Title: macOS Cheatsheet Slug: macos-cheatsheet Author: Kartones Lang: en Description: A cheatsheet of macOS keyboard symbols, layouts, shortcuts, and other tips. ## macOS Symbols - `⇧`: Shift - `βŒƒ`: Control - `βŒ₯`: Option - `⌘`: Command - `🌐`: Globe / Fn (note: usually not available on non-Apple keyboards) ## Keyboard Layouts - [EN-US πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ](https://images.kartones.net/posts/kartonesblog/macos-keyboard-us.png){:target="\_blank"} - [ES πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Έ](https://images.kartones.net/posts/kartonesblog/macos-keyboard-es.png){:target="\_blank"} - [SE πŸ‡ΈπŸ‡ͺ](https://images.kartones.net/posts/kartonesblog/macos-keyboard-se.png){:target="\_blank"} ## OS Shortcuts - **⌘ + space**: Spotlight (search) - **βŒƒ + ⌘ + Q**: Lock screen/computer - **βŒƒ + ⌘ + V**: Paste text without formatting - **⇧ + ⌘ + 3**: Screenshot - entire screen (saved in desktop) - **⇧ + ⌘ + 4**: Screenshot - draw region (saved in desktop) - **βŒƒ + ⇧ + ⌘ + 3**: Screenshot - entire screen (copied in clipboard) - **βŒƒ + ⇧ + ⌘ + 4**: Screenshot - draw region (copied in clipboard) - **`Fn` + Up/Down**: Text scroll page up/down - **`Fn` + Del**: Text forward delete - **^ + ⌘ + Space**: Insert emoji - **βŒƒ + ⌘ + F**: Toggle full-screen - **βŒ₯ + Left/Right**: Go to next/previous word - **⌘ + Left/Right**: Go to start/end of current line - **⌘ + Tab**: Cycle through open apps - **⌘ + `** (backtick): Cycle through windows of the same app (when 2+ are open/running) - **βŒƒ + Tab**: Cycle through open tabs (Chrome, VSCode, etc.) - **⌘ + Del**: Delete a file - **⌘** when dragging a file: Move the file (instead of copying it) - **⌘** when dragging menu bar items: Reorder the icons (note that some might change order again in the future) - **⇧ + space**: Next input source (default is too cumbersome) - **space**: when having one or more files selected at Finder: Preview the file(s) ## App Shortcuts ### Web Browsers - **⌘ + R**: Reload tab - **⌘ + W**: Close tab - **⌘ + T**: Open new tab ### Google Meet - **⌘ + D**: mute/un-mute microphone ### Rectangle (personal shortcuts) - **βŒƒ + βŒ₯ + Left**: Move to left half - **βŒƒ + βŒ₯ + Right**: Move to right half - **βŒƒ + βŒ₯ + Up**: Move to upper half - **βŒƒ + βŒ₯ + Down**: Move to lower half - **βŒƒ + βŒ₯ + Enter**: Maximize - **βŒ₯ + ⌘ + -**: Make window smaller - **βŒ₯ + ⌘ + =**: Make window bigger ### Terminal - **βŒƒ + R**: reverse search ### Vim - Fix no colors: `echo "syntax on" >> ~/.vimrc` from a terminal ### VSCode - **⌘ + F**: Find text in open file - **⇧ + ⌘ + F**: Find text in all project files - **⌘ + P**: Find file - **βŒƒ + -**: Go back - **βŒƒ + G**: Go to (often, go to a specific line number) - **^ + Tab**: Cycle through tabs (open files) - Select multiple lines, then **⇧ + βŒ₯ + I**: Multi-line editing - **βŒ₯ + ⌘ + T** (customized shortcut): Enable/Disable Copilot Completions ## Tools [brew/Homebrew](https://brew.sh/): **The** package manager for macOS. Required for many of the tools. - 7Zip: `brew install sevenzip` + `7zz` from terminal. - [BetterCapture](https://bettercapture.app/): Free full-featured screen recording. - [CotEditor](https://coteditor.com/): Better replacement for TextEdit, but still fast and not feature-bloated. - [Disk Space Analyzer](https://nektony.com/disk-expert): Check where is your used space located. The free version is more than capable. - [eza](https://eza.rocks/): Better `ls`, with features like hyperlinks. My config (invoked via `l`): ``` # add to .zshrc or similar alias l='eza -l --icons --hyperlink --color=auto' ``` - Flushing DNS cache: `sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder`. - [Funter](https://nektony.com/funter): Tool to show/hide hidden files in Finder. As an alternative, you can enable displaying hidden files system-wide from a terminal via `defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean true; killall Finder;`. - Git: ``` brew install git ``` - I disable the [zsh globbing pattern matching](https://superuser.com/a/982399) because can collide with command lines that include `*` or `?`. Otherwise, you can run commands prefixed with `noglob ` ([source](https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/580929/zsh-disable-globbing-for-certain-commands-or-patterns)) to explicitly disable the pattern matching just there. - [KeePassXC](https://keepassxc.org/): My preferred password manager. - [Kitty](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/): Lightweight and fast terminal. - [jq](brew install jq): The command-line JSON parser. - NodeJS: ``` # install (specific LTS version) brew install node@22 npm install -g npm # updates brew upgrade node@22 npm install -g npm ``` - [Menu Bar Spacing](https://sindresorhus.com/menu-bar-spacing): Allows to compact the menu bar items. - [noTunes](https://github.com/tombonez/noTunes): Because who would ever want to disable Apple Music, you can't do it easily. This open-source tool allows you not only that, but also to set any other application as the default app for music. - [OBS Studio](https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio): The ultimate (free) application for live streaming and screen recording. - [OmniDiskSweeper](https://www.omnigroup.com/more): Check where is your used space located. Simple, but free. - [OpenSuperWhisper](https://github.com/starmel/OpenSuperWhisper): macOS dictation app, with local models. - [Pinta](https://www.pinta-project.com/): FOSS image editing software. - Python: Using `brew`, you can install multiple Python versions, e.g. `brew install python@3.11`. - [Rectangle](https://rectangleapp.com): Allows decent moving and resizing of windows. Highly customizable. - [Standard Notes](https://standardnotes.com/): A simplistic alternative to take notes. Free version is restricted to text-only, but still provides sync. - [The Unarchiver](https://theunarchiver.com/): To open most compressed file formats. - [tree](https://bstil22.github.io/2015/03/15/adding-tree-to-zsh/): Add a `tree` command via a simple zsh alias: `alias tree="find . -print | sed -e 's;[^/]*/;|____;g;s;____|; |;g'"`. - [VMware Workstation Pro](https://blogs.vmware.com/workstation/2024/05/vmware-workstation-pro-now-available-free-for-personal-use.html): It is now free for personal usage. Windows 11 runs quite well on it, but guest OS are limited to ARM versions. - You can install `watch` on macOS via `brew install watch`, and back to running tests in loop or checking when a process runs (via `'pgrep -fl '`) - XCode [CodeThemes](https://www.codethemes.net/): Themes for the IDE. To install them, copy the file(s) to `~/Library/Developer/Xcode/UserData/FontAndColorThemes/` (create the folder if does not exist). ### Gaming-Related - [Mac Source Ports](https://www.macsourceports.com/): macOS Builds of FOSS game engines. - [AppleGamingWiki](https://www.applegamingwiki.com): Compatibility lists for many Windows games, to see if you can run them via Parallels, Crossover, or any other way. - [Porting Kit](https://www.portingkit.com/games): Wine for macOS, using Metal. ## Miscellaneous ### Fixes and Tweaks - How to remove the annoying and inconsistent menu icons: `defaults write -g NSMenuEnableActionImages -bool NO` in a terminal, and restart your machine. - How to [launch vscode from the command line in macOS](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/30065227/run-open-vscode-from-mac-terminal#36882426). - How to specify a different language than your macOS locale: `export LANG="en_US.UTF-8"` at `~/.zshrc`. - If you have issues with e.g. Google Chrome accessing other devices in your local network (e.g. `192.168.0.1`), go to `System Settings` β‡Ύ `Privacy and Security` β‡Ύ `Local Network` β‡Ύ Enable Google Chrome there. You might need to clear the browser's cache/history to pick up the changes. - How to compress a folder into a password-protected zip: Go to terminal and `zip -er .zip `. ### Handy Special Characters - **βŒ₯ + n**, then **n** (`ABC` input source): Γ± - **βŒ₯ + n**, then **⇧ + n** (`ABC` input source): Γ‘ - ~ Β£ € - β‡Ύ ← β†’ ⇽ βœ… ❌ ### Not actively used Tools Suggestions of tools I find interesting or used in the past. - [caffeinate](https://ss64.com/mac/caffeinate.html): Prevent system from sleeping, optionally waiting for a pid to finish. - [CrystalFetch ISO Downloader](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/crystalfetch-iso-downloader/id6454431289): Free tool to download Windows 10/11 installer ISO images. You need to provide your valid Windows license key. - [DeskPad](https://github.com/Stengo/DeskPad): Virtual monitor for screen sharing. - [iTerm2](https://iterm2.com): A better terminal, fast and very customizable. - I recommend to change the preset at `Settings` β‡Ύ `Profiles` β‡Ύ `Keys` to the `Natural Text Editing` one - [MemoryCleaner](https://nektony.com/memory-cleaner): Quicker than using the Activity Monitor. - [P4Merge (Helix Visual Merge Tool)](https://www.perforce.com/downloads/visual-merge-tool): One of the few free visual diff and merge tools for macOS I've found. - [Picard](https://picard.musicbrainz.org/): A nice audio files tagger, including support for [tagging scripts](https://picard-docs.musicbrainz.org/en/extending/scripts.html#tagging-scripts). - [Stats](https://github.com/exelban/stats): Menu bar systems monitor. - [Tomito](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tomito/id1526042938): Pomodoro timer. Free and without ads. - [uBlock Origin Lite](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ublock-origin-lite/id6745342698) - [UTM](https://mac.getutm.app/): QEMU-based Virtual machine runner. Allows x86 and x64 VMs on ARM hosts, but beware, those are emulared and thus **very slow**.