We’ve all been there. You’re in the middle of watching the latest Swinging Corgi video on YouTube, when the boss comes around asking about TPS reports and missing cover sheets. In a situation such as this, you may only have a second to react before you find yourself explaining how the video was actually “important research.”
Luckily, OS X has a series of built-in shortcuts to help you out. Many Mac users are familiar with the Command-W (close active window) shortcut, but choosing it in this case would close the incriminating window entirely—causing you to miss out on precious seconds of cuteness.
The vast majority of Apple software included with OS X also supports Command-H (hide). This command instantly hides the active window while leaving the application running in the background. Alternatively, users can press Option-Command-H to hide all applications besides the one currently active. This can prove useful if you’ve managed to switch to something important looking like a spreadsheet and need to hide the windows behind it with one command.
Finally, applications can also be hidden using the mouse—though it can be a bit slower. Simply move the pointer over the application in the dock that you’d like to hide and click it with Option held down. This command has an identical effect to Command-H and is typically only useful if your hand is already on the mouse. Happy hiding!