Tired of reaching for the mouse or trackpad just to check for notifications you may have missed? Find out here how to set up and use a keyboard shortcut to access macOS notifications in Notification Center.
First, Calling “Alpha”
The first few to inhabit the International Space Station (ISS), two Russian cosmonauts and a US-American astronaut, found the name of their new home both a tad cumbersome and, it seems, a bit English. They adopted the Greek Alpha instead as a call sign.
So, that’s how you would call up the crown on the ISS in the early 2000s;—want to call up the notifications on a Mac right now?
How to Access macOS Notifications with a Keyboard Shortcut
Set up a Keyboard Shortcut for Notifications on a Mac
Time needed: 3 minutes
To set up keyboard shortcut that lets you open Notification Center on a Mac so you can access macOS notifications:
- Open System Settings on the Mac.
Here’s how: Click the Apple logo () in the menu button, for example, and select System Settings… from the menu.
- Go to the Keyboard category.
- Select Keyboard Shortcuts….
- Go to the Mission Control category.
- Enable Show Notification Center.
- Double-click none to the right of Show Notification Center.
No “none”: If you do have a pre-set keyboard shortcut for showing macOS notifications, it will display instead of none; you can change the shortcut by double-clicking it.
- Press the key combination you want to use for displaying Notification Center.
Example: You can use Control Option ← (left arrow), for example.
Duplicate: If you choose a keyboard shortcut that has already been assigned another function, macOS Settings will alert you (though not tell you with what command the conflict exists). - Click Done.
Open macOS Notification Center Using the Keyboard Shortcut
Now, to open Notification Center and access alerts that are kept in it:
- Press the shortcut you set up in System Settings to open Notification Center.
Hide: Press the shortcut again to hide Notification Center.
Open Notification Center Using Mouse or Trackpad
To open Notification Center using the trackpad on a MacBook or Mac:
- Swipe in with two fingers from the right edge of the trackpad.
On the edge: You do need to start swiping close to the edge; swiping to the left with two fingers elsewhere on the trackpad will not open Notification Center.
No notifications: If swiping does not open Notification Center, see below for enabling the shortcut.
To set up a trackpad for the two-finger swipe to Notification Center:
- Open System Settings.
- Open the Trackpad category.
- Go to the More Gestures tag.
- Enable Notification Center.
How to Access macOS Notifications with a Keyboard Shortcut: FAQ
Can I operate on the notifications with the keyboard?
Yes, partly.
You can select and open individual notifications with full keyboard access and operate on them if you allow the keyboard to move the mouse cursor.
To turn on full keyboard access:
- Open System Settings.
- Go to Accessibility.
- Select Keyboard under Motor.
- Enable Full Keyboard Access.
To allow the numeric keypad on a keyboard to move the mouse cursor (so you can access controls on alerts in Notification Center):
- Go to Accessibility center in System Settings (see above).
- Select Pointer Control.
- Turn on Mouse Keys.
(How to access Mac notifications with a keyboard shortcut tested with macOS Sequoia 15.3, first published March 2025)