Product · October 24, 2026
Spotlight Search Shortcut on Mac: Full Cheat Sheet (2026)
The Spotlight search shortcut is Command + Space (⌘ Space), or F4 on a MacBook. Plus every hidden Spotlight key: ⌘ Return to reveal in Finder, ⌘ L for definitions, ⌘ B to search the web.
SearchOnMac Team
Keyboard Cheat Sheets · 4 min read
The Spotlight search shortcut on Mac is Command + Space (⌘ Space). On Apple silicon MacBooks you can also tap the F4 key with the magnifying glass. Once Spotlight is open, these modifier shortcuts let you act on results without touching the mouse.
Top Spotlight Navigation Shortcuts
• Command + Space (⌘ Space): Open or close Spotlight search.
• Return (↵): Open the highlighted top hit.
• Command + Return (⌘ ↵): Reveal the highlighted file in its containing Finder folder instead of opening it.
• Command + R (⌘ R): Reveal the file location in Finder.
• Command + I (⌘ I): Open the Finder 'Get Info' panel for the selected result.
Action and Lookup Shortcuts
• Command + L (⌘ L): Jump directly to the dictionary definition of the typed word.
• Command + B (⌘ B): Open your typed query in your default web browser.
• Esc: Clear your query or dismiss the Spotlight bar.
Category Jumping
• Command + Up Arrow / Down Arrow: Jump between result categories (e.g. from Applications directly to Documents).
How to Change the Spotlight Shortcut
Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Spotlight. Double-click the shortcut next to “Show Spotlight search” and press the new key combination, or untick it to free ⌘ Space for another launcher.
Keep this cheat sheet handy to supercharge your daily macOS navigation.