Ask HN: What are the useful, lesser known keyboard shortcuts?

[spxdcz]

I'm a Mac user, and suspect I only use six or seven keyboard shortcuts regularly (close window, quit, new, application switch, save, copy/paste, etc).

I suspect we find it difficult to learn TOO many (i.e. all) shortcuts, so which are the lesser-known ones (on whichever operating system) that you think people should know?

For example, I just learned the incredibly useful Apple-` shortcut to switch between Windows (not Apps), e.g. for working on multiple documents.

Any suggestions?

[jluxenberg]

When I started using a MacBook at work, I missed the Alt-Tab behavior of Windows and Linux. Alt-Tab switches to the last window that was active (and the one that was active before that, etc). There's a cheap utility for the MacOS that adds this feature. I have it bound to C-tab:

http://manytricks.com/witch/

You'll wonder how you lived without it!

[spxdcz]

Awesome - thank you!

[cwb]

Well, I'm not sure if these classify as lesser known, but Cocoa (that is most) text fields in Mac OS X support basic emacs bindings which I use all the time (native vim support would be even better of course, but hey..): http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jrus/Site/System%20Bindings.html (look at the ctrl (^) bindings).

[spxdcz]

Thanks, that's pretty cool.

Yeah, in retrospect, I should have reworded the question "What are your favorite keyboard shortcuts?".

[buster]

I don't have a Mac, but my colleagues use some keybinding to display a fullscreen list of available shortcuts.. Don't know which one, though

[spxdcz]

Argh! That sounds particularly useful... Am trying to Google it, but haven't found it yet. Thanks for letting me know about its existence though!

[seliopou]

⌘` cycles through the windows of the current application. Never leave home without it.