what symbols mean for keyboard shortcuts on mac

What symbols mean for keyboard shortcuts on mac mac os x#

Though you're not authorized to design hotkeys for general purpose tasks (e.g., opening an app), you can come up with various combinations to make your Mac experience painless. In other situations, a user may simply create customized keyboard shortcuts. For example, this option will remind the user of the meaning of Cmd+Delete (removing a group of files) or Command+Shift+Delete (emptying Trash). Go to System Preferences > keyboard > Modifier Keys… and check out which hotkey each symbol represents. One of the ways to deal with the issue is to call out the built-in system hint. It's not that rare when the trivial task of showing desktop with a shortcut stresses a newbie MacBook user out. The Alt (⌥) key adds confusion as on Mac's keyboards it's denoted as 'alt,' but in various instructions and even the official Apple support community it is referred as 'Option.' That said, people who are new to the world of Apple often have trouble deciphering the symbols used for shortcuts on a Mac keyboard. On the other, the Command (⌘) key is unique for Cupertino corporation and bears huge functional load in any Apple's OS. On the one hand, such modifiers as Shift (⇧), Control (Ctrl, ^) or Tab are universal and used on PC keyboards as well. The bedrock of almost any keyboard shortcut are one or several so-called modifier keys meant to alternate or change the function of other keys. Let's dig a little bit deeper! Shortcuts for Mac: The Core Symbols Use a trick if you decide to switch from Windows to Mac: apply the Option key instead of the Alt key, and use the Command key instead of the Windows logo. The keyboards are laid out a bit differently, but there is a way to overcome this obstacle.

It will not be a problem to get acquainted with Mac’s shortcuts even for a lifelong PC user. Various hotkeys allow saving plenty of time when working with Apple products.

With the help of simple key combinations, a user can do almost everything without having to look for the option in the menu.

What symbols mean for keyboard shortcuts on mac mac os x#

Both Mac OS X and macOS Sierra are rich for the shortcuts.