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Learn a handful of shortcuts and you will save hours. On macOS, Cmd usually takes the place of Ctrl; Linux desktops follow the Windows column in almost every case. Check which keys your keyboard actually sends with the Keyboard Tester.
Editing
| Action |
Windows / Linux |
macOS |
| Copy |
Ctrl+C |
Cmd+C |
| Cut |
Ctrl+X |
Cmd+X |
| Paste |
Ctrl+V |
Cmd+V |
| Paste without formatting |
Ctrl+Shift+V |
Cmd+Shift+V |
| Undo |
Ctrl+Z |
Cmd+Z |
| Redo |
Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z |
Cmd+Shift+Z |
| Select all |
Ctrl+A |
Cmd+A |
| Find |
Ctrl+F |
Cmd+F |
| Save |
Ctrl+S |
Cmd+S |
| Print |
Ctrl+P |
Cmd+P |
| Bold / italic / underline |
Ctrl+B / I / U |
Cmd+B / I / U |
Browser
| Action |
Windows / Linux |
macOS |
| New tab |
Ctrl+T |
Cmd+T |
| Close tab |
Ctrl+W |
Cmd+W |
| Reopen closed tab |
Ctrl+Shift+T |
Cmd+Shift+T |
| Next / previous tab |
Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
| Go to address bar |
Ctrl+L |
Cmd+L |
| Reload / hard reload |
F5 or Ctrl+R / Ctrl+Shift+R |
Cmd+R / Cmd+Shift+R |
| Developer tools |
F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I |
Cmd+Option+I |
| Zoom in / out / reset |
Ctrl++ / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0 |
Cmd++ / Cmd+- / Cmd+0 |
| Private window |
Ctrl+Shift+N (Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P) |
Cmd+Shift+N (Firefox: Cmd+Shift+P) |
Moving through text
| Action |
Windows / Linux |
macOS |
| Jump one word left / right |
Ctrl+← / Ctrl+→ |
Option+← / Option+→ |
| Start / end of line |
Home / End |
Cmd+← / Cmd+→ |
| Start / end of document |
Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End |
Cmd+↑ / Cmd+↓ |
| Delete previous word |
Ctrl+Backspace |
Option+Delete |
| Select to start / end of line |
Shift+Home / Shift+End |
Cmd+Shift+← / Cmd+Shift+→ |
System
| Action |
Windows / Linux |
macOS |
| Switch application |
Alt+Tab |
Cmd+Tab |
| Lock screen |
Win+L (Linux: Super+L) |
Ctrl+Cmd+Q |
| Screenshot of a region |
Win+Shift+S |
Cmd+Shift+4 |
| Force-quit / task manager |
Ctrl+Shift+Esc |
Cmd+Option+Esc |
| Show desktop |
Win+D |
F11 (or Cmd+F3) |
| Open search / launcher |
Win (Linux: Super) |
Cmd+Space |
Shortcuts that work everywhere
- Tab moves to the next field or link and Shift+Tab goes back; Enter or Space activates the focused control.
- Esc closes dialogs, menus and full-screen views.
- Ctrl+C in a terminal stops the running program rather than copying; use Ctrl+Shift+C to copy there. See Linux Command Line Cheat Sheet for more terminal keys.
Shortcuts vary by application and keyboard layout, and some are different on a laptop (for example the function keys). When a shortcut does nothing, look for the same command in the application's menus, which list the shortcut beside it.