The following article and video tutorial discusses Mac OS keyboard shortcuts that every video editor needs to know. These are basic Mac Operating System functions (like tasks in Finder) that us video editors do probably hundreds of times a week.
When you make some of these everyday actions we do into keyboard shortcuts instead of moving the mouse around and having to click, you shave off seconds per hour, minutes per week, hours per month, and days per year during your editing sessions. These micro time saving tips will ultimately give you more time doing things outside of the edit bay or provide you with more opportunities to edit more videos so you can earn more income.
This isn’t a comprehensive list of every single freaking shortcut that exists because, frankly, at least half of them are completely useless. This list is just for a video editor on a Mac who wants to know keyboard shortcuts that are important to them. Let’s get into it!
Finder and Mac OS Keyboard Shortcuts for Video Editors
Switch Between Applications → Command+Tab
Hide Application / Program → Command+H
Minimize Application / Program → Command+M
Copy → Command+C
Paste → Command+V
Cut → Command+X
Duplicate → Command+D
Get Info → Command+I
Undo → Command+Z
Select All Items → Command+A
Select Multiple Items → Shift+Up/Down Arrows
Open File → Command+O
Delete File → Command+Delete
New Finder Window → Command+N
Create New Tab → Command+T
Create New Folder → Shift+Command+N
Do you use Safari? Check out my list of Safari keyboard shortcuts for it here.
Open Desktop in Finder → Shift+Command+D
Open Recent Files in Finder → Shift+Command+F
Open Downloads in Finder → Opt+Command+L
Close Window → Command+W
Change Finder View to Icons (1), List (2), Columns (3), or Gallery (4) → Command+1/2/3/4
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Go to Previous/Next Folder → Command+[ and Command+]
Show/Hide File Path in Finder → Opt+Command+P
Show/Hide Status Bar (quickly see how much space is on a drive!) → Command+/
Force Quit Application → Opt+Click Icon in Dock
Show/Hide Dock → Opt+Command+D
Do you have any shortcuts to add? Leave them below in the comments!
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– Josh