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Mac Developer Productivity Cheat Sheet

A collection of keyboard shortcuts and commands for Mac developers.

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Essential Mac Shortcuts

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Finder & File Management

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Cmd + Shift + .	Show/hide hidden files	View .env, .git, config files
Cmd + Shift + G	Go to folder	Jump to any path directly
Cmd + K	Connect to server	Mount network drives
Cmd + I	Get info	Check file permissions, sizes
Cmd + Option + I	Inspector window	Live file info as you browse
Space	Quick Look preview	Preview files without opening
Cmd + Y	Quick Look slideshow	Browse multiple files quickly
Cmd + Delete	Move to trash	Delete files
Cmd + Shift + Delete	Empty trash	Permanently delete
Cmd + D	Duplicate file	Create copies
Cmd + Shift + N	New folder	Create directories
Cmd + Option + V	Move file (after copy)	Move instead of copy

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System Navigation

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Cmd + Tab	Switch apps	Navigate between applications
Cmd + ~	Switch windows	Multiple windows in same app
Cmd + H	Hide current app	Declutter screen
Cmd + Option + H	Hide all other apps	Focus on current app
Cmd + M	Minimize window	Send to dock
Cmd + W	Close window	Close without quitting
Cmd + Q	Quit application	Fully close app
Cmd + Option + Esc	Force quit	Unresponsive apps
Cmd + Space	Spotlight/Raycast	Launch anything
Ctrl + Up	Mission Control	See all windows
Ctrl + Down	App windows	See current app windows

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Screenshots & Recording

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Cmd + Shift + 3	Full screenshot	Capture entire screen
Cmd + Shift + 4	Area screenshot	Select specific area
Cmd + Shift + 4 + Space	Window screenshot	Capture specific window
Cmd + Shift + 5	Screenshot menu	All capture options
Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + 3	Copy screenshot	To clipboard (no file)
Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + 4	Copy area screenshot	To clipboard (no file)

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Text Editing (System-Wide)

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Cmd + Left/Right	Beginning/end of line	Navigate lines
Option + Left/Right	Jump by word	Navigate words
Cmd + Up/Down	Beginning/end of document	Navigate documents
Option + Delete	Delete word	Quick word deletion
Cmd + Delete	Delete to line start	Clear line quickly
Fn + Delete	Forward delete	Delete right
Cmd + A	Select all	Select everything
Cmd + Z	Undo	Revert changes
Cmd + Shift + Z	Redo	Reapply changes

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Terminal Productivity

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Navigation Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Ctrl + A	Beginning of line	Jump to start
Ctrl + E	End of line	Jump to end
Ctrl + U	Clear to line start	Clear backwards
Ctrl + K	Clear to line end	Clear forwards
Ctrl + W	Delete word backward	Remove last word
Alt + D	Delete word forward	Remove next word
Ctrl + Y	Paste deleted text	Restore deleted
Ctrl + L	Clear screen	Clean view
Ctrl + R	Search history	Find old commands
Ctrl + C	Kill process	Stop execution
Ctrl + Z	Suspend process	Pause execution
Ctrl + D	Exit/EOF	Close terminal

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Command History

Command	Action	When to Use
!!	Repeat last command	Quick re-run
!$	Last argument of previous	Reuse arguments
!*	All arguments of previous	Reuse all args
!n	Run command n from history	Run specific
!-n	Run n commands ago	Recent command
!string	Run last command starting with	Find by prefix
^old^new	Replace in last command	Quick fix
history	Show command history	Review commands

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Directory Navigation

Command	Action	When to Use
cd -	Previous directory	Toggle directories
cd ~	Home directory	Go home
cd /	Root directory	System root
pushd [dir]	Save and change directory	Remember location
popd	Return to saved directory	Go back
dirs	Show directory stack	View saved dirs

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VS Code Shortcuts

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Essential Navigation

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Cmd + P	Quick open	Open any file
Cmd + Shift + P	Command palette	Run any command
Cmd + Shift + E	Explorer	File tree
Cmd + Shift + F	Search in files	Global search
Cmd + Shift + D	Debug panel	Debugging
Cmd + Shift + G	Source control	Git panel
Cmd + Shift + X	Extensions	Manage extensions
Cmd + J	Toggle terminal	Show/hide terminal
Cmd + B	Toggle sidebar	More space
Cmd + \	Split editor	Side by side
Cmd + 1/2/3	Focus editor group	Switch panes

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Code Editing

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Cmd + /	Toggle comment	Comment code
Option + Shift + F	Format document	Clean formatting
Cmd + D	Select next match	Multi-select
Cmd + Shift + L	Select all matches	Select all occurrences
Cmd + Shift + K	Delete line	Remove line
Option + Up/Down	Move line	Reorder code
Option + Shift + Up/Down	Copy line	Duplicate
Cmd + Enter	Insert line below	New line
Cmd + Shift + Enter	Insert line above	New line above
Cmd + [	Outdent	Decrease indent
Cmd + ]	Indent	Increase indent
Cmd + Shift + [	Fold region	Collapse code
Cmd + Shift + ]	Unfold region	Expand code

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Multi-Cursor

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Option + Click	Add cursor	Multiple cursors
Cmd + Option + Up/Down	Add cursor above/below	Column selection
Cmd + U	Undo cursor	Remove last cursor
Escape	Exit multi-cursor	Single cursor
Cmd + Shift + I	Insert cursor at line ends	End of selection

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Search & Replace

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Cmd + F	Find	Search in file
Cmd + H	Replace	Find and replace
Cmd + Shift + H	Replace in files	Global replace
F3 / Shift + F3	Next/Previous match	Navigate results
Alt + Enter	Select all matches	Multi-select results

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Git Command Shortcuts

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Status & Information

Command	Action	Full Command
gs	Git status	git status
gd	Git diff	git diff
gds	Diff staged	git diff --staged
gl	Git log short	git log --oneline -10
gll	Git log graph	git log --graph --all
gb	Git branches	git branch
gba	All branches	git branch -a

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Common Operations

Command	Action	Full Command
gac "msg"	Add all & commit	git add . && git commit -m
gacp "msg"	Add, commit & push	git add . && git commit -m && git push
gco branch	Checkout	git checkout
gcb branch	Create & checkout	git checkout -b
gp	Pull	git pull
gpu	Push	git push
gstash	Stash changes	git stash
gpop	Apply stash	git stash pop

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Chrome DevTools

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Essential Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
Cmd + Option + I	Open DevTools	Inspect page
Cmd + Option + J	Console	JavaScript console
Cmd + Option + C	Inspect element	Select element
Cmd + Shift + C	Device mode	Mobile view
Cmd + ] / [	Next/Previous panel	Navigate panels
Cmd + K	Clear console	Clean console
Cmd + Shift + P	Command menu	Run commands
Cmd + P	Open file	Source files
Cmd + Shift + D	Dock position	Move DevTools
Escape	Toggle drawer	Show console

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Debugging

Shortcut	Action	When to Use
F8	Resume	Continue execution
F10	Step over	Next line
F11	Step into	Enter function
Shift + F11	Step out	Exit function
Cmd + \	Toggle breakpoint	Set/remove break
Cmd + Shift + E	Console in context	Evaluate at breakpoint

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Productivity Apps Shortcuts

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Raycast (Spotlight Replacement)

Command	Action	When to Use
Cmd + Space	Launch Raycast	Open launcher
Type app name	Launch app	Quick launch
kill port 3000	Kill process on port	Stop servers
ip	Show IP address	Network info
clipboard history	Clipboard manager	Paste history
switch audio	Audio output	Change speakers
caffeine	Prevent sleep	Keep awake

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HyperKey (Caps Lock Modifier)

Shortcut	Suggested Mapping	Purpose
Hyper + Space	Voice input	Transcription
Hyper + T	Terminal	Open terminal
Hyper + C	Calendar	Quick calendar
Hyper + S	Slack	Communication
Hyper + F	Finder	File browser
Hyper + B	Browser	Web browser
Hyper + 1-9	Project folders	Quick access

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Quick Terminal Commands

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File Operations

Command	Action	Example
ls -la	List all files	ls -la ~/Documents
tree	Directory tree	tree -L 2
find . -name	Find files	find . -name "*.js"
grep -r	Search in files	grep -r "TODO" .
cat	View file	cat package.json
head -n	First n lines	head -20 file.txt
tail -n	Last n lines	tail -20 log.txt
wc -l	Line count	wc -l *.js

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Process Management

| Command | Action | Example | | --------------- | -------------- | --------------- | ---------- | | ps aux | List processes | ps aux | grep node | | kill -9 PID | Force kill | kill -9 12345 | | killall | Kill by name | killall node | | lsof -i :PORT | Port usage | lsof -i :3000 | | top | System monitor | top -o cpu |

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Network

| Command | Action | Example | | ------------- | --------------- | --------------------- | ------------ | | ping | Test connection | ping google.com | | curl | HTTP request | curl -X GET api.com | | wget | Download file | wget file-url.com | | netstat -an | Network stats | netstat -an | grep LISTEN | | ifconfig | Network config | ifconfig en0 |

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macOS Power User Tips

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Mission Control Gestures

Gesture	Action	When to Use
Three finger swipe up	Mission Control	See all windows
Three finger swipe down	App Exposé	Current app windows
Three finger swipe left/right	Switch desktops	Change spaces
Pinch with thumb + 3 fingers	Launchpad	App grid
Spread with thumb + 3 fingers	Show desktop	Hide all windows

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Quick Actions

Action	Shortcut	Purpose
Force Click	Deep press trackpad	Preview/lookup
Two finger tap	Right click	Context menu
Three finger tap	Lookup	Dictionary/preview
Four finger tap	Notification Center	Notifications

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The Daily Workflow

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Morning Routine

1. Cmd + Space → Launch Raycast
2. Type app name → Launch your IDE
3. Cmd + J → Open terminal in VS Code
4. gs → Check git status
5. gp → Pull latest changes

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During Development

• Cmd + P → Quick file switching
• Cmd + Shift + F → Search across project
• Cmd + D → Multi-select for refactoring
• gacp "message" → Quick commits
• Cmd + J → Toggle terminal

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Debugging Session

• Cmd + Option + I → Open DevTools
• F8 → Resume execution
• F10 → Step through code
• Cmd + K → Clear console
• killport 3000 → Kill stuck processes

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Frequently Asked Questions

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