4 Command Keystroke Tricks to Ease Navigation in Mac OS X

Navigating around Mac OS X is significantly easier than competitive operating systems, and that’s largely thanks to the Dock, Expose (Mission Control), Spotlight, and the improved Finder, which is the OS X file system. Of course there are also third party apps that people swear by, such as Quicksilver, but with so many great features built into OS X, it’s usually not necessary to install any third party software if you’re just looking to optimize your workflow and move around more. Instead, simply dig deeper and learn a few new tricks.

With that mind, here are a handful of some great keystrokes for Mac OS X that once you learn, will make navigating around even easier. These will be presented in the format of “action” followed by the accompanying keystroke to achieve the desired result.

1: Switch windows within the Current Application: Command + Tilde (~)

Need to switch between windows in the active application? This trick does that, helping you flip through however many windows that are only int he currently active app.

2: Move a Window in the Background: Command + Drag title bar

This literally moves a window around in the background, without it moving to the foreground or becoming a prominent focus window.

3: Display File Hierarchy: Command + Click on the name in title bar

Ever wanted to know where a file was in the file system? This shows that instantly, displaying where the file is located in the hierarchy of the Finder.

4: Quickly switch between open applications: Command + Tab

Need to toggle between a few apps without using the cursor? Command+tab to the rescue, it brings up an application switcher that makes navigating between running Mac apps fast and efficient.