All about the Macintosh Keyboard

All about the Macintosh Keyboard

Coming from Windows, you'll be used to using the Control key to issue commands to your Windows PC (e.g.: Ctrl-Q tells you PC to exit the current program). The Macintosh keyboard does have a CTRL key but it's not used in the same way as the Control key on a Windows PC -- and it's in a different place!

Let me introduce you to the Command key on your Mac Keyboard.

(For more on modifier keys in general, click here.)

The Command Key

Here's what the modifier keys on a standard Mac keyboard look like:

The propellery thingy will appear on various menus so you can learn what keys to hit in order to execute the menu items.

Before we get to the Activity, here's an overview of what these modifier keys on the Mac keyboard do:

Control Key

Symbol for the Control Key: (I couldn't find a symbol for the Control key! You'll see Control or Ctrl.)

With Keystrokes: The Control Key has a wide variety of uses that change as you move between programs. Some programs don't use the Control key for anything.

With Mouse Clicks: If the Mac you have runs system version 8.0 or higher, clicking with the Control key held down will bring up a Contextual menu. This menu will change depending on what you Control-Click over (that's the "contextual" part).

Option Key

Symbol for the Option Key:

With Keystrokes: The option does a whole lot of cool things with keystrokes!

I'll type this sentence again, holding down the Option key: à'¬¬ Ü¥³´ Ü�àß ß´òÜ´òç´ å©åàò �ø¬�àò© �ø›ò Ü�´ Ø³Üàøò æ´¥é

Pretty cool, no?!

In addition to the effect of the Option key on keystrokes, you can use the Option key in combination with other modifier keys (like Command-Option-W to close all windows in the Finder)

With Mouse clicks: The Option key combined with the mouse click will change some menu items on occasion.

Command (or Apple) Key

The command key is the most common modifier key you'll use on the Mac.

Symbol for the Command Key:

With Keystrokes: If you hold down the Command key and type a letter from the rest of the keyboard, you may issue a command to the computer. (I say "may" since some of the keys you type with the Command key down may not have any effect. As example: Command-Q always will Quit the program application in the foreground. But Command-J won't usually do anything (unless a particular program uses Command-J)).

With Mouse clicks: The Command key plus a click doesn't usually do anything.

How to identify the modifier keys

Apple (and other manufacturers) have produced different models of keyboards over time. But, about 80% of the time you will find this setup of keys:

Control ("ctrl") Option ("alt") Command" and then the Space Bar.

Activity 1: Using the Command Key

1) Double-click on the icon of the hard drive to open a directory window. Double-click on the icon of the Trash to open a second window.

2) Pull down the File menu and see that the Close Window command says Command-W over to the right.

3) DO NOT execute this menu Command -- I just wanted you to look at it! To get out of a menu, move the mouse over the desktop (anywhere out of the menu) and click. That will cancel the menu pull down.)

3) Click once on the window you want to close. (This will make sure that you have that window in the foreground (called the "Active Window").)

4) Hold down the Command key. While continuing to hold it down, type the "W" key and then let up both keys. (This is how you execute a modifier key!) The window will close.

In this way the Command key on the Mac is quite similar to the Control key on a Windows PC keyboard. And the Control key on a Mac does something different than the Control key on a Windows PC keyboard.

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