MacOS Sierra Shortcuts are designed to enhance your Mac experience, making navigation and productivity more efficient. With significant improvements in security, reliability, file transfer speed, and graphics performance, MacOS Sierra facilitates seamless workflow across your devices.
Whether you’ve recently upgraded to macOS Sierra or purchased a new Mac with macOS High Sierra, learning these macOS Sierra Shortcuts can greatly optimize your usage. Feel free to download the macOS Sierra Shortcuts list in PDF format for quick reference while navigating macOS Sierra.
Most used macOS Sierra Shortcuts
Action
macOS Sierra Shortcuts
Copy the selected item
Command + C
Paste the contents of the Clipboard
Command + V
Cut the selected item
Command + X
Undo
Command + Z
Select All
Command + A
Find items
Command + F
Find the next occurrence of the item
Command + G
Hide the windows of the front app
Command + H
Minimize the front window to the Dock
Command + M
Open a new document or window
Command + N
Open the selected item
Command + O
Print the current document
Command + P
Save the current document
Command + S
Close the front window
Command + W
Quit the app
Command + Q
Force Quit
Option + Command + Esc
Spotlight
Command + Spacebar
Quick Look at the selected item
Spacebar
Switch apps
Command + Tab
Switch windows
Shift + Command + ~
Screenshot
Shift + Command + 3
Preferences
Command + ,
Finder Shortcuts
Action
macOS Sierra Shortcuts
Duplicate the selected files
Command + D
Eject the selected disk or volume
Command + E
Start a Spotlight search in the Finder window
Command + F
Show the Get Info window for a selected file
Command + I
Open the Computer window
Shift + Command + C
Open the desktop folder
Shift + Command + D
Open the All My Files window
Shift + Command + F
Open a Go to Folder window
Shift + Command + G
Open the Home folder
Shift + Command + H
Open iCloud Drive
Shift + Command + I
Open the Network window
Shift + Command + K
Open the Downloads folder
Option + Command + L
Open the Documents folder
Shift + Command + O
Open the AirDrop window
Shift + Command + R
Open the Utility folder
Shift + Command + U
Show or hide the Dock
Option + Command + D
Hide or show the path bar in Finder windows
Option + Command + P
Hide or show the Sidebar in Finder windows
Option + Command + S
Hide or show the status bar in Finder windows
Command + /
Show View Options
Command + J
Open the Connect to Server window
Command + K
Make an alias for the selected item
Command + L
Open a new Finder window
Command + N
Create a new folder
Shift + Command + N
Create a new Smart Folder
Option + Command + N
Show the original file for the selected alias
Command + R
Show or hide the Tab bar
Command + T
Show or hide a Finder Tab
Shift + Command + T
Show or hide the toolbar
Option + Command + T
Move the files
Option + Command + V
View a Quick Look slideshow of the selected files
Option + Command + Y
Use Quick Look to preview the selected files
Command + Y
View the items in the Finder window as icons
Command + 1
View the items in a Finder window as a list
Command + 2
View the items in a Finder window in columns
Command + 3
View the items in a Finder window with Cover Flow
Command + 4
Go to the previous folder
Command + {
Go to the next folder
Command + }
Open the folder that contains the current folder
Command + Up Arrow key
Open the folder that contains the current folder in a new window
Command + Ctrl + Up Arrow key
Open the selected item
Command + Down Arrow key
Open the selected folder
Right Arrow key
Close the selected folder
Left Arrow key
Move the selected item to the Trash
Command + Delete
Empty the Trash
Shift + Command + Delete
Empty the Trash without confirmation dialog
Option + Shift + Command + Delete
Use Quick Look to preview the files
Command + Y
Document Shortcuts
Action
macOS Sierra Shortcuts
Bold
Command + B
Italicize
Command + I
Underline
Command + U
Show or hide the Fonts window
Command + T
Select the Desktop folder
Command + D
Show or hide the definition of the selected word
Ctrl + Command + D
Display the Spelling
Shift + Command + :
Find misspelled words in the document
Command + ;
Delete the word to the left of the insertion point
Option + Delete
Delete the character to the left of the insertion point
Delete
Delete the character to the right of the insertion point
Fn + Delete
Scroll up one page
Fn + Up Arrow key
Scroll down one page
Fn + Down Arrow key
Scroll to the beginning of a document
Fn + Left Arrow key
Scroll to the end of a document
Fn + Right Arrow key
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the document
Command + Up Arrow key
Move the insertion point to the end of the document
Command + Down Arrow key
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the current line
Command + Left Arrow key
Move the insertion point to the end of the current line
Command + Right Arrow key
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word
Option + Left Arrow key
Move the insertion point to the end of the next word
Option + Right Arrow key
Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the document
Shift + Command + Up Arrow key
Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the document
Shift + Command + Down Arrow key
Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the current line
Shift + Command + Left Arrow key
Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the current line
Shift + Command + Right Arrow key
Move to the beginning of the line or paragraph
Ctrl + A
Move to the end of a line or paragraph
Ctrl + E
Move one character forward
Ctrl + F
Move one character backward
Ctrl + B
Center the cursor or selection in the visible area
Ctrl + L
Move up one line
Ctrl + P
Move down one line
Ctrl + N
Insert a new line after the insertion point
Ctrl + O
Left align
Command + {
Right align
Command + }
Center align
Shift + Command + |
Go to the search field
Option + Command + F
Show or hide a toolbar in the app
Option + Command + T
Copy the formatting settings
Option + Command + C
Apply the copied style to the selected item
Option + Command + V
Apply the style of the surrounding content to the item pasted within that content
Option + Shift + Command + V
Show or hide the inspector window
Option + Command + I
Display a window for selecting document settings
Shift + Command + P
Display the Save As dialog, or duplicate the current document
Shift + Command + S
Decrease the size of the selected item
Shift + Command + –
Increase the size of the selected item
Shift + Command + +
Open the Help menu
Shift + Command + ?
Sleep, Logout & Shutdown Shortcuts
Action
macOS Sierra Shortcuts
Press to turn on your Mac or wake your Mac from sleep
Power Button
Force your Mac to restart
Ctrl + Command + Power Button
Put your displays to sleep
Ctrl + Shift + Power Button
Quit all apps, then restart your Mac
Ctrl + Command + Media Eject
Quit all apps, then shut down your Mac
Ctrl + Option + Command + Power Button
Log out of your macOS user account
Shift + Command + Q
Lock Screen
Ctrl + Shift + Power Button
Start-Up & Boot Shortcuts
Action
macOS Sierra Shortcuts
Start up in Safe Mode
Shift
Start-up to Startup Manager
Option
Start up from a bootable CD, DVD, or USB thumb drive
C
Start-up to either Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics
D
Start-up to either Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics over the Internet
Option + D
Start up from a compatible NetBoot server
N
Start up from a NetBoot server using the default boot image
Shortcuts undoubtedly save a considerable amount of time. For those seeking an alternative to MacOS Sierra, Ubuntu stands out as an excellent choice. Explore the comprehensive Ubuntu Shortcuts list for detailed insights.
Pratik is the founder of Tutorial Tactic and a productivity tools specialist with 15 years of hands-on experience in Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and software automation. He has published over 1,500 guides on keyboard shortcuts, software commands, how-to tutorials and workflow optimization, helping readers across the US and India work faster with the tools they use every day. Tutorial Tactic was founded in 2021 with one goal: cut through the noise and give readers exactly what they need fast, verified, and beginner-friendly.
