Windows to Mac keyboard shortcuts
The translation table I wish someone had handed me when I switched. Every shortcut you reach for on Windows, what it is on a Mac, and the honest gaps where there's no equivalent.
The one rule that unlocks most of it: where Windows uses Ctrl, a Mac uses ⌘ (Command). Copy is ⌘C, save is ⌘S, find is ⌘F. The Mac's ⌃ (Control) key is mostly for terminal and text-cursor tricks. The modifier symbols you'll see in menus: ⌘ Command, ⌥ Option (Alt), ⌃ Control, ⇧ Shift.
Window management
This is where switchers feel the gap most, because macOS handles windows differently rather than just with different keys. Sequoia added basic tiling. The third column is what you get with Sash installed, using its default hotkeys.
| On Windows | On a Mac | With Sash |
|---|---|---|
| Win← / → snap to half | fn⌃← / →, or drag to a screen edge | ⌃⌥⌘← / →, then Snap Assist fills the other half |
| Win↑ maximize | fn⌃F fills the screen (green button goes full-screen, which is a different thing) | ⌃⌥⌘↑ |
| Win↓ minimize | ⌘M (no keyboard restore; use the Dock) | Same |
| Snap top / bottom half | fn⌃↑ / ↓ | ⌃⌥⌘⇧↑ / ↓ |
| WinZ Snap Layouts (thirds) | Window menu > Move & Resize, no shortcut | ⌃⌥⌘1 / 2 / 3 for thirds, ⇧← / → for two-thirds |
| Snap Assist (pick a window for the empty half) | Not available | Automatic after every snap. Arrow keys to pick. |
| Snap Groups (switch to a pair as one) | Not available | Automatic when two windows are snapped side by side |
| Win⇧← / → move to other display | Drag it | ⌃⌥⌘[ / ] |
| AltF4 close window | ⌘W closes the window, ⌘Q quits the app | Same |
| WinD show desktop | fnF11, or spread four fingers on the trackpad | Same |
One mental shift: on a Mac, closing the last window doesn't quit the app. The app is still running with no windows, and its menu bar is still yours. ⌘Q is the real Alt+F4.
Switching between windows and apps
| On Windows | On a Mac | With Sash |
|---|---|---|
| AltTab cycle windows | ⌘⇥ cycles apps, one icon each. ⌘` cycles windows within the current app. | ⌥⇥ cycles every window with thumbnails, ⌥⇧⇥ goes backwards |
| WinTab task view | ⌃↑ Mission Control, or swipe up with three fingers | Same |
| CtrlWin← / → switch virtual desktop | ⌃← / → switch Space, or swipe with three fingers | Same |
| CtrlWinD new virtual desktop | Mission Control, then the + in the top right | Same |
| Win + number, launch pinned app | No equivalent. ⌘Space then type the name is faster anyway. | Same |
The ⌘-Tab thing is the one that bites. If you have three Finder windows and two browser windows open, ⌘-Tab shows you two icons. You then need ⌘-` to find the right window inside the app. Windows switchers usually find this the single most disorienting part of the move, and it's the reason Sash ships a thumbnail switcher on ⌥-Tab.
System and launching
| On Windows | On a Mac |
|---|---|
| Win or WinS search / Start | ⌘Space Spotlight. Launches apps, finds files, does arithmetic. |
| WinR run | ⌘Space, same thing |
| WinE File Explorer | Click Finder in the Dock, or ⌥⌘Space for a Finder search window |
| WinI Settings | Apple menu > System Settings. ⌘, opens the settings of whatever app is in front. |
| WinL lock | ⌃⌘Q |
| Ctrl⇧Esc Task Manager | ⌥⌘Esc Force Quit. For the full picture, Activity Monitor via Spotlight. |
| CtrlAltDel | ⌥⌘Esc |
| Win⇧S snip a region | ⇧⌘4. Add ⌃ to copy instead of saving. |
| PrtScn full screen | ⇧⌘3 |
| Screen recording (WinG) | ⇧⌘5 opens the capture toolbar |
| WinV clipboard history | Not built in. Raycast, Maccy, and Paste all add it. |
| Win. emoji | ⌃⌘Space, or press fn alone on newer keyboards |
Text editing and files
| On Windows | On a Mac |
|---|---|
| CtrlC / V / X / Z / A / S / F | Same letter with ⌘ |
| CtrlY redo | ⇧⌘Z |
| Home / End start or end of line | ⌘← / → |
| CtrlHome / End start or end of document | ⌘↑ / ↓ |
| Ctrl← / → jump by word | ⌥← / → |
| Delete forward delete | fn⌫ on laptops. The key labelled Delete is Backspace. |
| F2 rename a file | Return with the file selected |
| Enter open a file | ⌘O or ⌘↓. Return renames, which trips up everyone once. |
| Backspace go up a folder | ⌘↑ |
| Delete a file to the Recycle Bin | ⌘⌫ |
| ⇧Delete delete permanently | ⌥⌘⌫ |
| AltEnter file properties | ⌘I Get Info |
| CtrlTab next browser tab | Same, or ⌘⇧] |
The ones with no equivalent
- A window switcher that shows windows. ⌘-Tab shows apps. The free app AltTab adds a thumbnail switcher; Sash adds one that also knows about your snapped pairs.
- Snap Assist. Nothing in macOS offers you a window for the empty half after a snap. This is the feature switchers describe as "I can't explain what's missing, it just takes longer." It's the reason Sash exists.
- Keyboard restore from minimized. ⌘-M minimizes, but nothing un-minimizes from the keyboard. Most switchers stop minimizing and hide the app instead with ⌘H, which ⌘-Tab does reverse.
- Clipboard history. Third-party only.
- Cut and paste files. Copy with ⌘C, then ⌥⌘V to move instead of paste. It works, it's just not ⌘X.
If window management is the part you miss
Everything in the tables above except the third column is built into macOS. The third column is Sash: a menu bar app that brings Snap Assist, Snap Groups, and a real Alt-Tab to the Mac, built by a switcher who missed exactly those three things. Basic snapping is free forever. The rest is $19.99 once, with a 14-day trial and no card.
Common questions
What is Alt+Tab on a Mac?
⌘-Tab switches between apps, showing one icon per app. ⌘-` (backtick) cycles windows within the current app. There is no built-in switcher that shows every window as a thumbnail; Sash adds one on ⌥-Tab.
What is Win+Arrow (snap window) on a Mac?
macOS Sequoia and later: fn-Control-Left or Right Arrow snaps to a half, and you can drag a window to a screen edge. With Sash the default is Control-Option-Command plus an arrow key, and the empty half fills with a Snap Assist picker.
What is Win+Shift+S (snip) on a Mac?
Shift-Command-4 captures a region, Shift-Command-3 the full screen, and Shift-Command-5 opens the screenshot toolbar with recording options.
What is Alt+F4 on a Mac?
Command-W closes the current window. Command-Q quits the whole app. On a Mac, closing the last window usually leaves the app running.
See also: Mac window managers compared · Sash vs. Rectangle · Sash vs. Magnet