Eighty Shades of Option Key

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Stuck between the Command and Control (ctrl, or ^) keys, the Option key, also called Alt key, because of the switch symbol ⌥ that adorns it, is… magical! It is (almost) never used alone, but in combination with other keys, to launch various actions.

Its usefulness is variable, but it will often allow you to access hidden functions, to work more quickly on certain specific tasks... For example, how many of you have already duplicated a file using the Duplicate item in the File menu? …While dragging and dropping while pressing Option is much faster?

Indeed, in many cases, the Option key is used to duplicate an object: a file or folder in the Finder, a graphic object or a table in Numbers or Word, a cell in Excel, or a layer in Photoshop, combining Option with a action is equivalent to making a copy of this element. Another action often associated with Option is "All": for example, "show all", or "expand all" in the lists, or "activate all"... However, it has other uses, sometimes very well hidden.

The little guide lists seventy various tips, from the particularly useful to the very futile... Obviously, it is not a question here of being exhaustive, but rather to give ways to encourage you remember to press the Option key during all your manipulations with the mouse and the keyboard... in order to save you time and make you more productive, even... have fun!

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