HopTab
Mac window management keyboard shortcuts
A cheat sheet of the window and Space shortcuts macOS ships with — and the snapping and tiling shortcuts it doesn't, which you can add with a free window manager. Bookmark this one.
macOS has good shortcuts for switching apps, windows, and Spaces — but almost nothing for positioning windows by keyboard. That second table is what a window manager fills in.
Built-in macOS shortcuts
These work on a stock Mac with no extra software. (A few, like full screen and show-desktop, depend on your Keyboard settings.)
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Switching | |
| Switch between apps | ⌘ + Tab |
| Switch windows of the current app | ⌘ + ` |
| Show all windows of the current app (App Exposé) | ⌃ + ↓ |
| Mission Control (all windows) | ⌃ + ↑ |
| Spaces & desktops | |
| Move to the Space on the left / right | ⌃ + ← / → |
| Toggle full screen for the front window | ⌃ + ⌘ + F |
| Window basics | |
| Minimize the front window | ⌘ + M |
| Hide the front app | ⌘ + H |
| Hide all other apps | ⌘ + ⌥ + H |
| Close the front window | ⌘ + W |
| Quit the front app | ⌘ + Q |
| Tiling (drag, no shortcut) | |
| Tile to a half / quarter | Drag the window to a screen edge / corner |
| Tiling options menu | Window → Move & Resize (Sequoia+) |
The shortcuts macOS is missing (add with HopTab)
Install a window manager and these become global — they work in any app, and every one is rebindable. Below are HopTab's defaults.
| Action | HopTab default |
|---|---|
| App switcher | |
| Cycle your pinned apps | ⌥ + Tab |
| Cycle backward | ⇧ + ⌥ + Tab |
| Snapping & tiling | |
| Halves (left / right / top / bottom) | ⌃⌥ + ←→↑↓ |
| Quarters | ⌃⌥ + UIJK |
| Thirds | ⌃⌥ + DFG |
| Two-thirds | ⌃⌥ + E / T |
| Maximize / center | ⌃⌥ + ⏎ / C |
| Cycle through all positions | ⌃⌥ + . / , |
| Undo the last snap | ⌃⌥ + Z |
| Monitors & profiles | |
| Move window to next / previous monitor | ⌃⌥⌘ + → / ← |
| Switch workspace profile | ⌥ + ` |
Get the missing shortcuts
Global snapping, an app switcher, move-to-monitor, and profiles — all rebindable. Free and open source, macOS 14+.
FAQ
What is the shortcut to switch windows on Mac?
⌘+Tab switches between apps. To switch between windows of the same app, press ⌘+`. ⌃+↓ (App Exposé) fans out all windows of the front app. See our full guide on switching between windows on Mac.
Is there a Mac shortcut to snap a window to the left or right?
macOS has limited built-in tiling in the Window menu on recent versions, but no consistent global shortcut for left/right halves. A window manager like HopTab adds ⌃⌥+arrow for halves and a lot more. See how to snap windows on Mac.
How do I switch between desktops (Spaces) on Mac?
Press ⌃+← or ⌃+→ to move between Spaces and full-screen apps, or ⌃+↑ to open Mission Control and see them all.
Related guides
Try HopTab free
Free and open source. Install in 30 seconds with Homebrew, or grab the app from GitHub. Pro automation is $5 once, forever.