Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts for any macOS App

If you are reading this, you use keyboard shortcuts as part of your daily workflow. From cut, copy, paste to the complicated “Paste and Match Style”, there are shortcuts that you use without even realizing. Most apps allow you to customize the shortcuts, but you may find a few that do not support that.

I was in this situation a couple of weeks ago when I needed a quick shortcut to archive the messages in Mail app. The default shortcut was not very intuitive and I needed something quick, like command + A.

After some searching, I found that macOS has a built-in setting that lets you customize shortcuts for any app.

You just need to go to System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → App Shortcuts and add a new one. You can either add a shortcut for a specific app or system wide.

Some other shortcuts that I use in the Mail app:

1. command + 1 for numbered lists
2. command + 8 for unnumbered lists

Here’s the tweet that inspired me to write this post (good tip, though I don’t use it):

Want to improve your quality of life in 5 seconds?

1. Go to System Preferences
2. Keyboard
3. App Shortcuts
4. All Applications –> add "Paste and Match Style" ?V

Done.

— Ally MacDonald (@allymacdonald) August 1, 2018

And here’s Apple’s documentation if you prefer detailed steps: macOS Sierra: Create keyboard shortcuts for apps.

Know any other tips like this? Go ahead and share in the comments or on Twitter.