How to Find the Specific System Preferences Quickly on a Mac in 2023

🗓️ June 4, 2022 By ✍️ Jaysukh patel

The system preferences app contains all the system settings like software updates, audio settings, graphic settings, etc. So if you want to change or tweak a setting of your Mac, the system preferences app is the right place to go. There are several ways of opening the system preferences app; for instance, if your mouse is not working, you can go to the system preferences application by using your keyboard alone. Similarly, if your keyboard does not connect to the MacBook for some reason, you can use your mouse to launch the system preferences window.

This post will cover all the various methods of launching or navigating to the system preferences app using the mouse, keyboard, terminal app, login screen, and many more. Hence, pay close attention to the contents of this article to stay updated and learn a way around the problem when your external devices like mouse or keyboard stop responding or don’t work.

6 Ways to Open System Preferences on Mac Quickly

Method. 1→ How to open system preferences on Mac using a keyboard

Launching the system preferences app using your Mac’s keyboard is straightforward. Follow the quick and easy procedure given below to open the system preferences window on MacBook using the keyboard.

Step. 1→ On the home screen [Desktop] of your Mac, press the “Option + F2” keys together to open the Display system pane.

Step. 2→ While in the display system pane, press the “Command + L” keys simultaneously to head over to the main system preferences window.

You can also use the spotlight finder app for opening the system preferences app.

Step. 1→ On your Mac’s home screen, press the “Command + Spacebar” keys on your keyboard to open the spotlight search.

Step. 2→ Then type “System Preferences” in the search bar and hit the enter key.

Note: If you are using Windows Keyboard on Mac, then press “ALT + F2” and “Command + L” to open the System Preference window.

Method. 2→ How to open system preferences on Mac without a keyboard

If your MacBooks keyboard fails to work due to some bugs, glitches, or hardware issues and you need to access the system preferences app for monitoring or altering some settings of the Mac, you can do this by using your mouse. Follow the straightforward instructions below to open the system preferences pane on your Mac without using the keyboard.

Step. 1→ First, left-click on the Apple logo at the top left corner of your Mac’s screen.

Step. 2→ Then, from the list of options and settings available in the drop-down menu, select System preferences.

This method will launch the main system preferences window on your Mac without using your Mac’s keyboard.

Method. 3→ How to open system preferences on Mac using a mouse

If you want to open the system preferences pane on your MacBook with just your mouse or the touchpad of your Mac alone, go through the process explained below.

Step. 1→ Use your mouse to move the on-screen cursor to the top left corner of the screen.

Step. 2→. Then, tap on the Apple icon to open the drop-down menu.

Step. 3→ Finally, click on the “system preferences” option to launch the main system preferences window in the drop menu. 

Once you have completed this step, use your mouse to navigate any of the settings or options available in the system preferences window and change them according to your choice.

Method. 4→ How to open system preferences on Mac without a mouse

The only way to open the system preferences application on your Macbook without using the mouse is by using your MacBook’s keyboard. There are two standard ways that the Mac users can head over to the system preferences window without using the mouse, and both are described below.

• Using the Display system window

Step. 1→ Open the Display system pane on your MacBook by pressing the “Option + F2” keys on your MacBook’s keyboard.

Step. 2→ In the Display system pane, tap on the “Command + L” keys to open the system preferences application.

Note: If you are using windows Keyboard to Mac, then Press “Option + F2” then “Command + L” to open the System Preferences Home window.

• Using the Spotlight search

Step. 1→ Launch the spotlight search by hitting the “CMD + spacebar” buttons on your keyboard.

Step. 2→ Finally, use your keyboard to type “system preferences” in the search bar and hit enter.

Once you are in the MacBook’s system preferences window, use your keyboard to head over to the setting or option you want to access. If you’re going to open the mouse setting of your Mac, press the “M” key on your keyboard to highlight all the settings starting with the letter “M.” Now, use the arrow keys to move and select the mouse setting.

Method. 5→ How to open system preferences on the Mac login screen

Mac users can easily enable a set of accessibility options in the login window to make the login process to your Mac faster and simpler. The following set of instructions will guide you through the entire process of turning on the accessibility options in the Login window of your MacBook.

Step. 1→ Go to the system preferences app by tapping on the Apple logo at the top of the screen.

Step. 2→ Then, in the system preferences window, click on “Users & Groups.” (If you see the lock icon at the bottom of the window, click on it and fill in your admin login details to unlock it.)

Step. 3→ From all the available options, select “Login Options” and tap on the “Accessibility Options” action.

Step. 4→ Now, choose “VoiceOver, Zoom, Accessibility keyboard or Switch Control option” as the accessibility options you want to enable in the login window.

Step. 5→ Hit the “apply” button to apply and save the changes.

Method. 6→ How to access system preferences on a Mac terminal

Another simple yet effective method of accessing the system preferences pane on MacBook is with the help of the Terminal app. Note down the steps listed below to access the system preferences tab using the Terminal app on your Mac.

Step. 1→ Launch the Terminal app by clicking on the launchpad icon in your Mac’s Dock and typing “Terminal” in the search field. You can also make use of the Finder app to open the Terminal app by going to /Applications/Utilities folder.

Step. 2→ Now, select the “Preferences” option in the Terminal app.

Step. 3→ At last, click on “General” to change or monitor the general preferences of your MacBook.

These were the practical and simple methods for quickly locating or opening the system preferences window on your MacBook. Each method has a unique and distinct application and use; if your mouse does not work, you can use method number four to open the system preferences app, etc. So go through each one of these methods and implement them for quickly accessing the system preferences on your MacBook.