Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts
Mac Tip#55/15-May-2002

Back in 1983 my first computer had a keyboard but no mouse. To interact with the computer I had to type commands. By the time I was using Macs in about 1989 the mouse was an important part of using the computer: you could double click things, drag them around or pull down lists of items from the menu bar across the top of the screen. But the ability to control the computer solely with the keyboard remains strongly embedded in all computers.

Generally you can use one or more “modifier” keys in combination with a letter, number or symbol to perform a great many tasks. The “modifier” keys are:

• Command (also known as Apple — you find it next to the spacebar)
• Option (sometimes known as Alt — it’s generally beside the Apple key)
• Control — has the letters CTRL on it
• Shift

Don’t worry about trying to press them all simultaneously. How you use them is that you press down the modifier key(s) and keep them down. Then you press and release the letter or number. Finally you release the modifier key(s).

Some of the most common are:

• command c — copy
• command v — paste
• command x — cut
• command z — undo

Next time you pull down a menu from the menu bar, look to the right hand side — you’ll see a symbol and letter beside many menu items. That’s the keyboard equivalent. It’s well worth learning these as it speeds up your computer use considerably.