20 macOS Shortcuts to Make You Work Like a Genius…

When you have lots of windows open, layered on top of one another, it can be difficult to find what you’re looking for. Minimizing one after the other until you find the desired application can be like digging through a pile. Plus, if you minimize your web browser to find the Preview window to look at a PDF, you might get distracted by iTunes or iMessage along the way.

To jump right to your desired app, hold down the “command” (?) key, then pressing the “tab” key. A row of large symbols will appear in the center of your screen.

Keep the command key held down, and use the tab key navigate across the row of symbols until your desired app is selected. If you go too far, keep pressing tab and it will cycle back. Better yet, press the “~” key instead of tab to move left across the apps instead of right. When you let go of the keys, the highlighted app will open.

Related: 6 Science-Backed Ways to Make Your Office More Productive

This trick only works for windows that aren’t minimized — after all, the whole point of this feature is to remove the need for you to tuck away windows in the bottom corner of your screen.

You can also use this feature to quit apps. When an app is highlighted, press the “Q” key to quit it. Quitting apps you’re not using may help if you notice your computer is running slowly.