If you haven’t already assigned it a file name, you will be given the option to do so the moment you enter the command. Just hit Command + S to save the file you’re currently working on. The key to avoiding that is to get in the habit of quick saving. There is no feeling worse than losing a lot of progress on an essay or assignment because you haven’t saved it in a while. On the other hand, if the app is stuck or not responding, hitting Command + Option + Escape will bring up the Force Quit menu, similar to the Task Manager in Windows. This comes in particularly handy at the end of a long day of work when you want to close out a lot of apps quickly. When you want to close a window without navigating the mouse to the red “X” at the top left of the screen, just tap Command + Q. When you release the click, it will snap a photo and send it (by default) to your desktop. Click and drag the box to surround the area you want to screenshot. This causes this cursor to change into a reticle.

If you only want to take a screenshot of a specific section of the screen, hit Command + Shift + 4. To take a screenshot of your entire screen, hit Command + Shift + 3.

Windows users are familiar with the Print Screen function, but taking screenshots on Mac isn’t so straightforward. If you want to move backward, hit Command + Shift + Tab. On the other hand, if you need to move to an app that’s open but not used recently, just press and hold Command and hit Tab to move between all open opens. The easiest way is to hit Command + Tab to jump between the two most recently used apps. When you need to jump between tabs (say, a word document and web browser for research), clicking gets tedious. This will paste the text into the new document with the same font, effects, and size. And if you want to copy and paste text without losing its current styling, hit Command + Shift + V. If you need to select a large amount of text all at once, Command + A is the “Select All” shortcut. If you make a mistake during the process, a quick tap of Command + Z will under your most recent action. If you don’t want to remove the text but you still need to copy it, Command + C will do just the trick.

Sure, you could use the mouse or trackpad to do it, but the easiest way is to select a line of text and hit Command + X to cut, and then hit Command + V to paste.

All hotkeys for mac