macOS Spotlight keyboard shortcuts
Spotlight opens when you press Command and Space, ready to find apps, files, and quick answers on your Mac. These keys preview or reveal the selected result, move through matches, and filter results by category.
macOS · 14 shortcutsSearch and results
Open Spotlight, inspect the selected result, and move through matching items.
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Open or close Spotlight | Cmd + Space |
| Open Quick Look for the selected result | Space |
| Move to the next result | Down |
| Move to the previous result | Up |
| Show the selected result's path | Cmd |
| Open the selected result | Return |
| Show the result in its app or Finder | Cmd + R |
| Open a Finder search window | Option + Cmd + Space |
Categories and filters
Narrow Spotlight results by category or return to a previous search filter.
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Show application results | Cmd + 1 |
| Show file results | Cmd + 2 |
| Show action results | Cmd + 3 |
| Show clipboard results | Cmd + 4 |
| Filter results | / |
| Go back in search history | Up |
Source
Apple Spotlight keyboard shortcuts · Checked
Spotlight keyboard shortcuts from Apple's current Mac User Guide, checked September 1, 2026. Result categories and filters can vary with the macOS version and enabled Spotlight sources.