We’re all short on time and always looking for that next hack to make our tasks that much faster to process and complete. If you use Evernote then you’re already on your way to improving your productivity, but you still wanting more, aren’t you?

Here are 10 of my most used keyboard shortcuts for Evernote for Mac and why I use them, plus a couple of bonus ones at the end.

1. New Note: CTRL+CMD+N

This is a life saver. As soon as a thought or idea strikes, this shortcut will let you get your thoughts down super quickly! As long as the Evernote icon is in your menu bar or system tray this shortcut will work. Version 5.0.6 of Evernote for Mac changes the screen that appears when this shortcut is used to a sleek no-nonsense text area. You can use this to type in text, drop in files and images, record audio or even take screenshots. No need to worry about putting it in the right notebook or attaching the right tags. This tool is perfect for capturing what’s running through your head before it runs away.

2. Toggle Bullets: SHIFT+CMD+U

I love lists so finding this amazing shortcut has really sped up my workflow. No you can quickly switch between lists and text without using the mouse or trackpad to actually click on the bullets button. I’m sure that when you give this shortcut a try you too will feel amazing.

3. Toggle Numbered Lists: SHIFT+CMD+O

If you prefer to number your lists then this shortcut is for you. It’s the same principle as the bullets shortcut. Jump in and out of numbered lists faster than ever!

4. Edit Tags: CMD+’

I use tags fairly heavily, but I don’t want my thoughts impeded when I’m getting things into Evernote. After I’ve capture my thoughts using this shortcut makes it super fast to attach tags to the note. This shortcut will move the cursor into the tags section so that you can just start typing the first few letters of your tag. When the tag you want is at the top of the list, or it’s by itself, the comma key will lock it in and let you enter more tags.

5. Edit Title: CMD+L

After tagging a note I update the title or subject. I almost always edit the title after I’ve captured the note body so that when I’m entering the title it will have a lot mor meaning and context. This shortcut will move the cursor into the title section and highlight whatever is already there so that you can just start typing in your new title.

6. Change Notebook: CMD+M

I love this shortcut! When you create a new note it will normally be automatically captured into your default notebook, on Inbox. When you’re done creating your note, and you’ve added any tags and updated the title, use this shortcut to display the list of notebooks you can move th current note into. Then type th first few letters from the name of the notebook and you’ll see that notebook rise to the top of the list. Once it’s highlighted just hit Enter. That’s it, the note has now been moved to that notebook.

7. Return to top of Notes: OPTION+UP

After you’ve done a search in Evernote, and you’re then finished with those search results, you normally clear out the search field. The note you had open before stays open and stays selected in the notes list. Use this shortcut to quickly jump crack to the very top of the list. For this to work you first need to click on a note in the list so that th list item has the focus and not the note editor. All your latest notes are bundled together at the top of the list of notes usually so this shortcut is really handy for getting back to them after a search. This shortcut only works with Snippet and List views, not Card view.

8. Toggle Text Size: CMD++/-

We all know the standard text formatting options such as CMD+B (bold) and CMD+I (italic), but did you know you can also change the size of the text you have selected just as easily? Select some text then use CMD+(PLUS) to increase the size of that text, or CMD+(MINUS) to decrease it. Very handy for quickly making headings in your notes.

9. Add Link to Text: CMD+K

I’m right in to linking my notes together. For projects I tend to have an “index” note that links out to each other note that’s related to the project. You can make any text or image any of your notes a link by first selecting/highlighting it and then using this shortcut. It will popup a box that you can enter the URL or note link you’d like to link the text to.

10. Toggle Checkbox: CMD+SHIFT+T

This little gem always comes in handy, especially when you’re in a meeting and quickly need to capture action items. When you type against a checkbox and hit Enter, a new checkbox is automatically added to the start of the next line. You can remove this with the backspace. You can add a checkbox anywhere inside a note.

Bonus Shortcuts I Love

• CMD+OPTION+F = Global find
• CMD+F = Find in note
• OPTION+Left/Right = Jump to end of next/previous word
• CMD+SHIFT+Left/Right = Highlight from current position to start/end of current line
• OPTION+SHIFT+Left/Right = Highlight from current position to start/end of word
• CMD+Left/Right = Jump to start/end of current line

Leave a comment below to let me and others know which of these shortcuts do you think you’ll love the most, or if you have other shortcuts you’d like to share.

Tags: evernote Productivity tips