Using Keyboard Shortcuts on the Mac

Using Keyboard Shortcuts on the Mac

You use the keyboard to type in information. That works well enough. But you can use your keyboard to issue commands to your computer! You use modifier keys to do this.

What is a Modifier Key?

You're used to using the keys on your keyboard that type letters to the screen. But your keyboard also has "Modifier Keys". The most commonly used modifier key is the Shift key. When you hold down the Shift key nothing happens! Same with the Caps Locks key. But, if you type a key (like "h") while holding down the Shift key then you don't get a lower case "h", you get an upper case "H".

Holding down the Shift key modifies what happens when you type other keys. This is how modifier keys work.

Modifier Keys on Computer Keyboards

Computers offer some other modifier keys in addition to the Shift key. On the Mac you have three additional modifier keys: the Control, Option, and Command (or Apple) key. Holding down one (or more!) of these keys before typing a "regular" key changes what that keystroke does. Holding down one (or more!) modifier keys while clicking the mouse button also changes what that mouse click does!

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

Before we get to the Activity, here's an overview of what they 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 key, Option key, Command (or Apple) key, and then the Space Bar.

Activity 1: Using the Modifier Keys

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.

Note:

If the Close Window menu is grayed out (as in this image):

that means that there is no active window (or selected item) that can be closed.

Think of a grayed-out menu as a way for the operating system to tell you that you can't execute that particular command because the selected thing (text, a window, etc.) can not have that command applied to it.

Examples:

• You can't Copy (under the Edit menu) if you have nothing selected that is copy-able.
• You can't Open (under the File menu) if nothing open-able is selected.
• You can't Print (under the File menu) if the window in the foreground is not a printable window.

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