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What Is The Ctrl Key For Mac

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By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

This page discuss differences between Apple Keyboard and Windows keyboard.

  1. The Mac equivalent of CTRL + ALT + DEL (Control + Alt + Delete) is Command + Option + Escape. You can use those commands to force-quit frozen apps on the Mac. Picture of an Apple keyboard with the CMD + OPT + ESC keys circled.
  2. To use the Fx keys as standard function keys, press and hold the Fn button and then press the required function key. If you're using a non-Apple keyboard that doesn't have an Fn key, try pressing and holding the Control key instead. Changing Function Key Behavior on Mac. You can change the default behavior of the function keys on Mac too.

Setup the Command Key on a Windows Keyboard Plug your keyboard into the USB port on your Mac, Macbook, iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, or whatever you've got. Go to System Preferences Keyboard.

On the PC keyboard, you have the Ctrl (Control key), ❖Window (Windows logo key), Alt (alternate key).

On Apple keyboard, you have Ctrl, ⌥option (alt/option), ⌘command (command) keys.

Control Key

Ctrl Key Disabled

Control Key in Microsoft Windows

The Control Key in Windows is used for keyboard shortcuts. For example, Copy is Ctrl+c, Paste is Ctrl+v.

On the Mac, Command key is used for keyboard shortcuts. Copy is ⌘command+c, Paste is ⌘command+v.

Control Key in Mac OS X

The Control key under Mac is rarely used.When used, it is as a modifier in combination with other modifier keys. For example,in Safari (as of 2018-05-01)Ctrl+⌘command+1 show bookmarks sidebar.

Mac OS X by default supports emacs basic cursor movement keybindings.You can try it in TextEdit.They are:

Mac OS X's default emacs keybindings:

  • Ctrl+f → move forward
  • Ctrl+b → move backward
  • Ctrl+n → move down a line
  • Ctrl+p → move up a line
  • Ctrl+a → beginning of line
  • Ctrl+e → end of line
  • Ctrl+k → delete current position to end of line
  • Ctrl+y → paste

Alt/Option Key

⌥option on Apple keyboard and Alt on PC keyboards both send the same USB scancode.

Alt Key Use in Microsoft Windows

The Alt key in MS Windows has several different uses:

  • It is used to invoke graphical menus. For example, pressing (and releasing) Alt by itself will activate the graphical menu, then the user can press a alphabetic key to invoke a menu command or use arrow keys to navigate the menu.For example,Altec invokes the copy command in edit menu, in Notepad and most other Microsoft Windows apps.
  • When pressed simultaneously with a key, it invoke a command directly. For example, Alt+F4 closes the current window.
  • When held down then type a number on the numeric keypad, it enters a special character. For example, hold Alt then type 0225 on numeric keypad will insert 'á'.[see How to Input Unicode]
  • If your Windows's keyboard layout is set to a European language, then right Alt plus a letter key inserts special characters.[see International Keyboard Layouts][see Alt Graph Key, Compose Key, Dead Key]

Option Key Use in macOS

The ⌥option key is used for:

  • Cursor control, with arrow keys. For example, ⌥option+ moves cursor by word.
  • Option key is used to insert special characters, such as '• ™ ©'. For example, +8 will insert the bullet character '•'. [see Mac Keyboard Viewer]
  • Option key is used as a modifier key together with the ⌘command key. For example, in ⌘command+⌥option+h invokes the command 〖Hide Others〗 in all Apple applications.

Windows Logo Key and Apple Command Key

❖Window and ⌘command both send the same USB scancode.

Their behaviors are different in Mac and Windows.

In Windows:

  • Microsoft logo key invokes the Start menu.
  • When pressed with letter key, it invokes a command that's meaningful system-wide. For example, ❖Window+d gets you the desktop.

[see Windows Keyboard Shortcuts]

Under Mac, the Command key is used as a modifier key to invoke shortcuts. For example, ⌘command+c is Copy. It is similar to MS Window's use of the Ctrl key.

Macos symbol shortcut

Menu/App Key

[see Microsoft Keyboards Gallery]

The ▤Menu key, also called Application key, is invented by Microsoft. Typically only on the right side. It is used for Context Menu. The key's function is similar to the mouse's right button, or pressing Shift+F10 in most applications.

[see Keyboard Menu/App Key]

Mac doesn't have ▤Menu key. Powerpoint free mac os x. If you use a Windows keyboard on a Mac, the ▤Menu key does Ctrl+p.

Pdf bearbeiten kostenlos mac. [see Mac Keyboard Tools]

Main Return/Enter Key

On PC keyboard, the main enter key is labeled 'Enter ↵'.

On Apple's keyboards, the main enter key is usually labeled 'return' or just by a symbol '↩'.

Note: the main enter/return key is different from the Enter on number keypad. (it sends a different key signal.)

Enter/Return Key Conventions

In Microsoft Windows desktop (Explorer), when a file is selected, Enter will open the file.(To rename the file, press F2.)

In Mac desktop (Finder), when a file is selected, Enter will activate file rename.(⌘command+o to open the file.) Samsung file transfer driver.

Backspace Key

On PC keyboards, there is a Backspace key on the main section.

On Apple keyboards, this key is labeled 'delete'.

Backspace Key Conventions

When in text editing, the Backspace is used the same way in both OS X and Windows. It delete texts to the left of the cursor.

In browser, Windows useBackspace key to 'go back' to a previous visited page.For some time around 2005 to 2013, Mac OS X's Safari browser also started to do the same, but removed this shortcut again when gesture with touchpad becomes popular. Use 2-finger swipe to the left to go back.

Delete/Del Key

The Delete ⌦ key is located in the Home/End key cluster. This key sometimes labeled 'Del'.

On Mac, this key is labeled 'delete' or .

On Windows, Delete ⌦ is often used to delete things. For example, on desktop, select a file, pressing Delete ⌦ will put the file to the 'Recycle Bin'. In a text editor, the key will delete to the right of the cursor.

On the Mac, from early 1990s to 2006, the Delete ⌦ key is almost never used, even in text editors. When there is a function assigned to it, it is used to delete to the right of the cursor.

Insert Key

On PC keyboards, there is the Insert key (sometimes labeled Ins). Apple keyboards doesn't have this key.

PrtScn ScrLk Break vs F13 F14 F15

The PC has these keys:PrintScreen/SysRq,ScrollLock,Pause/Pause.

These keys have old history back to the 1980's (or earlier) and in generalare not used since 1990, except on Windows the PrtScn key is for screenshot.

[see Print Screen, SysRq, ScrLk, Pause, Break Keys]

Apple's keyboards do not have these keys. On some Apple keyboards, they have F13, F14, F15 instead. 'Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad' of 2009, has F16 to F19.

The {PrintScreenScrollLockBreak} are different keys than {F13F14F15}. They do not send the same signals. In any case, when either PC keyboard or Apple keyboard is plugged in on a Mac running Mac OS X 10.4, these keys have the same behavior (could be due to operating system).

Numeric Keypad Keys

The numerical keypad keys send different USB scancode than the samekeys at top row of the main key section.

Cross platform video. However, on macOS, the number pad keys are remapped to be the same as the number keys on the main section of keyboard.

The difference between PC and Mac keyboard's number pad are:

  • The arrangement of plus minus multiply divide keys are different.
  • PC keyboard has NumLock key. Apple keyboard does not have Number Lock toggle.
  • Apple keyboard has clear.
  • Apple's Numeric keypad has a equal = key.

back toKeyboard Shortcut and Layout Tutorial

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Alternatively referred to as Control Enter and C-Enter, Ctrl+Enter is a shortcut key that varies depending on the program. For example, in Microsoft Word this shortcut creates a page break.

  • Computer keyboard shortcuts.

Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

How to use the Ctrl+Enter

To use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Enter, press and hold either Ctrl key on the keyboard and while continuing to hold, press the Enter key with either hand.

Note

On Apple computer keyboards, the Ctrl key is labeled as 'control.'

Ctrl+Enter in an Internet browser

All major Internet browsers (e.g., Chrome, Edge, Firefox, IE, Opera) pressing Ctrl+Enter while typing in an URL (address) autocompletes the address. For example, in the address bar if you type 'computerhope' and then do the Ctrl+Enter shortcut the address becomes 'www.computerhope.com' and open the Computer Hope website in the current tab.

Note

This keyboard shortcut only works for .com addresses.

Ctrl+Enter in Microsoft Excel

In Microsoft Excel, pressing Ctrl+Enter fills the selected cells with the current entry.

Ctrl+Enter in Google Sheets

When editing a cell in Google Sheets, pressing Ctrl+Enter creates a new line in the same cell. When cells are highlighted, fills selected cells with the contents of a cell.

What Is The Ctrl Key For Copy And Paste

Ctrl+Enter in Outlook

In Microsoft Outlook, press Ctrl+Enter to send the e-mail you're composing.

Ctrl+Enter in Word and other word processors

In Microsoft Word and other word processor programs, pressing Ctrl+Enter adds a page break at the cursors current position instead of a new paragraph.

Related keyboard shortcuts

Below are links to related keyboard key and keyboard shortcut pages.

Related pages

  • Computer keyboard shortcuts.

Ctrl, Home key, Keyboard terms, Shortcut key





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