How do I take a screenshot of part of the screen?

On macOS press Command Shift 4 then drag to select an area. On Windows press Windows Shift S to open the snipping toolbar and drag the region you want.

How do I reopen a tab I just closed?

Press Command Shift T on macOS or Ctrl Shift T on Windows in most browsers. You can press it repeatedly to reopen tabs in the order they were closed.

Is anything I search uploaded?

No. The whole reference and its search run in your browser, so nothing you type is ever sent anywhere.

How do I copy and paste with the keyboard?

Press Command C to copy and Command V to paste on macOS, or Ctrl C and Ctrl V on Windows. To paste without formatting, use Command Shift V on macOS or Ctrl Shift V on Windows.

How do I switch between open apps quickly?

Hold Command and press Tab on macOS, or hold Alt and press Tab on Windows. Keep the first key held and tap Tab repeatedly to cycle through open applications.

What is the Mac equivalent of Ctrl on Windows?

For most shortcuts the Mac Command key (⌘) replaces the Windows Ctrl key — so Ctrl C becomes Command C. The Mac also has its own Control key, used mainly for special shortcuts like right-click and screen lock.

How do I find text on a page?

Press Command F on macOS or Ctrl F on Windows to open the find bar in documents and browsers, then type the text you are looking for.

What is the Keyboard Shortcuts Reference?

A searchable keyboard shortcuts reference for macOS and Windows covering editing, navigation, files, browser tabs and screenshots. Switch OS to see the right keys. Runs entirely in your browser, nothing is uploaded. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Name: Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Keyboard shortcuts reference — macOS and Windows

This searchable reference lists the keyboard shortcuts you use every day, with the correct keys for both macOS and Windows side by side. It is for anyone who switches between the two systems, helps colleagues who come from a different OS, or simply wants to work faster without reaching for the mouse.

How it works

Shortcuts are grouped into sections — editing essentials, navigation & windows, files & Finder/Explorer, browser tabs and screenshots. Pick your operating system at the top and every row shows the matching key combination for that platform. Type what you want to do, like “copy” or “screenshot”, and the search filters the whole list in real time. Nothing you type is uploaded; the entire reference lives in your browser.

Side-by-side shortcut map

A sample of the most-reached shortcuts, with both systems shown:

Action	macOS	Windows
Copy	⌘ C	Ctrl C
Paste	⌘ V	Ctrl V
Paste without formatting	⌘ ⇧ V	Ctrl Shift V
Undo	⌘ Z	Ctrl Z
Redo	⌘ ⇧ Z	Ctrl Y
Select all	⌘ A	Ctrl A
Find on page	⌘ F	Ctrl F
New browser tab	⌘ T	Ctrl T
Reopen closed tab	⌘ ⇧ T	Ctrl Shift T
Screenshot whole screen	⌘ ⇧ 3	Print Screen
Screenshot a region	⌘ ⇧ 4	Win Shift S
Switch between apps	⌘ Tab	Alt Tab
Lock screen	⌘ Ctrl Q	Win L

When the two systems diverge

Most macOS shortcuts replace the Windows Ctrl key with ⌘ Command, but there are genuine differences. The Mac Command key is not the same as Mac Control — Mac Control is used mainly for right-clicking, Exposé, and some terminal shortcuts, not everyday editing. On Windows, Ctrl Z and Ctrl Y undo/redo in a straight line; on macOS, both undo (⌘ Z) and redo (⌘ ⇧ Z) exist, with redo sometimes being ⌘ Y in specific apps like Excel.

Screenshots also work differently by design. macOS saves region screenshots to the desktop by default with ⌘ ⇧ 4; adding Control to the same shortcut copies to the clipboard instead. Windows Snipping Tool (Win Shift S) always copies to the clipboard and pops a toolbar for annotation.

Why use keyboard shortcuts

Studies of professional knowledge workers consistently find that avoiding the mouse for common actions — cut, paste, undo, tab switching — adds up to meaningful time savings over a day. Learning 10–15 shortcuts for the actions you repeat most is far more valuable than memorising an entire list. Start with copy, paste, undo, find, and reopen-tab; those five cover a large fraction of daily repetitive clicks.

Tips for switchers

If you regularly move between macOS and Windows, the trickiest moment is instinctively reaching for ⌘ on a Windows machine (or vice versa). Browser shortcuts are the safest starting point because Ctrl T, Ctrl W, and Ctrl Shift T are identical on both platforms in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. File-system and screenshot shortcuts diverge the most, so bookmark this page for a quick cross-reference until the muscle memory settles.