How do I print screen on a Mac?

Press ⇧⌘3 to save a screenshot of the whole screen, or ⇧⌘4 and drag to capture part of it. Press ⇧⌘4, then Space, and click to capture one window. Screenshots land on your desktop as PNG files. Macs have no Print Screen key, so these shortcuts do its job.

What is the Snipping Tool on a Mac?

The Mac's Snipping Tool is the Screenshot app. Press ⇧⌘5 to open its toolbar: capture the whole screen, a window or a selection, record the screen as a video, set a timer and choose where screenshots are saved. ⇧⌘4 is the quickest way to snip part of the screen.

Where is File Explorer on a Mac?

File Explorer is called Finder on a Mac. Click the blue smiling face at the left end of the Dock, or click the desktop and press ⌘N for a new Finder window. Finder's sidebar shows Downloads, Documents, Desktop, AirDrop, iCloud Drive and any drives you connect.

What is the Mac version of the taskbar?

The Dock at the bottom of the screen is the Mac's taskbar. It holds the apps you keep, the apps that are open (with a dot under them) and the Trash. Unlike the taskbar, it shows apps, not each window, and hovering an icon shows no preview of its windows.

Where is the Windows key on a Mac?

A Mac keyboard has no Windows key. Command ⌘ does most of the jobs Ctrl does on Windows, like ⌘C and ⌘V, and Spotlight (⌘Space) replaces the Start menu search. On a Windows keyboard plugged into a Mac, the Windows key acts as ⌘ and Alt acts as Option ⌥.

What is Task Manager on a Mac?

Task Manager is called Activity Monitor on a Mac. Open it from Applications › Utilities, or press ⌘Space and type Activity Monitor. It shows each app's CPU, memory, energy, disk and network use, and you can quit a process from it with the ✕ button at the top of the window.

What's the Mac equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Delete?

Press ⌥⌘Esc (Option, Command and Escape) to open the Force Quit window, then pick the frozen app and click Force Quit. You can also right-click its Dock icon with Option held down. To see everything that's running and how much it uses, open Activity Monitor instead.

Is a Mac hard to learn coming from Windows?

Not for the basics, which take a few days: ⌘ instead of Ctrl, the menu bar at the top of the screen, and apps that keep running after you close their window. What takes longer are small habits like Alt-Tab, Maximize and cutting files, which macOS does differently or not at all.

How do I move my files from a Windows PC to a Mac?

Use Apple's free Windows Migration Assistant. Install it on the PC, then open Migration Assistant on the Mac from Applications › Utilities. With both computers on the same network, follow the steps to copy your documents, photos, email accounts, contacts and browser bookmarks to the Mac.

Does MrFixable make my Mac look like Windows?

No. Your Mac keeps looking and working like a Mac. MrFixable only brings back the specific Windows behaviors you choose, with one switch each, such as Alt-Tab between windows, cut and paste in Finder or a volume mixer. Every fix starts off, and switching one off undoes it.

Switching from Windows to Mac

Moving from Windows to Mac? Most things have a new name, a few work differently, and some are missing. Here's what each one is called on a Mac, what macOS can do on its own, and how MrFixable brings back the rest.

Try free for 14 daysBuy for $19.99 Lifetime license

Updated October 22, 2026. Checked on macOS 26 Tahoe.

Things to know in your first week

None of these need fixing. They're just different, and they stop feeling strange quickly.

⌘ is your Ctrl
Copy, paste, save and undo use the Command key: ⌘C, ⌘V, ⌘S, ⌘Z. Control ⌃ is rarely used.
Window buttons are top left
Red closes, yellow minimizes, green goes full screen. Closing a window usually doesn't quit the app.
The menu bar belongs to the app in front
Each app's menus (File, Edit…) are at the top of the screen, not inside its window.
Right-click is there
Click with two fingers on a trackpad, use the right button of a mouse, or hold Control and click.
Spotlight is your Start search
Press ⌘Space and type to open any app, file or setting.

Windows names on a Mac

On Windows	On a Mac
Print Screen	⇧⌘3 for the whole screen, ⇧⌘4 for part of it
Snipping Tool	The Screenshot app: press ⇧⌘5
File Explorer	Finder
Taskbar	The Dock
Start menu search	Spotlight: press ⌘Space
Windows key and Ctrl in shortcuts	Command ⌘
Alt	Option ⌥
Task Manager	Activity Monitor
Ctrl-Alt-Delete to end a frozen app	⌥⌘Esc opens Force Quit
Alt-F4	⌘W closes the window, ⌘Q quits the app
Control Panel and Settings	System Settings
Recycle Bin	Trash
Notepad	TextEdit

The Windows features you'll miss

What macOS does instead, and the fix that brings each one back.

Alt-Tab between windows
On a Mac: ⌘Tab switches apps, not windows.
Window Switcher Read the guide
Maximize a window
On a Mac: The green button switches to full screen instead.
Green Button Maximizes Read the guide
Snap windows with ⊞ and the arrows
On a Mac: Built in only from macOS Sequoia, with no shortcuts for quarters or other displays.
Window Snapping Read the guide
Volume mixer
On a Mac: One volume slider for everything.
App Volume Read the guide
Task Manager and Ctrl-Alt-Delete
On a Mac: Split between Force Quit and Activity Monitor.
System Stats in Menu Bar Read the guide
✕ closes the app
On a Mac: The app keeps running after its last window closes.
Quit on Last Window Close Read the guide
Window previews on the taskbar
On a Mac: The Dock shows apps, not their windows.
Dock Window Previews
Cut and paste files
On a Mac: ⌘X doesn't work in Finder; moving needs ⌥⌘V.
Cut & Paste Files Read the guide
Right-click → New → Text Document
On a Mac: Finder can make folders, not files.
Finder Right-Click Menu Read the guide
Home, End and a PC keyboard
On a Mac: Home and End scroll the page; Alt and ⊞ are swapped.
Home & End Like Windows Read the guide
Mouse back and forward buttons
On a Mac: Ignored in Safari, Finder and Mail.
Mouse Back & Forward Read the guide
Normal mouse scrolling
On a Mac: Mouse and trackpad share one, reversed, direction.
Separate Scroll Direction Read the guide
Clipboard history with ⊞V
On a Mac: Only a basic one in Spotlight, from macOS Tahoe.
Clipboard History Read the guide
Print Screen
On a Mac: Screenshots use ⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4 and ⇧⌘5, and pile up on the desktop.
Screenshot Settings Read the guide
Show hidden files
On a Mac: Finder hides them, with no View option to show them.
Show Hidden Files Read the guide
Keep a window always on top
On a Mac: No built-in way to pin a window above the others.
Pin Window on Top

Questions from Windows users

How do I print screen on a Mac?
Press ⇧⌘3 to save a screenshot of the whole screen, or ⇧⌘4 and drag to capture part of it. Press ⇧⌘4, then Space, and click to capture one window. Screenshots land on your desktop as PNG files. Macs have no Print Screen key, so these shortcuts do its job.
What is the Snipping Tool on a Mac?
The Mac's Snipping Tool is the Screenshot app. Press ⇧⌘5 to open its toolbar: capture the whole screen, a window or a selection, record the screen as a video, set a timer and choose where screenshots are saved. ⇧⌘4 is the quickest way to snip part of the screen.
Where is File Explorer on a Mac?
File Explorer is called Finder on a Mac. Click the blue smiling face at the left end of the Dock, or click the desktop and press ⌘N for a new Finder window. Finder's sidebar shows Downloads, Documents, Desktop, AirDrop, iCloud Drive and any drives you connect.
What is the Mac version of the taskbar?
The Dock at the bottom of the screen is the Mac's taskbar. It holds the apps you keep, the apps that are open (with a dot under them) and the Trash. Unlike the taskbar, it shows apps, not each window, and hovering an icon shows no preview of its windows.
Where is the Windows key on a Mac?
A Mac keyboard has no Windows key. Command ⌘ does most of the jobs Ctrl does on Windows, like ⌘C and ⌘V, and Spotlight (⌘Space) replaces the Start menu search. On a Windows keyboard plugged into a Mac, the Windows key acts as ⌘ and Alt acts as Option ⌥.
What is Task Manager on a Mac?
Task Manager is called Activity Monitor on a Mac. Open it from Applications › Utilities, or press ⌘Space and type Activity Monitor. It shows each app's CPU, memory, energy, disk and network use, and you can quit a process from it with the ✕ button at the top of the window.
What's the Mac equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Delete?
Press ⌥⌘Esc (Option, Command and Escape) to open the Force Quit window, then pick the frozen app and click Force Quit. You can also right-click its Dock icon with Option held down. To see everything that's running and how much it uses, open Activity Monitor instead.
Is a Mac hard to learn coming from Windows?
Not for the basics, which take a few days: ⌘ instead of Ctrl, the menu bar at the top of the screen, and apps that keep running after you close their window. What takes longer are small habits like Alt-Tab, Maximize and cutting files, which macOS does differently or not at all.
How do I move my files from a Windows PC to a Mac?
Use Apple's free Windows Migration Assistant. Install it on the PC, then open Migration Assistant on the Mac from Applications › Utilities. With both computers on the same network, follow the steps to copy your documents, photos, email accounts, contacts and browser bookmarks to the Mac.
Does MrFixable make my Mac look like Windows?
No. Your Mac keeps looking and working like a Mac. MrFixable only brings back the specific Windows behaviors you choose, with one switch each, such as Alt-Tab between windows, cut and paste in Finder or a volume mixer. Every fix starts off, and switching one off undoes it.