How to Use the Command-M Shortcut to Minimize Final Cut Pro

Keyboard shortcut: CommandM

Sometimes you just need Final Cut Pro out of the way for a moment. That’s what Command-M does. In Final Cut Pro, Command-M is the Minimize command: it minimizes Final Cut Pro’s window into the Dock.

What Command-M Does

Press Command-M and the Final Cut Pro window shrinks down into the Dock. Nothing is closed and nothing is lost. Your library, project, and playhead position are all exactly where you left them. Click the minimized window in the Dock to bring it back.

It’s important to know what Command-M doesn’t do: it doesn’t hide individual parts of the interface like the Browser, Inspector, or Timeline. Those are panes inside the Final Cut Pro window, not separate windows. To show or hide them, use the buttons in the toolbar or Window > Show in Workspace.

How to Use It

  1. While working in Final Cut Pro, press Command-M.
  2. The window minimizes to the Dock, revealing your desktop and other apps.
  3. Do what you need to do: grab files from Finder, check a script, or reply to a message.
  4. Click the Final Cut Pro window in the Dock to restore it and pick up right where you left off.

When It’s Handy

  • Dragging in media: Minimize Final Cut Pro, find your files in Finder, then restore the window and drag them in.
  • Checking reference material: Get to a document, shot list, or client email without quitting your edit.
  • Clearing the screen: A quick way to get a clean desktop during a screen share.

Tips

  • Command-M is a standard macOS shortcut, so it works the same way in most Mac apps.
  • If you’d rather hide the whole app instead of minimizing the window, use Command-H, then click Final Cut Pro’s Dock icon to bring it back.

It’s a small shortcut, but it keeps you moving between apps without ever closing your project.

Browse all tips and tutorials or search