Handy reminders of some of the many useful things you can do with keyboard combinations on a Mac.
- Note: if you’re using a PC keyboard, ‘Option’ is the Alt key , and ‘Command’ is the Windows key
| Key combination | what it does |
|---|---|
| Command-Shift-4 | Take a screen capture (selected area) |
| Command-Shift-3 | Take a screen capture (whole screen, saved straight to your desktop) |
| Option-# | print the £ sign (if you have a U.S keyboard) |
| Ctrl-Command-spacebar | to type an emoji |
| Command-F1 | display on external monitor |
| AT POWER-ON : | (i.e. hold the keys down when powering on) |
| Option (Alt) | Boot menu - e.g to boot from a USB stick |
| D | Diagnostics mode |
| Command-R | Recovery mode |
| Option-Command-R | ?Internet Recovery mode - may offer more recovery options |
| Reset combinations : | |
| SMC Reset | Shutdown your Mac, then hold Left-hand-Shift + Control + Option (Alt) , then press Power button for 10 sec . ( can be useful for power/charging issues, fans, hot PC, or webcams not working) |
| NVRAM Reset | hold down Option+Command+P+R for about 20 sec when powering on. Release after 2nd startup sound. ( only for older/Intel Macs, not for M1 and later. Can resolve problems with audio, screen resolution, clock, slow startup etc) |