Sure you can use your Mac's mouse or trackpad to get around and there are buttons that do all kinds of things in macOS Sonoma. But moving a pointer around the screen isn't always the most economical way to get things done, especially if you have a large monitor where moving from one corner to the next can take some work.
That's where using keyboard shortcuts can come in so handy. A couple of keypresses can be all it takes to activate some of the most common functions on your Mac, whether that's maximizing a window, opening Control Center, or something else entirely. And there are plenty of app-specific keyboard shortcuts to learn as well.
The problem is that there are only so many modifier keys to go around on one keyboard, and the result can be a confusing mess of keypresses that requires people to be double-jointed just to reach. But did you know that the humble fn key might be the answer? It turns out that there are a ton of special shortcuts available that require just the press of the fn key and (usually) one other to make magic happen. They often replace more convoluted shortcuts that few can actually pull off without straining something.
An fn for everything
The collection of new fn keyboard shortcuts was spotted by Adam Engst over at TidBits and there are plenty to choose from.
"Along with the options exposed in System Settings, Apple’s engineers have slipped in a bunch of additional hard-coded shortcuts," Engst explains. "Here are all of those I’ve found, many of which aren’t documented in Apple’s list of keyboard shortcuts."
What follows is a list of 15 different fn-based keyboard shortcuts including Fn-N for opening Notification Center, Fn-H for hiding all current windows to reveal the Desktop, and Fn-Q to open a new Quick Note in the Notes app. Some may be familiar with that last one, but the rest are likely to be a big surprise. For example, Fn-Up Arrow scrolls up a page, perfect for keyboards that don't have a Page Up key. Who knew? Finally, Fn-M selects the Apple menu and you can then use the arrow keys to navigate through the menu options — how cool is that? But that's just the start. Head on over to TidBits for the full list and prepare to have your time — and your fingers — saved.
