This is not intended to be a comprehensive guide of shortcuts. There are plenty of that do a great job of that. What are the main differences between Mac and Windows keyboards? Since we are talking about keyboard shortcuts for Mac and Windows, it might be useful to have a quick overview of their respect keyboards. On the surface, they look very similar, but there are.
![Mac Mac](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6e0vL5uSVM/UqVllzuh9YI/AAAAAAAAAUI/blUq44GwMcc/s1600/mac+keyboard.png)
Ctrl key on Microsoft keyboard does not map to Mac's command. The Control key on your PC keyboard maps to your Mac's Control key. The Windows key on your PC keyboard maps to your Mac's Command key. When using a PC keyboard you would use windows keyC to copy and windows keyV to paste, etc. You can set universal keyboard shortcuts in System.
Here is a typical Mac keyboard, we've highlighted the key we will be discussing shortly: Modified from And here is a typical, whilst practically vintage, PC or Windows keyboard, again with critical keys highlighted. Modified from ⌘ Command and Ctrl keys The main difference between the two is the Ctrl key, and ⌘ Command key on PC and Mac keyboards respectively. This is probably the most commonly used key for the most-used shortcuts on both systems. They effectively serve the same function and you will be using them quite a lot.
Mac's do also tend to have a control key (Ctrl), but you will very rarely use it for general use. For Mac keyboards, the Ctrl key tends to act as a modifier in combination with other keys for some specialist features. For example, in combination with ⌘ Command + 1, it will show the bookmarks sidebar in Safari. The next important key is the Alt key on the PC keyboard. This is a highly versatile key that has various functions depending on the user's command. It is mostly used to invoke F-key functions, graphical menus, modifying keys on the numerical keypad and changing keyboard languages, to name but a few.
![Windows Windows](http://cdn.osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/use-windows-pc-keyboard-on-mac-remap-keys-3.jpg)
On Mac, the Alt key provides some other different functions to its PC cousin. One of its main functions is for cursor control when used in combination with the arrow keys. It can also be used to insert specialist characters like '™', '©' etc. This key is also used to modify other functions using the ⌘ Command, and others. This key is the main modifier for most things you'll be doing on your Mac.
This key will form the linchpin for the most common keyboard shortcuts you are ever going to need. In the following table, we've compiled some of the more common. Needless to say, this is far from comprehensive, there are many, many more you can use for all sorts of cool, quick, functions. As you confidence and knowledge grow using either operating system, you will find many more that suit your particular needs. Function Mac Shortcut Windows Shortcut Notes Cut something like text ⌘ Command + X Ctrl + X Copy something like text ⌘ Command + C Ctrl + C This also works for files in the Finder on Mac Paste something from clipboard ⌘ Command + V Ctrl + V This also works for files in the Finder on Mac Undo the previous command. ⌘ Command + Z Ctrl + Z You can undo and redo (next entry) multiple times on both platforms.
Redo or reverse your previous undo command Shift + ⌘ Command + Z Ctrl + Y You can undo and redo (previous entry) multiple times on both platforms. Select all items ⌘ Command + A Ctrl + A This useful shortcut lets you find items in a document or open a Find window. ⌘ Command + F Ctrl + F Find again, or find the next occurrence of an item you've previously found ⌘ Command + G CTRL + PageDown To find the previous occurrence, press Shift + Command + G on Mac. You can do the same on Windows with Ctrl + Pageup. Find and replace ⌘ Command + H Ctrl + H Hide all windows to the current app ⌘ Command + H Win + D To view the front app but hide all other apps, press Option + Command + H on Mac Shortcut to print the current document ⌘ Command + P Ctrl + P Shortcut to save the current document ⌘ Command + S Ctrl + S Open a new tab or window ⌘ Command + T Ctrl + N Add @/ampersand Option (Alt) + Q or 2 Just press the @ symbol This one stumps many a Windows user. Be careful not to use Command + Q - this will close everything.