Mac Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Users: What Replaces What
September 24, 2026
The first week on a Mac after Windows goes the same way for everyone: your fingers press Ctrl+C, Home, Alt+F4, and Alt+Shift - and nothing happens. Or something else entirely does.
The good news: almost everything you did on Windows exists on a Mac, just on different keys. Below are full tables of equivalents, grouped by what you're doing, plus the traps everyone falls into.
The main rule: Ctrl → Cmd
Most Windows shortcuts built on Ctrl use Cmd (⌘) on a Mac: Cmd+C, Cmd+V, Cmd+X, Cmd+Z, Cmd+A, Cmd+S, Cmd+F, Cmd+P, Cmd+N, Cmd+T, Cmd+W. If a familiar shortcut does nothing, first try swapping Ctrl for Cmd.
The other modifiers:
- Option (⌥) is Alt. On a Windows keyboard plugged into a Mac, Alt works as Option.
- Control (⌃) exists on a Mac too, but you need it less: for switching tabs (Ctrl+Tab), in Terminal, and for switching input language (Ctrl+Space).
- The Windows key on a PC keyboard works as Cmd.
And a nice one: shortcuts work in any keyboard layout. Cmd+C copies even when a non-Latin layout is active - no need to switch to English first.
Text and cursor
This is where former Windows users struggle the longest.
| Windows | Mac | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Home / End | Cmd+← / Cmd+→ | Start / end of line |
| Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End | Cmd+↑ / Cmd+↓ | Start / end of document |
| Ctrl+← / Ctrl+→ | Option+← / Option+→ | Previous / next word |
| Shift + any of the above | Shift + the same | Select |
| Backspace | Delete | Delete the character to the left |
| Delete | Fn+Delete | Delete the character to the right |
| Ctrl+Backspace | Option+Delete | Delete the previous word |
| Shift+Home, Backspace | Cmd+Delete | Delete to the start of the line |
| Page Up / Page Down | Fn+↑ / Fn+↓ | Page up / down |
| Ctrl+Y | Cmd+Shift+Z | Redo |
| Ctrl+Shift+V | Cmd+Option+Shift+V | Paste without formatting |
The key labeled Delete on a Mac is Windows' Backspace. MacBooks have no separate forward-Delete key - Fn+Delete does that job.
Windows and apps
| Windows | Mac | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Alt+Tab | Cmd+Tab | Switch between apps |
| - | Cmd+` | Switch between windows of the same app |
| Alt+F4 | Cmd+Q | Quit the app |
| Ctrl+W | Cmd+W | Close the window or tab |
| Win+↓ | Cmd+M | Minimize the window |
| - | Cmd+H | Hide the whole app |
| Win+↑ | Fn+Ctrl+F | Fill the screen with the window (macOS 15 and later) |
| Win+← / Win+→ | Fn+Ctrl+← / Fn+Ctrl+→ | Window to the left / right half (macOS 15 and later) |
| F11 | Ctrl+Cmd+F | Full screen |
| Win+D | Fn+H or Fn+F11 | Show desktop |
| Win / Win+S | Cmd+Space | Search (Spotlight) |
| Win+L | Ctrl+Cmd+Q | Lock screen |
| Win+. | Ctrl+Cmd+Space or Fn+E | Emoji and symbols |
| Ctrl+Alt+Del | Cmd+Option+Esc | Force quit a frozen app |
| Ctrl+Shift+Esc | Cmd+Space, "Activity Monitor" | Task Manager |
Files: File Explorer → Finder
| Windows | Mac | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| F2 | Return | Rename |
| Enter | Cmd+↓ or Cmd+O | Open a file or folder |
| Alt+↑ | Cmd+↑ | Go up one folder |
| Delete | Cmd+Delete | Move to Trash |
| Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V | Cmd+C, then Cmd+Option+V | Move a file |
| Alt+Enter | Cmd+I | File properties (Get Info) |
| - | Cmd+Shift+. | Show hidden files |
| - | Space | Preview a file without opening it |
The biggest shock here is Return. In Finder it doesn't open the file - it renames it.
Screenshots
There's no Print Screen key on a Mac, but screenshots are more convenient than on Windows.
| Windows | Mac | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PrtSc | Cmd+Shift+3 | Whole screen |
| Win+Shift+S | Cmd+Shift+4 | Selected area |
| Alt+PrtSc | Cmd+Shift+4, then Space | A single window |
| Win+Alt+R (Xbox Game Bar) | Cmd+Shift+5 | Screenshot toolbar and screen recording |
By default a screenshot is saved as a file on the desktop. To send it straight to the clipboard instead, add Ctrl: for example, Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4.
Browser
| Windows | Mac | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| F5 | Cmd+R | Reload the page |
| Ctrl+L | Cmd+L | Jump to the address bar |
| Ctrl+Shift+T | Cmd+Shift+T | Reopen a closed tab |
| Ctrl+Tab | Ctrl+Tab | Next tab (yes, Ctrl here) |
| Ctrl+H | Cmd+Y | History (Safari, Chrome) |
| Ctrl+Plus / Ctrl+Minus | Cmd+Plus / Cmd+Minus | Zoom |
Language: Alt+Shift doesn't work here
On Windows you switch input language with Alt+Shift or Win+Space. On a Mac the default is Ctrl+Space, or the 🌐 Globe key on recent Apple keyboards. You can also switch with Caps Lock.
You can't set Alt+Shift itself in macOS settings: the system won't accept a combination made of modifiers only. But you can pick any comfortable combo - here's how to change the keyboard layout shortcut, and here's every way to switch keyboard language on a Mac.
Traps everyone falls into
- Ctrl+← / Ctrl+→ switch desktops. The word-jump you're used to from Windows moves you to another desktop (Space) on a Mac. For words, use Option+arrows.
- Cmd+Q is right next to Cmd+W. You meant to close a tab and quit the whole browser. Q quits the app entirely.
- The red button doesn't quit the app. It closes the window, and the app keeps running - you can tell by the dot under its Dock icon. To quit for real, press Cmd+Q.
- Cmd+H hides the app. Windows' Ctrl+H (history or replace) turns into "the app vanished". It didn't quit - click its Dock icon.
- The top row is brightness and volume, not F1-F12. To press F5, hold Fn. Or permanently: System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts… → Function Keys → "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys".
- Right-click on a trackpad is a two-finger click, or a click while holding Ctrl.
A Windows keyboard on a Mac
A PC keyboard works fine with a Mac, but the modifiers are "in the wrong place": on a Mac keyboard the key next to the space bar is Cmd, while on a PC keyboard it's Alt, which acts as Option. Your fingers keep missing.
Fix it in settings: System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts… → Modifier Keys. Pick your keyboard at the top of the list and swap Option and Command. The setting applies to that keyboard only - the built-in one stays as is.
One more Windows habit
If you used Punto Switcher on Windows, it's the first thing you'll look for on a Mac - and you won't find it: Punto Switcher for Mac is gone.
That's why we made Boomkey. When text comes out in the wrong layout, select it and double-tap Shift - it converts to the layout you meant, between any two layouts you have installed. It's a native menu bar app, everything runs locally on your Mac, one-time purchase with a 7-day trial - no card, no account.
With the tables above, your first week on a Mac gets a lot calmer. A month in, you won't even notice you're pressing Cmd instead of Ctrl.
FAQ
What is the Mac equivalent of Ctrl? Mostly Cmd (⌘): Cmd+C, Cmd+V, Cmd+Z, Cmd+S and so on. The Mac has a Control key too, but it's used less - for switching tabs, switching input language, and in Terminal.
How do I do Home and End on a Mac? In text, Cmd+← and Cmd+→ jump to the start and end of the line, Cmd+↑ and Cmd+↓ to the start and end of the document. Fn+← and Fn+→ act as Home and End for scrolling a page.
How do I forward delete on a Mac, like the Windows Delete key? Fn+Delete. The Mac's Delete key is Windows' Backspace - it deletes to the left.
What is Alt+F4 on a Mac? Cmd+Q quits the app completely, Cmd+W closes just the current window or tab.
What is Ctrl+Alt+Del on a Mac? Cmd+Option+Esc opens the Force Quit window. The Task Manager equivalent is Activity Monitor - the fastest way to open it is Cmd+Space.
How do I take a screenshot on a Mac? Cmd+Shift+3 for the whole screen, Cmd+Shift+4 for an area, Cmd+Shift+4 then Space for a window, Cmd+Shift+5 for the screenshot and screen recording toolbar. Add Ctrl to copy the shot straight to the clipboard.
How do I switch keyboard language on a Mac, like Alt+Shift on Windows? By default it's Ctrl+Space or the 🌐 Globe key. macOS won't let you set Alt+Shift itself, but you can choose another combination or switch with Caps Lock.
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