Control Key Functions For Windows Vs. Mac Users Will

Control Key Functions For Windows Vs. Mac Users Will

The keyboards are otherwise pretty similar, but new Mac users will need to understand these different keys.

For example, while you press CtrlC, CtrlX, and CtrlV to copy, cut, and paste on Windows, you press CommandC, CommandX, and CommandV to do the same on a Mac.

This symbol appears throughout the Macs menus to indicate when you can press the Command key along with another key to issue a keyboard shortcut.

The Command key originally had an Apple logo on it, but Steve Jobs thought displaying the Apple logo throughout the original Macintoshs menu would be overusing the logo.

The Control (Ctrl) key is also present, but it isnt used for as many things.

Holding it and pressing another key allows you to type a special character that doesnt normally appear on the keyboard.

For example, pressing Option4 with the US keyboard layout will produce, the cent sign which normally doesnt appear on your keyboard.

Like other modifier keys, its also used as part of some keyboard shortcuts.

This symbol is used throughout the Macs menus to indicate when you can press the Option key, the same way the Command keys symbol is.

Unlike for the Command key, we dont have any history that indicates why this symbol was chosen.

Aside from representing Command and representing Option, represents Control while represents the Shift key.

You can also set the Caps Lock key to No Action here, effectively disabling the Caps Lock key on your Mac.

The Option key functions as Alt and the Command key functions as the Windows key.

For example, youll have to press CommandC to copy text in OS X, but youll have to press CtrlC to copy text in Windows.

These keys are in different places, so it can interfere with your muscle memory.

To solve this problem, you can use SharpKeys to remap the Command and Ctrl keys in Windows.

This would make your Macs keyboard shortcuts work more like the keyboard shortcuts on a Windows PC.

The and symbols are printed on the keyboard so you can more easily understand the keyboard shortcuts shown throughout Mac OS X.

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