Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in macOS 13

Creating custom keyboard shortcuts in macOS 13 Ventura allows you to streamline your workflow by assigning personal key combinations to frequently used menu commands. Whether you want to create a universal command that works across the entire operating system or map a specific action inside an individual app, macOS provides a native, built-in tool to do so. This guide covers the exact steps to locate the updated Keyboard Shortcuts menu within System Settings and configure your own shortcuts quickly.

How to Add Custom Shortcuts

  1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings.
  2. Scroll down the left sidebar and click Keyboard.
  3. In the main window, click the Keyboard Shortcuts… button.
  4. In the sheet that appears, select App Shortcuts from the left-hand menu.
  5. Click the Add (+) button beneath the shortcuts list to open the shortcut configuration prompt.
  6. Configure the following fields:
    • Application: Click the dropdown menu to choose whether the shortcut applies to All Applications or a specific app installed on your Mac.
    • Menu Title: Type the exact name of the menu command you want to trigger. This must match the command's text as it appears in the app's menu bar, including capitalization, spaces, and punctuation (such as an ellipsis …).
    • Keyboard Shortcut: Press the combination of keys you want to assign to the command (e.g., Command + Shift + E).
  7. Click Done to save the shortcut, then click Done again to exit the Keyboard Shortcuts window.

Important Rules for Menu Titles

To ensure your shortcuts function correctly, keep these details in mind:

  • Exact Match: If a menu item is named "Export as PDF…", typing "Export to PDF" or "Export as PDF" without the ellipsis will cause the shortcut to fail.
  • Proper Ellipses: If a menu command ends with three dots, check whether the app uses three periods (...) or a single typographic ellipsis character (Option + ;). Most native macOS apps use the typographic ellipsis.
  • Submenu Items: If the command is located inside a nested submenu, you only need to type the final command name, not the entire path.

How to Edit or Remove a Shortcut

  1. Return to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts… > App Shortcuts.
  2. To edit, double-click the shortcut combination or menu title to modify it.
  3. To delete, select the shortcut from the list and click the Remove (-) button.
  4. Click Done to apply your changes.