Essential Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (Windows, Mac & Browser)
Utilko Team 6 min read Misc
Why Learn Keyboard Shortcuts?
Studies show that heavy keyboard shortcut users save 8 days of productivity per year compared to mouse-only users. Shortcuts eliminate the constant context switch between keyboard and mouse, keep your hands on the keyboard, and build into muscle memory so common operations become instant reflexes.
Universal Shortcuts (Windows & Mac)
- Ctrl/Cmd + C — Copy
- Ctrl/Cmd + X — Cut
- Ctrl/Cmd + V — Paste
- Ctrl/Cmd + Z — Undo
- Ctrl/Cmd + Y / Cmd+Shift+Z — Redo
- Ctrl/Cmd + S — Save
- Ctrl/Cmd + A — Select all
- Ctrl/Cmd + F — Find
- Ctrl/Cmd + P — Print
- Ctrl/Cmd + W — Close tab/window
Windows-Specific Shortcuts
- Win + D — Show/hide desktop
- Win + E — Open File Explorer
- Win + L — Lock screen
- Win + V — Clipboard history
- Win + . (period) — Emoji picker
- Alt + Tab — Switch between open windows
- Ctrl + Shift + Esc — Open Task Manager directly
- Win + Shift + S — Screenshot (snip)
Mac-Specific Shortcuts
- Cmd + Space — Spotlight search
- Cmd + Tab — Switch apps
- Cmd + Shift + 4 — Screenshot selection
- Ctrl + Cmd + Space — Emoji picker
- Option + Cmd + Esc — Force quit
- Cmd + H — Hide current app
- Cmd + Option + M — Minimize all windows
Chrome & Browser Shortcuts
- Ctrl/Cmd + T — New tab
- Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T — Reopen closed tab
- Ctrl/Cmd + L — Focus address bar
- Ctrl/Cmd + R — Reload page
- Ctrl/Cmd + D — Bookmark page
- F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I — Open DevTools
- Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N — New incognito/private window
- Alt + Left/Right arrow — Navigate back/forward
Microsoft Word Shortcuts
- Ctrl + B — Bold; Ctrl + I — Italic; Ctrl + U — Underline
- Ctrl + Shift + C / V — Copy/paste formatting
- Ctrl + Home / End — Jump to start/end of document
- Ctrl + Shift + P — Font size field
- F7 — Spell check