To use any of these key combinations, press and hold the keys immediately after pressing the power button to turn on your Mac, or after your Mac begins to restart. Keep holding until the described behavior occurs.
- Mac Command Key
- Mac Command Line
- Mac Back To Mac
- Mac Commands List
- Mac Command Line List
- Mac Startup Commands
Mac keyboards have Option and Command keys where standard PC keyboards have Alt and Windows keys. The keyboards are otherwise pretty similar, but new Mac users will need to understand these different keys. Apple’s Mac keyboards actually do have a Control (Ctrl) key, but the Control key doesn’t function like the Control key on Windows. Right- or Control-click on any file (or hold down Command to click and select multiple items, then Control-click), and you’ll see the “Put Back” option. Control+F, or Command+F on a Mac, is the keyboard shortcut for the Find command. If you're in a web browser and want to search text on a web page, pressing Control+F will bring up a search box. Oct 28, 2010 The Put Back command returns the file (s) to their location in Mac OS X Finder prior to deletion. This only works if the file is located in the Trash, not if the Trash has been emptied. Open the Trash can Select the file (s) you want to put back in their original location. Mar 21, 2018 Every command is made up of three elements: the command itself, an argument which tells the command what resource it should operate on, and an option that modifies the output. So, for example, to move a file from one folder to another on your Mac, you’d use the move command 'mv' and then type the location of the file you want to move.
- Command (⌘)-R: Start up from the built-in macOS Recovery system. Or use Option-Command-R or Shift-Option-Command-R to start up from macOS Recovery over the Internet. macOS Recovery installs different versions of macOS, depending on the key combination you use while starting up. If your Mac is using a firmware password, you're prompted to enter the password.
- Option (⌥) or Alt: Start up to Startup Manager, which allows you to choose other available startup disks or volumes. If your Mac is using a firmware password, you're prompted to enter the password.
- Option-Command-P-R:Reset NVRAM or PRAM. If your Mac is using a firmware password, it ignores this key combination or starts up from macOS Recovery.
- Shift (⇧): Start up in safe mode. Disabled when using a firmware password.
- D: Start up to the Apple Diagnostics utility. Or use Option-Dto start up to this utility over the Internet. Disabled when using a firmware password.
- N: Start up from a NetBoot server, if your Mac supports network startup volumes. To use the default boot image on the server, hold down Option-N instead. Disabled when using a firmware password.
- Command-S: Start up in single-user mode. Disabled in macOS Mojave or later, or when using a firmware password.
- T: Start up in target disk mode. Disabled when using a firmware password.
- Command-V: Start up in verbose mode. Disabled when using a firmware password.
- Eject (⏏) or F12 or mouse button or trackpad button: Eject removable media, such as an optical disc. Disabled when using a firmware password.
If a key combination doesn't work
If a key combination doesn't work at startup, one of these these solutions might help:
- Be sure to press and hold all keys in the combination together, not one at a time.
- Shut down your Mac. Then press the power button to turn on your Mac. Then press and hold the keys as your Mac starts up.
- Wait a few seconds before pressing the keys, to give your Mac more time to recognize the keyboard as it starts up. Some keyboards have a light that flashes briefly at startup, indicating that the keyboard is recognized and ready for use.
- If you're using a wireless keyboard, plug it into your Mac, if possible. Or use your built-in keyboard or a wired keyboard. If you're using a keyboard made for a PC, such as a keyboard with a Windows logo, try a keyboard made for Mac.
- If you're using Boot Camp to start up from Microsoft Windows, set Startup Disk preferences to start up from macOS instead. Then shut down or restart and try again.
Remember that some key combinations are disabled when your Mac is using a firmware password.
Learn more
- Learn what to do if your Mac doesn't turn on.
- Learn about Mac keyboard shortcuts that you can use after your Mac has started up.
Terminal is one of the most powerful macOS apps, which allows you to perform actions with different commands. Although Terminal Commands are seemingly difficult to carry out, believe me, they aren’t. Once you know the commands, you can quickly perform tasks like shutting down your Mac or copying contents from one place to another right from your terminal
As the terminal is a CLI (Command Line Interface), the language we type in which interacts with the Mac, is known as bash, and commands are called bash commands. This tool is often overlooked because it is completely different from the GUI (Graphical User Interface ), which provides a rich interface. But today I’ve come up with a useful list of macOS Terminal Commands that you can learn easily and will help you do things instantly. So let’s start.
11 Cool Terminal Commands for macOS – Mac User Should Try
#1. Hide/Unhide and View Files/Folders in Finder
macOS Terminal provides you an easy way to Hide, Unhide or View hidden files in the Finder via Terminal.
Open up the terminal from /Applications/finder or alternatively launch it from Spotlight.
To Hide any File/Folder:
Type in the following command :
Now, drag the file which you want to hide in the terminal and click Enter.
To View Hidden File/Folder:
Type defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool TRUE in the Terminal.
Once done you need to restart the Finder, it can be done by this command.
If you ever wish to hide the sensitive files again, repeat all the commands by replacing TRUE with FALSE.
To Unhide any File/Folder:
Unhiding the file/folder is fairly easy, just replace “hidden” with “nohidden”.
Now, drag the file/folder which you want to unhide.
#2. Download Files Using Terminal
If you’ve a direct link of the file which you want to download, you can use the following commands to download the file using the Terminal on Mac.
Note: If you want to download the contents to any other directory replace “downloads” with the directory name.
![Commands Commands](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Epo0lbhmc4s/maxresdefault.jpg)
#3. Keep your Mac Awake
To prevent the mac from sleep, or showing screensaver after some inactivity use
Mac Command Key
If you want this command to get auto-disabled after a certain period of time, put the -t flag and specify the time in seconds as shown below.
Here, after 150000 seconds the command will get disabled, and the settings will be restored. Meanwhile, you can also use Cmd + C to terminate the command.
#4. Change Default Screenshot Format Type
By default, the screenshots are saved in .PNG format, but you can gain full control over the screenshots behavior.
To change default screenshot format type, use defaults write com.apple.screencapture type followed by type for e.g. : ( PNG, JPG, GIF, or PDF), then press Enter.
#5. Access iCloud Drive Using Terminal
To access the data from your iCloud Drive use the following command.
However, we already have a detailed guide on how you can access, copy, or move data to your iCloud Drive, which you can check out anytime.
#6. Shut Down or Restart Mac using Terminal
To shut down your mac with CLI (Command Line Interface) aka Terminal, use
Mac Command Line
Just as shut down, you can restart your Mac by
#7. View File Contents
To access the contents of any damaged or corrupted file, you can force the terminal to open it with this command.
Note: If you try to open an image file in the terminal, it will show some gibberish text.
#8. Speed Up Time Machine Backup
Whenever you’re updating the Mac to the new version, backup’s are assurity of your data and the easiest way to take a backup is to use Time Machine. But do you know? You can speed up time machine backup using the terminal by this command
#9. Add Spaces to your Dock
If you feel, your dock is crowded with a lot of apps. You can add up a little space between each app icon, here’s how.
Type:
and hit Return.
Once done, type:
and press Return again
Mac Back To Mac
#10. Copy Contents from One Folder to Another
Copying contents from one place to another is fairly easy with Terminal, Type in the following command
Replace original with the current directory, and new with the name of the directory to which you want to copy the contents. Portable external hard drive for mac.
#11. Make your Mac Say Anything you want
This is the coolest command that macOS provides, you can make your Mac say anything you want, by using the say command followed by the words.
Mac Commands List
say “hello, iGeeksblog”
Wrapping Up…
There are lots of bash commands available for macOS. However, these were some of them. Do give them a try, and make more out of your Mac.
You might also like to read:
Mac Command Line List
Which command did you like the most? Share your views in the comment section.
Mac Startup Commands
Nikhil runs iGB’s official YouTube channel. He is the official lensman of iGB and GB’s small studio is Nikhil’s playground, where he does all wonders with his remarkable signature. When Nikhil is not in his studio, you may spot him in a gourmet restaurant, chomping his way through some delicious food. He is a great traveler, who can go for long drives in search of good food.
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