We have a Mac computer and we want to carry out an action. Keyboard shortcuts, although there are other methods to perform the process, are the best. We only need to press a few keys to get what we want. Of course, we must be clear about the keys that we must press in order, in the event that we get confused, to avoid results that we do not want.
We are not going to analyze all the existing shortcuts. We are only going to refer to two specific actions, the one that focuses on enabling the view of hidden files in the Finder, and the one that refers to copying the screen, a part of it, or the active window.
View hidden files
By default, the macOS operating system hides some files so that the user or users of the computer do not modify them. It may happen that at some point we need to access one of these files in order to examine it or make any changes to it.
Those of us who manage one or more websites usually have a copy of the same or the same on our computer. For this we enable a local server using a specific application, such as using the MAMP application or using other methods .
If we access the folder that hosts the files, we will discover that the typical .htaccess , typical of WordPress and other CMS, is not displayed. What can we do?
All you have to do is access the indicated folder in Finder and jointly press the Shift + CMD + keys. ( point ) . We will immediately see that .htaccess appears in the list of files.
Now we can examine it and, if we consider it necessary, modify it using the text editor. We can do the same with other files with similar characteristics.
If we want to return everything to its previous state, we must do the same thing again: press the Shift + CMD + keys in the Finder. ( point ) .
take screenshots
On more than one occasion we want to capture the active screen on our Mac computer. To do this, depending on what we want to capture, we must press the following keys:
- Take a screenshot of the entire screen : Press Shift + CMD + 3 together . We will see, as in the cases that we show below, the image is saved on the Desktop of the computer.
- Capture a specific area of the screen : Press together Shift + CMD + 4 . A cross will be displayed that will help us to designate, from left to right and from top to bottom, the area to be captured.
- Capture the active window : Press together Shift + CMD + 4 + Spacebar . An icon in the shape of a photo camera will be displayed. Pressing the left mouse button will perform the capture. An image of the shaded window will be saved. If we want this, the shadow, not to appear, we will have to press the Option key at the moment we click with the mouse.
Conclusion
Although there are many more key combinations to achieve certain effects, it will be a matter of other articles to review them. In this we have focused on two widely used aspects.
In the case of the screenshot, we only need to use an application, such as GIMP , to make adjustments to it. Keep in mind that the images are saved in PNG format on the Desktop , as we have indicated.
