command + L. This will highlight anything that is in the address bar of Safari, Chrome, or another web browser, whether it’s something you wrote or the website’s URL. Then press Command + C to copy it and paste it somewhere else.
5. In the Safari web browser, reopen any closed tabs.
In Safari, you’re probably aware of Command + T, which starts a new tab, but there’s also a shortcut that may reopen a tab that was mistakenly closed. Simply press Command + Shift + T to bring up the most recent tab you closed. Best of all, if you’ve accidentally closed numerous tabs and want to reopen them all, you may keep hitting the Command + Shift + T shortcut to open multiple closed tabs.
6. Launch a new application in one of Apple’s native apps.
The Command + N keyboard shortcut isn’t nearly as popular as it should be. While the Command + N shortcut is nearly generally recognized for launching a new window in many popular applications, it can also start a new email in Mail, a text message in iMessage, a window in Safari, a note in Notes, an event in Calendar, and more on your Mac. Try Command + N in your favorite apps to see what it can do for you.
