Command line and power tools

The search shortcuts worth memorising

Updated 2026-07-31 · 3 min read

Ten shortcuts cover the whole of file navigation on a Mac. Most people know three.

Searching

Keys	Does
⌘Space	Spotlight
⌥⌘Space	Finder search window
⌘F	Search within the current Finder window
⇧⌘G	Go to Folder — type a path directly

Moving around Finder

Keys	Does
⌘↑	Enclosing folder
⌘↓	Open selected item
⌘[ / ⌘]	Back / forward
⇧⌘.	Toggle hidden files
Space	Quick Look

Acting on a file

Keys	Does
⌘I	Get Info
⌥⌘C	Copy the full path
⌘⌫	Move to Trash
⌘⇧⌫	Empty Trash
↩	Rename (not open — this catches every switcher)

That last one is worth repeating: on Windows, Enter opens. On macOS, Enter renames and ⌘↓ opens.

Quick Look is underrated

Select a file, press Space. Arrow keys move through the selection while the preview stays open, which makes flipping through fifty screenshots take seconds. ⌥Space opens a full-screen version.

In Spotlight results

⌘↩ reveals the selected result in Finder instead of opening it. ⌘L jumps to the dictionary definition. Holding ⌘ on a result shows its path at the bottom of the window — the fastest way to find out where something actually is.

Common questions

How do I copy a file's path on a Mac?

Select it in Finder and press ⌥⌘C. That places the full POSIX path on the clipboard.

Why does Enter rename instead of opening?

A macOS convention that differs from Windows. Use ⌘↓ or ⌘O to open.