The proper order for Mac modifier keys in keyboard shortcuts
April 28, 2026
If you write about Mac keyboard shortcuts, there's a proper order for listing the modifier keys in a shortcut. The proper order is similar to how you see them at the bottom left of your keyboard.
Control (⌃), Option (⌥), and Command (⌘) always go in that order. The oddball is the Shift key (⇧), which is just before Command.
Keyboard Maestro follows this standard and presents its hot key field the same way.
Apple documents this order on their Mac keyboard shortcuts support page, if you want the official word.
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