Easy Mac Hacks: 5 Keyboard Shortcuts that Will Change Your Life

Every Monday we show you how to do something quick and cool using built-in OS X utilities such as Terminal, Apple’s command line application. These easy hacks can make life better and simpler, and don’t require any knowledge of coding — all you need is a keyboard to type 'em out!

The Mac prides itself on keyboard shortcuts. For almost every command, there is an equal keyboard shortcut that can provide an action faster. Being familiar with the keyboard shortcuts on your Mac will help you navigate and work faster. In this how-to, we present to you five command that will change your life once you start using them. They're simple to use, easy to remember, and can make using your Mac even faster. Continue reading for the full details.

1. Quick Delete

Deleting a file can be a little time-consuming as you drag the file from the Finder window to the Trash, and then empty your Trash by either right-clicking on the Trash, or using the menu item in the Finder menu.

This process can be a bit quicker with this keyboard shortcut. After clicking on a file in the Finder, press Command + Delete to cause the file to be immediately sent to the Trash.

To further speed up the process, you can empty the Trash by pressing Command + Shift + Delete, then pressing return when the confirmation dialog is displayed. Pretty nifty, huh?

2. Instant Dictionary

Sometimes we just need to know the meaning of a word while we're writing an article or using iMessage. Fortunately, OS X includes a built-in dictionary, and, since OS X Tiger, it has also included a keyboard shortcut to make finding the meaning of a word much easier.

Simply place your mouse over a word in a text field, and then press Command + Control + D. When you do this, you'll see a popover appear above or below the word that displays the dictionary meaning.

If you're having a hard time getting the word to select, then highlight the word with your mouse cursor, then try the steps above again. Click anywhere outside of the popover (or press the Esc key) to have it dismissed.

3. Special Characters

When typing, you may find yourself in a situation where you need to include an accent mark on a certain letter, or perhaps use another special character. OS X has your back in this situation.

To easily access special characters while typing, simply press and hold down a key that contains an alternative character. Similar to iOS, you'll see a popover appear that allows you to select an accent mark or another alternative to the pressed character.

4. Paste and Match Style

If you've ever copied and pasted text from a website into a text document, then undoubtedly you've had to reformat the text to match the styling of your document. This can be a bit of a pain if you copy and paste a lot of text.

To ensure that the style isn't kept when pasting text into your document, you'll want to use the Command + Option + Shift + V command. This command means to "Paste and Match Style." This command is invaluable, but often forgotten about, or unheard of by new Mac users.

5. Secret Menu Bar Options

This is a hidden trick that will leave you wondering how you've ever lived without it. The majority of Apple system icons in the menu bar have a secret life: By option-clicking them, you can get even more information, and access hidden features.

One of our favorite tools is the volume icon in the menu bar. Clicking on it normally would just reveal a single line volume control to adjust the volume output; however, if you hold down the Option key and click it, you'll see many new options that you'd normally have to go digging through System Preferences to get access to. This shortcut can let you have access to settings for output and input devices, without ever leaving your currently active application.

Try this little trick with other system icons to see what you can find.

Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.